NEIGHBOURS AT WAR OVER CROWING COCK
A ROW OVER A NOISY ROOSTER BETWEEN NEIGHBOURS TURNED NASTY THIS WEEK AS IT ENDED UP IN THE CIVIL COURT
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A ROW over a rescued rooster spilled into the district court as neighbours took legal action over the noise from next door's crowing cock.
Claire Keenan and her son, Gerard, who live at Tower Cross, Mornington took a case against neighbours Anthony and Marian O'Sullivan, 'Moanna', Coney Hall Cross, Mornington over the noise their rooster makes.
The Keenans were seeking an order from the district court to force the O'Sullivans to stop the noise from the rooster and from the couple's six dogs under noise abatement legislation.
The O'Sullivans accused widow Mrs Keenan of being malicious in bringing the application and claimed she had been insulting to them.
The court heard how Mrs Keenan had built her house in 1995 and the O'Sullivans had moved into theirs in 2001.
Mrs Keenan said her son, who works shifts at night, had been disturbed numerous times during the day from the noise of the dogs and cock.
She claimed the dogs had broken into her yard and alleged Mrs O'Sullivan had called her 'an auld bitch' after the council's dog warden had visited the O'Sullivans.
Mrs Keenan said she had been told by a garda that he had called the warden himself after other neighbours had complained about the dogs.
Mrs Keenan said it was ' just one thing after another' and at one stage, a couple of years ago, the O'Sullivans put two caged parrots next to her fence and they were screeching.
Mr O'Sullivan alleged that Mr Keenan had made a threatening call to their home a couple of months after they moved in when the dogs had got out of the house for a few minutes.
Mrs Keenan admitted her son had made the call after he was woken up by the dogs' barking.
Mr O'Sullivan also alleged that Mrs Keenan said she would let the dogs out onto the road if they came near her and that she had told a workman to cut down trees on the O'Sullivans' land.
The court heard how the rooster had been moved into a garage since legal action started and was now only out between 10am and evening times.
The dogs have also been fenced off in another part of the garden.
Judge William Hamill said he wanted to see a reasonable resolution to the case because 'these things are not cheap either in terms of the nerves or the pocket'.
The Keenans' solicitor Bernard Gogarty and the O'Sullivans' representative, Mr Cooney, said they would strive to find a workable agreement before the case comes back before Drogheda District Court on October 19th.
