A Northern Ireland man accused of abducting his five year-old daughter and taking her to Kerry was released on bail at the High Court in Belfast.
Mr Gerard McCullough (56) was warned by Lord Justice Nicholson, however, that if he took his daughter away again he would go to prison for a long time.
Mr McCullough, from John Street, Belfast, is also accused of assaulting his wife Ms Francine O'Brien.
A social worker told the court that their daughter Shannon had been well looked after while with her father and spoke as if she was away on holiday. But she said she was concerned that Shannon and other children in the family had been exposed to domestic violence.
Mr McCullough was released on condition he does not go near his estranged wife's home and reports to the police twice a day.
PA