An 18-year-old youth yesterday denied the slash-hook murder of his second cousin following a fight in Limerick city last year.
When he was arraigned in the Central Criminal Court in Dublin, Mr Patrick Harty (18), of Ballysimon Road, Limerick, pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr Danny Harty (25), of Barrack Lane, Mungret, Co Limerick.
Danny Harty died in hospital on April 2nd, 1998, from injuries he received during a fight in Thomas Street on March 29th, 1998, four days earlier.
Mr Patrick Harty also denied two other counts of producing a slash hook in the course of the fight and intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm to Danny Harty.
Prosecuting, Mr Patrick Gageby SC said the fight originated in a feud between two Travelling families. The deceased was a member of the Traveller clan known as the "Nay" Hartys, while the accused was a member of another branch of the family, the "Dannaco" Hartys, so called because the elder of the family was named Danny.
The killing followed a christening party and day-long celebrations by the "Dannaco" Hartys, who were drinking in a pub in Thomas Street when the deceased man, his brother Patrick Harty, and a friend arrived shortly after 10 p.m.
Words passed between the two groups, and Mr Danny Harty snr left the pub with his son, Danny, in order to avoid trouble.
Danny jnr had had a lot to drink, celebrating his son's christening. Outside, the deceased and his brother, Patrick, were baiting him, but the prosecution claimed that "nothing of any great significance happened at that stage".
The accused man and his brother, Thomas, now also deceased, then arrived at the scene bearing slash hooks, said Mr Gageby.
He alleged that the pair ran towards Danny Harty. Patrick Harty allegedly swung and hit Danny on the head, causing serious wounding, and eventually death.
"We say that nothing that was being done by Danny, the deceased, or Patrick Harty justified the production of a slash hook", prosecuting counsel said.
It was not possible to say whether the blow that killed Mr Harty was struck by the accused or by his brother, but by running up and hitting the deceased, the pair were acting together in common design, he said.
Mr Paul O'Donoghue, a doorman at an amusement arcade in Thomas Street, said he witnessed two men run up and hit one of a group of men during the fracas.
The trial is expected to last four days.