A 48-YEAR-OLD Connemara man charged with issuing a threat on social media to kill or cause serious harm to Taoiseach Simon Harris and his family has been released on bail.

Patrick Grealish of 16 Garrai an Choirce, Lettermullen, Co Galway, appeared before Judge Gerard Furlong at a special sitting of Galway District Court this afternoon.

Grealish is accused of making a threat to kill or cause harm to Harris and his family on 4 August this year.

The court was told that the offence under Section 5 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, 1997, carries a sentence of up to ten years on conviction.

Detective Sergeant Eamonn O’Neill of the Special Detective Unit said that he arrested Grealish yesterday (Sunday, 11 August) and charged him at Galway Regional Garda Headquarters. Det. Sgt. O’Neill told Judge Furlong that when invited to reply to the charge Grealish said “no thanks.”

Det. Sgt O’Neill objected to bail on a number of counts, including the serious nature of the offence, that it related to a member of Government and that the alleged offence of threatening to kill or cause serious harm was being taken ‘very seriously.’

Det. Sgt O’Neill said that they would say Grealish was caught ‘red-handed’ with the device allegedly used to post the offending message.

Under cross-examination from defence solicitor Michael Cunningham, Det. Sgt O’Neill accepted that Grealish had been co-operative since his arrest on Sunday.

The defence solicitor said his client was the sole carer for his elderly mother and that Grealish had his own health issues.

Cunningham told Judge Furlong that his client would abide by all bail conditions.

Grealish, who is on social welfare and was granted free legal aid, spoke briefly during the 17-minute hearing.

He told Judge Furlong that he would abide by any bail conditions ‘100%’ and would stay off all social media.

“Absolutely, I promise you,” Grealish told Judge Furlong.

Grealish also undertook to have no contact with the injured party, including online; to surrender his passport and not apply for new travel documents; to reside at his home at Garrai an Choirce in Lettermullen; to be of good behaviour at all times; to provide gardaí with a contactable phone number; to observe a curfew between 11pm and 7am, and to appear at all court sittings in relation to this matter.

Judge Furlong warned Grealish that all of these conditions were strict. “You will be jeopardising your liberty if there is any breach of these conditions.”

Judge Furlong set bail at €500, which he stressed was ‘commiserate with the defendant’s means at the moment and in no way detracting from the seriousness of the charge alleged.’

He remanded Grealish on bail to appear before a sitting of Derrynea District Court in Connemara on 17 September.