Derry man took undercover cops to €2,500 drugs cache at Rory Gallagher Festival

A man led undercover gardai posing as revellers to a tent containing a stash of over €2,500 worth of illegal drugs at the Rory Gallagher Festival in Ballyshannon.

Niall O'Mianain has been given a chance to avoid a conviction.

The 31-year-old, of Great James Street, Derry was before Judge Ciaran Liddy at Ballyshannon District Court in relation to the incident on June 5, 2022 at Carrickboy, Ballyshannon.

Inspector Angela Cummins told the court that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) directed that a plea could be accepted in the District Court to two sample counts on a full facts basis.

Judge Liddy accepted jurisdiction.

The court heard that on June 5, 2022, O'Mianain offered illegal drugs to undercover gardai at the Rory Gallagher Festival.

O'Mianain led officers to a tent, where they found a bumbag containing an assortment of drugs.

Various quantities of drugs including cocaine, ketamine, LSD, MDMA and 2C-B were located with a total value of €2,537.

The sample counts O'Mianain pleaded guilty to related to €819 worth of cocaine.

Inspector Cummins told the court that O'Mianain was arrested and detained by gardai. He told gardai that his phone was dead and that his modus operandi was just meeting people.

The court heard that O'Mianain has no previous convictions in this jurisdiction.

Solicitor for O'Mianain, Mr Gerry McGovern, said his client is a “well respected and very well thought of man” who is interested in theatre, storytelling and poetry.

Mr McGovern said O'Mianain attended the festival as part of a group of 40.

“This man is carrying the can for the group,” he said. “He cooperated 100 per cent and he even showed the gardai to the tent. He would say that if anyone was around and wanted to share in the fun, they got it; he was not a man who made money from the drugs.”

A reference on behalf of O'Mianain was handed into the court.

Mr McGivern said his client admitted that he used drugs, but said he was “not a typical man” for charges such as these.

“He is a great lover of nature and culture,” Mr McGovern added. “He didn't try to hide anything and he never sought to blame anyone else.

“He is not earning any big money anywhere. He is struggling with the life that he likes.”

Judge Liddy adjourned the case until February 7, 2025. He said if O'Mianain did not come to adverse garda attention between now and then he would apply the Probation of Offenders Act, meaning the accused would avoid a conviction.

Should O'Mianain come to adverse attention in the interim, he would be convicted on both charges and fines of €1,500 for possessing illegal drugs for the purpose of sale or supply and €200 for the possession of illegal drugs would apply.