Clare’s County Registrar, Pat Wallace this morning briefly adjourned proceedings concerning 157 applications for re-possessions when they were disrupted by activists campaigning against banks re-possessing homes.
At Ennis Circuit Court, Mr Wallace rose and retreated to his chambers when he became embroiled in an exchange with an activist who demanded that he take a document from him.
The activist asked Mr Wallace take a letter from his and asked “are you going to read it? and in response, Mr Wallace replied: ‘Are you leaving?'
The two repeated the same question to each other a number of times before Mr Wallace adjourned proceedings and the activist received a round of applause from his colleagues in the courtroom.
Earlier at the start of the proceedings, Ken Smollen of the Irish Democratic Party asked that Mr Wallace adjourn all matters taking into account measures announced by the Government on Wednesday to keep families in their own homes.
However, in response, Mr Wallace said that the matters referred to “are political matters outside the jurisdiction of this court”.
He told Mr Smollen “I met you in Limerick last week and you disputed my court then”
Mr Wallace asked Mr Smollen “will I call the Gardai?”
In response, Mr Smollen said: “We are not here to protest, we are here looking for due process for these people. If you want me to leave, I will leave.”
Mr Smollen left with his supporters and later posed for press photographs on the steps of the court.
The repossession court is continuing and Mr Wallace has adjourned all applications to date and has not granted any order for re-possession to date today. Two Gardaí are also in attendance at the court unlike previous sittings of the repossession court.
