SOLICITOR O’TOOLE IN COURT
WICKLOW town solicitor Patrick O’Toole was in Bray District Court last Thursday where he was presented with a book of evidence.
Mr O’Toole, of the Old Rectory, Wicklow town, is facing charges of dishonesty with the intention of making a gain for yourself or another or of causing loss to Wicklow Town Council through attempts by deception to induce Wicklow Town Council not to pursue financial contributions owed to it in connection to a development; and corruption in office.
The first charge relates to an unknown time between March 3 2008 and September 8 2013, while the corruption charge is alleged to have occurred between May 1 2006 and July 12 2006.
He was represented in court by solicitor Michael Staines.
Mr O’Toole will appear before Wicklow Circuit Court, sitting in Bray, on April 5. BY the time you read this I will be winging my way across The Atlantic for my first ever live American Broadcast! – Philadelphia Here I Come!
It’s all top secret at the moment, and in reality an awful lot less exciting than it sounds but yes I will be appearing on American TV on St Patrick’s Day. And no I am not the Grand Marshall in the parade! I say it’s my first American broadcast, because I have actually been on Irish television before. And it did not go well. In fact it was an unmitigated disaster so I’m hoping my latest performance will fare a bit better.
You may remember an afternoon show on RTE where they would have regional reporters on a Friday giving a rundown on what was happening in the area for the weekend. They asked me would I do it one week.
My gut instinct told me this was a bad idea. I am not good in front of the camera. Any camera. My face sort of takes on a life of its own and I end up making all sorts of weird grimaces. But my ego told me to go for it. Sure wouldn’t I be mad to miss the opportunity to do live TV?
So I went off and did my hair and make up, came back to studio to discover 10 minutes before I went on air, that the person who’d be interviewing me was a fella I’d shifted in college 20 years earlier!
I nearly had heart failure. I was more worried about having to talk to him than I was about making a fool of myself in front of thousands of people.
Then I thought, maybe he wouldn’t remember me! After all it was only one date after which he ruthlessly dumped me (No I wasn’t bitter!) so chances were he wouldn’t have any recollection.
Unfortunately he did. Two minutes before going live, I put my ear piece in and I heard his voice.
‘Well Justine how’s it goin’? Long time no see? Hahahaha.’ I was absolutely mortified.
I giggled slightly hysterically as they counted me down and then... my mind went blank.
All I can remember is staring robotically at the monitor and nodding my head. I got my script arseways and stuttered my way through an agonising five minute slot. It was the longest five minutes of my life.
Afterwards I heard him through the ear piece saying to the producer ‘Jaysus she was brutal!’
If I hadn’t been so shellshocked I’d have replied, ‘yeah , well you were a sh**e kisser!’
So I’m trying to be positive. This time round couldn’t possibly be as bad as that.
As long as no ex-boyfriends materialise in a television station in Philadelphia I’ll be grand. No really I will be! Happy St Patrick’s Day!