From the archives: Dirty eggs caused a stink in Mayo village

By Tom Gillespie

AT the beginning of August 1939, The Connaught Telegraph carried a court case from Crossmolina Court concerning ‘dirty eggs’, where the Minister for Agriculture prosecuted John Forde and Kate McHale, both of Laherdane, and Dermot Cawley, merchant, Crossmolina, for selling to James O’Hara, egg merchant, of Coolgrane, eggs which were externally dirty.

Mr. Thornton, solicitor, prosecuted, and Mr. Corr represented Cawley.

John Llewellyn, department inspector, said he visited the registered premises of O’Hara and inspected three cases of eggs sent in by Forde, McHale and Cawley, whose names appeared on dockets attached to the cases.

There were 360 eggs in each case, and 120 of the 240 eggs sold by Forde were dirty; 46 of 120 eggs sold by Miss McHale were also dirty, and in Cawley’s case witness examined 120 eggs and found all of them extremely dirty.

O’Hara’s son, Francis, appeared, and he said every case of eggs arriving from a collector was marked with the collector’s name, and there was hardly any mistakes made. He believed the eggs in each case belonged to the defendants now before the court.

Mr. Thornton asked the witness why his father did not come to court, and O’Hara replied: “He did not think he would be needed.”

“If the defendants are anxious to have O’Hara here I would ask for a bench warrant,” said Mr. Thornton, but Mr. Corr (for Cawley) said he did not think that would be necessary.

In evidence, Forde said the eggs were not checked by him but by an assistant. They were taken at night, and the boy, he supposed, thought they were all right and packed them. He was in no position to say that the eggs seen by the inspector in a box bearing his name were his, but ‘they could have been’.

Mr. Thornton: Do you suggest that this was a frame up on O’Hara’s part to get you into trouble? - No, no.

Then have you any doubt that the eggs were your property? - They could be.

Mr. Corr - He admits they were.

Mr. Thornton - Yes, with reluctance.

Justice: I have no doubt about it.

Cawley said he had been buying eggs for many years and was never summonsed before. He admitted selling eggs to O’Hara, but he did not believe that out of 120 eggs examined 120 were dirty. He was not supposed to clean any eggs; that was up to the sellers, and he always did his best to see that all eggs were clean.

Mr. Thornton said the Department, in bringing these summonses, said that they wanted to get to the root of the trouble, and that was with the producer. Although the court had dealt with a large number of these cases, people were still being prosecuted for offering dirty eggs for sale.

They did not seem to appreciate the importance of the egg industry to the country, but were coming to court relying on the leniency of District Justices. The egg industry was one of the most valuable the country had and everything should be done to give it the protection it deserved.

Justice Guy fined each defendant 20s, ordered them to pay 5/4 each expenses, remarking that these cases were serious ones.