A 50-year-old Ennis father was the getaway driver for his sons who set upon members of another settled traveller family in a busy Ennis town centre in two daylight violent attacks.

In graphic CCTV footage shown at Ennis Circuit Court, James Sherlock is seen at the wheel of a white van on Ennis’s O’Connell Street as his son, Declan Sherlock (23) is seen chase, catch up and then strikes a man lying on the footpath 10 times across the head and body with a long wooden pole.

The attack took place at 6.10pm on July 28 July 2017 on the crowded street and the victim, Sean Slattery (29) is dragged into a Vodafone store by a worker there to prevent the attack continuing.

The CCTV then shows three other offenders on the Sherlock side, including Mr Sherlock’s 18 year old son, Jordan running down the street and jumping into Mr Sherlock’s van after they had carried out an attack on members of the Molloy family, Thomas (26) and James (20) of Ballaghboy halting site, Ennis outside the nearby Temple Gate hotel.

The attacks by the Sherlocks - all formerly of Dromard, Ennis - and two others on the Molloys were reprisals for an attack by James, Michael Molloy (25) and Martin Molloy (19) on Damien Sherlock (27) who was knocked off by his bike and assaulted earlier in the day at O’Connell Square, Ennis.

Judge Gerald Keys described James Sherlock’s actions as ‘despicable’ in facilitating his children to carry out the attacks.

Mr Sherlock isn’t facing a charge for driving on the date but he has pleaded guilty to charges from a separate feud incident which took place three days later.

On the feud incidents before him, Judge Keys said: “It is absolutely outrageous that this carry on should be allowed. What has happened here is just unbelievable.”

He said: “I think that these people think that they are a law onto themselves - that they don’t have any responsibility towards society and that they think that they can behave towards one another whatever way they wish and that we should ignore and accept it and allow them carry on the way they want to carry on.”

There were 11 people before the court resulting in a heavy Garda presence and Judge Keys rejected an application by counsel for two of the accused, Brian McInerney BL that pleas of mitigation could be heard on an adjourned date.

Judge Keys said that he was rejecting the application in order to cut down on legal aid costs from the case for the State.

He said: “I am very conscious that this is costing huge expense to the State with all of the people before the court on legal aid - in other words everyone who is working and paying their taxes are paying for this.”

He said: “While I have no objection to people being afforded legal representation there comes a point when you look at the previous convictions, the constant re-offending, the constant outlay for the tax-payer who has to pay the bill. If somebody doesn’t say stop, the whole thing will fall apart .”

Judge Keys said that if he did adjourn the cases “it means that the State and the tax-payer will be burdened with having extra security in the court because of the way these people behave towards one another”.

Judge Keys stated another day would add to the legal aid bill "and I don’t think the tax payer should have to pay for that. I have to protect society and the tax-payer before this goes out of control completely".

In his victim impact statement, Sean Slattery, who has no connection to the feud but is a brother of Thomas Molloy’s partner, said: “I can’t go up the road for fear of being cut up…I am seriously afraid that these people will kill me.”

Representing Jim Molloy and James Sherlock in the case, Brian McInerney said: “Peace is abroad, there are no further difficulties between these two families.”

He said that no one really knows the seed of the dispute between the two sides.

Mr McInerney said that there is unlikely to be a repeat of what happened on July 28th 2017.

He said: “Fault lies on both sides. Wrong lies on both sides. Partial rightness lies on both sides but the reaction to be wronged was equally wrong and two wrongs don’t make a right.”

Mr McInerney said that James Sherlock’s wife died in tragic circumstances and he has to rear the children.

Mr McInerney said: “Mr Sherlock is fiercely overprotective of his family and involved himself when he shouldn’t have done so.”

Mr McInerney said that Mr Sherlock used to visit his wife’s grave on a daily basis but has now moved up with his family to Carrick on Shannon in Co Leitrim in order to remove himself and his family from Ennis.

Mr McInerney said: “He is gone from Ennis for good.”

Mr McInerney said that while “it is wholly unrealistic to suggest that all of the Sherlocks and Molloys sit around Christmas dinner table and give each other Christmas presents” a long time has passed between the last incident and today.

Judge Keys adjourned the cases to February to fix a date for sentence.