ON 11 April, 2008, in a report of a meeting of the Donegal Irish Farmers’ Association, addressed by Garda Sgt Paul Wallace on the subject of farm security published, we wrongly stated that Garda Wallace had commended Mayo farmer Padraig Nally for the way in which he defended his property.
We accept that we mistook the context in which Garda Wallace said that the farmer "did everyone a service".
Both Garda Wallace and the IFA have assured us that his remark was in reference to the farmer having successfully appealed his conviction and thus clarified the law.
By contrast, he did say, and we reported, that farmers should not take the law into their own hands.
He did not and would not condone the killing of an intruder.
We apologise to Garda Wallace for the embarrassment our report caused him.
