KERRY TD MICHAEL Healy-Rae, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, is seeking an urgent injunction to have “serious and grave” publications about him removed, a court was told this morning.

Barrister for Mr Healy-Rae, Elizabeth Murphy, instructed by Killarney solicitor Dan O’Connor told the Circuit Civil Court in Tralee she was seeking “an injunction to restrain publication of a most grave and serious nature”.

This was a civil matter under the defamation act and the respondent Michelle Keane should be called, Ms Murphy said at the outset.

The objective was to take down and restrain further allegations, and she was seeking an interlocutory injunction, Ms Murphy said. 

Ms Keane usually represents herself and she had been notified by email over the bank holiday weekend, the barrister said.

The barrister also said this was not Ms Keane’s “first rodeo”.

However, Judge Ronan Munro said he would prefer if the proceedings and notice of the injunction being sought was served by the Killarney-based solicitor to Ms Keane’s address in Knocknagoshel to notify her that he would deal with the matter at 2 pm today.

Ms Keane had electronic gates, Ms Murphy advised the court.

Solicitor Dan O’Connor is to proceed this morning to Knocknagoshel to serve the papers by hand.

If necessary, the envelope is to be placed behind the electronic gates of Ms Keane’s residence, Judge Munro said.

The matter is scheduled for 2 pm in Tralee.