Young Moville man clocked at 149 kilometres per hour faces dangerous driving charge

A young Moville man, who was clocked at 149 kilometres per hour in an 80kph zone, has failed in his bid to have a dangerous driving charge reduced to careless driving after a judge ruled that it was “too fast”.

Josh McDermott, of Rose Bank Court, Moville, appeared before Buncrana District Court charged with dangerous driving, an offence which carries a mandatory ban of at least two years upon a guilty conviction.

In bringing forward an application to reduce the charge against the 20-year-old apprentice plumber, defence solicitor Frank Dorrian said there were “overarching grounds” to do so.

Garda Inspector Sean McDaid indicated that the State didn’t “overly” oppose a possible reduction to the lesser charge of careless driving.

Summarising the facts of the case, Inspector McDaid explained how gardai were operating a speed checkpoint at Drumhaggart, Burnfoot, on Saturday, February 14, 2026.

At 3.31pm that afternoon, they detected the accused travelling in a Volkswagen Golf at a speed of 149kph in an 80-zone.

The driver was stopped and identified himself as Josh McDermott. He was subsequently arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving and taken to Buncrana Garda Station, where he was later charged.

Mr Dorrian conceded that the speed “reads pretty badly, given that it’s an 80-kilometre limit.”

However, he outlined a number of factors in mitigation as to why the charge should be reduced.

“It’s in the middle of the afternoon; there are no other vehicles inconvenienced, and it was on the widest part of that road.”

Mr Dorrian told the court that members of Mr McDermott’s household currently rely on him for transport.

“He provides transportation for his sister, who is wheelchair-bound, while his mother suffers from a significant disability picked up in a hit-and-run accident. He tells me that he’s the only person in the house who’s free to drive,” he said.

The solicitor conceded that his client should have known better than to drive at such a speed, given the circumstances.

“One would have thought that he would have taken that into account before he decided to drive at 149kph on this roadway. It’s an unacceptable level of speed.”

“He accepts entirely that it’s inexcusable. He has been through the motions of being taken to a Garda Station and then having to go home and explain what’s happening.”

Mr Dorrian said the Moville man also requires his licence for work purposes.

“In his endeavours as an apprentice plumber, he travels relatively extensively to jobs around Inishowen, which would require him to drive. He’s not working for a large multinational company; it’s a small business.”

Finally, Mr Dorrian pointed out Mr McDermott’s previously unblemished record.

“There are no previous convictions, no penalty points, and he assures me and this court that there will be nothing further.”

Having listened to the facts and mitigation put forward, Judge Emily Daly promptly refused the application to reduce the charge.

“It’s too fast, I’m afraid, Mr Dorrian,” she said. “It’s too fast in an 80-kilometre zone. It would be fast in a 100-kilometre zone, never mind an 80-kilometre zone.”

The judge added: “I accept that he’s young and I accept that he has responsibilities, but in light of those responsibilities, he should have taken greater care.”

“I’m afraid I’ll refuse the application to reduce it to a Section 52 [ Careless Driving].”

The case was adjourned for hearing at Buncrana District Court on October 8, 2026.

Judge Daly suggested: “It might be in his interest to undertake the pro-social driving course in the interim.”