A Buncrana chef who was caught by gardai driving with cannabis in his system has been put off the road for one year.
Don McManus, of Glasmullen, Drumfries, pleaded guilty to a Section 4 (1A) charge of driving a vehicle while exceeding the drug drive limit when he appeared before Buncrana District Court.
The court heard how the drug driving offence was detected seven months after the 36-year-old was apprehended for drink driving.
His solicitor, Frank-Aran Murphy, said his client had been going through a hard time following a separation, and had taken solace in alcohol and cannabis, but has since turned his life around.
Garda Inspector Sean McDaid summarised the evidence in court. He said Garda Flanagan was on patrol on Sunday, September 22, 2024, when he was operating a mandatory intoxicant testing checkpoint at Shandrum, Drumfries.
On that date, he stopped Don McManus, who provided an oral fluid test, which registered as a fail at the roadside.
Mr McManus was subsequently taken to Buncrana Garda Station, where he provided a blood sample, which later came back over the limit, with a reading of 42.9 nanogrammes of cannabis per 100 millilitres of blood.
Inspector McDaid revealed that Mr McManus has a number of previous convictions, including a drink driving offence from February 2024, for which he was disqualified for one year at a sitting of Buncrana District Court in April 2025.
He also has further previous offences, including drunken driving and public order, but these date back to 2010 and before.
Defending the case, solicitor Murphy said Mr McManus had been having a difficult time with his personal life last year, but he’s on a better trajectory now.
“He recently separated from the long-term partner of his children, and he was obviously suffering greatly with that.”
“But he has made great strides since. He’s now working as a part-time chef in a local restaurant. He has full access to his children, and I believe a number of the children reside with him full-time also.”
“He has engaged in rehabilitation and is currently attending AA and NA [Narcotics Anonymous] meetings. He has addressed his issues and has fully engaged with those services.”
Delivering her verdict, Judge Eiteain Cunningham said: “I would certainly encourage him to continue with that.”
She convicted Mr McManus of drug driving and fined him €200, allowing five months to pay the sum. She also imposed a one-year ban.
“He’s already under a disqualification, so there’ll be no postponement application,” the judge pointed out.
Mr Murphy made an application for Legal Aid, given his client’s “limited means as a part-time chef.”