*Ballyalla Lake. Photograph: Páraic McMahon
A CLARECASTLE man who showed an ammunition find he discovered while out snorkelling on his ‘Snapchat Stories’ has escaped a conviction for possession of the ammunition.
At Ennis District Court, Judge Adrian Harris imposed the Probation Act on Keith Ryan (37) concerning the possession of 20 Magnum .38 special calibre bullets that Gardaí detected in a tub in the utility room at Mr Ryan’s home at Orchard Drive, Clarecastle, Co Clare on June 11th 2025.
Mr Ryan had pleaded guilty to the possession of the 20 special calibre .38 Magnum bullets where possession was not authorised by a firearms cert and possession was contrary to Section 2 of the Firearms Act, 1925, as amended by Section 15 of the Firearms Act 1964, and Section 3 of the Firearms Act 1971.
Judge Harris admitted that the circumstances of the case are unusual but said that someone who finds ammunition in such circumstances should notify the Gardaí rather than going on social media.
Solicitor for Mr Ryan, Patrick Moylan said after discovering the bullets on a river bed leading into Ballyalla Lake outside Ennis, Mr Ryan appeared on his ‘Snapchat Stories’ to show the ammunition find.
Mr Moylan told the court that this was not the actions of a man who had something to hide.
Mr Moylan said that Mr Ryan who has no previous convictions had made public to everyone about the bullets find. Mr Moylan told the court that his client believed that the bullets were antiques.
Mr Ryan was away in the UK at the time of the Garda search, Mr Moylan said and in evidence Mr Ryan’s mother, Mairéad told the court that she was able to tell Gardaí at the time of the search that her son came across the bullets while out snorkelling near Ballyalla Lake.
Mr Moylan said, “It is very easy to make up a story months later but his mother, Máiréad – who is a very hard working woman – told gardaí at the time of the search how he came across the bullets”.
In evidence, a friend of Mr Ryan’s, Rory Downes gave evidence of seeing the bullets haul being presented on Mr Ryan’s ‘Snapchat stories’.
Mr Moylan said that Mr Ryan is a good working person and works out on and off in construction and is a father to a 15 year old daughter.
Mr Moylan said that nothing in Mr Ryan’s past history calls into question the veracity of his account on how he came into possession of the bullets.
The solicitor said that his client had tried to retrieve the images from his Snapchat stories but was unable to. Judge Harris applied the Probation Act in the case for one year.
