A former inter-county hurler and coach was thrown 34 metres through the air when he was struck and killed by an off-duty garda who was driving at more than twice the speed limit, a court has heard.

The sentencing hearing at Dundalk Circuit Court heard that Michael Ball, 28, who has since resigned from the force, had been drinking with colleagues before getting behind the wheel.

Ball drove off following the accident in the early hours of St Patrick’s Day 2024, leaving 45-year-old Niall MacEneaney lying on the pavement with catastrophic injuries.

The victim’s widow, Grace Martin, said gardaí were trained to be heroes, but that Ball was ‘no hero’.

‘This man is a coward,’ she told the court. Mr MacEneaney, the hurling coach with Termonfeckin club St Fechin’s, had been out with friends from the club that night, and had been walking home.

There was an audible intake of breath in court when CCTV showed the headlights of Ball’s car speeding towards the crossing. He drove at up to 109kph in the 50kph zone.

Mr MacEneaney had been trying to cross the road at a pedestrian crossing, just minutes from his home in Drogheda town in Co. Louth. Many of the former Louth hurler’s family had left the court as the shocking accident was shown on screen, but others, several in GAA jerseys, remained.

Judge Dara Hayes said the ‘grossly excessive’ speed at which Ball had been travelling, and his failure to remain at the scene, meant that a custodial sentence was ‘inevitable’.

He remanded Ball in custody pending sentencing next month. Ball has pleaded guilty to a charge of dangerous driving causing death, and another of failure to offer assistance following the collision.

Yesterday, Alma Gavin, investigating officer for Fiosrú, the Office of the Police Ombudsman, outlined the evidence under questioning by prosecuting barrister Miska Hanahoe.

The court heard that gardaí received a call at approximately 2.30am on March 17, 2024, from a taxi driver who had seen a man lying face down on the grass verge of Rathmullen Road, near a pedestrian crossing.

Officers attended the scene and found the man unresponsive. Gardaí called for an ambulance, but when they tried to resuscitate him, it was clear that he had died.

A post-mortem examination determined that his death had been caused by multiple injuries, consistent with a motor vehicle collision in which he was a pedestrian. A garda found a bank card in Mr MacEneaney’s back pocket, and went to his house nearby, where he told the deceased’s wife about the accident.

On examining the scene, gardaí found pieces of bumper lights and a partial registration plate near the pedestrian crossing. A near-complete registration plate was found further down the road.

When this was checked by gardaí, they found it was registered to their colleague, Ball. The court heard that Ball, who is originally from Co. Donegal, was ‘couch surfing’ and staying with Garda colleagues in Donore at the time.

When gardaí arrived at the house, his Skoda car was parked in the furthermost part of the farmyard, with the damaged part up against a gate. The windscreen had been shattered.

Ms Gavin said that gardaí described Ball as being asleep in a chair in the house, in a ‘comatose sleep’, and they had to shake him to wake him up. He was found to be ‘clearly intoxicated’.

Ball told the gardaí he had been working until 7pm and then went drinking with colleagues. He said that he did not drive after 7pm. Ball confirmed that he was the owner of the car and but said he could not remember getting home.

When a garda noted that he had not asked them why they were there, he replied: ‘This is about the damage to the car.’

The garda said he had not mentioned any damage to any car. He became upset when gardaí informed him that a man involved in an accident had died, the court heard.

The two other gardaí who lived in the house both denied driving the car. One said he had been with his girlfriend, the other said he had been drinking with Ball, but had left earlier.

Ms Gavin agreed that CCTV footage showed that Ball was socialising earlier that evening with colleagues and friends in a number of establishments, drinking beer, and at one point drinking from a shot glass.

The court heard that he returned to Drogheda Garda Station at 1.56am to get his car, before driving home. The collision happened around two minutes later.

Ms Gavin confirmed the speed limit on the road was 50kph and an analysis found Ball had been driving between 107kph and 110kph before the collision.

The rear brake lights were activated 0.24 seconds before the impact, and the braking caused him to slow to 86-109kph for the impact. CCTV footage showed Mr MacEneaney being thrown into the air. He was found 34 metres from the centre of the pedestrian crossing, it was heard.

Ball was interviewed by Fiosrú on April 5, 2024, and he accepted that he was the owner of the car. The following month, he submitted a pre-prepared statement through his solicitor.

He said that he been working until 9pm, and then went out drinking. He said he had decided to go home early, at around 1.30am, and got his car from Drogheda Garda Station.

In the statement, Ball said that a man suddenly ran in front of the vehicle and collided with the passenger side. He said: ‘I am filled with an unbearable remorse for the victim’s family, and I deeply regret that I did not stop at the scene of the incident.’

Ball said that he did not stop because of ‘sheer panic’ and had ‘no answer’ as to why he did not provide assistance. His barrister, Rod O’Hanlon, said that Ball had written a letter of apology.

He said that his client has expressed ‘genuine remorse’ and had entered an early guilty plea in the case. The defence barrister said Ball, who is married with a young child, has been deeply impacted by what happened.

He has resigned from An Garda Síochána, having served for a number of years, Mr O’Hanlon said, adding that it was a ‘stressful occupation’.

A number of character references were handed to the court from Ball’s wife, mother, and aunt. Judge Hayes remanded Ball in custody for sentencing on June 15.