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Here is another court case.
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This time, someone was charged with killing a man called McNamara
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with a blow to the head with a turf shovel.
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At the time it happened, a lot of people were working in the turf field,
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in between haystacks that dotted the landscape.
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Two women working away saw the defendant walking away with a shovel,
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but didn't take much notice, wondering about the second man.
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Later on, they walked around and found McNamara on the ground dead,
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with a bloody head.
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The woman told the police what they saw happened,
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about the man walking off.
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This woman was with her Deaf sister.
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When they heard she was deaf, they had a problem.
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They wanted her witness testimony, but how would they get it interpreted?
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The sister claimed that she could interpret, that she could sign very well,
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that her sister was well able to understand the priest.
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That her sister was a staunch Catholic,
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and well able to converse with people in sign language.
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After the court heard her statement,
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they decided to allow her to interpret the Oath,
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for her sister to swear.
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Hence the two of them could give their testimonies to the Court.
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The Defence Counsel asked the interpreter what exactly was said for the oath,
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the wording conveyed,
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and questioned whether the Deaf woman understood the Oath fully.
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The sister said that the Deaf woman understood fully
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because she was told that if she did not tell the truth,
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the priest would kill her.
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After some deliberation,
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the Defence Counsel moved to reject the claim that
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the Deaf witness fully understood the nature and meaning of the Oath.
