Five men tried in Westport courthouse for illegal drilling. William O’Malley (Kilmeena) was sentenced to one month in prison, while M J Ring, Thomas Kitterick, Charles Gavin and William Malone (all from Westport) were all sentenced to six months hard labour. None of the defendents recognised the authority of the court. The Connaught Telegraph (Saturday, March 23rd, 1918) reports that :-

Both for their conduct in Westport [i.e. drilling] and their hooliganism in the court, the magistrates decided to impose an exemplary sentence.