An Army company sergeant based at The Curragh was awarded damages of £40,000 by Mr Justice Barr in the High Court yesterday in his action against the Minister for Defence, Ireland and the Attorney General. Mr John Murphy, of Piercestown, Newbridge, and formerly of Orchard Park, The Curragh, claimed he had noise-induced deafness and tinnitus because of exposure to noise from weapons while serving in the Army.
Mr Murphy, a father of two, joined the Army in 1976. He is at present a company sergeant with the 3rd Infantry Battalion at Connolly Baracks, The Curragh.