Preacher Libel Action Against Farmer

Edward Cooney, from Irvinestown, Co Fermanagh, leader of the Cooneyite sect and a preacher across England and Ireland, began a libel action against two individuals. It is claimed that the men, Wilson and Henderson, had placed posters and placards in public view that libelled him. The posters included the quotes, ‘The Greatest Fraud in the Whole of Ireland’, ‘The Foulest Stain in the Century’, ‘Two Girls Brutally Ill - Used by Enniskillen Cooneyites’, and ‘Seventy Girls Cajoled’. The court heard that Wilson’s daughter had been taken from him by the Cooneyites, and that he believed the sect was involved in the white slave trade. Mr Justice Boyd stood over an earlier action that ruled in favour of Cooney, and stated that he expected to hear further actions in the future.