THE family of a 101-year-old Monaghan woman have described their shock after she was called for jury duty.
Evy Boylan received a letter last month, instructing her to show up to the circuit court in Monaghan on June 5 or face a €500 (£430) fine.
Her daughter Frances McKenna told the Shannonside Northern Sounds’ Joe Finnegan Show of her disbelief.
“My mum is her 102nd year,” she said.
“I don’t know if the people who issue these letters are incompetent or what the problem is, they don’t check the date of birth.”
She decided not to tell her mother at first, for fear the letter would cause her distress.
After taking legal advice, she phoned the court service.
“They said ‘will she be attending?’. I said ‘what do you think?’.
Ms McKenna said it wasn’t the first administrative oversight her mother has faced, having received a letter shortly before her 100th birthday to review her pension, asking how many hours a week she worked.
Anyone over the age of 65 in the Republic of Ireland can asked to be excused from jury summons, with summonses issued randomly to anyone on the Register of Electors.
Ms McKenna said that while her mother is in the early stages of dementia, she told the BBC her mother is still in “good form” and enjoys trips into town.
She advised anyone in a similar situation to just phone the court service to explain.
“It’s very scary but you will get excused.”
