Search
10 Sept 2025
Search
10 Sept 2025
Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.
Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist.
If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter .
Support our mission and join our community now.
To continue reading this article, you can subscribe for as little as €0.50 per week which will also give you access to all of our premium content and archived articles!
Alternatively, you can pay €0.50 per article, capped at €1 per day.
Thank you for supporting Ireland's best local journalism!
Charlie Coyle was before Letterkenny District Court
A man who appeared in an RTE television documentary about prisoners playing Gaelic football has been jailed for handling a stolen agricultural trailer worth €4,000 in Letterkenny.
Charlie Coyle, 63, appeared on 'Gaelic in the Joy', a television show featuring prisoners playing alongside former Dublin GAA star Philly McMahon and comedian Rory O'Connor.
Coyle appeared at Letterkenny District Court after pleading guilty to being found in possession of a stolen agricultural trailer knowing it was stolen.
Coyle, with an address at Bough, Cootehill in Cavan, is already serving eight years in jail after being caught with €2.5 million worth of cocaine in his van.
He pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of the drugs for sale or supply in Lusk on 24 April, 2020.
Coyle, who is originally from Dublin, appeared at the court in Letterkenny wearing a Dublin GAA shirt.
The court heard the trailer which Coyle was in possession of was the property of David Connors Machinery and Trailers in Milford.
Solicitor for Coyle, Mr Rory O'Brien, told the court that his client did not know the trailer had been stolen.
He told the court that his client was currently serving a sentence for another matter and was not due to be released until 2027.
The court was told that Coyle has a number of previous convictions.
Mr O'Brien said his client was sorry for what had happened.
The solicitor added: “He has asked me to convey to the court that if he was not in custody serving a lengthy sentence, he would have been able to secure funds by way of compensation."
Judge Eiteain Cunningham said she would give Coyle credit for the early plea of guilty he had tendered to the court.
However, she added that she had to be cognisant of his previous convictions.
She sentenced him to seven months in prison.
Fitness fanatic Coyle was one of the oldest inmates to appear in the three part television show which saw prisoners eventually play a game against prison officers.
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie
Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.
Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.
This publication supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice of the Press Council. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, Lo-call 1800 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie.
