No justification for extension of time to appeal quantum of damages awarded in defamation proceedings

Plaintiff seeks an order extending time for leave to appeal a Circuit Court order - defamation proceedings – Plaintiff awarded €5,000 – costs adjourned – subsequently awarded to Plaintiff – Notice of appeal filed by Plaintiff – appealing quantum awarded – error in dates recorded – rules governing time - 10 days from the date on which the judgment or order appealed from was pronounced in open court – judgment given on 25th April, 2016 – notice of appeal filed on 25th July – argued more suitable to wait until a case is fully disposed of and then to bring an appeal within ten days thereafter – avoid multiple appeals - Eire Continental – bona fide intention to appeal formed within the permitted time - existence of something like mistake - must establish that an arguable ground of appeal exists - discretion of the Court - Goode Concrete - length of delay is of relevance to the exercise of the court’s discretion – court’s underlying obligation is to balance justice on all sides - absence of arguable grounds of appeal makes an extension generally unlikely - wholly unmeritorious appeals should not be allowed to progress - must be good reason for not filing an appeal on time - decision to appeal must be made within time - court’s discretion arises to be applied exceptionally - modified Eire Continental principles apply to appeals stemming from factual circumstances outside the materials that went before the trial court - Kavanagh v. Healy - court is given a wide power under O.122, r. 7 to enlarge the time for serving any document - Smith v. Brough [2005] EWCA Civ. 261 – interest in concluding proceedings – defendant engaged in certain not insignificant personal and business-related expenditure that she likely would not have engaged in had she contemplated that an appeal might nonetheless be allowed out of time - no affidavit sworn by Mr Griffiths - court does not see that any mistake or anything akin to mistake has been established - there is an arguable ground of appeal – Court sees nothing in the surrounding circumstances of this case that would justify its allowing such extension at this time – order extending time refused.