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Patrick Horan
Ireland's road traffic solicitor
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I Only Had One Drink. Can They Still Arrest Me?
If you’re asking whether it’s legal, maybe.
But if you’re asking whether it’s safe—legally, reputationally, personally—the real answer is clear:
You already know.

Patrick Horan
Sep 25, 20253 min read


FAQ: Dangerous Driving in Ireland
Dangerous Driving FAQ Ireland | Penalties, Reports & Summons Explained What happens if someone reports me for dangerous driving in...

Patrick Horan
Sep 18, 20252 min read


What happens if someone reports you for dangerous driving?
"In one scenario you’re driving at a time and a day when there is nobody around.
In the other the reverse is the case.
Even if there was nobody around it could still qualify as dangerous driving becasue it might be reasonable to assume that at that time of the day you would expect people to be there"

Patrick Horan
Sep 18, 20253 min read


Women and Cocaine in Ireland: A 426% Rise
Cocaine Use Among Women in Ireland Has Soared 426% C ocaine use among Irish women is surging. The Health Research Board, an Irish...

Patrick Horan
Sep 15, 20252 min read


Giving Evidence in Court: Why Accuracy Beats Confidence
The 'best performing' witness does not equate to the most accurate or credible.
Some people are highly skilled at public speaking and in the witness box can seem cool and assured.
But just because someone is calm and composed, does not mean that they are de facto accurate.

Patrick Horan
Sep 12, 20254 min read


How Should I Behave as a Witness in Court?
Try your best not to look crazy...

Patrick Horan
Sep 10, 20253 min read


Going to Court as a Witness
Listen to the question and answer the question, not some question you think you should be asked.

Patrick Horan
Sep 5, 20252 min read


Is it sometimes better to plead guilty?
Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, the third time is enemy action Yes. There are some occasions when pleading guilty is the only...

Patrick Horan
Sep 4, 202510 min read


Do I Have to Give Evidence in Court in Ireland?
"Our legal system doesn’t require you prove your innocence. In fact it doesn’t require you to prove anything.
The burden of proof in any criminal case rests with the State"

Patrick Horan
Sep 2, 20253 min read


You've Just Been Sent To Jail
"You had wondered whether you would disappear behind it. You told yourself you wouldn’t.
But you had been lying to yourself and now you would pay the price for that deception too"

Patrick Horan
Aug 28, 202511 min read


I Panicked and Left the Scene of an Accident — What Happens Now?
"But in 95% of hit and run cases, there is no injury caused to anyone else, and jail is highly unlikely, especially for first time offenders"

Patrick Horan
Aug 27, 20254 min read


What Happens in Court for Drink Driving in Ireland?
Drink Driving Court Process in Ireland: What to Expect O ne of the most common questions I’m asked is: what actually happens in court...

Patrick Horan
Aug 25, 20253 min read


How To Lose A Case-Part 2
"Get used to further one-star accommodation as you wile away your days in a little room with a chap affectionately known by his friends as ‘Killer’.

Patrick Horan
Aug 17, 20257 min read


Will I Really Go to Jail for Drink Driving? This is The Truth.
"His rule/whim was simple, and brutal: if you were convicted of drink driving in his court, you went to prison. First offence? It made no difference.
The result? Everyone pleaded not guilty.
Even where the evidence was insurmountable.
Why? Because a guilty plea meant an automatic jail sentence"

Patrick Horan
Aug 15, 20255 min read


Why Drink Driving Cases Really Get Dismissed, And Why It’s About Fairness, Not Loopholes
"If you actually listen to what judges say in court around the country, you’ll often hear some variation of the same phrase:
“My lists are very long enough as it is. I’m trying to clear my lists, not add to them”.
So, they need good reasons to keep adjourning cases.
Because without good reason they won’t".

Patrick Horan
Aug 13, 20253 min read


The Cocaine Byproduct That’s Costing Irish Drivers Their Licence
"Benzoylecgonine doesn’t cause impairment.
At all.
Read that again.
Unlike cocaine, cannabis, heroin or MDMA which does cause impairment in some way, BZE does not"

Patrick Horan
Aug 11, 20254 min read


Stoned Yesterday. Banned Today
"The legal limit for benzoylecgonine is 50ngs.
And the mean level for it was a whopping 1032.9ng, more than 20 times the legal limit"

Patrick Horan
Aug 9, 20254 min read


What’s the Most Dangerous Time to Be on Irish Roads? (It’s Not When You Think)
"The youngest arrested driver was 13 years old.
The oldest was 90.
The youngest male driver was 13 years old.
The youngest female was 18"

Patrick Horan
Aug 8, 20253 min read


It’s Not Just the Disqualification: It’s Everything It Disrupts
That's the horror story above.
It's pretty bad.
The question you have to ask yourself is: "Do I want that reality?"
Well of course you don't.

Patrick Horan
Aug 6, 20254 min read


Why You’re Not a Criminal (Even If You’ve Just Been Arrested for Drink Driving)
"Every decent person I’ve represented has felt exactly like this.
And the vast majority of my clients are good, decent people.
Ashamed. Sick. Silently panicking.
But very decent.
You're decent too, right?"

Patrick Horan
Aug 6, 20256 min read
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