Are Drink Driving Court Cases Public in Ireland?

Are Drink Driving Convictions Public in Ireland?

Day 10 of 10 – Facing Court in Ireland: What You Need to Know

(Final post in the series. This one tackles a silent fear most people have but rarely say aloud.)

Sometimes they’re made public. Sometimes they’re not.

Let me explain.

Article 34.1 of the Irish Constitution is clear:

“Justice shall be administered in courts established by law by judges… and, save in special and limited cases… shall be administered in public.”

This isn’t some dusty legal technicality. It’s the foundation of any functioning democracy. In authoritarian regimes, courts operate behind closed doors. In Ireland, we do things differently: justice must not only be done in public—it must be seen to be done.

And that’s where the media come in.

The High Court has acknowledged in the past that most people will never step foot in a courtroom. So for the public to have confidence in the system, someone needs to be watching and reporting.

That someone is usually a journalist.

“Justice shall be administered in courts established

by law by judges… and, save in special and limited cases…

shall be administered in public.”

-Article 34, Irish Constitution

But here’s the problem: court reporters are vanishing.

Budget cuts, collapsing newspaper sales, and the slow erosion of local journalism mean that far fewer cases are reported than you’d imagine.

In the past, there might’ve been a reporter in every courtroom in a vast courthouse.

Today, it’s often just one person covering all the courts in an entire courthouse—or none at all.

In fact, I travel to more courts across Ireland than almost any lawyer, and I rarely see new faces among the press. Rural courts, busy courts, courts where dozens of cases are called—often not a single journalist is present. That’s the reality. And in many of these places that’s been going on for years.

So will your drink driving conviction appear in the paper?

Probably not. Unless there’s something newsworthy about it—like a high-profile name, a crash, or unusual circumstances—your case will likely pass under the radar.

First-time offence? No aggravating factors? It’s routine. And routine doesn’t sell papers.

"Budget cuts, collapsing newspaper sales,

and the slow erosion of local journalism mean

that far fewer cases are reported than you’d imagine.

In the past, there might’ve been a reporter

in every courtroom in a vast courthouse.

Today, it’s often just one person covering

all the courts in an entire courthouse—or none at all"

Even if you are convicted, there’s no online database where the public can look up your name. Employers don’t get notified. The Gardaí do maintain a PULSE record, and of course it appears on your court file, but that’s not the same as a Google search result or a headline.

So yes, court is public. But in practical terms, most drink driving cases are invisible.

Still, if you want certainty that nothing gets reported about you, there’s only one guaranteed route: Don’t get convicted.

That’s how you stay out of the headlines—and on the road.

Because once you're convicted, the judge has no discretion.

They must disqualify you.

But if you're not convicted, you can't be disqualified.

That's the logic.

After all, it's the choice between going off the road or driving home.

And everybody wants to drive home.