“I Can’t Believe This is Happening” — What to Do If You’re Facing a Drink Driving Charge in Ireland

Now is the time for calm...

It starts like this.

You’re sitting in the passenger seat of a Garda car, staring at the flashing lights ahead. You’ve been arrested.

You’re cold.

You’re trying to replay the last hour in your head — how many drinks was it? Two? Three? You told the Garda you were “grand.”

They didn’t look convinced.

And now you're in the station, blowing into a machine you never thought you'd see outside the news.

"Both the specialised road traffic barristers

I work with and myself have appeared in every

court in the country, from Donegal to Kerry,

remote Galway to sunny Wexford.

And every place in between.

This is all that we do"

The printout whirs out. The Garda looks at it. And they tell you in a quiet tone that “it’s a high reading”.

You’re over the limit. Well over the limit.

Suddenly, the life you knew — your job, your licence, your family routine — feels like it’s slipping out of your hands.

Tomorrow, you’re due at work.

Next week, you’re supposed to drive your daughter to school.

And in six weeks, there’s a court date with your name on it.

And that question keeps repeating in your head:

“Am I going to lose everything over one mistake?”

The truth about drink driving charges in Ireland

If you’ve been charged with drink driving, you’re probably imagining the worst: automatic disqualification, a criminal record, even jail (highly unlikely, but still you’ve thought about that too in your panic).

And yes, the penalties in Ireland are serious.

A conviction can mean:

·       A mandatory driving ban (from 3 months up to 4 years)

·       A fine of up to €5,000

·       A criminal record that follows you for years

But here’s what most people don’t realise:

·       A charge is not the same as a conviction.

·       There are legal defences that can get your case thrown out.

Do you want to go off the road for 2 or 3 years or drive home?

Exactly.

__________________

Not every case is watertight. The Gardaí have to follow strict procedures during the arrest, testing, and paperwork.

If they miss a step — even a small one — your case could collapse.

But these mistakes aren’t obvious. You won’t spot them by googling. And by the time you stand in front of a judge, it’s too late to fix them on your own.

That’s why the most important decision you’ll make right now isn’t what you say in court — it’s who you trust to fight your corner.

“I thought it was hopeless — until I got the right advice”

Every week, I speak to people who felt exactly like you might feel right now: anxious, ashamed, convinced their licence is gone.

One woman told me last week that she couldn’t bear to look at her daughter again, such was her shame. I told her the same thing I’d tell you:

“Stop thinking like that. Its not helping anyone. We’re only interested in winning”.

And every week, I’ve helped people turn their case around.

·       The breath test wasn’t taken within the legal timeframe.

·       The Garda didn’t give the required legal warnings.

·       The paperwork had fatal errors.

These aren’t rare technicalities — they happen more often than you’d think.

But if you don’t challenge them the right way, they won’t help you.

Calm. Focused. Fighting for your future.

You don’t need scare tactics. You don’t need false promises.

What you need is someone who knows how the system really works — who can read the fine print, spot the weak points, and stand up for you in court.

I’ve spent years specialising in defending drink driving charges in Ireland. Both the specialised road traffic barristers I work with and myself have appeared in every court in the country, from Donegal to Kerry, remote Galway to sunny Wexford. And every place in between. This is all that we do.

"Do you want to go off the road for 2 or 3 years

or drive home?

Exactly"

Traveling the highways and byways every day means we also know the best places to eat in the country.

I’ve seen the difference between a rushed plea and a carefully built defence.

You only get one shot at this. Make it count.

If you’ve been charged with drink driving, don’t wait. Contact us today for a confidential, no-judgment consultation.

It might make the difference between going off the road or driving home.

And everyone wants to drive home.