Month: February 2011

  • Access,Custody and Guardianship in Ireland-What You Need to Know

    The Guardianship of Infants act,1964 is the principal piece of legislation governing the issues of access, custody and guardianship in Ireland. Any guardian of a child can apply to Court to seek an order concerning these issues and the Court will be primarily guided by what is in the best interests of the child. An…

  • Drink Driving In Ireland-What You Need to Know

    The two most common offences prosecuted in the courts in Ireland to do with drink and driving are sections 49 and 50 of the Road Traffic Act, 1961. Section 49 deals with driving or attempting to drive a vehicle while under the influence of an intoxicant which includes both alcohol and drugs. This is commonly…

  • Dangerous Driving and Careless Driving-What’s The Significant Difference?

    Dangerous driving and careless driving are serious offences in Irish road traffic law. A less serious charge is driving without reasonable consideration as set out in section 51A(1) of the Road Traffic Act 1961. There is no definition in law of “driving without reasonable consideration” but it is generally considered to be acting like a…

  • Driving Without A Licence | Driving Without Insurance

    Some common road traffic offences on the roads in Ireland are set out below together with the penalties and any possible defences. Driving without a licence This offence is contained in Section 38 of the Road Traffic Act, 1961 and basically states that you cannot drive or allow another to drive your vehicle in a…

  • Sentencing In the Criminal Courts In Ireland

    There is much debate about sentencing in the criminal courts in Ireland and the severity or otherwise of sentences handed down in criminal courts. To understand better how sentences are arrived at in criminal cases it is important to understand that the goal of a sentence in a criminal case is to deter the criminal…