Cork charities received more than €200k from court poor box last year 

MORE than €200,000 was paid out to Cork-based charities from the court poor box in 2024, representing a 95% increase on the sum paid out to Leeside charities in 2023.

According to documents published by the Courts Service earlier this year, 69 charities in Cork benefitted from mandated donations to the sum of €202,410.

These payments were made out of the total €1,673,584.92, which was paid out from the court poor box to charities nationwide.

Organisations dealing with addiction, poverty, homelessness, women’s safety, medical services, hospice care, and mental health were among the list of selected charities which benefited from the dispersal of the funds.

Payments that were made to Cork charities ranged from small one-off amounts to sums of more than €20,000, with the chapters of St Vincent De Paul (SVP) in Cork benefitting from the largest donation sum, totalling €21,060.

There were 13 chapters of the SVP charity in Cork that benefitted from the fund, with its Cork city location receiving the largest donation sum at €9,750; followed by its Macroom location, which received €1,260; its Bandon location, which received €1,200; its Charleville location, which received €1,150; its Castletownbere, Millstreet, Schull, Bantry, Clonakilty, Kinsale, and Skibbereen locations, which all received €1,000 each; and its Fermoy location, which received €450.

The second highest amount paid out to a Cork-based charity was €17,250, which was donated to Coolmine Therapeutic Community (Cork City North), followed by €12,400 to Marymount University Hospital and Hospice.

Fantastic addition

Speaking to The Echo, Brendan Hennessey, who is a member support officer with SVP in Cork, said the monies paid out to the charity from the court poor box is “a fantastic addition” to efforts already made to fundraise for the society.

“At conference level — each local group [or chapter] is called a conference — any income that arrives, such as the money from the court poor box, is of huge benefit,” said Mr Hennessey. “It’s one of the ways that the local conferences of the society get their funds.

“Receiving money to the tune of anything over €1,000, up to nearly €10,000 in the city, that represents a lot of standing around at church gates and fundraising events, so it’s a fantastic addition to what the conference already does to make money.

“It’s important to remember that the vast majority of the society’s money comes from the public and this is just another way.

“Last year, the society assisted approximately 20,000 families across Cork and Kerry.

“Across the island of Ireland, we received a quarter of a million calls — and one of the reasons that people will approach the society first is because they need food or energy assistance, so these funds represent us trying to help a household over a period of time.

“Conferences will generally use that money for those initial requests for food, energy, and so forth, so that money is having a definite impact on a household.

“The funds go directly to the conference, which is run by volunteers — they usually consist of eight to 10 people who are trained by the society and generally meet weekly to review cases or calls that have come in.

“It’s important for the public to know that the society looks at how they can help somebody into the long term — that our assistance can bring hope to somebody.

“The society’s direct assistance to households can be as much as €30m across Ireland per year — that’s why the court poor box is only just one way of how we raise money.

“The vast majority of our money comes from public donations, and without them, we’d be completely stuck.

“The amount we get from the court poor box every year is ever-changing, but it does make a difference, it’s going right into the local parish — it represents hours of fundraising, so it’s certainly having an impact at a local level.

“We always encourage people to get in contact with us if they need to, there’s very little our volunteers haven’t seen before — so if somebody is reading this and is thinking they may need assistance, you’re not the only person to pick up the phone and call us this year.”

Incredibly important

Enid Conway, who is the fundraising and marketing manager at Marymount University Hospital and Hospice, said payments from the court poor box are “incredibly important” to the organisation.

“Each year, we receive small but meaningful intermittent sums lodged directly to our bank account from the Courts Service,” said Ms Conway.

“While these donations are modest in scale, they are incredibly important to us and go directly toward enabling us to sustain and further develop the vital services we provide to the people of Cork and surrounding areas.

“There are gaps in State funding for essential operating costs, and we currently receive no Government support for capital expenditure.

“This includes the replacement and upgrading of facilities and equipment, which are investments that are crucial for our patients and their families.

“This year, our focus is on several key areas of development; including upgrading our day rooms to create more comfortable and welcoming spaces for patients and visitors; reconfiguring our day care and outpatients department to expand capacity and improve service delivery for those attending from the community; and commencing a programme to upgrade patient rooms, ensuring that those in our care have access to the highest possible standards of comfort and dignity.

“All of these improvements are only possible because of the generosity and continued support of the people of Cork.

“We remain deeply grateful to everyone who contributes, whether through the Courts Service or otherwise, for enabling us to continue our mission of delivering expert, compassionate care.”

A spokesperson for the Courts Service described the court poor box as being “predominantly” used by the district courts, who often deal with criminal offences of a less serious nature.

Nature of offences

The individual amounts donated can vary substantially depending on ability to pay, other penalties imposed, and the nature of the offences, all of which are as directed by each presiding judge.

“The option of paying into the court poor box usually arises where the offence is minor in nature and would not attract a custodial sentence,” the spokesperson said.

“Public order offences can be the most common offences for which the poor box option is given to defendants.

“These include breaches of the peace, intoxication, or disorderly conduct in a public place, threatening, abusive, or insulting behaviour in a public place, or failing to comply with a direction from An Garda Síochána.

“It is at other times used for first time, minor drug possession offences, and offences against property.

“There are many reasons and instances why the court poor box is used by judges for offences on the more minor side of the scale.

“The accused may never previously have been before the courts, the accused may have pleaded guilty, a conviction might be inappropriate, or might adversely affect employment, career, or working abroad prospects, and/or the offence may be of a minor or less serious nature.

“When combined with the Probation of Offenders Act, it provides an option where the person is held accountable in public court, some financial penalty is considered merited, but a conviction and fine are not.

“It can sometimes be a more meaningful punishment than the maximum fine where the value of a maximum fine may have been eroded by inflation.”

The practice of courts directing that money be paid into a court poor box, instead of or in conjunction with another penalty, is a practice which predates the foundation of the State.

It appears to go back in history and stem from judges’ jurisdiction at common law to exercise discretion in imposing a penalty.

Organisations that wish to become a beneficiary from the court poor box may apply in writing to their local district court office, with applications then submitted to the attention of the presiding judge.

For more information on the practice of the court poor box, visit: https://courts.ie.

Every year, thousands of euro is paid into the box. Rachel Lysaght analyses what charities in Cork benefit from the long-standing practice