Man with 579 convictions jailed for drunkenness following Cork incidents

An unenviable criminal record of 579 convictions has been clocked up by a 55-year-old man — many of them related to drunkenness — as a result of a lifelong inability to cope with a traffic crash that saw six members of his family killed when he was a young man.

Richard O’Brien of 14 Ardshanavooley, Killarney, Co Kerry, has now pleaded guilty to five more public order charges at Cork District Court. He admitted being drunk and a danger on five occasions in a one-week period and engaging in threatening behaviour during one incident in Cork city.

Sergeant John Kelleher said Richard O’Brien had a total of 579 previous convictions. Of those, 362 were for being so intoxicated that he was a danger to himself or others and 63 were for engaging in threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour likely to lead to a breach of the peace.

Judge Mary Dorgan remarked previously that the extent of the defendant’s public order convictions must be a record. Shane Collins-Daly, solicitor, referred to that remark by the judge when he was outlining mitigation.

“He describes himself as having a life ruined from alcohol. Six members of his family were killed in a road traffic accident … Since then he has never been able to beat the alcohol addiction.

“He dries out in prison, he relapses when he gets out — he described it as a vicious circle. To his credit, while there are four drunkenness charges, there is only one of threatening behaviour,” he said.

Judge Dorgan imposed a total prison term of two months on O’Brien.

On December 27, 2025, at Oliver Plunkett St he was drunk and a danger. On December 29, 2025, again at Oliver Plunkett St, he was both drunk and threatening. 

On New Year’s Eve — December 31, 2025 — at Grand Parade he was drunk again. Later on the same date he was drunk at Oliver Plunkett St. 

Finally, on January 4 this year he was drunk at Castle St.