Carlow man remanded in custody for crash that killed uncle
Carlow Courthouse Photo: Michael O'Rourke
A CARLOW man has been remanded in custody awaiting the finalisation of his sentence after pleading guilty to dangerous driving causing the death of his uncle in 2014.
Patrick Connors (45), Ivy Cottage, Fruithill, Graiguecullen was driving a black Ford Puma with three passengers at Ballybannon, Carlow on 9 August 2014 and lost control coming around a bend.
Garda Derek O’Brien of Carlow Garda Station outlined to the court that gardaí received a report of a collision between two cars at 5.15pm on that date and two gardaí arrived at the scene several minutes later.
Upon arrival, they observed the three passengers and the driver of the Ford Puma in various states of injury. One man was fully conscious, lying on the ground in front of the car, another man lying in the boot of the car, with no visible sign of injury but drifting in and out of consciousness, and a third was lying on the ground on the driver’s side of the vehicle, bleeding and drifting in and out of consciousness.
The fourth male, a 42-year-old passenger named Patrick Doran, was lying at the back of the car and was pronounced dead by medical professionals at the scene. He was removed to Waterford University Hospital for a post mortem.
The post mortem determined that the passenger had died from shock due to multiple fractures, a ruptured liver and extensive internal bleeding. The two other passengers spent many weeks in hospital recovering from their injuries. Mr Connors was airlifted to hospital from the scene but had no medical records as he left the hospital against medical advice.
The driver and passengers of the Renault car coming in the opposite direction remembered seeing a black car travelling at speed towards them on the wrong side of the road, seemingly out of control. They braked and steered left to avoid impact. The driver and three passengers of this car suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries in the collision.
The court heard that the party in the black car had been drinking beer and vodka earlier in the afternoon and it was suggested that they go for a drive. Mr Connors drove the party to an off-licence and they all bought cans of beer. The other passengers could not remember if Mr Connors was also drinking.
Investigating gardaí calculated that Mr Connors was driving at a minimum speed of 111.96kph in an 80kph zone and that the car skidded while travelling along a sweeping bend along a road running from Milford across the R448 in Ballybannon and rotated anticlockwise during the skid. The incident occurred during daylight hours and driving conditions were good, said Garda O’Brien.
Inspecting the cars after the incident, Garda Joe Robinson said the Ford Puma driven by Mr Connors was not in a roadworthy condition at the time of the incident. It had rusted brakes, no working handbrake and had failed an NCT. The rear seatbelts had not been in use at the time of the accident. The Renault, comparatively, was in excellent condition and the driver was not under the influence of an intoxicant.
Judge Mary Morrissey offered her condolences to the large group of family members in court to support Mr Connors and the late Mr Doran. “I know it was a long time ago, but it doesn’t make it any easier,” she said.
Ann Casey, sister of the deceased, took to the stand to explain the impact of the accident on the family. “It was awful; he was my youngest brother,” she said. “It was like the end of the world, your honour, it was heartbreaking.”
Of the relationship between the people in the black car, Ms Casey said “The three boys were his three nephews; they would do anything together, they were more like brothers.” The deceased, Paddy, “was a character, he loved a couple of drinks. He was my mother’s pet and he got away with everything. We would be fighting the whole time,” said Ms Casey.
Regarding the defendant, she said: “I love Pat. I know he done wrong, but he’s been through an awful lot. He’s a good boy and he was reared rough.”
The court heard that the defendant had lost his mother at a young age and that his father was an alcoholic. He got married and had four children, three of which died of a spinal disease. He has one daughter, who also has the disease, and is now estranged from her and her mother.
“I feel sorry for him,” said Ms Casey.
Judge Mary Morrissey said in response to her statement: “That’s very brave of you. It’s a big burden to talk on behalf of your family.”
Henry Kelly BL, instructed by solicitor Joseph Farrell, told the court that Mr Connors had eight previous convictions under the for dangerous driving, having no insurance and failing to produce it and giving a false name and address to gardaí, for which he was sentenced to six months’ in prison.
The driver of the second car had no previous convictions.
Mr Kelly noted that Mr Connor made “a most terrible decision. These decisions will haunt him and the family members for the rest of their lives”.
He gave the court a letter penned by Mr Connors, in which he accepted a custodial sentence as inevitable, acknowledged his responsibility and offered his sincerest apologies to all those harmed by his actions.
Mr Kelly noted the delay in legal proceedings was caused by Mr Connors leaving the jurisdiction. He was taken into custody in England on 9 February 2023 and was eventually returned to Ireland on 11 October 2025.
Judge Morrisssey thanked all the family members for taking the time to write letters of support for Mr Connors. The date of the finalisation of his sentencing will be set on 21 May 2026.
