District court donates €300,000 to local charities and clubs
Judge Andrew Cody said that the amount available for distribution in District 15 is significantly higher that other districts, boosted by court poor box donations arising from prosecutions for drugs offences during the Electric Picnic festival
THE district court in District 15 takes in both Laois and Offaly and in recent weeks donated just over €300,000 to local charities and clubs and to national and international charities through the court poor box and as a result of police property applications.
Speaking at the announcement of the court poor box donations for 2024 at last week’s sitting of Portlaoise District Court, Judge Andrew Cody said that normally monies paid out of the court poor box are at the discretion of the assigned judge. However, in District 15, these funds are allocated by a committee and the allocations are announced publicly.
This year, the following committee, comprised of Sheila Larkin (acting Portlaoise court office manager), Robert Hogan (Tullamore court office manager), Insp Barry Collins (Tullamore), Insp Jane Ryan (Portlaoise), solicitor Eimear Dunne (Portlaoise), solicitor Niall Moran (Tullamore), Judge Andrew Cody and Judge Susan Fay, decided unanimously on the distribution of such funds.
Judge Cody said: “Most regular attendees at the district court will be familiar with the basic concept of the court poor box system.
“A person who has been charged with a minor criminal offence, usually a first-time offender, may be given one chance to avoid a criminal record by making a contribution to charity through the court poor box. There are many reasons, such as the 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.
“Typical cases where the court poor box is used include first-time possession of a small amount of drugs, particularly cannabis or cocaine, 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 or minor assaults.”
Payments to the court poor box are generally less than €500 in each case. The individual amounts can vary substantially depending on ability to pay, other penalties imposed and the nature of the offences.
Judge Cody said: “Charities regularly benefit from other payments from court cases being concluded because as an alternative to using the poor box, judges regularly direct defendants to pay monies directly to a charity and produce a receipt for same. In addition to the funds being allocated from the court poor box, significant amounts have already been donated to specific charities.
‘‘The amount available has increased significantly and the balance on hand for distribution this year was €197,000. The amount available for distribution in District 15 is significantly higher that other districts, boosted by court poor box donations arising from prosecutions for drugs offences during the Electric Picnic festival.
“The increased resources allowed us to be more generous this year. This arose primarily from the increased donations following prosecutions for possession of drugs arising out of the Electric Picnic festival. The total this year from Electric Picnic was approximately €150,000.”
In addition, there were several police property applications to the district court, which resulted in over €100,000 being donated to the juvenile sections of several GAA clubs.
This money was predominantly seized during searches for drugs and was thought to be the proceeds of crime. In total, €104,000 was distributed to the clubs to be utilised solely to purchase training equipment as required, so as to aid underage/juvenile development in Sports. No monies are to be spent by the adult sections of these same clubs.
In addition to the distribution of cash, the court directed that 6,000 litres of confiscated diesel be donated to Portlaoise Rugby club to power the generator for its floodlights.
Below is the full list of what groups, clubs and organisations benefited from the distribution of funds that were collected from last year’s Court Poor Boxes in both Portlaoise and Tullamore District Courts.
|
Addiction Services |
|
|
Cuan Mhuire Athy |
€ 6,000.00 |
|
Portlaoise Alcohol and Drugs Service. |
€ 6,000.00 |
|
Merchants Quay |
€ 6,000.00 |
|
Mental Health ,disability and abuse survivor charities |
|
|
One in Four |
€ 1,000.00 |
|
Grow Community Mental Health Laois/Offaly |
€ 2,000.00 |
|
Triogie Centre |
€ 2,000.00 |
|
Tullamore Community and Family Resource Centre |
€ 2,000.00 |
|
Accessible Counselling |
€ 5,000.00 |
|
Pieta House |
€ 2,000.00 |
|
Hospice and Cancer support Charities |
|
|
Irish Cancer Society |
€ 2,500.00 |
|
Clares wish Foundation- last wishes to people that are terminally ill. |
€ 1,000.00 |
|
Laura Lynn Children's Hospice |
€ 2,500.00 |
|
Cushla Center Portlaoise |
€ 4,000.00 |
|
Offaly Hospice |
€ 5,000.00 |
|
Laois Hospice |
€ 5,000.00 |
|
International Charities |
|
|
Unicef |
€ 2,000.00 |
|
Mellon Educate ( Niall Mellon Township Trust |
€ 1,000.00 |
|
Cara Projects |
€ 2,000.00 |
|
Irish Red Cross |
€ 2,000.00 |
|
Homeless Charities |
|
|
Threshold |
€ 2,000.00 |
|
Focus Ireland |
€ 2,000.00 |
|
Cappuchian Day Centre |
€ 2,000.00 |
|
PATH |
€ 4,000.00 |
|
Midlands Simon Community (Laois,Offaly,Longford and Westmeath) |
€ 4,000.00 |
|
Animal Welfare Charities |
|
|
Laois Society for The Prevention of Cruelty To Animals Limited |
€ 2,000.00 |
|
Kildare Wildlife Rescue |
€ 1,000.00 |
|
Offaly Society for The Prevention of Cruelty To Animals Limited |
€ 2,000.00 |
|
My Lovely Horse |
€ 2,000.00 |
|
Children’s Charities and Schools |
|
|
Jigsaw Laois Offaly |
€ 1,000.00 |
|
Kolbe School |
€ 1,000.00 |
|
Scoil Mhuire Naofa Rhode (Primary School) |
€ 1,000.00 |
|
St Paul's National School Mountmellick. |
€ 1,000.00 |
|
Clonaghadoo NS Special Needs Unit |
€ 1,000.00 |
|
Kildooley National School Ballybrophy |
€ 1,000.00 |
|
Ballinamere NS Esker Centre |
€ 1,000.00 |
|
St Francis NS Clara playground for Special Needs |
€ 1,000.00 |
|
Naiora Gaelach Tullamore |
€ 1,000.00 |
|
Borris in Ossory NS Autism Unit |
€ 1,000.00 |
|
Ballylinan NS Autism Unit |
€ 1,000.00 |
|
Saplings Killeshin |
€ 1,000.00 |
|
Childline |
€ 1,000.00 |
|
Youth Diversion Projects |
|
|
The Loop Partnership |
€ 3,500.00 |
|
Sub Project |
€ 2,500.00 |
|
Alternative Project (Athy) |
€ 1,000.00 |
|
Fusion Project |
€ 2,500.00 |
|
Domestic support charities |
|
|
Laois Domestic Violence support |
€ 3,000.00 |
|
Tullamore Rape Crisis Centre |
€ 3,000.00 |
|
Family Resource Centre, Mountmellick |
€ 1,000.00 |
|
Family Resource Centre, Knockmay, Portlaoise |
€ 1,000.00 |
|
Offaly Domestic Violence support |
€ 3,000.00 |
|
Lions Clubs |
|
|
Portlaoise Lions Club |
€ 3,000.00 |
|
Tullamore Lions Club |
€ 3,000.00 |
|
St Vincent de Paul |
|
|
St Vincent de Paul Clara |
€ 2,000.00 |
|
St Vincent de Paul Abbeyleix |
€ 2,000.00 |
|
St Vincent de Paul Portlaoise |
€ 2,000.00 |
|
St Vincent de Paul Durrow |
€ 2,000.00 |
|
St Vincent de Paul Birr |
€ 2,000.00 |
|
St Vincent de Paul Castletown |
€ 2,000.00 |
|
St Vincent de Paul Mountrath |
€ 2,000.00 |
|
St Vincent de Paul Stradbally |
€ 2,000.00 |
|
St Vincent de Paul Tullamore |
€ 2,000.00 |
|
Prisoner support charities |
|
|
Visitors Centre Midlands Prison |
€ 2,000.00 |
|
Traveller Support Charities |
|
|
Loais Travellers Action Group |
€ 2,000.00 |
|
Offaly Traveller Movement |
€ 2,000.00 |
|
Tidy Towns |
|
|
Portlaoise Tidy Towns |
€ 1,500.00 |
|
Tyrellspass Tidy Towns |
€ 500.00 |
|
Tullamore Tidy Towns |
€ 1,500.00 |
|
Sports Clubs and Youth Clubs and suport groups |
|
|
Portlaoise Mens Shed |
€ 500.00 |
|
Abbeyleix Women’s Group |
€ 500.00 |
|
Portarlingon Women’s Shed |
€ 500.00 |
|
Portlaoise Women’s Shed |
€ 500.00 |
|
Brownies Ferbane |
€ 500.00 |
|
Carlow Special Olympics |
€ 500.00 |
|
Panters Basketball Club Portlaoise |
€ 500.00 |
|
Ballinakil Community Pool |
€ 500.00 |
|
Laois Sports Partnership |
€ 500.00 |
|
Mountmellick Youth Development Committee |
€ 500.00 |
|
Portlaoise Hockey Club |
€ 500.00 |
|
Tullamore RFC |
€ 500.00 |
|
Tyrellspass GAA |
€ 500.00 |
|
Tullamore Basketball Club |
€ 500.00 |
|
Clara Town FC |
€ 500.00 |
|
Ballinamere GAA Club |
€ 500.00 |
|
Naomh Maolissa GAA Club |
€ 500.00 |
|
Clonad Raheens Camogie Club |
€ 500.00 |
|
Portarlington Scouts |
€ 500.00 |
|
Portlaoise Scouts |
€ 500.00 |
|
Tullamore Boxing Club |
€ 5,000.00 |
|
Portlaoise Boxing Club |
€ 5,000.00 |
|
Benevolent Organisations |
|
|
Cara Curley Foundation |
€ 500.00 |
|
Portlaoise Parish Centre |
€ 500.00 |
|
Little Blue Heroes |
€ 500.00 |
|
Solicitors Benevolent Association |
€ 500.00 |
|
Garda Benevolent Fund |
€ 500.00 |
|
Bar Benevolent Fund |
€ 500.00 |
|
Aisling Murphy Foundation |
€ 3,000.00 |
|
Search and Recovery charity |
|
|
Offaly Search & Recovery Company Limited By Guarantee |
€ 1,000.00 |
|
Disability Support Organisations |
|
|
Irish Guide Dogs |
€ 1,000.00 |
|
Stradbally RDA |
€ 1,000.00 |
|
Embrace FARM |
€ 1,000.00 |
|
Irish Wheelchair Association - Tullamore Branch. |
€ 1,000.00 |
|
Irish Wheelchair Association - Portlaoise Branch. |
€ 1,000.00 |
|
The Parkinson’s Association of Ireland ( East Midlands Section) |
€ 1,000.00 |
|
LOFFA Laois Offaly Autism Support |
€ 1,000.00 |
|
Cystic Fibrosis |
€ 1,000.00 |
|
Debra Ireland |
€ 1,000.00 |
|
Down Syndrome (Westmeath Branch) |
€ 2,000.00 |
|
Down Syndrome (Offaly Branch) Garda Thomas Maher |
€ 2,000.00 |
|
Down Syndrome (Laois Branch) |
€ 2,000.00 |
|
Support for older people |
|
|
Portlaoise Old Peoples Association |
€ 1,000.00 |
|
Portarlington Senior Citizens |
€ 1,000.00 |
|
Abbeyleix active retirement |
€ 1,000.00 |
|
Mountrath Golden Years Club |
€ 1,000.00 |
|
Cloghan Active Retirement Group |
€ 1,000.00 |
|
Tullamore Active Retirement Association |
€ 1,000.00 |
|
Meals on wheels Abbeyleix |
€ 1,000.00 |
|
Meals on Wheels Edenderry |
€ 1,000.00 |
|
Juvenile sections of GAA Clubs |
|
|
The Harps, Football +Hurling. |
€3,000 |
|
Borris In Ossory. |
€3,000 |
|
Ballinakill- Ballypickas. |
€3,000 |
|
Trumera. |
€3,000 |
|
Rathdowney- Errill. |
€3,000 |
|
Clough- Ballacolla. |
€3,000 |
|
Colt- Shanahoe, Football + Hurling. |
€3,000 |
|
St Fintan’s Mountrath. |
€3,000 |
|
Ballyfin LGFA. |
€3,000 |
|
Ballyfin Football + Hurling. |
€3,000 |
|
Castletown. |
€3,000 |
|
Clonad. |
€3,000 |
|
St Lazarians Abbeyleix Hurling. |
€3,000 |
|
Portlaoise. |
€3,000 |
|
Ballyroan Football. |
€3,000 |
|
St Joseph's. |
€3,000 |
|
Crettyard- Spink. |
€3,000 |
|
Ballylinan. |
€3,000 |
|
Na Fianna Og- Barrowhouse, Arles Killeen and Kilcruise, |
€3,000 |
|
The Heath. |
€3,000 |
|
St Pauls- Courtwood and Emo. |
€3,000 |
|
Park Ratheniska. |
€3,000 |
|
Stradbally Parish Gaels- Stradbally, Annanough, Timahoe. |
€3,000 |
|
Mountmellick Parish Gaels- Mountmellick, The Rock, Kilcavan. |
€3,000 |
|
Barrow Gaels- Clonaslee and Rosenallis. |
€3,000 |
|
Timahoe LGFA Juveniles. |
€3,000 |
|
Killeshin LGFA Juveniles. |
€3,000 |
|
Shanahoe LGFA Juvenile. |
€3,000 |
|
Clover United AFC Rathdowney. |
€3,000 |
|
Lions AFC Durrow. |
€3,000 |
|
Portlaoise AFC. |
€3,000 |
|
Abbeyleix AFC. |
€3,000 |
|
CB Juvenile Camogie, C/O Aghaboe Defibrilator Project. |
€3,000 |
|
Laochra Laois- Sports Development for Special Olympics. |
€5,000 |
