'You're not f***ing Irish': Cork man convicted of multiple public order charges

On March 26, he was near the fountain on Grand Parade at around 6pm where he was roaring at passers-by. File picture: Denis Minihane

“You are not f***ing Irish,” two young women were told by a 49-year-old Cork man in Cork city centre during a drunken disturbance that occurred in the middle of the day.

And the same man shouted at gardaí during another incident that they were “piggies and transvestites”. 

On Monday, the 49-year-old was ordered to do community service of 180 hours instead of going to jail for four months. 

Francis Kearns of Mount Rivers, Carrigaline, County Cork, pleaded guilty to multiple public order charges, mainly being drunk and a source of danger to himself or others and engaging in threatening behaviour during incidents which occurred for the most part at Grand Parade in Cork City, in recent weeks.

Before these 13 new offences, he was convicted 187 times for being so drunk that he was a danger and 126 times for threatening words or behaviour.

On March 5, at Oliver Plunkett Street, he was shouting: “I’m pleading the Fifth… Are you stupid?” On March 26, he was near the fountain on Grand Parade at around 6pm where he was roaring at passers-by.

Sgt. John Kelleher said: “He was shouting profanities at gardaí calling them piggies and transvestites. He was highly intoxicated and unsteady on his feet when a lot of members of the public were present.” 

The next afternoon at Grand Parade, gardaí directed him to leave the area and he failed to comply with the direction and became aggressive with gardaí shouting: “You’re just a c***… go away you a**hole… go bother somebody else.” 

The day after that at Grand Parade again he caused a drunken disturbance just after lunchtime. “Garda Liam Forde observed him shouting at two young women — 'You’re not f***ing Irish'.” He was arrested and there was a strong smell of alcohol from him.

Sentencing

Solicitor Diarmuid Kelleher said: “By and large it is his mouth that gets him into trouble. He cannot handle his drink.” Judge Mary Dorgan said it was more than that: “He is causing fierce problems”.

Diarmuid Kelleher said: “The one good thing that can be said about Francis Kearns is that he does community service with good grace. He is a big strong man with a background in landscape gardening.” 

Mr Kelleher said the defendant did have a debt to society but that he always did his best to repay that through community service.

Judge Mary Dorgan imposed jail sentences totalling four months but said he could do a total of 180 hours of community service instead of the jail term.