From Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch to Conor McGregor: Life as one of Ireland’s last courtroom artists

Ireland’s only active courtroom artist reflects on sketching notorious figures, human nature, and the strange intimacy of observing justice up close

Courtroom artist Mike O’Donnell at work in his studio in Tralee, Co Kerry. Picture: Domnick Walsh © Eye Focus LTD

He was the prime suspect for two of the biggest armed robberies in Irish history.

However, one of Ireland’s only active courtroom artists got to see a very different side to Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch after visiting his home for a commission with a difference. 

Mike O’Donnell’s career might be regarded as extraordinary, even by artists’ standards. But the former primary and secondary school teacher takes these surreal encounters in his stride.

He recalled his afternoon with Hutch, who was the prime suspect for a bank robbery at Marino Mart in 1987 and the Brinks robbery in 1995.

“I brought a tart from Kerry that had just been cooked, so we had tea and tart together," says O’Donnell. "In the meantime, I was drawing him for maybe an hour or an hour and a half. He was sitting there patiently in all these different poses.

“This was before his bid for the Dáil in 2024. He was very warm and polite for the duration of my visit. It felt completely normal at the time. It’s only on reflection that these moments feel surreal. When I’m working, I’m just going with the flow, so it doesn’t really faze me.”

A sketch of Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch, by court artist Mike O’Donnell, who painted him at his Dublin home. ‘It felt completely normal at the time,’ says O’Donnell. ‘It’s only on reflection that these moments feel surreal.’

Mr O’Donnell had previously captured the likeness of Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch during his 12-week trial at the Special Criminal Court, where Hutch was acquitted of the 2016 murder of David Byrne at the Regency Hotel.

Conor McGregor, who he sketched during his civil case at Ireland’s High Court, also features in his portfolio. The mixed martial arts fighter was ordered to hand over €248,000 in damages after the jury in a civil rape case found McGregor had assaulted Ms Hand in a 2018 hotel room incident.

“I drew him multiple times at his High Court hearing," says O’Donnell. "He was really interesting, because he was absolutely full of energy. It was like he had this electricity around him. His lawyer was a lovely man and would intentionally move out of the way so that I could draw him.”

'Wolves in sheep’s clothing'

He stressed that looks can be deceiving.

“I’ve been up close to people who have done terrible things,” the artist says.

“People sometimes attribute physical characteristics to certain personalities. However, from my own perspective, they never usually align.

“For example, I recently saw a guy who was convicted of organised crime. He had done everything from threatening people to demanding money over drugs and generally making people’s lives a misery.

What intrigued me was how innocent he looked. He looked like the kind of harmless guy you would meet in a bar.”

He said there is the old adage about “wolves dressed in sheep’s clothing”.

“These criminals and abusers have engineered their way into people’s lives, and can be there for years,” says O’Donnell.

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“The reality is that most of them are extremely clever. I’m suspicious of people who are overly polite and nice now. Of course, there are lots of exceptions, but this is an evolutionary device to win confidence.

“It might explain why I am on my guard so much when it comes to people who are polite.”

'I was around nine when I started drawing in court'

While Mr O’Donnell became a professional courtroom artist 16 years ago, his love for art and the judicial system dates back to his childhood.

“The prime influence was my father, who was an artist through and through,” he says.

“At that time he wasn’t a professional artist, but I grew up in a household that was full of drawings and paintings. My granduncle was the prefect in the Vatican Library, and he used to bring home books from Rome on art.

“From a very young age, I was exposed to the Leonardos and Michelangelos of this world. These were the artists I grew up with. However, the first piece of art I ever saw was a big mural in my house that my dad did of Tralee Bay.

“He could create literally anything with his hands.”

Mr O’Donnell’s earlier subjects had proved too restless to sketch.

“I grew up with two brothers who spent their time playing football. I couldn’t draw them because they were always on the move,” he said.

“This was the reason I went to the local court. I suppose it was the most convenient place because it was so nearby.

“I was around nine years old when I started drawing in court. Being so young, I didn’t know much about it. I had watched a lot of detective movies, but it was on the television show Kojak that I spotted a man drawing in court for the first time.

“The real thing wasn’t anything like what I had seen on television. I’m fairly sure it was a drunk-driving case. I have no idea where the picture went, or even what it looked like.”

'I don’t think I’ve ever seen an ugly person'

THE former teacher is known for finding beauty in unlikely places.

“The situations are terrible, but the forms are extraordinary," he says. "They are the ultimate in evolution. I’ve a masters in science, so this is how I look at it.

“There is nobody that I see who isn’t interesting and who doesn’t impress on my mind. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an ugly person.”

Barristers, lawyers, and judges often purchase or are gifted courtroom sketches from Mr O’Donnell, often to mark high-profile cases in which they were involved.

Such illustrations are often treated as keepsakes, with law firms often requesting artwork portraying their attorneys at work.

“My clients are not so much the media as they are barristers and judges,” he explained.

“Even though I deal with the media, they aren’t my main focus. It’s mainly barristers and judges who buy my work.”

The DJ Carey case: 'I couldn’t help but feel disappointed'

Former Kilkenny hurler DJ Carey pleaded guilty to 10 counts of deception. Picture: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin

DJ Carey is among the infamous celebrities featured in Mr O’Donnell’s artwork.

The former Kilkenny hurler pleaded guilty to 10 counts of deception in November 2025 and was sentenced to five and a half years’ imprisonment.

“The DJ Carey one was particularly intriguing, but disappointing because — like in thousands of other cases in Ireland — I’ve had cancer and I’ve gone through chemo,” he said.

“Thankfully I’ve come out the other side, but to see somebody exploit the vulnerability of people by pretending they have cancer was very depressing. He was as much an artist on the field as I am in the court.

“People loved and admired him, which makes it much sadder in my mind. Only the judge can pass judgement. I just observe, but on that occasion I couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

“I found myself empathising with the people who had been defrauded. What’s sad is there are plenty of people who are genuinely sick that would never ask for help.”

Enoch Burke

Enoch Burke has had numerous stints in prison. Picture: Brian Lawless/PA

The artist has also captured the likeness of teacher Enoch Burke, who was suspended by Wilson’s Hospital School in 2022.

It follows an incident that saw him publicly confront the principal in relation to an email about a student’s change of name and pronouns. Mr Burke has had numerous stints in prison since then after repeatedly turning up at the school.

“I have a great deal of sympathy for the judges who are dealing with this case," says O’Donnell. "From what I can see, Judge Cregan’s approach has been very wise and sensible.

“I find him to be a very humane and real person, with a great reputation. I don’t think he could be more patient. 

"The world can’t operate without a system of rules, and you can’t just have a flagrant disregard for those rules and the law.

“Enoch Burke has to pay the price, and that’s why he’s in jail. I just don’t understand that kind of contempt for the law and I don’t think it could have anything at all to do with religious beliefs.”