Over 300 people skipped bail and didn’t show up in court in Dublin last year, making it the top spot for bail skippers in Ireland. The Dublin district courts were left hanging onto over €80,000 after 334 individuals failed to appear for their court dates in 2024. In total, a staggering 562 people skipped bail in Ireland’s district courts last year. Calls for a revamp of the bail system in Ireland have been made by Ireland South MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, who expressed her concerns after being presented with figures from the Courts Service of Ireland. The data revealed that the Irish district court system alone raked in almost €170,000 in forfeited bail money. Cork city only had 7 people skip bail in the district court in 2024, a significantly lower number compared to Dublin.
Dublin led the pack with the highest amount of bail money forfeited last year, followed by the Bray district court office, which collected €18,690 after 71 bail jumpers failed to show up. In Dundalk, €7,527 was left unclaimed after 32 no-shows, while Trim and Monaghan saw 26 and 13 individuals respectively skip bail, resulting in €4,400 and €3,210 in forfeited bail money. Naas district court office collected €22,250 from 12 bail skippers, while Cavan district court held onto €8,710 after 10 people failed to appear. Wexford and Cork City each had 7 individuals skip bail, resulting in €1,850 and €1,700 in forfeited bail money, respectively.
Ms Ní Mhurchú raised concerns about the high number of bail jumpers in the Dublin district courts, emphasizing the need for a victim-centered criminal justice system and stronger bail laws. She expressed confidence in Minister Jim O’Callaghan’s ability to implement necessary reforms in this area. The figures released this year come on the heels of reports in March that criminals out on bail were suspected of committing a staggering 40,348 crimes across Ireland in 2024. The alarming statistics highlight the urgent need for a more robust bail system to prevent repeat offenses by accused individuals.
