Eric O’Driscoll sentenced over Finglas disorder and banned from driving

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Eric O’Driscoll received a two-year sentence, with the final 18 months suspended, at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 21 May 2025. His brother, Glen Ward, received an 18-month suspended sentence. Judge Elva Duffy said the terms were mandatory consecutive sentences and did not interfere with the suspended portions of the brothers’ existing firearms sentences.

Both men pleaded guilty to violent disorder at Cardiffsbridge Road, Finglas West, on 9 August 2022, and to producing a bicycle saddle during a dispute on the same date. Detective Garda Dwayne O’Brien agreed with Ward’s counsel, Seán Prendiville, that the brothers had not instigated the dispute.

O’Driscoll was also sentenced on 21 May after pleading to endangerment and dangerous driving offences arising from a motorcycle incident on 17 November 2022. Judge Duffy banned him from driving for 10 years. The court heard that O’Driscoll was emotional after attending a friend’s memorial service and was on bail at the time.

The court heard that helicopter footage showed O’Driscoll almost knocking down people collecting children from school and mounting a kerb to evade gardaí. He later left the motorcycle and fled through back gardens before armed gardaí apprehended him.

The brothers were already serving Special Criminal Court sentences for firearms offences imposed in April 2025: O’Driscoll received six years with the final year suspended, and Ward received six years and three months with the final nine months suspended. O’Driscoll had pleaded guilty to possessing a Remington AR-15 rifle at Ratoath Drive, Finglas, on 9 January 2022 in circumstances giving rise to a reasonable inference that he did not have it for a lawful purpose.