Ireland

The person posts on a public social-media account, under their own name, that the Holocaust did not happen and the gas chambers are a fabrication. The post contains no threat, no call to violence, and names no living individual.

Ireland has no Holocaust-denial offence. The only speech offence that could reach the post is s2 of the Prohibition of Incitement to Hatred Act 1989 (publishing 'threatening, abusive or insulting' material intended or likely to stir up hatred against a group defined by religion, ethnic origin etc.), max 2 years on indictment; no court has applied it to bare denial, so dj sits between the 1 and 2 anchors. The Act is barely used: 16 cases finalised in the District Court from 2018 to September 2024, and the 2024 attempt to replace it with a broader online incitement offence was dropped. No enforcement data show any action against denial posts; at most the platform removes them.

Sources: Prohibition of Incitement to Hatred Act 1989 · Irish Times: Number of prosecutions for hate crime remains low despite surge in attacks (27 Sept 2024)

The person posts a public rant using slurs against an ethnic or religious group, saying the group is inferior and unwelcome in the country. No threat, no call to violence, no named individual.

A slur-laden post saying an ethnic or religious group is inferior is the core target of Prohibition of Incitement to Hatred Act 1989 s2 (threatening, abusive or insulting written material likely to stir up hatred), max 2 years on indictment or 6 months summarily. Enforcement is rare: FOI figures show 16 cases finalised from 2018 to September 2024, with 2 prison terms, 2 fines and 3 struck out; between 1989 and 2017 there were only 5 convictions. Gardaí do investigate reported hate posts, but most online rants draw no charge.

Sources: Prohibition of Incitement to Hatred Act 1989 · Irish Times: Number of prosecutions for hate crime remains low despite surge in attacks (27 Sept 2024)

At a lawful, peaceful protest in a public square, the person burns a national flag they own and a copy of the dominant religion's scripture they own. No fire-safety rule is broken.

Blasphemy was removed from the Constitution in 2018 and abolished by the Blasphemy (Abolition of Offences and Related Matters) Act 2019, and there is no flag-desecration offence. The worst exposure is Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994 s6 (threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour with intent or recklessness as to a breach of the peace, max 3 months; 6 months if aggravated by hatred under s6A added in 2024), or in theory the 1989 incitement-to-hatred Act (2 years) if the burning were held insulting and likely to stir up hatred against a religion. No prosecution of a peaceful flag or scripture burning has been reported; gardaí would at most move people on.

Sources: Blasphemy (Abolition of Offences and Related Matters) Act 2019 · Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994 (revised) · Criminal Justice (Hate Offences) Act 2024

The person posts that the head of state is a criminal and a pedophile. They have no evidence and present it as their opinion of the leader.

Criminal libel was abolished by Defamation Act 2009 s35 and there is no offence of insulting the President or ministers. Civil defamation applies with no public-figure rule: the defendant must prove truth, and honest opinion (s20) fails where the opinion is not based on facts stated or known, so a baseless 'paedophile' claim would likely lose with large damages. In practice Presidents do not sue over online insults and no state action against such posts is reported.

Sources: Defamation Act 2009 (revised)

The person prints and hands out a pamphlet praising an organisation the state has banned as terrorist or extremist, saying its cause is just. The pamphlet urges no specific act, and the person has no contact with the group.

Offences Against the State Act 1939 s10 makes it an offence to print or distribute an 'incriminating document', defined in s2 to include a document 'purporting or appearing to aid or abet' an unlawful organisation (e.g. the IRA), max 6 months; possession is a further offence under s12 (3 months) and gardaí can demand the copies. Membership (s21) and public provocation to terrorism (Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) Act 2005) need more than praise. Public expressions of support for the IRA are common in Irish politics and songs and are not prosecuted; no enforcement data on s10 were found, so df rests on the law plus that practice.

Sources: Offences Against the State Act 1939 (revised)

The person repeatedly refers to a named transgender public figure by their former pronouns and name in public posts, with no threats and no contact with the figure.

Misgendering is not itself an offence. Since 2023, harassment under Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997 s10 expressly covers persistently 'communicating with or about a person' in a way that seriously interferes with their peace and privacy or causes alarm, distress or harm, max 10 years (s10A adds a hate-aggravated version covering gender); Coco's Law s4 (2020) covers grossly offensive communications about a person with intent to cause harm, max 2 years. No court has applied these to misgendering posts, and no such prosecution has been reported.

Sources: Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997 (revised) · Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020

A blogger writes that a named local businessman (a private figure) is a fraud. The claim is false, but the blogger honestly believed it after reading a news report.

Defamation is civil only (Defamation Act 2009 s35 abolished criminal libel). The plaintiff need not prove fault; the defendant must prove truth (s16), and honest belief is no defence. The s26 public-interest defence, simplified from 1 March 2026, requires a matter of public interest, a reasonable belief that publication was in the public interest (judged by the enquiries made) and good faith, which a blogger repeating a news report may or may not meet. The 2026 Act ended juries in High Court defamation cases, but Irish damages and legal costs remain high.

Sources: Defamation Act 2009 (revised) · gov.ie: Minister signs Defamation (Amendment) Act (Commencement) Order 2026

A journalist accurately reports, with evidence, that a sitting politician is having an extramarital affair. The politician sues for defamation and invasion of privacy.

Truth is a complete defence to defamation (Defamation Act 2009 s16), and from 1 March 2026 the s26 public-interest defence and the abolition of High Court juries apply. Privacy is protected under the Constitution and the ECHR Act 2003, and Herrity v Associated Newspapers [2008] IEHC 249 awarded damages for publishing an affair, though that story relied on unlawfully obtained phone records. A true, evidenced report about a sitting politician has a strong public-interest case, but the journalist bears costly litigation and some risk of damages.

Sources: Defamation Act 2009 (revised) · gov.ie: Minister signs Defamation (Amendment) Act (Commencement) Order 2026

A foreign billionaire sues a local critic in local courts over a harsh but clearly opinion-based review of their business conduct.

Honest opinion is a statutory defence (Defamation Act 2009 s20), but it is usually decided at trial; s34 allows early dismissal only where the words cannot bear a defamatory meaning. The anti-SLAPP Part 4A (early dismissal of manifestly unfounded claims, from the EU Directive) was enacted in the Defamation (Amendment) Act 2026 but its commencement was deferred to align with a separate SLAPPs Bill, published only as a General Scheme in February 2026; no commencement had been reported by the coding date. Costs follow the event but defence costs before trial are heavy.

Sources: Defamation Act 2009 (revised) · McCann FitzGerald: Ireland's anti-SLAPP framework, the 2026 Act and General Scheme explained · gov.ie: Minister signs Defamation (Amendment) Act (Commencement) Order 2026

The person wants to buy a common centrefire semi-automatic rifle (e.g. an AR-15 pattern rifle with a 30-round magazine) and keep it at home.

Since 1 August 2023, Firearms Act 1925 s3DA bars any new firearm certificate for a semi-automatic centre-fire rifle (inserted by Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2023 s10), and certificates first granted after 18 September 2015 were revoked. Holders of such rifles also lose their certificate if found with a magazine over 10 rounds (s2F). Possessing a firearm without a certificate is an offence under s2 with up to 7 years for restricted firearms (5 for others). No route exists for a new owner.

Sources: Firearms Act 1925 (revised)

The person wants to buy a 9mm handgun and keep it loaded at home for self-defence.

Firearms Act 1925 s3D (from 2009) bars applications for certificates for short firearms except blank-firing guns, a narrow class of target pistols specified in S.I. 21/2008 and guns already licensed before 19 November 2008, so a new 9mm handgun cannot be licensed. Self-defence is not an accepted reason for any firearm certificate. Unlicensed possession of a restricted firearm carries up to 7 years (s2(2A)), and possession in suspicious circumstances under Firearms Act 1964 s27A carries up to 14 years with a 5-year presumptive minimum.

Sources: Firearms Act 1925 (revised) · Firearms Act 1964 (revised)

The person wants to carry a loaded handgun, concealed, in everyday public places.

There is no carry licence for self-defence: new certificates for short firearms are barred (Firearms Act 1925 s3D) and self-defence is not an accepted purpose. Carrying an unlicensed handgun is an offence under s2 with up to 7 years for a restricted firearm, plus the Firearms Act 1964 s27A suspicious-circumstances offence (up to 14 years). Gardaí treat unlicensed handguns as serious-crime cases.

Sources: Firearms Act 1925 (revised) · Firearms Act 1964 (revised)

The person wants to carry pepper spray, or a folding knife with a 9 cm locking blade, in public for self-defence.

Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act 1990 s9(1) makes it an offence to have any knife or bladed article in a public place, with no folding-pocketknife exemption; the defences are 'good reason', work or recreation, and self-defence is not a good reason. The maximum is 5 years on indictment (12 months summarily). Pepper spray is a 'prohibited weapon' and therefore a 'firearm' under Firearms Act 1925 s1, so carrying it without a certificate is an s2 offence (up to 5-7 years). Gardaí routinely search for and charge knife possession; typical District Court outcomes are fines, probation or short sentences. No national outcome data were found.

Sources: Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act 1990 (revised) · Firearms Act 1925 (revised)

The person wants to own a machine gun, or a destructive device such as an artillery piece or a grenade launcher with live rounds.

Since 1 September 2019, Firearms Act 1925 s2E bars any application for a certificate for an EU Category A firearm (automatic weapons, military arms, explosive munitions), and s2D makes acquiring or possessing one an offence with up to 7 years. The only exceptions are the Defence Forces, the police and the National Museum (s2(7)); there is no collector route.

Sources: Firearms Act 1925 (revised)

At night, a stranger armed with a knife breaks into the person's home. The person shoots and kills the intruder with a lawfully held gun.

Criminal Law (Defence and the Dwelling) Act 2011 s2 makes it no offence for an occupant to use force, including lethal force (s2(7)), against an intruder they believe has entered to commit a crime, if the force is reasonable 'in the circumstances as he or she believes them to be'. An honest belief is enough (s2(4)), and s2(5) and s3 remove any duty to retreat from the home. There is no presumption or immunity: gardaí investigate any death and send a file to the DPP. Home-defence killings are rare, and no charging data were found.

Sources: Criminal Law (Defence and the Dwelling) Act 2011

On the street, a stranger attacks the person with fists. The person could safely walk away but instead punches back once, breaking the attacker's nose.

Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997 s18 justifies reasonable force in self-defence, but s20(4) says the chance to retreat 'shall be taken into account' in judging whether the force was reasonable. A single punch back against a fist attack is usually treated as reasonable. Gardaí may arrest or question both parties to a street fight, and self-defence is often decided at trial. No charging data were found.

Sources: Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997 (revised)

The person wants to buy a course of amoxicillin for a sinus infection without seeing a doctor.

Amoxicillin is prescription-only, and supplying it without a prescription is an offence for the pharmacist, not the buyer. The pharmacist-prescribing Common Conditions Service (2026, under the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2024) covers 8 conditions including UTIs and impetigo, but not sinusitis, so a GP or online-doctor consultation is needed and antibiotics issue only at the doctor's clinical discretion. Revenue's guidance says the personal-use import exemption covers only medicines carried by travellers, not those sent by post or courier, which are detained.

Sources: gov.ie: Common Conditions Service · Revenue Tax and Duty Manual: Importation and exportation of medicinal products

The person wants to take a drug approved by the EMA or FDA but not approved in their own country, for a non-terminal condition.

An EMA-approved drug is authorised in Ireland automatically, so the real case is an FDA-only drug. An Irish doctor, dentist or nurse prescriber can prescribe a medicine authorised abroad as an 'exempt medicinal product' for a patient under their responsibility, imported by a wholesaler that notifies the HPRA. Travellers may carry a reasonable personal-use quantity through customs, but Revenue says the personal-use exemption does not cover post or courier imports, which are detained. In 2025 the HPRA detained 13,898 individual consignments (763,027 dosage units) bought by members of the public, a 180% rise on 2024.

Sources: HPRA: Early access to medicines · Revenue Tax and Duty Manual: Importation and exportation of medicinal products · HPRA: Over 750,000 units of illegal medicines detained in 2025

A terminally ill patient wants a drug that has passed Phase 1 trials but is not approved anywhere, and the manufacturer is willing to supply it.

Ireland has no right-to-try law and no national compassionate-use scheme. The HPRA lists two routes before authorisation: clinical trials, and exempt medicinal products, which it describes as medicines authorised abroad that a prescriber orders for a patient under their responsibility. A drug unapproved anywhere therefore depends on a trial place, an EMA-coordinated compassionate-use programme or a manufacturer's named-patient supply that the doctor is willing to prescribe. Funding and hospital approval are further bottlenecks.

Sources: HPRA: Early access to medicines

The person wants to sell one of their kidneys to a willing recipient, with surgery by licensed surgeons.

Under the Human Tissue (Transplantation, Post-Mortem, Anatomical Examination and Public Display) Act 2024 s12 (in force from 17 June 2025), donation must be voluntary and unpaid, payment beyond reasonable expenses voids the donor's consent, and acting as a broker or advertising an organ for money is an offence (s107: up to 3 years). Paying or being paid is not itself an offence, so dj sits between the 'payment voids the transplant' anchor and the brokering crime. In practice transplant centres will not proceed with a paid donation, and no prosecutions are reported.

Sources: Human Tissue (Transplantation, Post-Mortem, Anatomical Examination and Public Display) Act 2024 · gov.ie: The Human Tissue Act 2024

An adult declines a vaccine the state recommends or mandates for adults (score the strictest adult mandate in force in the last 5 years).

The strictest adult measure in the last 5 years was the Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 2021 pass, under which only vaccinated or recovered people (no test option) could enter indoor restaurants and pubs from 26 July 2021, later extended to cinemas, theatres and gyms, until it was lifted in January 2022. There were no job mandates, fines on individuals or forced vaccination, and no adult mandate is in force today.

Sources: BBC: Covid-19: Irish senate passes indoor hospitality legislation (16 July 2021)

A competent adult with a terminal illness and under 6 months to live asks their doctor for lethal medication to take themselves.

Criminal Law (Suicide) Act 1993 s2(2) makes aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring a suicide punishable by up to 14 years, and the Supreme Court upheld the ban in Fleming v Ireland (2013). The Joint Committee on Assisted Dying recommended legislation in March 2024 and the Dáil 'noted' its report, but no bill has passed or advanced in the current Dáil. Doctors do not provide lethal medication.

Sources: Criminal Law (Suicide) Act 1993 · BBC: Gail O'Rorke found not guilty of assisted suicide (2015)

A competent adult with unbearable but non-terminal suffering (e.g. advanced multiple sclerosis) asks their doctor for the same.

Same law as R1: Criminal Law (Suicide) Act 1993 s2(2), max 14 years, with no exception for doctors or for non-terminal suffering. The Oireachtas committee's 2024 proposal was limited to terminal illness with a 6-to-12-month prognosis, so there is not even a pending route for non-terminal conditions.

Sources: Criminal Law (Suicide) Act 1993

A layperson gets lethal medication for a competent friend who has clearly asked to die, and is present when the friend takes it. No payment.

Assisting suicide carries up to 14 years (Criminal Law (Suicide) Act 1993 s2(2)), and Ireland has no published DPP policy on compassionate cases. In the only prosecution under the Act, Gail O'Rorke was tried in 2015 for helping her friend Bernadette Forde, who had MS, obtain lethal medication and was acquitted by a jury after a garda investigation and years of proceedings. A lay helper therefore faces investigation and possible trial, with acquittal likely in a clearly compassionate case.

Sources: Criminal Law (Suicide) Act 1993 · BBC: Gail O'Rorke found not guilty of assisted suicide (2015)

The person is found with 5 grams of cannabis for personal use.

Cannabis possession is a crime under Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 s3, but under s27(1)(a) a first or second offence for personal use is punishable by fine only; prison (up to 1 year summarily, 3 on indictment) applies only from a third offence. A first-time possessor now typically gets a Health Referral Scheme referral (from 1 September 2026; prosecution if refused) or an adult caution. Drug suspicion is the main basis for garda stop-and-search under s23.

Sources: Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 (revised) · An Garda Síochána: Health Referral Scheme from 1 September 2026

The person is found with one personal dose of psilocybin mushrooms or MDMA.

MDMA and psilocybin are controlled drugs; possession under Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 s3/s27(1)(b) is punishable by up to 12 months summarily or 7 years on indictment. From 1 September 2026 gardaí may refer an adult first-time possessor to the HSE Health Referral Scheme instead of prosecuting (the adult caution covers cannabis only); anyone with a prior drug conviction or caution, or who refuses referral, is prosecuted, usually in the District Court with a fine or probation.

Sources: Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 (revised) · An Garda Síochána: Health Referral Scheme from 1 September 2026

The person sells 30 grams of cannabis to another adult.

Selling cannabis is possession for sale or supply under Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 s15, punishable by up to life imprisonment on indictment (s27(3)); the 10-year presumptive minimum under s15A applies only at €13,000 or more. There is no licensed or tolerated retail. A 30 g street sale is usually dealt with in the District Court (up to 12 months) or the Circuit Court, typically ending in a suspended or short custodial sentence; no national sentencing data were found.

Sources: Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 (revised)

Two adults agree to have sex for money, in private, with no third party involved.

Since 2017, paying for sex is a summary offence under Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 1993 s7A (inserted by the 2017 Act), punishable by a fine only (class E, €500, first offence; class D, €1,000, after that); selling is legal, though two sellers sharing premises can be charged with brothel-keeping. This is a Nordic-model buyer fine (anchor 3). Enforcement is thin: the 2025 statutory review found 161 prosecutions directed from 2017 to mid-2024 but only 15 convictions.

Sources: Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017 (revised) · Law Society Gazette: Only 15 convictions for paying for sex - review (March 2025)

Three consenting adults want to live together as a family, share property, and make binding arrangements for inheritance, medical decisions and parenting.

Cohabitation of three adults is lawful; bigamy applies only to a second marriage. Property, wills (only spouses and civil partners have forced shares) and enduring powers of attorney can cover most arrangements. A child can have at most two legal parents, but under Guardianship of Infants Act 1964 s6C a non-parent who has cohabited with a parent for over 3 years and shared the child's care for over 2 years can apply to the court to be appointed guardian.

Sources: Guardianship of Infants Act 1964 (revised)

Parents want to homeschool their 10-year-old using their own curriculum.

Article 42 of the Constitution protects home education, but Education (Welfare) Act 2000 s14 requires parents to apply to Tusla to register the child. An authorised person then assesses the education, materials and time to decide whether the child receives 'a certain minimum education', with a home visit only with parental consent. No refusal statistics were found; the test is a low 'minimum education' standard.

Sources: Education (Welfare) Act 2000 (revised)

The state wants to read the person's end-to-end encrypted messages, although they are suspected of no serious crime.

Interception is authorised by the Minister for Justice, not a judge, under the Interception of Postal Packets and Telecommunications Messages (Regulation) Act 1993, for serious crime or state security, with only after-the-fact review by a designated judge. Search warrants under laws such as Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001 s48 let gardaí demand device passwords, and refusal is an offence under s49 (up to 6 months). There is no backdoor mandate yet, but the government plans a Communications (Interception and Lawful Access) Bill covering encrypted services and state spyware. A person suspected of no serious crime is in practice not targeted.

Sources: Interception of Postal Packets and Telecommunications Messages (Regulation) Act 1993 (revised) · gov.ie: Strengthening powers for lawful interception of communications · Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001 (revised)

The person wants a prepaid SIM card and an internet connection without giving their identity.

Ireland has no prepaid SIM registration law, and pay-as-you-go SIMs are sold without ID. Fixed broadband contracts need a name and payment details like any contract. There are no real-name rules for online services, although operators must retain subscriber and traffic data under the Communications (Retention of Data) Acts. The source for the absence of SIM registration is a secondary privacy guide, since an absence of law has no primary source.

Sources: nadanada.me: SIM registration laws by country (2026)

The person wants to pay a dealer 15,000 USD (or the local equivalent) in cash for a used car.

Ireland has no cash-payment limit (the EU-wide €10,000 cap applies only from July 2027). Under Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act 2010 s25(1)(i), any trader receiving €10,000 or more in cash becomes a designated person and must identify the buyer, keep records and report suspicious transactions, so a cash car purchase of this size is lawful but documented.

Sources: Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act 2010 (revised)

The person wants to found a new religion, or an association, and hold weekly meetings without registering it.

Religions and associations need no registration or permission to exist or meet (Constitution Arts 40.6.1 and 44). Registration with the Charities Regulator is mandatory only for a 'charitable organisation', defined in Charities Act 2009 s2 as a trust or body whose constitution requires all its property to be applied to a charitable purpose, so an informal group meeting weekly is not caught. No peaceful religious group is banned.

Sources: Charities Act 2009 (revised)

The person organises a protest of 50 people in a public square with one day's notice to nobody. It is peaceful.

Irish law has no general requirement to notify or get permission for a public assembly; the right of peaceful assembly is protected by Article 40.6.1 of the Constitution. Gardaí can restrict a protest only for a breach of the peace or serious disruption, can restrict protests within half a mile of the Oireachtas while it sits, and 100-metre safe access zones around abortion providers apply under a 2024 Act. A peaceful 50-person protest in a square normally draws no action against the organiser.

Sources: Citizens Information: Right to protest

The person publicly announces they have left the country's dominant religion, or Islam, and criticises it.

Apostasy is lawful, the constitutional blasphemy offence was removed by referendum in 2018, and the Blasphemy (Abolition of Offences and Related Matters) Act 2019 abolished blasphemy and blasphemous libel. Criticism of religion is not an offence unless it is threatening, abusive or insulting and likely to stir up hatred against believers (1989 Act). No state action against apostates is reported.

Sources: Blasphemy (Abolition of Offences and Related Matters) Act 2019

The person wants to move abroad permanently, taking 1 million USD of savings and shares.

There is no exit tax or capital control on individuals. However, someone who was resident for 3 consecutive years stays 'ordinarily resident' for 3 tax years after leaving and remains taxable on worldwide income (with exceptions for foreign employment and trade) and, if Irish-domiciled, on gains. Under TCA 1997 s29A, assets sold during a non-residence of 5 years or less are taxed as if disposed of on departure.

Sources: Revenue: How to know if you are ordinarily resident for tax purposes · Revenue Tax and Duty Manual 02-03-02: Temporary non-residents (s29A)

The person, who already holds another citizenship, wants to renounce this one.

Under Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956 s21, an adult citizen who holds or is acquiring another citizenship renounces by lodging a witnessed declaration of alienage (Form 13); the official guidance lists no fee. The catch is that the person must be ordinarily resident outside the State, and renunciation needs ministerial consent in time of war. There is no tax clearance or military-service condition.

Sources: Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956 (revised) · Ireland.ie (DFA): How do I renounce my citizenship?

Police find 20,000 USD in cash in the person's car at a traffic stop. They charge no crime.

Under Criminal Justice Act 1994 s38, gardaí or customs may seize cash above a prescribed sum on reasonable suspicion that it is proceeds of crime or intended for criminal conduct, with no charge needed. The District Court can extend detention in 3-month steps, and s39 lets the Circuit Court forfeit it on the civil balance of probabilities 'whether or not proceedings are brought'. The Criminal Assets Bureau can also freeze assets under the Proceeds of Crime Act 1996. The owner must litigate to recover the money.

Sources: Criminal Justice Act 1994 (revised) · Proceeds of Crime Act 1996 (revised)

The person is arrested for a non-violent offence carrying up to 2 years in prison. They have a home and a job.

Detention for questioning is limited to 24 hours for ordinary offences (Criminal Justice Act 1984 s4), and a person charged must be brought before the District Court as soon as practicable or released on station bail. Bail is presumed under the Constitution, and refusal on the ground of likely reoffending applies only to 'serious offences' carrying 5 years or more (Bail Act 1997), which excludes a 2-year offence. Bail may require a cash lodgement or surety, but for a non-violent offence with a home and job, release is the norm.

Sources: Citizens Information: Bail and surety · Citizens Information: Detention after arrest

The person wants to build a 20 m² wooden shed on their own rural land.

A shed of up to 25 m² behind a house is exempted development (Planning and Development Regulations 2001, Sch. 2 Class 3), and farm stores and sheds have separate agricultural exemptions. A 20 m² shed on a rural plot with no house and no farm use needs discretionary planning permission. Carrying out unauthorised development is itself an offence (Planning and Development Act 2000 s151), with up to 2 years on indictment (s156), though councils normally start with a warning letter and enforcement notice.

Sources: Planning and Development Act 2000 (revised) · Clare County Council: Exempted development FAQ