Former TD Colm Keaveney banned from driving for four years after refusing to give sample

Former TD Colm Keaveney has been banned from driving for four years after he refused to provide a blood or urine sample to gardaí following a late-night road incident in Boyle, County Roscommon.

Keaveney, a former Labour TD for Galway East who later joined Fianna Fáil, lost his Dáil seat in 2016 but returned to politics in 2019 when he was elected to Galway County Council.

Mr Keaveney, aged 54, of Milltown Road, Tuam, County Galway, appeared before Judge Sandra Murphy at Carrick-on-Shannon District Court, where he pleaded guilty to two charges: failing to provide a specimen under Section 12 of the Road Traffic Act, and failing to stop after a collision under Section 106.

The incident occurred on October 11, 2024 when gardaí observed a Ford Focus being driven without lights through Boyle. The car veered to the wrong side of the road before colliding with a white vehicle waiting at a junction.

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The State solicitor told the court the driver, identified as Mr Keaveney, did not stop after the collision and continued driving before eventually pulling over on St Patrick Street in the town.

When approached by gardaí, the court heard Keaveney was unsteady on his feet, had glassy eyes, and smelled of alcohol. He was arrested and taken to Carrick-on-Shannon garda station, where he refused to provide a blood or urine sample to a designated doctor, despite a formal demand.

His solicitor told the court that Keaveney had no previous convictions and had been dealing with significant personal difficulties, including the recent loss of both parents. He also suffered from chronic back pain due to previous spinal surgery and had requested to see his own doctor at the garda station, which was not possible. He has three children, two adult and one infant. 

“Mr Keaveney is not the sort of person you would expect to see before the court,” she remarked, noting his cooperation and the absence of any previous convictions.

Judge Murphy imposed a €250 fine and a four-year disqualification from driving.

Several other charges, including driving without insurance or a licence, were struck out after valid documentation was provided.

Colm Keaveney was charged on June 11, 2024, with driving under the influence of drugs, relating to an alleged incident on June 12, 2023.

Keaveney began his political career on Tuam Town Council in 1999 and was first elected to Galway County Council in 2004. He was elected to Dáil Éireann in 2011 as a Labour TD and served as party chairman during a turbulent time marked by austerity. He lost the Labour whip in 2012 after voting against the government’s Social Welfare Bill, citing matters of conscience.

In 2013, he resigned from Labour and joined Fianna Fáil—becoming the first sitting TD to cross directly between the two parties. Though he lost his Dáil seat in 2016, he was re-elected to Galway County Council in 2019, where he currently serves.