A GALWAY MAN has been sentenced to four months imprisonment for threatening online to kill Tánaiste Simon Harris and his family.

Patrick Grealish, with an address at Garraí An Choirce in Lettermullen, Co Galway, made the online threat to kill Harris and harm his family on 4 August 2024.

The defendant, who has 70 previous convictions, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to eight months imprisonment, four of them suspended, by Judge Fiona Lydon at Derrynea District Court in Connemara this afternoon.

Harris told the 49-year-old Connemara man who made an online threat to kill him, to stay away from his family.

Harris said that the words of people who hide behind a keyboard and do not reveal their identity, can still cause real pain and worry.

“That night when you decided to threaten my children and my wife, you violated our family home,” Harris said in a victim impact statement which was handed into the court by Detective Sergeant Eamonn O’Neill of the Special Detective Unit.

“I would rather not be doing this but I do think it’s important that the individual before the court understands the impact of his actions against me and my family,” added Harris.

“I know so much of the world is online these days but I want you to know that when you hide behind your keyboard and a username which doesn’t reveal who you are, your words still have real impact and your threats cause hurt, pain and worry.

“Imagine sitting at home at 10pm one night to receive a message to your social media account telling you that someone wants to harm your wife and children and vividly suggesting what should happen to them? Imagine that happening against a backdrop and context of a family having experienced sustained threats from other sources in the time preceding that message?

“How would you feel? To be reading that someone wants to harm your young children. That someone wants to harm your loved ones.

“Do you think when you type the message and press send of the impact? Is it done with serious intent to carry out the threat? Is it done in the hope it inspires others to do so? Or is simply done without any thought given to it and the pain and worry it causes?”

Harris said he felt there was a real danger to the safety of his family from Grealish’s threat.

“We live in a world where threats of violence to political figures are becoming more commonplace and now also one where people’s families seem fair game too.

“I don’t know you. I don’t know anything about you. I would never wish you any ill. Sadly you didn’t afford the same basic respect to my family. I genuinely believe your actions endangered us either directly with a threat you hoped to realise or by posting a threat in the hope of inspiring others.

“Your actions are not consequence free. They cannot be. Please stay away from my family,” added the Tánaiste.

Grealish, who did not speak during the 12-minute hearing, was arrested shortly after the online threat was made in August 2024 and in October last year pleaded guilty.

Judge Lydon was told that Grealish had 70 previous convictions, 46 of them for theft and 24 for road traffic offences. Detective Sergeant O’Neill said Grealish had received two suspended sentences for the thefts which involved credit cards and had also served a community service order.

Judge Lydon said that a probation report had indicated that the risk of Grealish re-offending was low. The report indicated that Grealish was emotionally unstable at the time of the offence and this had been exacerbated by the consumption of alcohol on that particular date. At that particular time two close family friends had died.

Judge Lydon said that report stated that Grealish had made admissions while detained and had indicated he had no intention of carrying out the threats and expressed remorse for his actions, and had written a letter of apology. He no longer drank alcohol and had not come to the attention of An Garda Síochána since August 2024. Grealish, an only child, was the sole carer for his elderly mother who had dementia.

Judge Lydon said that it was a serious offence that merited a custodial sentence.

“The threats of violence against political figures are coming to the fore more frequently and have a harrowing impact on those at the receiving end as is the position evidenced by the victim impact statement produced to the court,’ she said.

She sentenced Grealish to eight months imprisonment, suspending the final four months on the basis of a guilty plea, a positive probation report, remorse for his actions and that he remains alcohol and intoxicant free and also that he engages and complies with his GP.

Recognisances were fixed in the event of an appeal.