One of the leaders of the fuel protests that have brought much of the country to a standstill has convictions for animal cruelty and neglect involving large numbers of cattle.
James Geoghegan (57), who has also been the subject of Revenue judgments of more than €500,000 in recent years, is one of most prominent voices in this week’s protests. He claimed on Thursday that the Government had agreed to meet him to discuss protesters’ demands and the lifting of blockades on major roads and fuel depots.
“I would be one of the leaders,” he told The Irish Times. He said he was asked to act as the public relations officer for a protest committee established in Portlaoise two weeks previously.
“It’s in our hands, we call the shots. Whatever we decide to do is what every one else will do.”
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According to court records obtained by The Irish Times, Geoghegan was convicted in 2006 at Tullamore District Court of 13 counts of animal cruelty and neglect involving his cattle herd the previous year.
These included failing to ensure the animals had access to adequate food and water, keeping them in dangerous conditions and the “cruel ill-treatment” of 65 cattle.
In one instance, the farmer, whose address was listed as Cornaher, Kilbeggan in Westmeath, allowed a bull to become trapped between a pillar and concrete wall where it died, records state.
In another, the records state he allowed a bull’s hind leg to become entangled in wire, causing it extreme pain. Another animal was found with its head trapped in a field barrier. He also failed to bury an animal carcass as required by law.
Other charges included exposing cattle to dangerous conditions in the form of steel protrusions “likely to cause injury”. He was fined a total of €6,250, court records show.
Other records show Geoghegan, an agricultural contractor, has had six judgments for a total of almost €550,000 secured against him by the Revenue Commissioners.
Revenue secured the judgments against Geoghegan in the past 6½ years, the most recent of which was secured just over two weeks ago. The judgments are for a total of €548,804.
All six judgments are currently recorded as unsatisfied. However, Geoghegan said on Friday that they had all been satisfied, and claimed that Revenue actually owes him money.
“So there’s no problems, as of today, it’s up to date. They actually owe me money, would you believe? It’s not an issue,” he added.
He did not comment when asked whether his issues with Revenue compromised his credibility to call for reductions in excise duty, carbon tax or VAT in the context of the fuel protests.
Regarding the animal neglect convictions, he confirmed he had been convicted but said the animal cruelty had not been his “issue”.
“It was my name but it was before my time on the farm,” said Geoghegan. “It was my father’s time, it was my father’s farm. It wasn’t actually my issue and it was all sorted out. There was never any issues.
“It was nothing to do with me and there’s no point trying to bring up that sort of dirt on me now at this stage,” he added.
Explaining why he had been convicted of the offences, Geoghegan said “that was because the herd number was in my name, but it wasn’t my issue”.
However, according to a report in the Offaly Independent at the time, Geoghegan blamed long work days and paper work that “got left behind”. He told the judge he had experienced a relationship breakdown and his hired help left.
He said he was grateful to assistance from officials from the Department of Agriculture as “he was a mess”.
A department inspector told the court between 60 and 65 cattle died on the farm during a one-year period. The court also heard Geoghegan had an off-farm business with a turnover of €300,000 a year.
Geoghegan revealed on RTÉ’s Prime Time on Thursday that there had been a “breakthrough” in the protests, and he was expecting to attend a meeting at Government Buildings on Friday afternoon.
[ ‘It’s blackmailing society’: How fuel protests are impacting IrelandOpens in new window ]
He confirmed that a withdrawal of carbon tax was on the “list of demands” in advance of the meeting, and revealed that his carbon tax bill was €21,000, questioning “why should I pay it?”
He said Taoiseach Micheál Martin should write a cheque for €21,000 “and see how he feels about it”.
Judgments secured by Revenue against Geoghegan included one for €174,427 in October 2024 and another for €282,004 less than seven months later.
The most recent judgment for €7,816 was secured on March 23rd, 2026, while others included judgments for €27,862 and €28,995 dating back to September 2019 and January 2020, respectively.
