Anyone had a speeding teicket in Ireland (Eire)?

[Fluffy]

Spent last week in Ireland, great fun. On the way back to the ferry, got caught by Garda. Long straight, wide, smooth road didn't notice the drystone wall in the field at the bottom of a long hill. Didn't spot Mr Garda's car parked behind it, as wall was higher than his car, or his head poking over it. Clocked me at 82, speed limit is 60. Very nice and polite about the ticket he gave me. Explained that it needed to be paid within 28 days; then he said that I may as well forget it as I would be back in England by then and that I needn't worry about it, unless I came back and did the same thing again.
My question is, assuming I don't pay it, when it will be safe to go back to Ireland, or will it only matter if I get caught by the Garda again?
Fine was 80 Euro,(about £55), but 800 Euro if I don't pay in 28 days. I know the money is not that much, and I really should pay it, but if they're not going to come chasing me, I might just forget to pay it.

[Don]

Why give yourself the stress?

You've enjoyed driving around Ireland at any speed you liked for a fortnight.

Got to be worth fifty quid I'd have said.

Then the next time you go back you don't have to worry...

[Mark in Ireland]

You don't have to pay it, they don't have the technology to hunt you down. I've had a few over the years, one garda said stick it on my office wall, he had to get a quota so still issued me with one but told me to ignore it.
Unless you regularly use the same roads and speed then you probably would be advised to pay, just on the chance of being pulled by the same garda....other than that, forget about it.

[puggit]

I was in Ireland last week and can't believe anyone could speed on the roads I saw - terrible state

Having said that - all 3 cabbies I used bemoaned the fact that they were fast catching up the UK in terms of anti-speed measures (that I didn't see...)

[Buffalo]

I got caught in Ireland being very naughty about 3-4 yrs ago.

Was off surfing and exited the Limerick city limits with toe down in the company mundano. 115mph on an empty dual carriageway when some nobber walks out in front of me (no path or anything - middle of nowhere!)

Slam on brakes, swerve to verge about to go and kill the git i had so narrowly missed... worked out it was a copper DOH!

His buddy down the road on the gun caught me for 97mph ( i nearly asked for a recount! ) and he was the guy who had the luckless task of pulling speeding motorists over (can't say i liked his methods though...)

Anyway the actual dealing with the speeding bit was quite amusing a he did loads of daft things including leaving me, for him to walk back to his car 200yds away (could have easily legged it) and we had a great arguement that went:

BiB: You can pay a £50 on the spot, or i'll arrest you for DD

Me: Don't have £50 (more or less true)

BiB: I'll arrest you then...

Me: Going back to England next week (slight mis-truth)

BiB: take the fine then

Me: I can't, I don't have £50...

BiB: I'll arrest you then.

Me: But i told you that i was going home.

BiB: Take the fine then

etc etc ad nauseum for about 20minutes like something out of morecambe and wise...

By this time the couple of passengers i had, had managed to scrape £50 together between them, literally by hand down back of seat stuff - all in small change. We paid it and sped off.

I did ask for a receipt as the guy was pretty suspect and i got a vaguely official looking one.

Annoyingly the sergant actually told me if i had kept going i would have got off, because his juristiction (sp?) finished about two miles down the road and the speed i was doing he would never have got me... :sigh:

Still, probably deserved a slap on the wrist to be honest....

[ftasb]

Good thing about Eire. You have to answer a summons only if you are in the county it was issued in, so I doubt they can do anything about a different country!!
Notice a lot of the didicoys camps are on county boundaries making it like ping pong for the garda. The Offaly/Galway/Tipperary triangle is very popular as the summons expires after 28 days and needs to be served in all 3 counties to a "Mr.Smith"
No doubt there have been changes since I was there, but this was certainly the case then.