The Young Offenders

Two best friends from Cork, Conor and Jock, look alike in almost every way—from their clothes to the faint whiskers on their faces. Jock is a notorious bike thief who constantly eludes capture, watched by Garda Healy, who becomes obsessed with catching him. Meanwhile, Mairead (Conor’s mother) works at a fish shop in the English Market, and their relationship is strained. Conor’s home life is tense as his mother tries to keep things together while he slides through adolescence.

Life changes when a narcotics trafficking boat capsizes off the southwest coast of County Cork, scattering 61 bales of cocaine—worth around €7 million each—and rumors spread that one bale is missing. The pair, driven by the hope of escaping their troubled homes, steal two bicycles and set off on a road trip to locate the missing stash. But their plans are compromised when the bike they took contains a GPS tracker planted by Healy, turning their journey into a trap. Their search leads them to a ruined castle where a disabled narcotics dealer named Ray keeps the missing bale. They steal it while he’s asleep, but Ray wakes and gives chase.

During their escape, the sweater that Conor previously left with Ray to keep him warm gets snagged on barbed wire, tearing the sack and letting the cocaine drip away on the trip home. By the time they return, nothing remains of the stash, and the pair’s victory turns hollow. Jock drinks to celebrate and passes out, while Conor returns home to try repairing the rift with his mother.

The tension spikes when Jock’s father returns home and violently assaults him, prompting a visit from the Garda. Healy arrives with the intention of arresting him and begins to understand the depth of Jock’s life at home.

Refusing to give up, he tracks them down, even stealing a nail gun to force his way into the boys’ home. Ray confronts them and knocks out Healy, threatening Conor, Jock, and Mairead. Into the confrontation steps a local thug named Billy Murphy, whose arrival adds a new threat as he seeks revenge after being tricked into narcotics charges by the duo. In the chaos, Conor masterminds a quick ruse: Ray is led to believe that Billy stole the coke, triggering a struggle during which Mairead knocks out both Ray and Billy. The police arrive and arrest them, and the story the pair spin paints Healy as the hero in the eyes of the media. In the end, Jock is placed into foster care with Conor and his mother, seeking a safer life away from the abuse that shaped his upbringing.

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 06:46