A six-year-old girl was found wandering the streets in the rain after her mother got so drunk she was unable to look after her, the Circuit Criminal Court has heard.
Gardaí found the child wandering around in a cold and distressed state after a neighbour reported it.
They later found the girl's one-year-old sister in a buggy at their home in a similar condition while their mother was highly intoxicated.
The woman pleaded guilty to willful neglect of her children on a date in January 2017 and received a two year suspended sentence. She cannot be identified to protect the anonymity of the children.
Garda Sean Callaghan told the court he was called to the address in Dublin where the child was seen wandering around in the rain. She was lost and afraid of gardaí, the court heard.
When they called to the house there was no answer but through the window, they could see a baby in a buggy crying inside the house.
The mother was beside the child on the couch but it took some time to rouse her, the garda said.
When questioned about her older child, she said she did not know where she was but replied that she would be okay because she had a key.
The mother admitted she had drunk one or two bottles of wine.
Garda Callaghan agreed with prosecuting counsel Lorcan Staines that the house was in a very poor condition and the rooms were dirty with clothes strewn around. A number of empty wine bottles could be seen.
The children were dressed in summer clothes in the middle of winter and the baby's nappy was soaking wet.
The children were taken into to care and are now in the care of other family members but the woman has access to them.
Defence counsel Emmet Nolan said she was working with Tusla and the hope that she would regain custody of her children.
The court heard the 36-year-old woman has had mental health difficulties since her teens and has addiction problems. At the time of the offence she was suffering from a mental breakdown.
She has 17 previous convictions for a range of unrelated offences including shoplifting and public order offences.
The court was told she had difficulties not only coping with her children but coping with life.
Mr Nolan said while she had pleaded guilty to neglect there was no suggestion of any abuse of the children.
Judge Martin Nolan replied that a lack of care could amount to abuse.
Judge Nolan said the woman was coming close to spending time in prison but on this occasion he would impose a two year suspended sentence.
He said she must engage with the Probation Service and Tusla and follow any programmes proposed for her.
