Sharing the history of the Four Courts, Dublin, Ireland, and other Irish courts, one story at a time.
From Saunders’s News-Letter, 10 July 1821:
“SESSIONS COURT
Yesterday the Recorder, Aldermen Tyndall, Montgomery, and Hamilton, sat at the Sessions House, Green Street, for the trial of prisoners and traversers.
Edward Callanan, Esq, a traverser, was put to the bar, charged with having, on Friday evening the 22nd of June last, assaulted Stephen Blake, Esq, who, being swore and examined by Mr Finlay, stated that, on the evening laid in the indictments, he was walking in the
From the Ballymena Weekly Telegraph, 27 March 1926:
“JUDGE CONGRATULATES PRIEST.
SAVED SOLICITOR’S LIFE.
CORK ‘EXECUTION’ AVERTED.
The dramatic story of the experiences of Mr Anthony Carroll at the hands of kidnappers in the mountains near Mallow in 1922 was continued in the High Court, Dublin, on Friday, before Mr Justice Hanna and a county special jury.
Mr Carroll, who has his home in Fermoy, has for many years been one of the most prominent solicitors in the South of Ireland, and amongst
From the Belfast News-Letter, 8th May 1916:
“REBELS AT ST STEPHEN’S GREEN
MESSAGE OF THANKS LEFT
The offices of Messrs. Keating & Keating, solicitors, 130 St Stephen’s Green, suffered rather severely at the hands of the rebels, who burrowed through the wall from the Turkish Baths, and also effected an entrance through the wall from the Grafton Street end. Mr Edward Keating gave an interesting account of the extraordinary condition in which he found the offices on last Monday
From the Dublin Daily Express, 8 December 1905:
“SOLICITOR’S BILL OF COSTS
In the King’s Bench Division yesterday, before Mr Justice Boyd, in the case of Hehir v Kelly and another, Mr Carrigan (instructed by Mr Edward McHugh) applied on behalf of the defendants, Denis Kelly and Mary Kelly, otherwise Molloy, residing in the City of Dublin, for an order that all future proceedings in the action should be stayed pending the taxation of the costs by the taxing officer, pursuant
From the Freeman’s Journal, 27 August 1875:
“TARRING A SOLICITOR
At the Southern Divisional Police-court yesterday, Joseph Steele, who described himself as a wine merchant, of 16 Summer-hill, summoned Mr Richard Parsons, solicitor, for having assaulted him in the complainant’s place of business at 61 South William Street on the night of the 10th August. It will be recollected that a few days ago Mr Richard Parsons, solicitor, summoned Joseph Steele and William McCabe for alleged
From the Freeman’s Journal, 29 September 1879:
On Saturday morning at ten o’clock Richard D Lawless, solicitor, formerly resident in Lower Mount Street, was found dead in his bed, at the house No 4 Mecklenburgh-street. Deceased sixteen years ago was a member of a respectable and thriving firm of attorneys on Usher’s Quay. After a time the partnership was dissolved, and Richard Lawless practised his profession on his own account for a year or two, when he suddenly disappeared
From the Freeman’s Journal, 16 December 1874:
“To the Editor of the Freeman.
SIR – Would you kindly insert the following in the interest of the grievances of attorneys’ apprentices. The facts are briefly these:- In the second week of last month a sessional examination was held at the Four Courts to test the knowledge of the apprentices who attended the professors of law lectures during the preceding year. No official announcement of the result has yet been afforded, and
From the Freeman’s Journal, 19 February 1923:
“INDOMITABLE COURAGE
RAIDERS FOUGHT BY CARLOW SOLICITOR
TABLES TURNED
INTRUDERS SHOT: ONE KILLED
Sensational to an almost incredible degree is the account that has just come to hand of experiences that befell Mr Edward S Maffett, a Co Carlow solicitor, and his family some time ago.
Held at the point of the gun by two men, who were ransacking his house, he succeeded in eluding his captors, armed himself with an automatic pistol, and in the most dramatic
From the Weekly Telegraph, September 5, 1925:
“Unlucky Thirteen – Belfast Solicitors Hoaxed
An extraordinary hoax has been carried out on at least thirteen Belfast solicitors, as a result of which a person about whom the police are now enquiring, is believed to be richer to the extent of about £220.
The ruse to obtain the money is a very old one, and was explained to a ‘Telegraph’ representative by Mr George Pollock, solicitor, who, more fortunate than some of his colleagues,
From the Nottingham Journal, 11 September 1928:
‘An Irish solicitor, Mr NC Caruth, of Ballymona (Co Antrim) left a curious request in his will just proved. He directed that if any of his sons were abroad at the time of his death no false telegram shall be sent announcing his death, but his wife should write a letter to each son giving details and any message he might have, stating “I make this rather peculiar request as I have had experience in my lifetime of receiving telegrams
