Sharing the History of the Four Courts, Dublin

March 2020

  • Female Lay Litigant Insists on Being Described as a Lady, 1836

    Female advocacy did not begin in 1919. Throughout the previous century, there run accounts of skirted lay litigants occasionally creating consternation in the manly precincts of the Four Courts. As this story from Saunders’ Newsletter of 6 December 1836 shows,… Continue reading

  • A ‘Seduction’ and its Consequences, 1830

    A tragic story from the Pilot, 12 April 1830: “On Friday a child only about fourteen years old, and small for her age, appeared before the magistrates at College Street Police-office, to charge an unfortunate associate in crime with having… Continue reading

  • Boy Racers on Arran Quay, 1834

    The entry of a stray bull into the Round Hall in 1835 proved a one-off event. Livestock, in general, were not attracted to the Four Courts. Carriages, on the other hand, were an entirely different matter, particularly when driven by… Continue reading

  • Barrister Kills Solicitor, Becomes Attorney-General, 1814

    Regrettable personal differences often arise between Irish barristers and solicitors. Fortunately, not all end as tragically as this dispute reported in the London Courier & Evening Gazette of 19 February 1814:- “On Saturday evening… a meeting took place on the… Continue reading

  • Barrister-Barrister Shooting, 1815

    In addition to shooting solicitors they did not agree with, early Irish barristers also occasionally settled by force of arms disputes between themselves. One example is reported in the Dublin Correspondent, 9 May 1815: “In consequence of some warm language… Continue reading

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