Ruth Cannon BL, Barrister, Four Courts History
Sharing old stories from Ireland's historic centre of justice.
From the Tuam Herald, 9 December 1837, and the Dublin Morning Register, 8 December 1837:
“DUBLIN POLICE
HENRY STREET.- EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF A GHOST
An elderly little man, apparently in his perfect senses, came before the bench and stated that the ghost of his former master appeared to him nine times altogether. The first appearance was in June, when he came to him at nine or ten o’clock in the evening. He was greatly frightened, and was sick for three weeks after the ghost appeared
Portrait silhouettes by Monsieur Edgar Adolphe, via Alamy.
From the Dublin Daily Express, 6 October 1862:
“A STRANGE CASE.- Madame Margaret Phibbs, otherwise Adolphe, appeared to answer the complaint of Monsieur Edgar Adolphe, a photographic artist, 75 Grafton-street, to show cause why informations should not be taken against her for having published, at Mrs Dempsey’s, Grafton-street, on Wednesday, the 1st of October, and various other occasions a certain wilful and malicious
From the Freeman’s Journal, 12 July 1922:-
“Artistic Dublin is more than anxious to learn the full fate of the superb seated statue of Sir Michael O’Loghlen, Master of the Rolls, which the Bar of Ireland erected in the Round Hall of the Four Courts. Concern for the masterpiece recalls the fact that O’Loghlen owed his first success at the bar to the duel fought between Dan O’Connell
From the Weekly Irish Times, 6 March 1886:
“At the Waterford Police Court on Monday, before J Slattery, Esq., a woman named Mary Murphy was charged by Constable Williams with having by false pretence obtained from a number of persons in the city various sums of money.
Constable Williams deposed that for some time past the prisoner, who gave the name of Mary Murphy, had followed the occupation of fortune-teller in the city. She passed as a deaf mute, and represented herself as being able
From the Freeman’s Journal, 29 May 1847:
“MOST EXTRAORDINARY CASE OF ROBBING HOUSES IN DUBLIN
The following very curious case came to light yesterday and perhaps in the annals of clever rogues, the hero of the present story has been the most successful during his career, which is estimated at about 12 calendar months from the date hereof, and what makes the case more remarkable is, the fact that these very ‘knowing gentry,’ the ‘detective police,’ have been
