Plenty of Irish barristers fought duels in the honour-heavy days of the 18th century, and, according to John Edward Walsh in ‘Tales of Ireland Sixty Years Ago’ (1851), there was nothing unusual about their interrupting, to do so, court proceedings in which they were retained as counsel. See below this account by Walsh of such a duel between Jerry Keller and ‘Bully’ Egan at the Waterford Assizes of the 1790s. Luckily, both parties survived – a fortunate event for their clients, since in those days brief fees were generally paid in advance.

Read Walsh’s book in full here.