Sharing the History of the Four Courts, Dublin, Ireland

Criminal cases

  • Late-Night Oratory Lands King’s Inns Student in Dublin Police Court, 1838

    From the Dublin Morning Register, 19 July 1838: “THE DUBLIN POLICE OFFICE A demure-looking old gentleman, named Moses Miller, came to the office to complain of a law-student, bearing the appropriate name of Joseph Law, for having given him annoyance,… Continue reading

  • The Most Distinguished Dog in the Country, 1903

    From the Weekly Irish Times, 19 December 1903, this story of a canine Boer War hero of the highest level regrettably forced to seek ‘wuff justice’ in the Dublin Police Court: “A FAMOUS DOG IN THE POLICE COURT On Tuesday,… Continue reading

  • Juvenile Burglars Stranded at Sea, 1904

    From the Wicklow People, 27 August 1904, this Dublin Police Court story of a trio of schoolboy miscreants whose sins ended them up in some very cold water indeed: “A romantic story was told about three lads who appeared in… Continue reading

  • The Queen of the Fairies, 1844

    From the Cork Examiner, 22 April 1844: “We copy from the Kilkenny Journal the following extraordinary case tried on Friday last, at the Kilkenny Quarter Sessions:- Mary Neill was placed at the bar, charged with having obtained a gown and… Continue reading

  • The Body under the Bed, 1864

    A fascinating Belfast defamation action arising out of a most unusual misunderstanding, as reported in the Cork Constitution, Friday 29 July 1864: “At the Belfast Quarter Sessions, before Mr. Otway QC, the case of Louisa Fraser v Patrick McCabe came… Continue reading