Barristers
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Mr Dane QC and the Battle of Clontarf, 1898
A beautifully coloured image of the 19th century Four Courts, via Ebay, showing the cab rank immediately in front of the portico. Irish barristers loved puns, but the cab drivers could outrival them for wit: the failure of Stephen Dane… Continue reading
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A Comparison of the English and Irish Bar and Bench, 1893
From the Globe, Monday, January 2, 1893, this account of the differences between the English and Irish Bar and Bench of the time: “The close and intimate connection between the Bench and Bar of England and Ireland will render of… Continue reading
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Hitting the Hay, 1837
The above story from Saunders’s News-Letter, 9 February 1837, recounts a successful theft of a wagon-load of hay in Dublin, with the thief trading on the name of well-known Irish barrister John Hatchell. Dublin tricksters were known for their ingenuity,… Continue reading
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Fights of the Irish Bar, 1845-50
From ‘Anecdotes and Reminiscences’ of the Connaught Bar,’ an article by Mr George Orme O’Malley QC, published in the Western People of 11 November 1897: “It is incredible what a passion the Irish bar, though in general excellent temperate fellows,… Continue reading
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The Razor’s Edge, 1894
The above advert for Mechi’s Modern Strop – indispensable for barristers, and others – appeared in the Dublin Daily Express of 1894. A strop was a band used to straighten and polish the blade of a straight razor. Although some… Continue reading