Séamus Woulfe

At the behest of the Supreme Court, former chief justice Susan Denham will conduct a non-statutory review of Mr Justice Woulfe’s attendance at the Oireachtas Golf Society dinner.

Neither Ms Justice Denham nor the judiciary can sanction or remove Mr Justice Woulfe if evidence of misbehaviour is found, only the Houses of the Oireachtas have this power.

In light of recent circumstances, Mr Justice Woulfe’s decision to retain Michael Collins SC, as well as to seek advice from former attorney general John Rogers SC, have been taken as indicators that he intends to defend himself robustly in the upcoming review.

An unnamed legal source told The Irish Times: “He is preparing for a fight. You don’t engage Michael Collins or John Rodgers if you are about to throw the white towel into the ring.”

The paper reported that Mr Justice Woulfe, Mr Collins and Mr Rodgers did not respond to requests for comment. However, the judge has previously said that he attended the dinner on the understanding that it would be adhering to public health guidelines and has apologised for any unintentional breach of them.