The four women and nine men will be called to the Inner Bar on a date fixed by the Chief Justice of Ireland, Mr Justice Frank Clarke.

The women are Dara Mary Foynes, Elaine Morgan, Peggy O’Rourke and Margaret Gray, while the men are Niall Hill, John Edward Donnelly, John Kennedy, Frank Mitchell, Brendan Kirwan, Stephen Dodd, Mark John Dunne, Edward Farrelly and Ronan Kennedy.

At present, the Government grants patents of precedence on the advice of a committee made up of the Chief Justice, the president of the High Court, the Attorney General and the chairperson of the Bar Council.

In future, recommendations will be dealt with by a new advisory committee to be established by the Legal Services Regulatory Authority (LSRA).

The new committee will also include the president of the Law Society and a lay member of the Authority, and solicitors will be able to apply for a patent of precedence as well, whereas presently only barristers may do so.