Our Legal Heritage

Perhaps Ireland's most famous — and unlikeliest — human rights activist, Seán MacBride was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize 50 years ago this week. Born in 1904 to Maud Gonne, the actress, Irish republican icon and long-time muse of WB Yeats, and Major John MacBride, who was executed

Graham Ogilvy tells the story of a remarkable Scottish lawyer who became a reforming lord chancellor, developed the French Riveira and narrowly avoided a damaging sex scandal. The next time you are promenading along the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, spare a thought for Henry Peter Brougham, the bri

A successful University of Galway graduate once said that a great, but simultaneously annoying, part of being interested in tort law is that one thinks about their liability and that of others in everyday situations. The memorable Supreme Court judgment in the case of Weir Rodgers v The SF Trust Ltd

This has been a historic week for football with Morocco becoming the first African team to reach a FIFA World Cup semi-final. However, the significance of this week in football history was already guaranteed in 1995 when the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) gave judgment in the case of

The late Supreme Court judge, Séamus Henchy, was born in County Clare 105 years ago this week to Patrick and Margaret Henchy who ran a shop in Corofin.

The first women were admitted to the barristers’ representative body 101 years ago today. Both Frances Kyle and Averil Deverell became students at the King’s Inns in 1920 after the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 and a resolution of the King’s Inns Benchers enabled women to

The Constitution of the Irish Free State was adopted by Act of Dáil Éireann 100 years ago yesterday. The 1922 Constitution officially came into effect just over a month later in early December after receiving royal assent. It was Ireland’s first Constitution and contained 83 Arti

The Supreme Court delivered its judgment in O'Shea v Tilman Anhold & Horse Holiday Farm Ltd on the 23rd of October 24 years ago. The case related to a night-time collision between the plaintiff’s car and a horse owned by the second-named defendant holiday farm. The incident caused signific

The High Court gave judgment in the momentous case of Foy v An t-Ard Chláraitheoir 15 years ago today. Dr Lydia Foy is a trans woman who had sex reassignment surgery in 1992. She was the first person in Ireland to issue legal proceedings seeking legal recognition and a new birth certificate r

Pope Gregory IX, the 178th pope of the Catholic Church from 1227 to 1241, is often remembered for issuing a Papal Bull declaring that cats bore Satan’s spirit, which subsequently led to huge numbers of cats being killed throughout Europe. The mass extermination of the continent’s felines

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) gave judgment in the significant case of Airey v Ireland 43 years ago this Sunday. The case was taken by the late Josie Airey who sought a High Court separation order from her abusive and alcoholic husband of around 20 years. However, Mrs Airey could not af

St Patrick’s Day has long been a date of special significance in the Irish diaspora calendar, with Irish communities across the world marking the occasion with parades and céilís. This year in particular will see millions of people celebrating the day together for the first time

If nothing else is proved, Giuffre v Prince Andrew, Duke of York will at least have shown the public’s fascination with the private lives of royalty, writes Andrew Stevenson. This is not new. It is 200 years since the death of Queen Caroline. Born in the German principality of Brunswick, Carol

This Sunday marks the centenary of the escape of three men from Kilmainham Gaol, at that time both a British military barracks and a political prison.

Graham Ogilvy enjoys a new presentation of the famous denouement of demagogue Joe McCarthy at the hands of Boston lawyer Joseph N Welch. It is an epic moment in American legal history that played out live on US television – and now new light is shed on the withering exchanges between veteran B