Tributes paid to Mr Justice Charleton on his Retirement

On Friday 27 March, the full Supreme Court sat to hear tributes be paid to Mr Justice Peter Charleton on the occasion of his retirement from the judicial bench.  On the last morning of Hilary Term, the Supreme Court was filled with family, friends, colleagues, and even former schoolteachers of Mr Justice Charleton’s, who heard speeches in tribute to the Judge’s 47-year legal career, 20 of which were spent on the bench. 

Opening the tribute ceremony, the Chief Justice Mr Justice O’Donnell, referred to Mr Justice Charleton’s family history, university days, admission to the Bar of Ireland, and appointment to the bench.  He also spoke on the role of Judge in charge of judicial education which was held by Mr Justice Charleton until recently and his influence in reviving the Judicial Studies Journal, both of which are part of the legacy he will leave in the Courts.  On Mr Justice Charleton’s legacy, the Chief Justice said:

“I think in his career it can be said that Peter, more than most, bore in mind the dead, the injured, the wounded, the hurt, the poor and those struggling with debt, and tried to make the law more sensitive to them  and did  it all with a fierce sense of patriotic duty and some sardonic humour.  And as John Hewitt says in the poem: “Patriotism has to do with keeping the community in good heart, the community ordered with justice and mercy”. If that is a definition of true patriotism, and I think it is, it is one that Peter Charleton has lived up to.”

Following the Chief Justice, tributes were paid  by the Attorney General Mr Rossa Fanning SC, the President of the Bar Council Mr Seán Guerin SC, the President of the Law Society Ms Rosemarie Loftus, the CEO of the Courts Service Ms Angela Denning, and the Registrar of the Supreme Court Ms Mary Kelly.

The speeches made by both Mr Justice Charleton and the Chief Justice on this occasion are available to read on our speech archive here.