Hardiman Lecture Series 2026
The Hardiman Lecture Series, named in honour of the late Mr Justice Adrian Hardiman, returned this Trinity term with a schedule of three lectures. Mr Justice Gerard Hogan of the Supreme Court, convening this year's lecture series, explained that the lectures all had a common theme reflecting on the notable career of the late Judge Hardiman commemorating the 10th anniversary of his death.
The Hardiman lectures are designed to be accessible for all members of the legal community, from law students and interns to Courts Service staff, legal practitioners and judges. Each lecture was held in the Supreme Court, starting at 4:15pm.
The first lecture took place on Wednesday 17 June, and was delivered by Dr Patrick Geoghegan of Trinity College Dublin's School of History. Dr Geoghegan's lecture was titled "Myths and Misunderstandings in Modern Irish History" and was a fascinating reflection on some of Ireland's most famous speeches and how they are sometimes misreported or misremembered. Dr Geoghegan spoke about speeches given by Henry Grattan, Eamon de Valera during his term as Taoiseach, and Robert Emmet in the dock at Green Street courthouse. He also referred to passages from James Joyce's Ulysses, a nod to Mr Justice Hardiman's extra-judicial writing on the prolific Irish author.
The second of the lectures was delivered by Mr Justice Brian O'Moore of the Supreme Court on the topic of "Cross-examination". Mr Justice O'Moore offered insights on the skill of cross-examination as demonstrated by Mr Justice Hardiman throughout his career at the bar, noting that Mr Justice Hardiman was regarded as one of the most skilled cross-examiners the Irish bar has ever seen. Mr Justice O'Moore gave examples of the characteristics that gave Mr Justice Hardiman that reputation, including his commanding voice, his pace of questoning, his ability to always appear composed and forceful, and his way of preparing for each witness individually and understanding their unique perspective and position in the case.
The third and final lecture was given by Ms Ruth Cannon BL, practitioner and law lecturer at TU Dubin, known for her extra-legal writing on the history of Dublin's legal district and the people who operated within it. Ms Cannon's lecture, titled "Where Old Ghosts Walk: What we can learn from the History of the Four Courts", was a reflection on the storied past of the Four Courts and its surrounds, touching on everything from the architecture, the Judges and lawyers, litigants and passersby. Ms Cannon reminded us of the many roles the Four Courts has played in many lives, describing the building itself as "... a courthouse, a monument, a workplace, an archive of Irish public life..." which has over time been "shaped by ambition, compromise and loss". Further, Ms Cannon spoke of the fragility of memory, particularly legal memory, and how lessons learned may be lost to time. Among many conclusions of what the history of the Four Courts and its ghosts can teach us, Ms Cannon noted that the "history of law is made in rooms where people wait, complain, eat, gossip and hope to be called".
The Office of the Chief Justice would like to thank all those who attended this year's Hardiman Lectures and look forward to the next iteration of the Series which will return in Trinity Term 2027.