'A real-life Atticus Finch': Tributes paid to retiring State solicitor for East Cork

A real life version of the much-loved fictional lawyer Atticus Finch walked out of court for one last time on Friday to the sound of the kind of praise which - he remarked drily - is usually reserved for funerals.

State solicitor for East Cork, John Brosnan, retired on June 23 and tributes were paid by the judiciary, legal colleagues, court staff and members of An Garda Síochána.

Judge Helen Boyle said that if she was describing Mr Brosnan to someone who had never met him she would invite them to think about the heroic lawyer of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch, and his sense of morality, courage and justice.

Judge Boyle recalled being in criminal courts as a defence barrister over the years and seeing the judge “set his compass” by Mr Brosnan.

Referring to him being based in Youghal, Judge Boyle said it was an example of the value of justice being available for people in every locality and not just in metropolitan centres. The judge went on to say how important it was to have courthouses remain open and available to communities all over the country.

Mr Brosnan thanked the many speakers and also those who had honoured him by being present in court. He thanked judges, lawyers, gardaí, court registrars, the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, prison officers and probation officers, with whom he had worked, not least in his 30 years as state solicitor for East Cork.

The retiring state solicitor remarked on how much better the present system is compared to when he started out. He recalled going into the Washington Street courthouse as a law student to see a case - and to get some money from his father, who was also a prosecutor - and he remarked on how the jury at the time was all-male as was the legal profession in general. 

“It must have been a very unpleasant place for any unfortunate women who found themselves before the court,” he said. 

In something of a call to arms, Mr Brosnan also recalled a time when lawyers were involved in industrial action for pay for representation in the criminal courts and suggested that such action might be necessary again.

Family and friends of Mr Brosnan heard speakers praise his kindness, humanity and wisdom in dealing with sometimes complex cases and a number mentioned his innate ability to see around corners, often prompting a corrective comment to a colleague that they might need to “look into that” – but nothing more heavy-handed than that.

Extensive tributes were paid to the retiring state solicitor by Helena Kiely, Chief Prosecution Solicitor at the Office of the DPP, Frank Nyhan on behalf of state solicitors, Donal T. McCarthy on behalf of the Cork and Munster Bar, Emma Meagher-Neville on behalf of the Southern Law Association, Chief Superintendent Tom Myers and Superintendent Adrian Gamble on behalf of An Garda Síochána, David Keane solicitor, Dominic Creedon solicitor, Plunkett Taaffe solicitor and Myles Reidy court registrar on behalf of the Courts Service.