Tributes paid as Cork District Court judge retires

Tributes were paid to Judge Mary Dorgan who retired yesterday at Cork District Court.

The president of the District Court in Ireland, Judge Paul Kelly, said: “Many a young lad has Mary to thank for putting them on the straight and narrow to get on with their lives.”

Judge Dorgan spent many years as a solicitor from 1978 in the area of family law and, after her appointment as a district court judge in 2017, she also worked in family law courts, the juvenile court, and most recently at the main court for criminal cases at Cork District Court.

District Court president Judge Kelly said she showed patience, courtesy and respect for people who appeared before her and always displayed humanity, compassion and empathy.

As the praise was heaped on Judge Dorgan, it was hard to beat the honour bestowed on her by one of those who appeared before her at the juvenile court some time ago.

“One young offender called a filly foal after me — Judge Mary,” 

the retiring judge recalled.

While there was laughter in the packed court, there were poignant moments, too, as Judge Dorgan recalled judicial colleagues who had died and others, including barrister Jane Anne Rothwell, and court registrar Shay Bowen, who died very recently.

Judge Dorgan said: “I have been hugely honoured to serve the people of Cork and being trusted to make decisions.

“To be placed in this position of trust is an enormous privilege.”

Judges from the district, circuit and Central Criminal Court, as well as many retired judges, and members of Judge Dorgan’s family, including her husband Kevin, their three sons, Patrick, Ian and Conor, and grandson Paddy, were in court for the special occasion, as were many colleagues and friends.

Ms Justice Siobhán Lankford said: “Her kindness to colleagues, to members of the bar and to her clients, exuded kindness in everything she did — kindness should be the lodestar of the judiciary.”

President of the Law Society, Eamon Harrington, said the retiring judge had shown “dedication, fairness and a distinct brand of Cork common sense.”

Emma Meagher Neville of the Southern Law Association said that one was always assured of a fair hearing when appearing before Judge Dorgan.

KINDNESS

Carmel Best, on behalf of family lawyers, thanked Judge Dorgan for her kindness, hard work and dedication.

Judge Eamon Carroll, who worked side-by-side in family law courts with Judge Dorgan for many years, said she was a tremendous support and innovative in her approach to proceedings, not least during the challenges of Covid.

Frank Buttimer, on behalf of solicitors, said she had been an exemplary judge in one of the busiest courts in the country and remarked that the name of the judge to replace her is “like the Third Secret of Fatima”.

Superintendent Annette Brown, on behalf of An Garda Síochána; Pat Daly of the Irish Prison Service; Eleanor Busteed of the Probation Service, and Ruth Penney of the Courts Service, all joined in thanking the judge for her compassionate and hard work over the years and wished her well in her retirement.

The retiring judge thanked her family, judicial colleagues past and present and registrars who had worked with her, including Frances O’Connor, Peter Devine and Leonard McCarthy.