Publications

Publications

The Society publishes a wide range of books on matters relating to Irish legal history in conjunction with our publisher Four Courts Press. These books are sent free of charge to all our members. Our most recent publications are:

The Court of Admiralty of Ireland, 1575-1893 by Kevin Costello. €55 Four Courts Press.

In 1575 the Lord Admiral of England, Edward Clinton, appointed Ambrose Forth as the first judge of the Admiralty in Ireland. Between 1575 and 1893 an independent Court of Admiralty functioned in Ireland, processing civil disputes over matters like seamen’s wages, collision and salvage. The Court of Admiralty of Ireland is an institutional history of this tribunal over its 300-hundred-year existence. It describes the often colourful, and sometimes venal, personalities of those men – like Adam Loftus, William Petty, Hugh Baillie and Jonah Barrington – who served as judges of this court, and deals with the jurisdictional and doctrinal controversies in which the Irish Court of Admiralty was so regularly involved."

click here for more information

Murder Trials in Ireland 1836-1914

W.E. Vaughan, Four Courts Press, €55. The book describes how the courts dealt with murder, beginning with the coroner's inquest and ending with the conviction and hanging of the murderer.

click here for more information
Poynings' Law and the Making of Law in Ireland...

Poynings' Law and the Making of Law in Ireland...

James Kelly, Poynings’ Law and the Making of Law in Ireland, 1660–1800: Monitoring the constitution, Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2007, 424 pp., €49.50.

click here for more information
Wigs and Guns: Irish barristers in the Great War

Wigs and Guns: Irish barristers in the Great War

A.P. Quinn, Wigs and Guns: Irish barristers in the Great War, Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2006, 200 pp., €45.

click here for more information
Reflections on Law and History

Reflections on Law and History

N.M. Dawson (editor), Reflections on Law and History, Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2006, 288 pp., €55.

click here for more information

Older Publications

Our older publications include:

  • W.N. Osborough (ed.), The Irish Legal History Society: inaugural address,
    Dublin : Irish Academic Press, 1989, 31 pp., €9.50.
  • Daire Hogan and W.N. Osborough (eds.), Brehons, serjeants and attorneys: studies in the history of the Irish legal profession,
    Dublin : Irish Academic Press, 1990, 256 pp., €35.00.
  • Colum Kenny, King's Inns and the kingdom of Ireland : the Irish ‘Inn of Court', 1541-1800,
    Dublin : Irish Academic Press, 1992, 352 pp., €14.95.
  • Jon G. Crawford, Anglicizing the government of Ireland : the Irish privy council and the expansion of Tudor rule, 1556-1578,
    Dublin : Irish Academic Press, 1993, 508 pp., €24.50.
  • W.N. Osborough (ed.), Explorations in law and history: Irish Legal History Society discourses, 1988-1994,
    Dublin : Irish Academic Press, 1995, 191 pp., €14.95.
  • W.N. Osborough, Law and the emergence of modern Dublin : a litigation topography for a capital city,
    Dublin : Irish Academic Press, 1996, 225 pp., €29.50.
  • Colum Kenny, Tristam Kennedy and the revival of Irish legal training, 1835-1885,
    Dublin : Irish Academic Press, 1996, 256 pp., €37.50.
  • Brian Griffin, The Bulkies: police and crime in Belfast, 1800-1865,
    Dublin, Irish Academic Press, 1997, 166 pp., €42.50 (hbk.), €19.50 (pbk.).
  • Éanna Hickey, Irish law and lawyers in modern folk tradition,
    Dublin : Four Courts Press, 1999, 208 pp., €40.00.
  • A.R. Hart, A history of the king's serjeants at law in Ireland : honour rather than advantage?,
    Dublin : Four Courts Press, 2000, 224 pp., €40.00.
  • Desmond Greer and Norma Dawson (eds.), Mysteries and solutions in Irish legal history: Irish Legal History Society discourses and other papers, 1996-1999,
    Dublin : Four Courts Press, 2001, 240 pp., €55.00.
  • Desmond Greer and James Nicolson, The factory acts in Ireland, 1802-1914,
    Dublin : Four Courts Press, 2002, 540 pp., €60.00.
  • Colum Kenny, King's Inns and the battle of the books, 1972: cultural controversy at a Dublin library,
    Dublin : Four Courts Press, 2002, 192 pp. €39.95.
  • Mary Kotsonouris, The winding-up of the Dáil courts, 1922-1925,
    Dublin : Four Courts Press, 2004, 296 pp., €45.00.
  • Paul Brand, Kevin Costello and W.N. Osborough (eds.). Adventures of the law: Proceedings of the Sixteenth British Legal History Conference, Dublin 2003,
    Dublin : Four Courts Press, 2005, 332 pp., €55.00.
  • Jon G. Crawford, A star chamber court in Ireland: the court of castle chamber, 1571-1641,
    Dublin : Four Court Press, 2005, €85.00.
  • Kenneth Ferguson, King's Inns Barristers, 1868-2004,
    Dublin : The Honourable Society of King's Inns, 2005, 446 pp., €30.00.