One feature of the Irish Bar which merits highlighting is the extent to which its composition has changed radically over the past two centuries, not just in terms of the gender of its members, but as regards their religion.
Catholics were excluded from the Irish Bar until the late 18th century, and the initial cohort who joined following the revocation of this exclusion were often characterised as having ideas above their station; biographies of the legal career of Daniel O’Connell provide many examples of the prejudice he had to contend with in his early years of practice.
The above image, entitled ‘Irish March of Intellect; or, the happy result of emancipation’, illustrates the level of prejudice faced by these initial entrants, involving as it does the following dialogue, between a rough-hewn, upwardly mobile Catholic and a presumably Protestant judge:
“Well, O’Dougherty, what can I do for you?”
“Och, good luck to your honour! I’ve brought you my little Paddy, as bright a lad as any in Killarney, and now we’ve got emancipation I would bind the jewel ‘prentice to your Honor to make a judge of him just for all the world like your Honor’s Lordship.”
Gradually, the determination and ability of practitioners like O’Connell changed the legal profession’s view of Catholic barristers, who gradually began to ascend to the heights of the profession, first the inner bar and then the bench, in so doing, proving that it is possible to triumph over prejudice by rising above it.
A lesson for us all here!
Image via US Library of Congress.
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