Stories of the Four Courts

The ‘tricycle made for two’ craze of the late 19th century, immensely popular among members of the legal profession and their spouses, ended in tragedy for Irish barrister Walter Long BL, who was involved in a serious accident in the summer vacation of 1888, when his foot got caught in the wheel as he and Mrs Long were freewheeling down a hill in the vicinity of Luggala, County Wicklow.

Although help was at hand for the Longs in the form of another member of the Irish bar, Mr Gerrard QC, who just happened to be driving by at the time, the unfortunate Mr Long died two years later, having sustained an attack of influenza following his accident, from which he never fully recovered.

An obituary in the Newry Telegraph of 1890 records Mr Long’s genial disposition and even temper, stating that had it not been for the ill-fated accident described above, he would have occupied a place in the foremost ranks of his profession.