Lawful occasions: The old eastern circuit

by Patrick MacKenzie

In an Ireland slow in pace yet with lightning sharp wit, an Ireland of simple food and not quite so simple folk, the young Patrick MacKenzie began his career at the Bar. It was the years during and immediately after The Emergency - a time when money was scarce, but humour was plentiful. In this account of his career as a young barrister, and of his early struggles to make himself known in the various towns on the Eastern Circuit, Patrick MacKenzie draws on that humour. The book is a vividly portrayed and finely drawn, but above all, humorous sketch of the characters who peopled that circuit, of the judges (some good, some bad - nearly all difficult!), of the contests of ordinary (and not so ordinary) people in a Legal System that was uniquely Irish and now is fast disappearing. Readers won't need a Law degree to be able to enjoy this volume thoroughly - just the ability to laugh while reading a book! -- Patrick MacKenzie was born in Dublin, where he was called to the Bar in 1941. He practised extensively on the Eastern Circuit before becoming a Senior Counsel in 1972 and a High Court Judge in 1987. He is now retired and lives in the country. -- Jacket Joseph Gervin.

151 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1991