New courthouse opened

After almost five years of negotiation, planning and construction, Dublin 15’s latest civic building - the new Blanchardstown Courthouse - has been officially opened by Minister for Finance, Brian Lenihan TD. In the presence of a bevy of dignitaries including the presidents of the District Court, the Circuit Court and the High Court, Minister Lenihan cut the ribbon and formally opened the new complex which will be fully operational and hearing cases in September.

Courts are places that are usually viewed as rather forbidding serious places and indeed as Mr. Justice Matthew Deery, President of the Circuit Court remarked “there are very few people who voluntarily use the courts whether it is for civil, family law or criminal business.” Nonetheless there were a few moments of levity such as when the Minister arrived and the Garda band started playing “If you’re Irish, come into the parlour.”

As he raised the scissors to cut the ribbon at the entrance to the building, the Minister joked “I’ve been making savings up to now in my new job so I’m about to make my first cut here today.”

In his formal speech the Minister said “Dublin 15 now has a population bigger than some counties and it is appropriate that it should have court facilities of this calibre. Until now, local people had to travel to the city centre to deal with a wide range of legal matters. Providing these services here will represent a significant convenience for the local community.

“The two courtrooms in this new building will provide Dublin West with its own Circuit and District courts, including Children and Family Courts,” said the Minister. “The new District Court Office will provide members of the public with the opportunity to make small claims, deal with family law matters and pay court fines here in their own community.”

Another guest at the opening was District Court Judge Patrick McMahon who will preside over most of the cases in the new courthouse when it “opens for business” next month.

Mr. Justice Deery also emphasised the accessibility of the new complex. “We have sought to ensure that our courts are universally accessible,” he said, “not only in terms of entrances and route-ways, but also in terms of the public spaces throughout our buildings and in the provision of signage in Braille and public address systems with loop induction systems to accommodate users of hearing aids.”

The new complex cost in excess of €3m to fit out and as well as two impressive courtrooms the facilities include a legal practitioners room, consultation rooms, judges' chambers, a jury room, 10 holding cells, public waiting areas, an information desk, a media room, victim support room, state prosecutors room, a probation office, and a Garda room.

Prisoners being brought to the courts are brought through an elaborate security system into the basement of the building where the ten modern but nonetheless very forbidding looking cells are located.

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