Warm tributes paid to former Munster rugby player as he steps down as district court judge in Cork

The president of the District Court has led tributes to Judge Olann Kelleher, recalling his part in Munster’s famous defeat of the All Blacks in 1978 and praising his pioneering work when dealing with those coming before the courts with drug addiction issues.

“Looking at Courtroom No 1 in Anglesea Street, it must remind Olann of that day in Thomond Park in 1978 when it was standing-only room when he shared in that wonderful win over the All Blacks,” said Judge Paul Kelly, who also noted Judge Kelleher’s skills as a footballer and cricketer.

He said Judge Kelleher had all the qualities required to deal with the volume and variety of cases arising at District Court level, including life experience, a strong knowledge of the law, a good sense of humour, a calm temperament and excellent judgment.

“He also has patience, he has humility and, most of all, compassion and humanity, and that’s demonstrated daily in the reports of his court cases. He has a deep understanding of the human condition and an appreciation of the difficulties which can lead to people ending up in court.”

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Judge Kelly said Judge Kelleher recently addressed the Citizens’ Assembly on Drug Use about a pilot referral project he established in Cork to help young users liaise with addiction services in an attempt to help them avoid convictions.

“It’s something that should be replicated across all the cities and towns of our country because Olann has been responsible for diverting at least 189 young cocaine users away from convictions and all that that entails and, for that alone, he deserves to be recognised and complimented.”

Judge Helen Boyle of Cork Circuit Court paid tribute to Judge Kelleher for his wise counsel and referred to the incredible efficiency he had shown in administering long court lists, sometimes running to 200 cases a day, and the great humanity and empathy he showed to those appearing before him.

Barrister Jim Duggan recalled how Judge Kelleher, then a solicitor, represented Roy Keane in a civil matter in Cork 20 years ago which attracted a huge media presence from the UK. The night before the case, he said, Judge Kelleher told him: “You deal with the case, I’ll deal with the press.”

Judge Kelleher was so prominent beside Keane in the media coverage that Mr Duggan recalled being asked some weeks later by a member of the public if he was involved in the case at all, a story that elicited much laughter around the courtroom.

Tributes were also paid by Judge Marian O’Leary, on behalf of Judge Kelleher’s fellow District Court judges; Don McCarthy, Father of the Cork Bar; Frank Nyhan on behalf of State solicitors; Frank Buttimer on behalf of the Southern Law Association; and Mary Crowley on behalf of the Courts Service.

Myles Reidy and Ciara Small thanked Judge Kelleher on behalf of court staff; as did Kieran McCarthy on behalf of the Prison Service; Supt John Deasy on behalf of An Garda Síochána; Sgt Gearóid Davis and Sgt Pat Lyons on behalf of court presenters; and Eleanor Busteed for the Probation Service.

Thanking all the speakers for their kind words, Judge Kelleher recalled a day in 2010 when a call from a private number changed his life dramatically. It was to inform him that his appointment as a judge of the District Court had been approved by the cabinet.

“I was never in the District Court in my life, I never even did a plea there and one day I was walking down Oliver Plunkett Street, just past the GPO, and this call came through and it was a private number and I had only one private number and I said, ‘Hello, Roy,’” said Judge Kelleher to much laughter.

“And the man at the other end said, ‘This is Dermot Ahern, the minister for justice. I am happy to inform you that you’ve been appointed a judge. I said, ‘I believe you are director of Dundalk FC. You probably thought you would never hear this from a Cork City fan: Up Dundalk’.”

Judge Kelleher thanked all those who helped him in his 14 years on the bench from registrar Paul Cosgrave, who guided him through his first-ever court sitting in Fermoy, to former judges Uinsinn Mac Gruairc and Con O’Leary, who gave him great advice as he started out.

He also thanked his wife, Susan, for her support over the years. Susan and the couple’s adult children Alex, Barry, Gretchen and Alison, and eight of their grandchildren, were in attendance as Judge Kelleher stepped down from the bench.