E128 The Fifth Court – Drawing the Line: The Story of the Irish Boundary Commission

Dr. Cormac Moore – an historian with Dublin City Council’s Historian-in-Residence programme and author of Birth of the Border: The Impact of Partition in Ireland. He is a recognised authority on the politics, personalities, and legal frameworks surrounding the Irish border.

It was meant to settle the border between North and South once and for all. Instead, it nearly collapsed the Irish Free State government. On this episode of The Fifth Court, barristers Peter Leonard and Mark Tottenham are joined by historian Dr. Cormac Moore, who explains the secretive, scandal-ridden tale of the Irish Boundary Commission of 1924–25—a political time bomb buried in the Anglo-Irish Treaty.

From leaked maps to aborted transfers of land, Dr. Moore lays out how the Commission’s quietly explosive findings were suppressed, how the Free State’s hopes were dashed, and why the whole affair continues to echo in Irish constitutional law and cross-border politics today.

Cormac's cultural reference...a movie 'The Treaty' on YouTube, and he also loves 'Amadeus', the movie.

Before that, they examine notable recent court decisions featured on Decisis.ie including:

• An AI case...artificial insemination that is. A case about bull semen and a woman who, it was claimed, was acting as though she were a vet. The Veterinary Council of Ireland got involved.
• A defamation case where the wrong person was identified as having been on the tax defaulters list. Qualified privilege did not arise.
• A case involving a medical practitioner who it was said about him, had a persistent delusional disorder. The Medical Council was on one side.

Whether you're in practice or just passionate about the law, this episode is a must-listen for its clarity, depth, and practical relevance.

Sponsored by Charltons Solicitors and Collaborative Practitioners – family law with a collaborative approach.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Episode 127 of The Fifth Court, hosts Peter Leonard BL and Mark Tottenham BL are joined by Matthew Holmes BL, author of Habeas Corpus: Practice and Procedure. (This is his sixth book!). They delve into the historical roots, practical applications, and enduring importance of habeas corpus in modern Irish law. Everything you need to know in 30 minutes (but you'll still want to buy the book!). He makes mention of a very special case involving the people of Laois. If you're from Laois, or know people from the county, you will have to listen to this, and have a good chuckle.

Matthew's culture recommendation is 'D-Day - The Battle for Normandy' by Antony Beevor. His movie choice is 28 Years Later.

Before that, they examine notable recent court decisions featured on Decisis.ie including:

• Ward V DPP re the validity of a certificate by Forensics Science Ireland
• A case involving a question around a land dispute, and a deposit and whether they got the deposit back?
• A case involving Starbuck franchise directors and their failure to pay rent.

offering expert insight into the evolving Irish legal landscape.

Whether you're in practice or just passionate about the law, this episode is a must-listen for its clarity, depth, and practical relevance.

Sponsored by Charltons Solicitors and Collaborative Practitioners – family law with a collaborative approach.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 126, The Fifth Court featuring – Catastrophe: Nakba II with author Fintan Drury (Legal & Human Rights Special)

Fintan Drury’s Catastrophe: Nakba II is a punch in the gut—not a balanced history lesson. On The Fifth Court, we dig into the polemical argument beneath the exhaustive research, and why it reads more like a rallying cry than a neutral narrative. As a lawyer, judge, or rights campaigner, you’ll find it both infuriating and illuminating.

Expect:

• Legal flashpoints and human rights redlines
• The rule of law and the right to self-defence
• A call to action underneath the history

If you care about international law, ending impunity, or simply understanding how history becomes a platform for justice, this episode is for you.

Listen, discuss, and REPOST this episode to your network—because silence isn't an option.

The episode also includes recent important cases drawn from the Decisis casebook, discussed by hosts Mark Tottenham BL and Peter Leonard BL.

These are brought to you thanks to Charltons Solicitors and Collaborative Practitioners, Georges St. Dun Laoghaire, Dublin.

This episodes cases include;

• A family law case, whether a court can interfere in the sequence of calling a witness
• The National Transport Authority v Anderson, whether the NTA was allowed to carry out a 'covert' investigation
• Veterinary Council of Ireland case to do whether a vet could be struck off on a summary basis

Listen now wherever you get your podcasts or at thefifthcourt.ie and give us a Five Star ***** Review!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.