Solicitor fights to keep courthouses open

Former Donegal State Solicitor Ciaran F MacLochlainn (small picture) is leading a campaign to keep courthouses open and maintained in the county.

MacLochlainn, who practices at CS Kelly & Co in Buncrana, said that some  people’s clients must now travel over 100 miles to court in Letterkenny, the largest town in the county.

The County Donegal Courthouses Restoration and Maintenance Group has now been formed to lobby for the upkeep of the historic buildings.

MacLochlainn points out that Buncrana courthouse recently lost marks in the Tidy Towns competition, despite the efforts of volunteers in decorating it with planters.

Judge John Aylmer of the Circuit Court also said recently (9 December) that he hoped to see the courthouse in Donegal Town reopened, after it was closed in September by the OPW because of a ceiling collapse in the porch.

Hinterland

At the same sitting in Letterkenny Courthouse, barrister Mr Damian Crawford BL said that locals were "substantially discommoded" by the closure, and jury panels were away from their "natural hinterland".

On a visit to Donegal Town, justice minister Jim O'Callaghan said he was committed to the return of the courthouse.

"I can't have court services in every village or locality, but I am committed to getting the courthouse in Donegal Town," Minister O'Callaghan said.

The question of Carndonagh courthouse, shut since 2019 because of a leaking roof, was also raised with the Minister.

The OPW has commissioned a full building-condition survey. The Courts Service is awaiting the results of this report before deciding on the next steps for repair or potential redevelopment.

The closure has sparked fears of a permanent loss of services, similar to the fate of other regional courthouses.

Glenties Courthouse was closed permanently in 2015.

A recent meeting about Carndonagh courthouse (17 December) heard from legal practitioners, politicians, and local business people.

Meeting moved

Originally planned to take place inside the courthouse itself (with attendees wearing hard hats), the meeting had to be moved to Colgan Hall at the last minute.

The Courts Service deemed the building too structurally unsound for even a short meeting, highlighting the severe state of disrepair.

Buncrana solicitor Ciaran MacLochlainn is urging the public to support the campaign.

Carndonagh courthouse was 'temporarily closed' in March 2019, and MacLochlainn fears the authorities are also allowing Buncrana Courthouse to fall into disrepair.

"When I started the job as State Solicitor in 1983, there were 16 courts in Donegal – including one in Moville, which used to sit in St Eugene's Hall. We're now down to about four or five courts across the county."

The Courts Service issued a statement in mid-December confirming that Buncrana Courthouse would remain open.

It has recently invested in:

• Fire safety and emergency lighting systems,
• New heating pumps and site maintenance,
• Upcoming flooring and bench repairs to modernise the 1840s building.

Court sittings are good for town business, MacLochlainn pointed out.

The solicitor fears that steps toward moving all sittings to Letterkenny will further choke up an already congested town and make justice inaccessible for those in rural areas.

The Courts Service has said it is currently exploring all options.

While no decision has yet been made, the Courts Service has been approached by a local community group expressing interest in engaging in discussions about the potential use of the building.

A Courts Service spokesman said: “There are no plans to close or relocate Buncrana courthouse, indeed the opposite is the case.

Upkeep

“In the past months we have invested money in the upkeep and improvement of the courthouse and plan to continue to do so.”

He explained that this has included works to inspect, maintain and improve the installation of fire safety equipment, a full repair of the emergency lighting system, and ongoing site maintenance.

This included the maintenance of drains and clearing of weeds, a new heating pump and expansion vessel, as well as upgrade and replacement of the air conditioning system to a more modern version.

Ongoing efforts include works to support an upcoming IT upgrade, the Courts Service spokesman added.

“As well as the work completed this year, we are in the pricing stage for replacement floor coverings, work is to be carried out on the bench, and improvements are to be made to the stairs and steps throughout the building,’ he said.

Carndonagh Courthouse will require many hundreds of thousands of euros to be invested, if it is to remain as a court venue into the future, the spokesman added.

“Its future as a court venue will be considered as part of our long-term accommodation strategy,” he said.