The Four Courts, Inns Quay, Dublin - 967

This print was used as the cover of the 100 year old anniversary of the forming of the Supreme Court.

The Four Courts has been a cornerstone of the Irish legal system since its inaugural case heard in November 1796. Situated on the site of a 13th-century Dominican Friary, later transforming into the old King’s Inns, the current building was constructed between 1776 and 1796 through the collaborative efforts of architects Thomas Cooley (original draftsman until his death in 1784) and James Gandon (who was appointed to complete the building and added to the original design). Gandon was also the architect responsible for the design of the Custom House. The building was originally intended to consolidate dispersed legal offices and records which until then had resided in various buildings on the other side of the Liffey.

The decision in 1775 to centralize the legal system marked the end of centuries of a scattered Irish court system where two legal entities operated, with English rule in Dublin (‘the Pale’), and Brehon laws beyond the Pale.

Prior to the beginning of the 17th century, courts sat in various locations, predominantly in Dublin Castle. A lack of space led to a move in 1608, a stop gap solution that continued until 1775 when a decision was made to build on the site on the north bank of the River Liffey.

The completed Four Courts, with the iconic Round Hall and Dome, opened on November 8, 1796. Subsequent expansions in 1840 included land acquisition in order to house the offices of the Law Society of Ireland. Although Civil War damage in 1922 altered the interior, Gandon's structural elements, including the Round Hall, largely remain.

The term "Four Courts" predates the current building, originating from medieval times when it symbolized the principal courts of Exchequer, Common Pleas, King’s Bench, and Chancery. The name persisted through the merger in 1877 under the Judicature Act, a transformative moment creating a unified courts system, ending the practice of courts sitting in banco.

For more about the building itself, visit the  Four Courts website.