Court system in Dundalk ‘grinding to a halt'

The court system in Dundalk and around the State is not “functioning effectively” as Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan says, according to Louth TD Ruairí Ó Murchú, but is “grinding to a halt”, the Sinn Féin told the Dáil last week.

During a debate on legislation to consolidate Garda powers, the Sinn Féin TD said he had been in Dundalk District Court on Wednesday to hear tributes to the late solicitor James MacGuill and had seen the impact of the current row between solicitors and the Minister for justice over the changes to criminal legal aid.

Deputy Ó Murchú said: “I saw that the many talented solicitors who grace the District Court in Dundalk were only dealing with custody cases, all the other cases being adjourned to 18 November or even January.

“Yet, the Minister for justice is telling the public that the criminal courts are functioning effectively. It was clear to see they are not.

"Behind each of these numbers is a defendant without representation, a victim whose wait for justice keeps getting put back, gardaí wanting to bring a case to a conclusion and many others who are directly impacted.”

The Dundalk TD continued: “The figures that show the collapse of the criminal legal aid certs issued from July 2025 to July 2026 are stark.

"In Dundalk, in July 2025 there were 329 certificates issued and this July, just 19 were issued, representing a 94.2% drop, which is huge.

“These figures are replicated at district courts around the State. What is needed is proper engagement and for solicitors and the Minister for justice to get around a table and sort this out.

“The irony is not lost on solicitors and the public that this was the first piece of legislation to come before the Dáil in the new term.

“This Bill places on statutory footing the existing right of people in custody to consult a solicitor before and during interview and provides for electronic recording of interviews by gardaí where, previously, everything that was said in a Garda interview had to be handwritten.

“The Minister now faces, because of this strike, solicitors not attending at Garda stations any more.”

Calling for urgent action, Deputy Ó Murchú added: "There needs to be urgent engagement with solicitors' representatives. I have seen for myself how the system is not working at the moment”.​​​​​​​