Newly-appointed Judge Emile Daly welcomed to court in Donegal

The recently-appointed new resident judge for District Court Number one has been welcomed to County Donegal.

Judge Emile Daly was welcomed by court staff, as well as legal practitioners and Gardai, when she sat for the first time at Letterkenny District Court.

Although a native of Dublin, Judge Daly has lived in Letterkenny, where she is married with a family. There was a jovial mood as court officers gathered in courtroom number two of Letterkenny Courthouse to welcome Judge Daly. Judge Ciaran Liddy welcomed his new colleague, saying it gave him great pleasure to do so.

He said: "It gives me great pleasure to introduce to you Judge Emile Daly. Today is an important day as it marks the commencement of Judge Daly’s tenure as the resident Judge of District Number One, succeeding Judge Cunningham and President Kelly in the recent past, both Judges of the highest calibre.

"Judge Daly will be known to many of the practitioners in this room. She was a member of the Bar Council on the Northern Circuit and in Dublin and practised at all levels within the justice system.

"Those amongst us who worked with Judge Daly whilst she was at the bar will recall her professionalism, keen intellect and pleasant disposition and needless to say Judge Daly is a wonderful addition to the District Court bench and, in particular District Court number one and will equal if not surpass the excellence which Judges Cunningham and Kelly brought to bear on their judicial work."

The most senior solicitor present, Mr Kieran O'Gorman said Judge Daly faced a "daunting experience" but will have the full cooperation and support of all.

"You can rest assured that as far as myself and my colleagues are concerned, we will assist you in every possible way in relation to getting used to a very, very difficult job," he said.

"It's a whole different ball game than it used to be when I started off and you have a daunting experience ahead but I'm sure you will be more than experienced to date and being on the Northern Circuit, you will know most of us anyway.

"You have a very able assistant here (Judge Liddy) who will be able to keep you right and if he doesn't, I'll be here."

Speaking on behalf of the Bar Council, barrister Damien Crawford, BL, said he was also delighted to welcome Judge Daly.

"It is my happy task on behalf of the barristers of the Northern Circuit to welcome you to your first day of new school to District Number One and it is District Number One for a reason because it is the best district in the country, as we all know.

"News of your accession was very, very warmly received by the Northern Bar, that one of ours had made the top step and even more so when we realised that you were going to be sitting here.

"Your reputation precedes you and there is no embarrassment in saying that in your excellence, in your practice and in your adjudication at the Workplace Relations Commission precedes you so nobody is going to come into court and know half of what the rule was or what the case might have been.

"At the same time, the people of Donegal are going to be very well-served, a continuing sequence of the excellent judges we have had here....we are very happy to see you here and we will give you every help we can."

Garda Inspector Johnny Sweeney said he wanted to speak on behalf of An Garda Siochana but particularly those serving in Donegal, in welcoming Judge Daly.

He said: "We've had a great relationship with your predecessors and we look forward to offering you the same level of cooperation going forward.

"We look forward to having a good working relationship with you going forward."

Manager of the Letterkenny Courts Office, Mr Geoffrey McGonagle, said he spoke on behalf of many court staff present in the courtroom who wanted to formally welcome Judge Daly.

"I'd like to welcome you to District Number One and be associated with all the kind comments made here.

"I want to assure you of our full cooperation from myself and all the staff in the future and we look forward to working with you and supporting you in your new role as a judge so all the very best," he said.

Judge Daly said she wanted to thank everyone for their kind words and warm welcome.

She said: "It's a privilege and an honour to be appointed to the District Court bench but in any respect I don't take the responsibilities associated with that role lightly.

"Being assigned to District Area One, my home district, is more than I could have hoped for. I would like to thank my judicial colleagues, in particular Judge Liddy, whose generosity and support helped me prepare for the role."

Judge Daly also thanked the Gardai, the "incredible" court staff, the legal practitioners whom she said were the best in the country, saying that apart from their ability "they retained a sense of decency and integrity about the work they do."

Judge Daly said she also thanked many members of the public and the community for their cards, emails and texts following her appointment, saying the support she received was "overwhelming."

"I am very much looking forward to the job and I am very much looking forward to going to the different venues, the different court venues in the district and just overall I'd like to thank you for your overwhelming welcome.

"It's quite a new thing for me so thank you very much," she added.