The Fifth Court

AT 16, SEÁN LEMASS ACCIDENTALLY SHOT HIS BABY BROTHER. WHY DID FIVE OR SIX BIOGRAPHIES MISS IT? RONAN MCGREEVY ON THE EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF IRELAND'S MOST CONSEQUENTIAL TAOISEACH. What did Seán Lemass really think? And what has history overlooked? Irish Times journalist and author Ronan McGreevy joins Peter Leonard and Mark Tottenham at the Kilkenny Law Festival to discuss Seán Lemass: The Lo...

This is a SPECIAL PRIVATE INVITATION to our listeners to join us at a recording in the dlr LexIcon Library Haigh Terrace, Moran Park, Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin. Eircode : A96 H283 on the 26th November, 2026. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Beatles changed music. Their lawyers had plenty to do afterwards. Jason Carty, co-host of the acclaimed Beatles podcast Nothing Is Real , joins Peter Leonard BL and Mark Tottenham BL for a special edition of The Fifth Court, recorded live at Electric Picnic . From Come Together and Chuck Berry to My Sweet Lord and subconscious copying, Jason explores the legal disputes behind some of the most...

E156 | Paul Howard: A united Ireland. But whose flag, whose anthem, whose rules? Would you vote for a united Ireland if it meant changing the flag? The national anthem? The Constitution? And should we settle those questions before asking people to vote? On Episode 156 of The Fifth Court, Peter Leonard BL and Mark Tottenham BL welcome Paul Howard, creator of Ross O’Carroll-Kelly, to discuss his new...

THE BILLABLE HOUR IS UNDER ATTACK. AND AI COULD CHANGE THE LEGAL PROFESSION FOREVER. What happens when one of Ireland's most innovative solicitors decides to throw out the traditional rulebook? Larry Fenelon SC, founder of Fenecas Law and previously of Leman Solicitors, joins Peter Leonard BL and Mark Tottenham BL on Episode 155 of The Fifth Court. He's built a litigation-only firm that do...

Peter Leonard BL and Mark Tottenham BL are joined by John Freeman BL , author of The Central Bank Acts: A Commentary . John explains the modern role of the Central Bank of Ireland and how financial regulation has changed since the banking crisis. The discussion examines the increased focus on individual accountability within financial institutions, including how responsibility is assigned to parti...

For more than a century, Ireland's judges shaped the country's politics, business, land ownership and legal system. But who were they? On Episode 153 of The Fifth Court , Peter Leonard BL and Mark Tottenham BL are joined by legal historian Daire Hogan , former McCann FitzGerald partner, former President of the Irish Legal History Society and author of the remarkable new book The Judges of Ireland...

Episode 152 of The Fifth Court features a very special guest: Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia Interviewed by Mark Tottenham BL at Dalkey Book Festival. This is not just a tech-founder interview. It is a fascinating conversation about law, trust, neutrality, rules, evidence, platform responsibility, AI hallucinations, volunteer communities, public knowledge and why Wikipedia has survived while mu...

In Part 2 of our extended interview with retired Supreme Court judge Mr Justice Peter Charleton, Peter Leonard BL and Mark Tottenham BL continue a remarkable conversation about life at the Bar, life on the Bench, and life after the Supreme Court. Peter Charleton speaks about the reality of appearing in high-profile criminal cases, the discipline of addressing juries, why a good advocate must be ab...

The Fifth Court marks Episode 150 with Part 1 of a wide-ranging conversation with recently retired Supreme Court judge, Peter Charleton. To mark Episode 150 of The Fifth Court, Peter Leonard BL and Mark Tottenham BL are joined by Mr Justice Peter Charleton, recently retired from the Supreme Court. In Part 1 of this extended interview, he reflects on republicanism and nationalism, growing up near S...

Bloomsday Special: The secret political life of James Joyce — and Frank Callanan’s final masterpiece Was James Joyce really apolitical? For decades, many scholars claimed Ireland's greatest writer stood apart from politics. Frank Callanan disagreed. Before his untimely death, the renowned barrister, historian and Parnell scholar spent 25 years researching what became his final work: James Joyce: A...

Episode 148, The Fifth Court Peter Shanley SC on Barristers Direct, legal access and barristers becoming entrepreneurs Peter Leonard BL and Mark Tottenham BL are joined by Peter Shanley SC, founder of Barristers Direct. Peter explains how changes under the Legal Services Regulation Act opened the door to direct access to barristers in non-contentious matters, why Barristers Direct was created, and...

ON this episode of The Fifth Court, Peter Leonard BL and Mark Tottenham BL are joined by John O’Donnell SC — one of the Bar’s leading advocates… and one of Ireland’s most quietly brilliant writers. This is a conversation that moves from the Four Courts to the writing desk — and back again. We step into a different courtroom entirely — the imagination. John O’Donnell SC discusses: Winning the Franc...

Your Reputation on Trial — And Why the Rules Are Changing This is not just another legal interview. This is a story about growing up under armed protection, about a father who became the last Law Lord in the UK, and about a legal system that is about to change in a very big way. John Kerr — barrister, defamation specialist, and colleague — joins us to talk about: What it was like living through th...

The "referee" of Irish politics: Verona Murphy on power, pressure and running the Dáil What actually happens when you’re handed the whistle in Irish politics? On Episode 145 of The Fifth Court, hosts Peter Leonard BL and Mark Tottenham BL travel to Leinster House to sit down with Verona Murphy , Ceann Comhairle — the referee of the Dáil. This is not a standard political career story. From leaving...

Episode 144 – Mr Justice Brian Cregan, Judge of the High Court | Parnell, leadership, and the law In this very special episode of The Fifth Court , hosts Peter Leonard BL and Mark Tottenham BL are joined by Mr Justice Brian Cregan , Judge of the High Court, to discuss his book Parnell: A Novel and the legal, political, and historical legacy of Charles Stewart Parnell. Drawing on extensive original...

Máirín De Búrca is in front of the courts again | The Fifth Court There are some names that belong in the footnotes of Irish history. Máirín De Búrca belongs in the headlines. In this very special episode of The Fifth Court, Peter Leonard and Mark Tottenham visit Máirín at home to talk about a life that took her from Chicago and Newbridge to housing protests, anti-apartheid activism, women’s liber...

The Barrister Who Quit Law To Handicap Racehorses What kind of person leaves the Law Library… and ends up becoming one of the most quietly powerful men in Irish racing? Garry O’Gorman, that’s who. ON Episode 142 of The Fifth Court , Peter Leonard BL and Mark Tottenham BL meet the former barrister who swapped devilling and district courts for parade rings, pedigrees, handicap marks and the dark art...

Advocacy, Independence and the Modern Bar — Mr. Justice David Nolan | The Fifth Court EP 141 On Episode 141 of The Fifth Court, hosts Mark Tottenham BL and Peter Leonard BL are honoured to be joined by Mr. Justice David Nolan of the High Court. A former Chair of the Bar Council and long-standing advocate, Mr. Justice Nolan reflects on: • The evolution of advocacy in Irish courts • The importance o...

Expert evidence under pressure – Eavanna FitzGerald on changing court culture | Episode 140 On Episode 140 of The Fifth Court, Peter Leonard BL and Mark Tottenham BL examine a quiet but significant shift in Irish litigation: expert witnesses are now under real judicial scrutiny. Eavanna FitzGerald joins the show to explain why the traditional word-of-mouth system for sourcing experts is failing pr...

Episode 139 | Tom Flynn SC on planning judicial reviews, costs caps and access to justice In Episode 139 of The Fifth Court , hosts Peter Leonard BL and Mark Tottenham BL are joined by Tom Flynn SC , a leading planning and environmental law practitioner. The discussion examines the State’s proposal to cap recoverable legal costs in planning judicial reviews, the policy rationale behind the measure...

Episode 138 – Mary McAleese on the Rule of Law, Courage & Democracy Former President of Ireland Mary McAleese joins our hosts of The Fifth Court, Mark Tottenham BL and Peter Leonard BL, for a wide-ranging and deeply thoughtful conversation on the rule of law, human rights, judicial independence and democratic backsliding — drawing on her personal experience as a lawyer, academic and Head of St...

Episode 137 – Darragh Mackin, Human Rights, Legacy and the Rule of Law In Episode 137 of The Fifth Court , Peter Leonard BL travels to the Allingham Festival in Ballyshannon for a live recording with one of the most prominent human rights lawyers working on the island of Ireland today, Darragh Mackin , partner at Phoenix Law . This live podcast at the Allingham Festival 2025 was sponsored by www.b...

The Fifth Court Ep 136 Part 2: Strasbourg, dissent and Decisis casebook Part 2 of a two-part Fifth Court interview with two of Ireland’s most distinguished international judges: • Síofra O’Leary, former President of the European Court of Human Rights • Úna Ní Raifeartaigh, Ireland’s current judge at the European Court of Human Rights This episode examines judicial dissent, political pressure on th...

The Fifth Court – Part 1: Ireland and the European Court of Human Rights Part 1 of a two-part Fifth Court interview with two of Ireland’s most distinguished jurists on the international stage. Síofra O’Leary, former President of the European Court of Human Rights, and Úna Ní Raifeartaigh, Ireland’s current judge at the Court, discuss judicial life in Strasbourg, multilingual decision-making, and t...