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6 Jan/Feb 2017
NEWS | NATIONWIDE
Law Society Gazette | gazette.ie
COMPILED BY KEITH WALSH, PRINCIPAL OF KEITH WALSH SOLICITORS
The Tipperary Solicitors’ Bar Association
(TSBA) held its annual
conference in Rome in late autumn
2016. A total of 26 members
and partners attended, led by then
president Mariea Flanagan.
The academic programme
included a talk on canon law and
its interaction with civil law, given
by canon lawyer Fr Aidan Fogarty
OFM, at the Irish College.
Dermot O’Dwyer (Conveyancing
Committee) addressed aspects of
conveyancing law. The business
side of the conference was counterbalanced
with a very enjoyable
social programme.
At the recent AGM of the
TSBA, the following officers and
committee members were elected
for 2016/17: president – Dermot
O’Dwyer (Cahir), vice-president
– Martin O’Brien (Nenagh), secretary
– Marcella Sheehy (Clon-
Family lawyers representing the
Law Society, Dublin Solicitors’ Bar
Association, and the Bar paid a belated,
but enthusiastic, tribute to
family lawyer colleague Josepha
Madigan on her election to the Dáil,
at a lunch in the Unicorn recently.
Josepha tells ‘Nationwide’
that she has received great support
from colleagues for her initiative
to reduce the waiting time
for divorce from four to two years.
She also has a busy hands-on role
on the Public Accounts Committee
and is still very much involved in
family law issues. She follows in
the footsteps of her late father
Patrick (Paddy) J Madigan, who
was often described as one of Dublin’s
best known lawyers. Originally
from Mayo, he represented the
TIPPERARY
ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME
Some of the attendees at the TSBA Rome conference, with Fr Aidan Fogarty
and Fr Paul Finnerty (vice-rector, Irish College, Rome)
DUBLIN
mel) and treasurer – Richard Joyce
(Clonmel); general committee –
Mariea Flanagan (Nenagh), Joe
Kelly (Templemore), Billy Gleeson
(Thurles), Maura Derivan
(Carrick-on-Suir), John Lynch
(Clonmel), David Hodgins (Nenagh),
Kathleen Burke (Thurles),
David Peters (Nenagh), Conor
Delaney (Nenagh), Colin Morrissey
(Tipperary) and Salome
Hennessy (Roscrea). Maura Hennessy
(Clonmel) retired and did
not seek re-election.
JOSEPHA HONOURED BY COLLEAGUES
(L to r): Aine Hynes (president, DSBA), Geraldine Kelly (past-president, DSBA,
Keith Walsh (chair, Law Society Family Law Committee), Joan O’Mahony, Cliona
Costelloe, Michael Sheil, Josepha Madigan TD and Avril Mangan
people of Dun Laoghaire for many
years as a councillor for Fianna Fáil
(the rival party to Josepha’s) and
subsequently as an independent.
Josepha represents the con-
stituency of Dublin Rathdown and
her solicitor’s practice is located in
Molesworth Street near the Dáil,
which she operates in partnership
with her brother Patrick Madigan.
PIC: MICHAEL FINN PHOTOGRAPHY
CORK
CHANGING
OF THE
GUARD...
The Southern Law Association’s annual
dinner will take place on Friday
17 February at the Maryborough Hotel
and Spa. The black-tie event (always
a sell-out) will be attended by
Law Society President Stuart Gilhooly
and director general Ken Murphy.
Its reputation precedes it, and
it appears that many Dublin-based
colleagues are seeking tickets. Since
the dinner can only be attended by
SLA members and their guests, however,
those unfortunate enough to
hail from outside the ‘real capital’
will have to hope for an invitation.
GALWAY
...AND ALSO
IN GALWAY
The Galway Solicitors’ Bar Association’s
year came to an end on 15
December 2016 with a final CPD
seminar on costs, followed by the
AGM. The GSBA has had a very
busy year, with 39 hours of CPD
seminars provided to its members,
free of charge. The association has
promised to provide 40 hours of
free CPD at Galway Courthouse
throughout 2017.
The AGM was very well attended,
and the 2017 committee
comprises Brendan O’Connor
(president), James Seymour (vicepresident),
Cairbre O’Donnell
(treasurer), John Martin (PRO),
Ian Foley (secretary), and committee
members Clodagh Gallagher,
Vincent Shields, Louisa McKeon,
Ronan Murphy, Ruth McDonagh,
Joan O’Brien, Sharon Lally, Alma
Whelan, Sinead Manning and
Sarah Kemple.