Martin was a young professional with his own home when he met Nora. They married and, two years later, had a son, who is now five. The marriage quickly ran into difficulties, and Nora, according to Martin, locked him out of the house.

He says the judge declared it "inappropriate" for him to stay there, and, although he is not barred from the family home, he has not lived in it for more than three years.

Martin had a court order, granting him access to his son, but he found it difficult to get regular access because, he says, his wife constantly frustrated the order.

"The order has been breached on a regular basis," he says. "One day, I called and my wife wasn't even there. I went to the local Garda station and asked them to accompany me to the home, if only to confirm that she wasn't there. They wouldn't.

"I asked them to record the fact that I had come to the station to make this complaint and was told they didn't have the facilities to record this. They told me that even with a court order they couldn't get involved, and that I needed an enforcement order. I approached the same judge and asked for one of these, and he simply decided not to grant one.

"I was not asking for any new provisions in the arrangements. I was simply requesting that the decisions of his own court be carried out, and this was a judge telling me that the decisions of the court do not have to be carried out.

"A summary of my case is that I have been described as 'nothing less than an exemplary father' by my wife's solicitor in court. I was employed for four years and I paid maintenance every week, and yet I have no legal right to see my little son.

"The number of times the access order has been broken now stands at 125. My ex-wife has used a variety of excuses, claiming that the car seat in Martin's car is too small, even though the appropriate sizes and weights were printed on it; teaching him to say he doesn't want to see his daddy, even though at the same time he has a big smile and a hug for me; simply not being there when I arrive; or saying she must visit her mother, down the country, on the day of my visit, even though she was not working at the time. Sometimes, she let me see him in a pub, but wouldn't let me take him home for the day."

Martin's access has improved since his son started school, as his wife has agreed to his collecting the boy and looking after him in the afternoons. But he is unsure how long the arrangement will last.

This is Martin's side of the story, and all names have been changed. Because of the in camera rule, which prohibits coverage of family-law cases, we cannot identify the parties or present all of the details of the case, including his wife's version of events