The Law Library is on a par with newspaper offices and Leinster House as a hotbed of gossip, so although it's a year away there is already much talk of who will get promotion when four vacancies occur in the Supreme Court thus creating movement further down the hierarchy.
The shake-up will follow the retirements next year of the Chief Justice, Liam Hamilton, and Justices Donal Barrington, Kevin Lynch and Henry Barron, as they reach 72 years of age. The appointments, salary £89,000, are in the gift of the Government and are much sought after. Normally, although not exclusively, elevation to the Supreme Court comes from the High Court bench, while High Court judges often come from the Bar, once they have passed through the Judicial Appointments Board, or the lower courts. There is no shortage of candidates of the right political persuasions at all levels.
The most persistent rumour in the Four Courts is that John Murray will return to Dublin from the European Court of Justice for a senior judicial post. It is suggested that either he or sitting Supreme Court judges Hugh O'Flaherty, who is from Cahirciveen like the Minister for Justice, John O'Donoghue; Susan Denham; or Ronan Keane could become chief justice.
High Court judge Vivian Lavan, now head of the Law Reform Commission, is a possibility for the Supreme Court bench and several of our leading legal eagles are also mentioned as ripe for plucking from the Library for judicial appointments by the FF/PD partners.
The AG David Byrne could go to the Supreme Court if he wished, but there is increasing speculation that he might be the one to replace Pee Flynn as our Euro Commissioner. The vital "no by-election" criteria would be met and he has long been close to the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern.
Amid all this gossip it has not gone unremarked that the way things are going there could be a different shower entirely in power this time next year, so the predicting and the jostling could involve an entirely new set of names.