The Bar Council has called for all necessary steps to be taken to ensure that the judicial system is not only fair and impartial, but is seen to be fair and impartial.
Its chairman, Mr John MacMenamin SC, said the Bar Council had not reached a final conclusion on the matter, and it would be meeting and taking soundings across the whole range of the Bar.
The statement on the Chief Justice's report on the Sheedy case from the barristers' representative body reflects the seriousness with which it views the whole affair. It said the independence of the judiciary rested on the integrity and impartiality of the judicial process and those who administered it, and this must be upheld at all times.
"The report of Chief Justice Hamilton has been both frank and comprehensive and raises serious concerns in regard to what occurred in this case," it said.
"The Irish judiciary have had an exemplary record. Judges from all backgrounds have carried out their roles independently of political and other pressures, and with full regard for the interests of justice and this reputation must be upheld."
Stressing the independence of the judiciary, the statement added: "It is also essential that the autonomy of judges in carrying out their duties in administering the courts must be guarded at all costs."
It concluded by saying that it was incumbent on everybody involved in the case that they do all in their power to restore public faith in the judicial system.
The sombre tone of the statement reflects the attitude of the legal profession generally to the report. "People around the Library were stunned into silence," said one barrister.
"When it started to break the shock was palpable," said a solicitor. "It was being talked about in hushed tones. The main concern in the profession is that you can't have that sort of thing. Ghastly as this report is, it's better than not treating it seriously. It's a shot across everyone's bows. No one can pat themselves on the back."
But a senior barrister saw the fallout of the whole affair in a positive light. "It will ensure that judges will be far more careful about how they conduct cases. They will all have to consider the evidence attentively and give due consideration to legal considerations, rather than sometimes give the impression they have their minds made up in advance."