Tributes were paid in the Supreme Court and throughout the legal profession yesterday to the former chief justice, Mr Justice Liam Hamilton, who died late on Wednesday night.
Those present in the Supreme Court stood in silence as a mark of respect to the judge who had presided in that court as recently as January last. His successor as Chief Justice, Mr Justice Keane, said that Mr Justice Hamilton had died after a long and painful illness which he had borne with customary courage and good humour.
The president of the Law Society, Mr Ward McEllin, expressed "great sadness and sense of loss" on behalf of the solicitors' profession at his untimely death.
"He had very close dealings with the solicitors' profession both as president of the High Court and subsequently as chief justice," Mr McEllin said. "His warmth and approachability made him greatly liked and admired by solicitors throughout his outstandingly successful legal career."
The chairman of the Bar Council, Mr Rory Brady SC, expressed his sympathy on behalf of the Bar in a statement.
"His career in law was marked by brilliance both as a student, when he received the Brooke Scholarship, as a barrister practising at the Bar and subsequently as a member and president of the High Court and chief justice of the Supreme Court," he said.
"He brought to bear to the office of a judge in this State an independence of mind and a great capacity in mastering the details of complex cases. A hallmark of Liam Hamilton's role as a judge was not only his courage and fairness but also his abundance of courtesy towards every citizen of the State who appeared in the courts over which he presided."