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Master of High Court defends breaking windows in Four Courts with hammer

Master of the High Court Edmund Honohan claimed there were issues with ventilation in the room.

THE MASTER OF the High Court has defended breaking windows in a Four Courts courtroom, claiming there were issues with ventilation. 

Edmund Honohan said when he leaves his courtroom at the end of the day it’s sealed, leaving stale air in it until the following morning when the door is opened again. 

Speaking to RTÉ Radio One’s Sean O’Rourke today, Honohan said it has been an issue for at least 10 years. 

“When the heating is on and the windows are closed because it’s cold outside, then you have a situation where … the temperature rises, the stale air is stale, the ventilation system is not working,” Honohan said. 

The issue was first reported in the Sunday Times last weekend, in which Honohan said there was a “fug” in the stuffy courtroom that was making him ill. 

The Courts Service’s press office confirmed that Honohan had raised the issue of the courtroom’s air conditioning before Christmas. It also confirmed that the Courts Service had arranged to have the broken window panes replaced.  

Honohan said that he brought a hammer in from home and broke the windows. 

“The only way to get rid of a window is to break it,” he said. 

“I left a message on it saying do not re-glaze, but that, of course, that was ignored.” 

Honohan added that, if necessary, he would do it again. 

He had said that he would not sit in the courtroom again until the matter was resolved. 

However, Honohan now feels the matter has been resolved and said they’ve unsealed the windows that open on to the corridors, something which he said is “a vast improvement”. 

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    Mute Mark Dawson
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    Jan 15th 2019, 9:30 PM

    Judge or not its criminal damage and tax payers money to replace them

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    Mute Gulliver Foyle
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    Jan 15th 2019, 9:36 PM

    @Mark Dawson: not really. he probably had a case against the court service/DoJ for long term illness. there cost of a window vs the cost of a settlement payment for long damage is probably justifiable.

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    Mute owenmor
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    Jan 15th 2019, 9:42 PM

    @Mark Dawson: he’s not a judge btw

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    Mute Ian McNally
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    Jan 15th 2019, 9:49 PM

    @Mark Dawson: hes not a judge, he just likes people to think he is, hes a powertripping civil servant nothing more

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    Mute Bat Daly
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    Jan 15th 2019, 10:46 PM

    @Ian McNally: Really? Why bother commenting about someone when you clearly know absolutely nothing about him. If you did, you wouldn’t have made that comment.

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    Mute BaaB
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    Jan 15th 2019, 9:32 PM

    If someone broke the window from the outside with a hammer they’d get jailed.

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    Mute Luke
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    Jan 15th 2019, 10:20 PM

    @BaaB: let’s be real, no they wouldn’t.

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    Mute Dot Com
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    Jan 15th 2019, 10:36 PM
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    Mute Miriam Kivlehan
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    Jan 19th 2019, 2:44 AM

    @BaaB: If someone broke the window from the outside because they hadn’t enough air, then they would be Sectioned, not jailed

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    Mute Mumpsimus
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    Jan 15th 2019, 9:29 PM

    Sack him for vandalism

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    Mute James Keogh
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    Jan 16th 2019, 2:57 AM

    @Mumpsimus: The Master has little or no respect for the Health and Safety legalities.
    He should have been properly attired with Helmet, Protective Goggles, Ear muffs, Hi-vis Jacket, Gloves and Steel capped boots.

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    Mute Louis Jacob
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    Jan 15th 2019, 9:35 PM

    He should try working in a kitchen.

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    Mute James Wallace
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    Jan 15th 2019, 10:04 PM

    He did it in the interest of transparency cos he had a pane in his hole. Or maybe he was framed.If anyone else did it, it would be curtains for them.

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    Mute ThatLJD
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    Jan 15th 2019, 9:52 PM

    I find a lot of the barristers around the four courts a bit stuffy too!

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    Mute Darcy
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    Jan 15th 2019, 10:23 PM

    Criminal damage and he should be charged for it .

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    Mute Sean Leonard
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    Jan 15th 2019, 10:26 PM

    I heard this interview on RTE, he sounded a complete arrogant a#se h@ LE…. there are bigger problems in the world than his ventilation issues

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    Mute Martin Brennan
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    Jan 15th 2019, 10:17 PM

    Joe soap would have to pay and clean up

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    Mute Kieran OKeeffe
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    Jan 15th 2019, 10:43 PM

    Hardly be a huge job to instsall a fan in one of the panes..

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    Mute Mairtin Antaine O Conaill
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    Jan 16th 2019, 12:03 AM

    @Kieran OKeeffe: by the time OPW have gotten their 3 quotes and okayed the work you’d be looking at about 20,000

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    Mute Kenneth Hayden
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    Jan 15th 2019, 9:36 PM

    * scratches head *

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    Mute tipptop9
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    Jan 15th 2019, 11:21 PM

    He’d a pain in his hole, now he has a hole in his pane

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    Mute James Keogh
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    Jan 16th 2019, 2:29 AM

    Shattering Act to resolve a minor problem. I presume this Act against Public/State property will be glazed over, a curtain drawn over it and there will be no real transparency as to whether or not there was a breach of Health and Safety involved in this Masterminded solution.
    Now if this had happened in the Dáil it would be better understood as the smell of BS in there at times must be overwhelming.

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    Mute Justin Dawson
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    Jan 16th 2019, 12:46 AM

    A thug with a good job but still a thug.

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    Mute Jim Ryan
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    Jan 15th 2019, 10:53 PM

    Another self opinionated fool who thinks he have a right to do what he wants. One rule for the judge, another for all others. I have contempt for these overpaid, underworked blood suckers.

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    Mute An bhearna
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    Jan 15th 2019, 11:08 PM

    @Jim Ryan: Except he’s not a judge

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    Mute Jim Ryan
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    Jan 15th 2019, 11:24 PM

    @An bhearna:
    You’re right. He sure as hell looks like one, sounds like one and acts like one, and he thinks he can do what he likes. Close.

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    Mute Michael Lynch
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    Jan 16th 2019, 5:00 AM

    What the fup’s a fug?

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    Mute Jim Monaghan
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    Jan 16th 2019, 6:53 PM

    He should be charged with criminal damage.

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    Mute Donal Carey
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    Jan 16th 2019, 1:09 PM

    He should be charged if anybody else did it without permission they would be before the courts what makes him any different

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