Justice Marie Quirke, who has died aged 60, has been hailed as a “visionary” judge who treated all those who came before her in the Dublin District Court with the same level of fairness, respect and consideration.
Judge Quirke’s sudden passing reverberated around the courts on Tuesday morning.
“We are all shocked and saddened,” said the president of the District Court, Paul Kelly.
He described her as “a wonderful colleague, who embodied all the best qualities of a judge – extensive legal knowledge, experience and expertise; patience, fairness, compassion and a deep understanding of the human condition.”
Justice Kelly said she “wore her legal expertise lightly, and dealt with everyone who appeared before her with courtesy and common sense, frequently laced with good humour. She was diligent and conscientious in her approach to her work, and was a model of efficiency in dealing with court lists.”
He added that as president of the Association of District Court Judges she “represented her colleagues loyally and with determination. She was also very dedicated to the advancement of judicial education and training, and was an active member of the Judicial Studies Committee of the Judicial Council, in which capacity she frequently delivered training to newly appointed judges at all levels.
“She was blessed with a great sense of humour and an infectious laugh, and brightened the day of any colleague whenever she encountered them.”
He extended his condolences on behalf of all her colleagues to her husband Alan and her daughter Dervla and son Tiernan.
Justice Quirke was appointed to the bench in 2012 and worked initially in the areas of family and criminal law before being given responsibility for licensing across the Dublin metropolitan area.
She also heard Small Claims Court cases, which fall under the auspices of the District Court.
Born in 1964 she was educated in the Law Society. Before being appointed to the bench she was managing solicitor of the Finglas Law Centre, practising mainly in family law. She was also a member of the Society of St Vincent de Paul and served as a tutor in the Law Society for almost two decades.
Senior Counsel Constance Cassidy described Justice Quirke as a “visionary” who treated all those who came before her and worked with her as equals.
“She respected and had time for everyone – the practitioners and the barristers and the people who worked for her as part of the Court Service,” Ms Cassidy said. “She didn’t say they worked for her though, she always insisted they were part of the same team.”
The barrister noted that Justice Quirke “also showed a massive respect for professional witnesses but also the lay litigants and no one came before her who did not get a chance to say their piece. As far as she was concerned every single person, from the lay litigant to the most expensive barrister, had equal access to the courts.”
Ms Cassidy hailed her knowledge and her understanding of the law and said she “made very good decisions, most of which were unappealable”.
She described Justice Quirke as “a visionary appointment. I think everyone in and around the courts is in shock today.”
Ms Cassidy said Justice Quirke made the legal professionals who came before her work hard but never in a fashion that was unfair. “One of her favourite things to say was ‘This is a court of law and I have to interpret the law but I cannot make the law’, which was quite correct. She was compassionate and would give people plenty of time to advance their cases. She was simply an extraordinary judge and we are all so sad.”
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