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How Irish women played a key role in the 1920s Dáil courts
Updated / Friday, 11 Dec 2020
08:59
Hanna Sheehy-Skeffington was one of many Irish women who availed of the opportunity to be a judge in the Dáil courts
Analysis: the 1920s legal system was innovative in its use of female judges and evoking Brehon laws in cases concerning single mothers
The Dáil courts, also known as the Republican courts, were an important component of the counter-state established in Ireland following the success of Sinn Féin in the 1918 General Election. These courts were in operation from 1920 to 1924 and most active during the War of Independence. Mirroring the tiered British system, they consisted of a supreme court, circuit courts, a district court in every parliamentary constituency, and a local court in every Roman Catholic parish. In addition, there were special courts that dealt solely with land.