A DISTRICT Court judge has described as "intolerable" the conditions for court sittings at a converted 17th-century castle in Co Monaghan.
Judge Seán MacBride said holding court sittings in an upstairs function room at Hope Castle on the outskirts of Castleblayney was unacceptable.
The venue has been used since a landmark Town Hall building, which included the local courthouse, was condemned on public safety grounds, ten years ago.
Judge MacBride called on the Courts Service and the Castleblayney Town Council, to urgently restore and refurbish the former Town Hall and to provide a more suitable venue within a month.
He said the castle premises were most unsuitable for court business over what had become a prolonged period, while the former courthouse building was left to deteriorate for 10 years.