Court sittings resume today in Dundalk after a €10 million, three-year refurbishment of the courthouse that has been widely welcomed by staff and legal practitioners.
The original building, built between 1813 and 1818, is modelled on the Temple of Thesus in Athens.
A focal point of the town centre, it had in recent years become inadequate for the court staff, who had to be accommodated in adjoining county council offices.
There were no private rooms for consultations between solicitors or barristers and clients and the public toilets were badly maintained.
"We are absolutely delighted with the magnificent job that has been done as the courthouse had been in an atrocious state for years. It was not suitable for the legal profession or the public and it is very important that a court sits in appropriate surroundings," said Mr James Murphy, chairman of the Louth Bar Association.
The new extended courthouse has four courts - twice the original number - which will allow for two High Court sittings, the Circuit Court and the District Court to sit at the same time. Previously, the arrival of the High Court meant the District Court was relegated to a cold church hall.
"The facilities for the 15 staff will be much better, as they had been cramped," said county registrar Ms Mairead Ahern.
"Since the establishment of the Courts Service, there has been an emphasis on the introduction of information technology and the older building would not have suited the types of advances in it. For example, we hope to be able to allow practitioners to use laptops in court and we now publish all the court lists by e-mail."
The lack of private consultation rooms in the original building left many spouses or partners, including those seeking barring orders, waiting in a cold, open area at the front of the building in view of each other.
The new building has a range of consultation rooms as well as a coffee dock and public toilets.
It will be officially opened by the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, next month.