A CO CLARE district court, which has been held in Co Tipperary since the mid 1990s, will return to the Clare side of the river Shannon from next month.
Killaloe District Court has been held in the function room at the Lakeside Hotel in Ballina, Co Tipperary, since the old courthouse in Killaloe was closed in 1994.
The court had been accommodated in the function room at the hotel and, while the venue has not been without its difficulties, the Courts Service said the reason for the move now was that it had reached the end of its arrangement with the Lakeside Hotel.
It is also known that the Courts Service had considered moving the court to Ennis, Co Clare. However, it was agreed that this would not be practical.
The service said every effort had been made to the keep the court in Killaloe as the service recognised the need for cases to be heard in the area to accommodate gardaí and the public.
Gardaí and members of the legal profession have been told that when the court resumes on September 7th, it will do so at the Kincora Hall Hotel, in Killaloe, on the Clare side of the river.
East Clare councillor Joe Cooney welcomed the news that the court would be kept in the town but questioned if a hotel was a proper venue for court business.