THE legal profession took a day off yesterday to collectively attend a huge celebration party.
It was a party with a difference, however, having one of the most distinguished guest lists of the judiciary in Ireland and Britain ever seen.
For this was the party, not of the century but of two centuries, the bicentenary of the first sitting of the courts in the Four Courts, Dublin.
Could anyone ever have dreamed it? There was the sombre Rotunda of the Four Courts, for 200 years the centre of the seat of law, taking on the atmosphere of a festival.
The great Round Hall is the venue for civil and criminal cases in normal circumstances, thronged with lawyers and clients, witnesses and gardai. So how bizarre to see it packed with gossiping, mingling guests tacking into luncheon with plate in one hand and glass of wine in the other.
Could it have been real, this metamorphosis from "Silence in Court!" to "Let's Party!"?
The sounds rising to the famous dome were not the low buzz of lawyers discussing cases, briefcases snapping shut, documents rustling, but of laughter, animated talk and the sound of corks popping from bottles.
The host of this extraordinary celebration was the Chief Justice, Mr Justice Hamilton, who described himself as the MC.
He introduced the President, Mrs Robinson, back in familiar setting, and greeted the distinguished guests.
These included Lord MacKay of Clashfern, the Lord Chancellor of England and Wales; Lord Rodger of Earlsferry, Lord President of Scotland; Sir Brian Hutton, Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland; and Lord Bingham, Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales.
Others were former chief justices, Mr Justice O'Higgins and Mr Justice Finlay, and the US ambassador, Ms Jean Kennedy Smith.
Mr Justice Hamilton welcomed judges, barristers, solicitors, politicians, members of the court staff and gardai.
The President, whom the Chief Justice described as "one of our own" was there to unveil a plaque. The Chief Justice also welcomed the Minister for Justice, Mrs Owen, and said she had agreed to fund the occasion.
In his welcome to the overseas visitors, he said that they all shared the concept of common law. Very few buildings embodied a profession the way the Four Courts did.
He referred to the concept of the majesty of law but also stressed the compassion of the law. One should never forget that in this building there were those who were seeking to establish rights or have wrongs corrected, he emphasised.
Regarding the Four Courts building, he recalled the wounds that had ravaged it in 1922 during the Civil War and how it had been refurbished and reopened in 1931.
Following the Chief Justice's opening, Dr Maurice Craig, a historian, gave a lecture saying it was the grandest building in Dublin.
Mrs Robinson said the best way to mark the celebration was by linking the past to the challenge of the new millennium.
Much had changed since she ceased to practise six years ago. When she walked through the doors of the Four Courts in June 1968, and became the only "She Devil" of the Western Circuit, she little believed in her wildest dreams that the Chief Justice would invite her to unveil a plaque for the bicentenary.
When the Chief Justice returned to the podium, he provoked much laughter with his remark that it was perfectly clear from the President's concluding remarks that she never thought that he would make it. The President was seen shaking her head and smiling.
The Chief Justice then paid tribute to the one man who was responsible for the whole commemoration.
Mr Brendan Ryan, administration manager of the courts, had come across the date of the foundation of the courts, and if this had not happened the celebration would never have happened.
He introduced the Minister for Justice who, he said, had increased the number of judges and personnel, which had resulted in the courts beginning to function more expeditiously.
The Minister said Dr Craig had referred to Confucius's statue being incorporated in the building. If Confucius was there, she asked that he would speak to her from the walls. "Speak to me please, Confucius!" said Mrs Owen.
She said the courts played a very important part in any democracy and Irish people could be happy in the knowledge that our courts administered justice to all, without fear or favour, in accordance with the Constitution and law.
Other events commemorating the occasion included a publication on the Four Courts, an exhibition of architectural and historical material on display in the building and a short video on the Four Courts and its architect, James Gandon, which was shown during the reception.