Architecture and heritage

Responsibility for the provision of court buildings and their maintenance resided with the Office of Public Works and the Local Authorities until November 1999 when the Courts Service was established. Though much progress was made in the years just prior to 1999, over the previous several decades, court building and maintenance programmes had been seriously under-funded. The Service has taken the opportunity to provide, manage and maintain court buildings enabling justice to be administered to all court users in dignified, suitable and fully equipped buildings.

Some 148 courthouses have been designated as of local, regional or national importance. These buildings are considered to form part of the architectural heritage of the city or town and as such, are protected structures. The courthouses are generally prominently located and add to the visual character of the towns, as befits such an important public institution, giving to it a sense of history and continuity.

The following links to a selection of courthouses around Ireland give a flavour of both the history and architectural background to these impressive structures.