Newspaper cuttings 1974 relating to the “Save Wood Quay” campaign.

Newspaper cuttings 1979 relating to the “Save Wood Quay” campaign.

Newspaper cuttings 1980 relating to the “Save Wood Quay” campaign.

Folder labelled "Pigs & Bacon": relates to Pigs and Bacon Commission v McCarron & Co Ltd re voluntary and compulsory levies 1977-80 and whether they contravened EEC [European Economic Community] Law. Material starts in 1976, but it appears Mary Robinson (MR)'s legal opinion wasn't sought until 1979, with an earlier preliminary opinion given orally, then confirmed in writing in 1977. Material includes photocopy of Defence delivered by G.V. Maloney & Co., solicitors for High Court between Pigs and Bacon Commission (plaintiffs) and McCarron & Company (defendants) 21/06/1976; photocopy of Book of Pleadings, High Court between Pigs and Bacon Commission (plaintiffs) and McCarron & Company (defendants) 197[7?]; photocopy of reply by Laurence B. McMahon, solicitor for plaintiff, High Court between Pigs and Bacon Commission (plaintiffs) and McCarron & Company (defendants) 01/1977; photocopy of oral opinion given by MR to Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) (querist) confirmed in writing 1977 (typed); photocopy of typed letter from Hugh Harkin, Secretary, IFA to Brendan Walsh & Company, solicitors 24/06/1977; typed letter from R.A.A. Duk, De Brauw en Helback Advocaten [Dutch lawyers] to Laurence McMahon giving advice to him and Donal Barrington on European Law, 04/11/1977; photocopy of excerpt from Official Journal of the European Communities, 20/09/1978, referring to preliminary ruling made by order of High Court; copies of opinions given by MR at various stages during 1979; handwritten case notes; The Legal Diary list of sittings for various Irish courts 12/03/1979; photocopy of typed document "Proceedings of the Court of Justice of the European Communities, Week of 25 to 29 June 1979" which refers to 26/06/1979 preliminary ruling; photocopy of "the question and answer session" as compiled by Fergus Morton, Pigs and Bacon Commission and sent to Larry McMahon solicitors, 16/08/1979; photocopy of typed joint opinion given on judgement of European Court, August 1979 by Donal Barrington and Dermot O'Donovan to IFA with cover letter from IFA to Brendan Walsh 28/08/1979; photocopy of "Pigs and Bacon Act, 1935 (Part II) (No. 10) Regulations, 1983" given under seal of Austin Deasy, Minister for Agriculture, 21/12/1983; cuttings 25/05/1978-07/07/1980.

Material in this file relates to the High Court case including correspondence, notes on how to proceed, interview questions and legal opinions, 1985-1987. Material includes photocopies on note relating to valuation of hoard n.d.; draft notes on "Implications of Webb & Another v Ireland and A.G.", n.d.; photocopies of correspondence between Monica Healion, Executive Officer, Department of Education and the Chief State Solicitor's office, 16/10/1985; handwritten notes; photocopies of correspondence between Louis J Dockery, Chief State Solicitor and Messrs O'Brien and Binchy, solicitors 26/11/1985-20/10/1986; photocopies of correspondence between Dockery and TK Liston, S.C. 14/11/1985-13/10/1986; letter from Dockery and Mary Robinson (MR), Senior Counsel, informing her Attorney General (AG) has nominated her to case 10/12/1985 and subsequent correspondence 30/12/1985-17/06/1987; photocopy of draft amended defence delivered to High Court by Chief State solicitor [1986]; photocopy of letter from Breandán Ó Ríordáin, Director, National Museum of Ireland to Brian Byrne, Principal solicitor, State Solicitors Office 12/2/1986, 23/06/1986; Legal Diary sittings of various Irish courts 26/06/1986; ring-bound Brief Book No. 1 for High Court case between "Michael T.S. Webb and Michael O'Connell Webb (an infant issuing by his father and next friend Michael T.S. Webb) Plaintiffs and Ireland and the Attorney General Defendants"; typed document in plastic folder "Evidence of Mr Richard Camber taken on 27 June 1986" certified as true copy of shorthand notes by Sheila Kavanagh; handwritten letter from Brian Byrne to MR including copy of unapproved judgement of Justice Blayney, 30/6/1986 and subsequent correspondence, 01/08/1986; copy of typed opinion by MR on whether there are grounds for appeal to Supreme Court, 25/09/1986; memo from Michael Ryan, Keeper of Irish Antiquities, NMI, to BÓR relating to the valuation and costings of the Derrynaflan transaction in terms of the treatment on it by British Museum, 29/09/1986; photocopy of typed letter from BÓR to Mathew Russell, Office of the Attorney General, 08/10/1986; Barrister's Fee Note, for MR's costs, 16/12/1986 and receipt, 10/06/1987; photocopy of typed memorandum of statement of evidence given by T.S. Webb, 26/06/1986 in High Court; cuttings 26/06-29/07/1986.

The Supreme Court Book of Appeal; Book of Appeal (Part II) x 2.

Ring-bound documents: The High Court - Brief Book 2 (Attorney General's and Counsels Advices Correspondences etc); The High Court - Brief Book 4 (correspondence passing between plaintiff Michael T.S. Webb and the Director of the National Museum).

Ring-bound documents relating to payments in respect of Treasure Trove Acquisitions (Irish Antiquities) since 1960 x 2.

Photocopied research material including extracts from "Irish Land Law by Wylie"; "Treasure Trove under Anglo-American Law", Anglo-American review, 1982; extracts from "Laws of England, Vol 2 and 7; photocopy of notice from Royal Irish Academy to finders of antiquities, 1981.

David Norris, scholar, Senator and civil rights activist, took a case to the High Court in 1977 seeking a declaration that the laws of 1861 and 1885 which criminalised homosexual conduct were not in force since the enactment of the Constitution of Ireland (Article 50 of the Constitution provides that laws enacted before the Constitution that are inconsistent with it would no longer be in force). The Irish courts ruled that Norris's right to privacy was not violated by the Offences against the Person Act 1861 (criminalising "buggery") and the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885 (criminalising "gross indecency").

Norris appealed the Irish court's decision to the European Court of Human Rights in 1983. The Court passed judgment in 1988, deciding in Norris's favour on grounds similar to those of its 1981 decision in Dudgeon v United Kingdom. The laws impugned by the judgment were eventually repealed by the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act, 1993.

Material relating to this case, for which Mary Robinson (MR) acted as Junior and subsequently Senior Counsel, is arranged across 27 files. An additional subsubsubseries relates to a separate case for which MR was involved: David Norris v Seán Doherty (Ceann Comhairle [speaker of the lower house of Irish parliament]) and 11 other (members of the Committee on Procedure and Privileges) and Seanad Éireann.