Thomas Teevan (Attorney General)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Teevan was an Irish barrister and judge.
He was born in County Cavan
, the second son of Dr. Francis Teevan and his wife Anne. The family moved to Dundalk
where he went to the Christian Brothers School and then to University College Dublin
. He initially qualified as a solicitor in 1925; was called to the Bar 1936, Senior Counsel
1946. He stood unsuccessfully for election at the 1948 general election
. He served as Attorney General of Ireland
from 1953–54. He was appointed a judge of the High Court in 1954 and served until 1971. He died in 1976.
Thomas married Gertrude McCall (1904–2001) and they had two children. He was the uncle of the well-known journalist Kevin Myers
who recalls his uncle with great affection as " a gentleman, scholarly and kind ".
His first case as a judge was probably the most memorable: the unsuccessful libel action by Patrick Kavanagh
against the Leader magazine. Such was the interest that members of the public queued for hours in the hope of getting into the courtroom.
As both barrister and judge he was an expert on rights of way, a field of law which he admitted did nothing to improve one's view of human nature. Giving judgement in the case of Connell v. Porter (21 December 1967) he described the behaviour of both parties as " disgusting" and made the memorable remark: "It is a strange paradox of our times that concurrently with so much alertness to personal rights, very many people flagrantly and callously do serious hurt to the feelings, rights and properties of others and expect immunity for their trespasses".
He was born in County Cavan
County Cavan
County Cavan is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Cavan. Cavan County Council is the local authority for the county...
, the second son of Dr. Francis Teevan and his wife Anne. The family moved to Dundalk
Dundalk
Dundalk is the county town of County Louth in Ireland. It is situated where the Castletown River flows into Dundalk Bay. The town is close to the border with Northern Ireland and equi-distant from Dublin and Belfast. The town's name, which was historically written as Dundalgan, has associations...
where he went to the Christian Brothers School and then to University College Dublin
University College Dublin
University College Dublin ) - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's largest, and Ireland's second largest, university, with over 1,300 faculty and 17,000 students...
. He initially qualified as a solicitor in 1925; was called to the Bar 1936, Senior Counsel
Senior Counsel
The title of Senior Counsel or State Counsel is given to a senior barrister or advocate in some countries, typically equivalent to the title "Queen's Counsel" used in Commonwealth Realms...
1946. He stood unsuccessfully for election at the 1948 general election
Irish general election, 1948
The Irish general election of 1948 was held on 4 February 1948. The 147 newly elected members of the 13th Dáil assembled on 18 February when the First Inter-Party government in the history of the Irish state was appointed....
. He served as Attorney General of Ireland
Attorney General of Ireland
The Attorney General is a constitutional officer who is the official adviser to the Government of Ireland in matters of law. He is in effect the chief law officer in Ireland. The Attorney General is not a member of the Government but does participate in cabinet meetings when invited and attends...
from 1953–54. He was appointed a judge of the High Court in 1954 and served until 1971. He died in 1976.
Thomas married Gertrude McCall (1904–2001) and they had two children. He was the uncle of the well-known journalist Kevin Myers
Kevin Myers
Kevin Myers is an Irish journalist and writer. He writes for the Irish Independent and is a former contributor to The Irish Times, where he wrote the "An Irishman's Diary" opinion column several times weekly...
who recalls his uncle with great affection as " a gentleman, scholarly and kind ".
His first case as a judge was probably the most memorable: the unsuccessful libel action by Patrick Kavanagh
Patrick Kavanagh
Patrick Kavanagh was an Irish poet and novelist. Regarded as one of the foremost poets of the 20th century, his best known works include the novel Tarry Flynn and the poems Raglan Road and The Great Hunger...
against the Leader magazine. Such was the interest that members of the public queued for hours in the hope of getting into the courtroom.
As both barrister and judge he was an expert on rights of way, a field of law which he admitted did nothing to improve one's view of human nature. Giving judgement in the case of Connell v. Porter (21 December 1967) he described the behaviour of both parties as " disgusting" and made the memorable remark: "It is a strange paradox of our times that concurrently with so much alertness to personal rights, very many people flagrantly and callously do serious hurt to the feelings, rights and properties of others and expect immunity for their trespasses".