The photo on the left – ‘Access Denied’ by Simon McGarr – shows the main door of the Four Courts in Dublin, with a sandwich board outside announcing

This entrance is now closed. Please use Morgan Place entrance.

Leaving aside jokes about open justice and access to the courts, I was delighted to note during the week that the board is now gone. According to the Courts Service website:

Four Courts main doors re-opened to the public

The public can once again access the Four Courts via the main entrance on Inns Quay.

The reduced numbers using the Four Courts following the transfer of criminal business to the new Criminal Courts of Justice has made it possible to install a security system at the historic entrance and allow for access by the public.

Brendan Ryan CEO of the Courts Service said that “the main doors once again open for daily business is highly symbolic of the courts being held in public. We are delighted to be in a position to facilitate this and still maintain security and safety for all court users”.