THOSE attending district courts in West Cork for the first time found a calm voice and a guiding presence in Len MacCarthy, the chief court clerk in Clonakilty, who retired last Friday after 47 years of service.

Everyone who spoke at the ceremony at Clonakilty District Court to mark his retirement commented on how helpful he was to everyone and anyone in need of assistance.

‘Not a problem,’ is the phrase most frequently uttered by Len, who worked briefly with the AIB, Cork City Council, and the City of Cork Vocational Education Committee, before joining the Department of Justice as a court clerk in October 1978.

In 1998, the Courts Service was charged with responsibility for the operation and management of the courts and Len, whom Judge Joanne Carroll described as ‘a public servant of vast experience and great ability,’ was often the first point of contact for people at their court office counter in Clonakilty.

Len had a ‘can do’ approach to everything. It applied to the presiding or visiting judges serving in district court area number 18, new members of An Garda Síochana who would receive a gentle correction on a faulty form, court presenters in need of a hastily convened court, members of the legal profession, and members of the public.

Early in his career, Len was posted to Galway, but his native Cork city was truly his ‘home patch,’ and from 1979 until 2017 he served there as a diligent, knowledgeable, and above all kind officer of the court.

Speaking on behalf of the West Cork Bar Association, Flor Murphy, solicitor, recalled how Len has been a public servant all his life and throughout it all he was approachable, helpful and had a wealth of knowledge.

‘In dealing with Len, you were dealing with someone who was always polite, always courteous to everybody,’ he said. ‘You would often see him helping out laypeople who come into the court, not having a clue how the system works, but he would put them at their ease.

‘When he came to us in 2017 he became Judge James McNulty’s right-hand man. They soldiered together for eight years and Judge McNulty always said: “Len you can’t go until I go.”

When Judge McNulty retired, Flor joked: ‘Len then had to train in the new judge. Now that the judge has been trained to our way of thinking he feels he can retire.

‘Len is a Cork city man, but West Cork holds a special place in his heart … and he will be spending much more time here in Goleen, Crookhaven and Barleycove in his retirement,’ the solicitor added.

More glowing tributes followed from Mary Crowley, the regional manager of the Courts Service who said said: ‘Today, we gather not just to mark the end of a career, but to celebrate a legacy. From the moment Len stepped into the courthouse, it was clear this wasn’t just a job, it was a calling. The passion that Len has for the rules, procedures, and the rhythm of the courtroom is pretty unique.

‘Whether it was keeping the judges on track, helping new solicitors find their feet, or gently reminding us all about the correct procedure, Len has brought not just expertise but heart, humour and a deep respect for the law and the people behind it.

‘He has seen it all: changes in judges, changes in legislation, changes in fashion, and probably more than a few changes in attitude. But through it all, his commitment never wavered. Len was always the steady hand, the calm voice.’

Ruth Penney, manager of criminal courts complex in Anglesea Street in Cork city, spoke on behalf of all of Len’s colleagues including Bernie Leonard, James Nyhan, Padraig O’Mahony and Sandra Harrington, as well as Colette Healy and Rachel O’Sullivan who received promotions in July.

‘Len has been much more than a colleague to us over the years. He is a fount of knowledge. His expertise and his willingness to share that expertise meant that he has been a huge support to us all over the years,’ said Ruth.

Insp Emmet Daly added: ‘Len doesn’t get too excited and that is exactly the kind of person you want: you want someone with a steady hand, who knows what they are talking about.’

Len said he has enjoyed every minute that he has spent in the courts. He noted that it is in the district court – more than any other court – that staff have the opportunity to help people. And that it was always a privilege to do so.

Len said his DNA is from Bantry, and that he will be spending an awful lot of time over on the Mizen Peninsula, so that’s where they can find him from now on.

In conclusion, he said: ‘It is one of life’s happy coincidences that when I came to Cork first the judge I was working with was Bernard J Carroll, and now that I am finishing up, my resident judge is Judge Joanne Carroll, his daughter.’

When Judge Carroll took up her appointment in May of this year she acknowledged that sense of connection, indeed continuity.

‘I am very sorry to see Len retire today, I will miss his easy, gentle disposition,’ she said. On behalf of all her judicial colleagues in Cork city and county, Ms Justice Lankford in the High Court, Judges Boyle, Sheehan and Behan of the circuit court, Judges Dorgan, Roberts, King, and O’Leary of the district court, her predecessor Judge McNulty, and Judge Con O’Leary, who was present in court, and on her own behalf, she wished Len ‘a happy, peaceful and healthy retirement.’

She noted Len’s sound knowledge of the law, which was garnered from his day-to-day experience in the courts, combined with his law degree from University College Cork in 1994. This, he achieved in his mid-30s at a busy time in his life, raising his then young children Emma, Charles and Tony.

Judge Carroll said it has always been very easy to work with Len.

‘He was always very calm and very pleasant. He has that all-important quality, likeability.

‘Quite apart from his vast experience in public service, his sound knowledge of the law, and his calm temperament, it is his gentle demeanour that has made him so well suited to his important public service role in West Cork.

‘Len fitted in easily, and blended with the gentle nature of the West Cork people, the people for whom the local courts were created.’

Funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme.