Tributes to solicitor Tony Hanahoe at courthouse in County Kildare

Heartwarming tributes were paid to a veteran solicitor at Naas District Courthouse who recently passed away.

Tony Hanahoe passed away peacefully at home in Naas on Friday, February 10, surrounded by his loving family.

He was the beloved husband of Berna and dear father of Carl, Luke and Amy.

A number of court practitioners, gardaí, and family members of Mr Hanahoe attended an event at Naas District Court on the morning of Thursday, February 16.

One of the speakers was solicitor David Gibbons, who noted that he set up practice 43 years ago.

He said that Mr Hanahoe 'was an accomplished rugby player, and a terrible, yet committed, golfer!'

Mr Gibbons added: "He was a man of extreme contradictions: he was lovable and charming but could be infuriating at times!

"He was a stickler for manners and civility, who did everything he was asked, but did nothing he was told!

"I knew him for 30 years, and he is probably the most successful solicitor I have ever met."

State solicitor Geraldine Gilleece, said about Tony Hanahoe: "You could never maintain being annoyed with him, he was the most lovable person. In the last 15 months, he gave us all such a round of joy."

Garda Sergeant Brian Jacob also recounted a funny tale about the first time he met Mr Hanahoe, in which he thought he was about to meet the famous GAA player.

When he met Mr Hanahoe, he told him: "You’re not Tony Hanahoe," to which Mr Hanahoe dryly replied: "You’re not Tony Hanahoe either!"

He also praised him for his inventive defences, including one where he submitted that a car that crashed on a roundabout wasn’t in a public place because the tyres were not touching the ground.

!I was very happy that we all got the chance to say how much he meant to all of us at his retirement party last year," he added.

Judges Desmond Zaidan and Terence O’ Sullivan also paid tribute to Mr Hanahoe: Judge Zaidan noted that on Valentine’s Day, the tricolour flag at the courthouse was set at half-mast.

"I can’t think of a better way to honour a human being than that," he said: "God willing, he is in a better place now."

Judge Zaidan remarked that Mr Hanahoe would likely find it humorous that the county of Kerry was nearly in a panic when news broke that 'THE Tony Hanahoe had died'!

He added: "I will miss him, and I wish him peace."

Following a brief speech of gratitude by Luke Hanahoe, in which he noted that his late father 'loved all the court staff dearly' and that he regarded them all ‘not just as colleagues, but as friends,’ a round of applause rung out in Mr Hanahoe’s memory.