291 / 448
GAZETTE
OCTOBER 1996
Solicitor in the
News - Mervyn Taylor
by Kyran Fitzgerald*
M e r v y n T a y l or h as b e en b o th a t e e n a ge
p r o d i gy a n d a political late d e v e l o p e r.
H e a r r i v ed to s t u dy l aw in T r i n i ty at the
a g e of 15. H e first ran f o r the Da il in his
forties, a n d finally a s s u m ed m i n i s t e r i al
o f f i ce a f t er 4 0 y e a rs in p r a c t i ce as a
solicitor.
S i n ce b e c o m i ng M i n i s t er of E q u a l i ty
a n d L a w R e f o r m, this r a t h er l o w - k ey
politician h a s t a k en on s o m e of the b e st
o r g a n i s ed l o b by g r o u ps in t he c o u n t r y:
the o p p o n e n ts of d i v o r c e; the p u b l i c a n s;
a n d t he a s s o c i a t i o ns r e p r e s e n t i ng
sma ll firms.
T a y l or r e c e n t ly c e l e b r a t ed the p a s s a ge
into l aw of the F a m i ly L a w ( D i v o r c e)
Ac t, a p i e ce of legislation w h i ch c o u ld
s e r ve as an e p i t a ph f o r a politician
w h o d o e s n ot h i de the f a ct that at a l mo st
6 5 y e a rs of a g e, he is b e g i n n i ng to
tire p h y s i c a l l y.
B u t t he D u b l in S o u th W e s t T D h as s o me
w a y to g o b e f o re he h a n gs u p his b o o t s.
H e is c u r r e n t ly piloting t w o E q u a l i ty
Bills t h r o u gh t he O i r e a c h t a s, r u f f l i ng not
a f e w f e a t h e rs in the p r o c e s s. P u b l i c a ns
a nd s h o p k e e p e rs are u p in a r ms at w h at
; is p e r c e i v ed as an a t t empt to restrict their
f r e e d om of action. A n d t h e re are f e a rs
that a c l a m p d o wn o n the rights of
m e m b e r s of c l u bs to a s s o c i a te with
w h o m they so w i sh is on the w a y. S o m e
p e o p le are c l a i m i ng that the M i n i s t er of
E q u a l i ty a nd L a w R e f o r m is f o l l o w i ng
i an a g e n da b a s ed on l e g a l i sm a nd
political c o r r e c t n e s s.
H o w e v e r, M e r v y n T a y l or strongly
d e f e n ds the t w o p i e c es of legislation
w h i c h, in his v i e w, finally b r i n gs Irish
l aw into line w i th that in f o r ce in o t h er
civilised c o u n t r i e s. " T h e e q u a l i ty
legislation p a s s ed in the 1 9 7 0s d e a lt w i th
| sex a n d marital status in an e m p l o y m e nt
c o n t e xt o n l y. T h e E m p l o y m e nt E q u a l i ty
a nd E q u al S t a t us Bills e x t e nd the
p r o t e c t i on of the l aw to a w i d e r a n ge of
o t h er d i s a d v a n t a g ed g r o u p s !" he says.
T h e m e a s u r e s, in his v i e w, are l o ng
o v e r d u e. " T h e Un i t ed N a t i o ns
C o n v e n t i on e l i m i n a t i ng all f o r m s of
d i s c r i m i n a t i on h as b e en ratified by 140
c o u n t r i es w o r l d w i d e. I r e l a nd c a n n ot
ratify this c o n v e n t i on until the t wo
a f o r e m e n t i o n ed p i e c es of legislation
h a v e b e en ratified.
" W e stick o ut like a s o re t h u m b. At t w o
s e p a r a te o v e r s e as m e e t i n gs of
G o v e r n m e nt m i n i s t e r s, the q u e s t i on as
to w h y I r e l a nd h a s not ratified this
c o n v e n t i on w a s p ut to m e . "
T h e i d ea that s o m e o ne m i g ht n ot b e
s e r v ed s i mp ly b e c a u se t h ey are a
T r a v e l l er or of u n c o n v e n t i o n al s e x u al
o r i e n t a t i on clearly o f f e n ds M e r v y n
T a y l o r d e e p l y.
" E a c h p e r s on is an i n d i v i d u a l. Y o u j u st
c a n n ot p ut a label o n t h e m ." S u c h
p r o t e c t i o ns will not, h e insists, s h a c k le
the p r o p r i e t o rs of b u s i n e s s es
u n d e r s t a n d a b ly k e en to d e t er
u n d e s i r a b l es f r o m their p r e m i s e s.
"If a p e r s on s t e ps o ut of line o n e inch
t h ey c an b e b a r r ed f o r life. Y o u c an say
to p e o p le that n o - o ne is a l l o w ed in
w i t h o ut a j a c k et a n d tie.
A D u b l i n er h e w a s b o rn in 1931. H is
J e w i sh p a r e n ts ran a g e n t l e m e n 's
c l o t h i ng b u s i n e ss in T a l b ot Street.
M e r v y n, w h o g r e w u p in R a t h m i n es a nd
T e r e n u re on D u b l i n 's s o u t h s i d e, w a s
e d u c a t ed at Z i o n N a t i o n al S c h o ol in
R a t h g a r, m o v i n g o n to W e s l e y C o l l e ge
w h i c h at the t i me w a s b a s ed in St
S t e p h e n 's G r e e n. H e left s c h o ol h a v i ng
c o m p l e t ed his Inter C e r t. In his c a s e,
this w a s b e c a u se h e h a d d o n e
s u f f i c i e n t ly we ll to g a in e n t r a n ce to the
T r i n i ty C o l l e ge L a w f a c u l t y.
W h e n y o u n g M e r v y n w a s p a s s i ng
t h r o u gh t he c o l l e ge gates, b a c k in 1947,
I h e w a s e n t e r i ng w h a t m u s t h a v e b e e n a
I s t r a n ge p l a c e.
" A h u g e p e r c e n t a ge of the s t u d e n ts w e r e
British e x - s e r v i c e m en w h o h a d b e en
t h r o u gh the Wa r . T h e y w e r e a m a j o r
i n f l u e n ce on the C o l l e g e. T h e r e w a s a
b ar on C a t h o l i cs a t t e n d i ng T C D . In m y
y e a r, t h e re w a s j u st o n e C a t h o l i c, Pat
M a r k e y, w h o b e c a me a great f r i e n d.
" M o s t of m y activity c e n t e r ed a r o u nd
t he L a w S o c i e ty a nd t he S o l i c i t o r s'
A p p r e n t i c es D e b a t i ng S o c i e ty a nd my
f r i e n ds w e r e m a i n ly U C D s t u d e n t s. I
w a s d e f e a t ed by R i c h ie R y a n (the f u t u re
F i ne G a el M i n i s t er of F i n a n c e,
c h r i s t e n ed " R e d R i c h i e" by his
o p p o n e n t s ). I s e r v ed as T r e a s u r e r ."
"I s p e nt little t i me in T r i n i ty t h o u gh I
b e l o n g ed to the c o l l e ge C h e s s S o c i e t y.
It w a s there, h o w e v e r, that I m e t p e o p le
of the U n i o n i st p e r s u a s i on f o r the first
t i me. T h e ir p o i nt of v i ew w a s o n e that I
h ad h ad n o e x p o s u re to until then. I w a s
g i v en c o n s i d e r a b le f o o d f or t h o u g h t ."
M e r v y n d e c i d ed to b e c o me a solicitor
f o l l o w i ng d i s c u s s i o ns i n v o l v i ng h is
p a r e n ts a nd the l o n g t i me f a m i ly legal
a d v i s o r, A r t h ur Ellis. M e r v y n b e c a me
a p p r e n t i c ed to Ellis, w h o w a s 8 0 y e a rs
of age. H e h ad q u a l i f i ed as a solicitor in
1 8 96 a n d, as a result, w a s entitled to
p r a c t i se in a ny part of the U K as we ll as
t he Irish R e p u b l i c.
" H i s p r o u d e st b o a st w a s that h e h a d
d o n e m o r e w o r k o n t he 1901 L a n d A ct
t h an a ny o t h er solicitor in the c o u n t r y!
H e w a s a f a s c i n a t i ng c h a r a c t e r, o n e of
280