284 / 336
wants as much information about a specific problem as
all the law reports provide. To do this a book on land
law would have to contain thousands of pages. The
student wants a general statement of principles with
some illustrations from modern cases as to their appli-
cation. I think that Mr. Wylie has struck an admirable
balance. Another feature of the book is its emphasis on
the importance of taxation considerations in dealing
with property in land. The earlier text books ignored
this : to their authors taxation was beneath contempt.
That may have been suitable in Victorian times but
today taxation forms such an important part of the law
that it affects every legal transaction. However obscure
the language of the Finance Acts may be, the law
student must learn at an early stage in his training that
he must be able to tell his client what effect a trans-
action will have on his tax liability. We have also
included a number of chapters on Equity. We believe
that it is impossible to deal with the law of Property in
land in isolation from Equity for the two must be
taught together.
This publication has been subsidised by the Arthur
Cox Foundation. Arthur Cox was a very remarkable
man. He was President of the Incorporated Law
Society of Ireland in 1952, the year in which the Society
celebrated its centenary and he was selected for that
high office for that year because of his remarkable lin-
guistic abilities. He spoke and wrote French and Ger-
man well. He was associated with the foundation of
many businesses which have become great enterprises.
He was solicitor for and a director of Carrolls and Irish
Ropes Limited. He dealt with an enormous amount of
work. His day began at 9.15 a.m., when he arrived in
his office, and ended at midnight. This is not legend
because when I was in practice, I got a number of
telephone calls from him at 11.30 p.m. to know if I
could possibly call into his office to discuss an urgent
problem. When this happened, I drove him to Howth
at about three o'clock in the morning. He worked on
the mornings and afternoons of Saturdays and went
home and read Plato in Greek. He worked the whole of
Sunday When he decided to retire from practice a
number of his clients and friends decided to establish
a fund to subsidise the publication of Irish legal text
hooks. There was a most generous response to our
appeal. In conversation with me he frequently lamented
the absence of text books on Irish law. I am glad to say
that the trustees of the Foundation (Mr. Russell Mur-
phy, F.G.A., the Incorporated Law Society of Ireland
and I) have now subsidised three text books. Dr. J. P.
Ileddy was a trustee for many years and was largely
responsible for the decision to put our funds on deposit
with banks and hire purchase companies. Thus the
Foundation has been spared the heavy capital losses
which holders of so called gilt-edged securities have
had to endure during the last ten years. When Arthur
Cox decided to retire from practice, he studied for the
priesthood, was subsequently ordained and went to
Zambia to do missionary work. He died there as the
result of a motor-car accident.
Happy is the life of a whole-time author. He can give
his seven or eight hours a day to his books. The posi-
tion of anyone who is trying to write a book and who
has other commitments is entirely different. Mrs. Wylie
has had to endure the absences of her husband from
Cardiff while he worked in Dublin. He had his teaching
duties in Cardiff as well. At weekends my wife saw me
at meal times only and put up with that with apparent
cheerfulness. Each of them have contributed to the
writing of this book.
I have said that one of our aims was to produce a
book which would be suitable for use in the Republic
of Ireland and in Northern Ireland. Much of the law
of property in land, a subject which used to be called
Real Property, is the same in the two States. In any
case where it differs wc have stated the law in both
jurisdictions.
In most European and American States there is one
national tradition made up of events in the past in
which all citizens take pride. The English national
tradition begins with Henry V and the battle of Agin-
court, the defeat of the Spanish Armada, the wars
against Napoleon and the First and Second World Wars.
In Ireland, as in Belgium and in Canada, we have two
national traditions. One is Gaelic and Republican and
Roman Catholic; the other is lowland Scots and Pro-
testant. Mr. Wylie belongs to one; I belong to the other.
Our very happy partnership and the production of this
book show that those who on both sides preach that
one tradition is better than the other or that one is so
morally superior to the other, that those belonging to
one cannot work with and have the highest esteem for
someone belonging to the other, are preaching nonsense.
It is no excuse for the preachers to say that they hold
their views sincerely. The guards at Buchenwald and
Auschwitz held the view sincerely that it was necessary
to have a final solution of the Jewish problem by kill-
ing millions of people.
Your attendance this evening is a tribute to Mr.
Wylie's colossal industry and to his desire to help
students and practitioners in the Republic and in
Northern Ireland.
Lastly, the Incorporated Law Society have agreed to
act as selling agents for the book without charge. You
can help us by buying your copy of the book through
(continued on page 281)
PHOTOGRAPHY
for
Legal Purposes
LOCATIONS ACCIDENTS
MEDCALand NJURYCASES
RECORDS
Expert photography in Black&White and Colour.
Experience in all types of photography, including
Medical/Clinical work.
write or telephone
BERYL STONE
PhotoTechniciues
I
Phone
30 Morehampton Road,Dublin 4 1684111
. 2 7 7