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names as being present:—John Carrigan, John R.
Halpin, Henry St. J. Blake, Patrick R. Boyd,
Desmond J. Collins, Cornelius J. Daly, Charles J.
Downing, Niall S. Gaffney, Francis J. Lanigan,
John Maher, Desmond J. Mayne, John J. Nash,
George A. Nolan, William J. Norman, Peter E.
O’Connell, James J. O’Connor, Louis E. O’Dea,
Sean O hUadhaigh, Senator Patrick F. O’Reilly,
Thomas A. O’Reilly, George G. Overend, James R.
Quirke, Dermot P. Shaw, John J. Sheil, Joseph P.
Tyrrell, Ralph J. Walker, C. E. Callan, D. M.
Martin, Barry M. O’Meara, Edmund Hayes, John
B. Jermyn, A. E. Ashton, Adelaide M. Quinn, James
G. O’Connor, Kevin Burke, Arthur G. Ardagh,
John J. O’Dwyer, Ernest W. Proud, Desmond
Moran, D. R. Pigot, James J. Hickey, Benedict J.
Daly, F. A. Gibney, F. X . Burke, Brendan J.
Wallace, John Sealy, Joseph J. Hughes.
The notice convening the meeting was, by per
mission of the meeting, taken as read. The minutes
of the Ordinary General Meeting held on 26th
November 1953, were read, confirmed and signed
by the Chairman. The Chairman announced that
he nominated the following members of the Society
to act as Scrutineers o f the Ballot for election of
the Council to be held on 18th November, 1954 :—
John R. McC. Blakeney, James R. Green, Thomas
Jackson, Brendan P. McCormack, Roderick J.
Tierney.
The President, addressing the meeting, said :—
“ Ladies and Gentlemen: As the 84th President o f this
Society presiding over the 336th General Meeting, it
is my duty and privilege to relate to you all the
activities o f your Council and the progress made in
many directions in forwarding the interests of the
solicitor’s profession since our last General Meeting
in November. Before embarking on that task, it is my
melancholy obligation to call to your minds for a
moment the names o f fellow members, friends and
colleagues, who have been claimed by death since our
last assembly here. I refer to Timothy J. Golden
(Mallow), John Elgee (Wexford), Joseph I. Donaghy
(Belfast), George Hogan (Dublin), Charles A.
McKenzie (Belfast), William King (Strabane),
Thomas McComb, (Belfast), Hugh Mcllroy (Belfast),
John B. McCutcheon (Belfast), John D. Coates
(Belfast), William X . White (Portlaoise), Sharman
Ross (Glasslough), James J. Mooney (Cork),
Charles Ebrill (Limerick), Thomas J. Kelly (New
Ross), James O’Doherty, (Sligo), Richard Hudson
(Tralee), John B. Rearden (Cork), Laurence F.
Branigan (Drogheda), Francis H. Purcell (Macroom),
William Walsh (Navan), John J . Smyth (Drogheda)
(Member o f Council 1943-48. Vice-President 1947-
48), Gerald J. O’Donnell (Ennis). While death is
a great leveller and all are entitled to a place in our
thoughts, I feel that I should mention the very
special sorrow felt by the profession as a whole,
and particularly by his colleagues on the Council at
the tragically unexpected passing o f Mr. O’Donnell.
I had known him personally for 30 years as a loyal
friend, and in latter years as an unselfish and zealous
worker on behalf of the profession. He sat with
his colleagues on the Council only a few short days
before all were shocked to hear of his collapse and
death.
He was a former Vice-President o f the
Society and the Council’s representative on the Land
Registration Rules Committee for many years, and
his loss will be keenly felt throughout the profession
as well as by his very many friends. May they rest
in peace.
Legal Education
O
kie
o f
the functions discharged by the Society
which has ever been and still is a constant charge on
our responsibilities is the proper education o f out-
apprentices. I do not wish to weary you by repeating
what has been said before now by my predecessors,
but for some time it has been manifest that the
position is far from satisfactory. The number o f
our students attending University degree courses
is still too small. For this state of affairs no doubt
there is in many cases an economic explanation, but
it is hard to believe that the means are available
to so few to absorb the theory and science o f the
law in the lecture halls of our Universities whilst
still on the threshold o f our profession and while
youth is still on their side. Encouragement to
proceed to a degree is extended to our students
by curtailment o f the years of service under Inden
tures afforded to graduates. Both the profession
and the individuals concerned would be the richer
in knowledge and experience if as many apprentices
as possible would strive to achieve an intelligent
balance o f attendance between the more generalised
lectures o f the Universities and the more specialised
lectures delivered under the auspices o f this Society.
Let it not be thought that I am overlooking or
side stepping the fact that no lecture wherever
delivered will suffice to befit a young man to enter
into the stormy waters o f practice unless every
other available hour is spent in the office o f his
master, where there should be available to him the
wise counsel and the fruits o f the experience of
one sensible o f his duty and o f his responsibility
to the boy, his parents, and this profession. The
great majority o f our apprentices only attend one
or other of the Universities as external students
for a two-year course, which entitles them to a
remission o f one year’s service under indentures.
That this to a large extent is a waste o f time is the
opinion of your Council and, indeed, of some of
the Universities’ professors, in so far as the subjects
on which lectures are delivered by the latter, are
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