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beyond all recognition the tone of the profession.
Incidentally, the Rules of the Kerry Law Society
provide that every member thereof shall be a member
of the Incorporated Law Society.
In conclusion, I hope that when you leave Kerry
each and every one of you will leave it with the
most pleasant memories of our County.
The President, addressing the meeting, said:
Ladies and Gentlemen, since our last General
Meeting in November, 1958, I have to record, with
much regret, the deaths of the following members :
Sean O'hUadhaigh, a member of the Council from
I 933> a Vice-President in 1936/37 and President of
the Society in 1947/48. John K. Cooper, Kenneth
P. Kilbride, Septimus D. Lambert and District
Justice Fintan Fitzpatrick, who was a member of the
solicitors' profession before being called to the Bar,
and Land Commissioner Daniel J. Browne, who
was formerly a solicitor practising in this County.
To all their relatives and friends I tender the
sympathy of myself and the members of the Council
in their loss.
I must particularly refer to the great loss which the
whole profession has suffered by the death of Sean
O'hUadhaigh.
He was an outstanding President
and served on every Committee of the Council. He
never spared himself in the work of the Council
over a period of 25 years. His first thought was
always to promote the welfare and good name of
our profession which he loved. He gave to every
problem the utmost care and consideration. He was
a man of the very highest integrity, and in his own
life and practice set us all an example which it would
indeed be difficult to emulate. While he was a man
of many interests and enthusiasms he was always
scrupulously fair and was a most generous and
courteous opponent, and to every one of us on the
Council he was a personal friend whose memory
will not soon be forgotten. A great man has passed
from our midst to his reward in the Great Beyond.
I think it is only right that I should mention that
Mr. Patrick R. Boyd has retired from the Council
owing to ill health, after many years of loyal and
most valuable service, during which he served as
Vice-President
in 1938-39 and as President in
1948-49. We all of us miss his help and advice,
but we rejoice to know that his health has greatly
improved since he retired from active work, and on
your behalf I would like to express to him our
thanks for all his work on behalf of the profession.
It is my privilege to give you a Report on the
work of the Council and on the well being of the
Profession during the past six months. The first
innovation and one which I hope may have a
profound and beneficial affect on the future develop
ment of the profession was the institution of a
Professional Policy Committee composed of the
President and all ex-Presidents who are still members
of the Council.
As its name indicates it is the
business of this Committee to consider and to make
suggestions to the Council on future policy, public
relations, the regulation of the profession and
everything pertaining to the well being of the
Society and its members.
The first suggestion which emanated from this
new Committee was that this half yearly General
Meeting should be held in Killarney instead of in
Dublin. If this change proves to be a success it is
intended to go to different parts of the Country
each year for the Summer half-yearly meeting. The
intention is to give to our members practising in
that part of the country a better chance of attending
the meeting and expressing their views on current
matters of interest instead of having to travel to
Dublin. It will provide the opportunity for members
and their wives to meet each other socially.
I am
certain that the more we can arrange to meet our
legal brethren on a social plane, the more good
fellowship there will be amongst our members, and
also it gives us the welcome chance of endeavouring
to repay, in some measure the lavish hospitality
which has been offered to our Presidents by the Law
Societies of Northern Ireland, Scotland and England.
We are delighted to welcome as our guests the
President of the Incorporated Law Society of
Northern Ireland and Mrs. Napier, the President
of the Law Society of Scotland and Mrs. Dandie,
Mr. Norman Murray, the Northern Ireland Sec
retary and Mr. Laurie, the Scottish Secretary and
Mrs. Laurie, and we regret that on this occasion,
the President and Secretary of the Law Society of
England were unable to accept our invitation.
I
would like to tender our thanks to the President,
Chairman and Council of the Kerry Solicitors'
Association for all their help in arranging this
week-end in Killarney, and I must mention the
additional work which it has entailed for our ever
willing and most competent and tactful Secretary,
Eric Plunkett.
If any of our members have any
ideas as to how we could improve the programme
and other arragements for these Summer half-yearly
Meetings I hope they will express them and I can
promise them that they will be fully considered by
the Council even if I cannot promise that they will
necessarily be adopted.
The Policy Committee have been very much con
cerned regarding the public relations of the profess
ion. If we Solicitors are to retain the good-will of the
public and are to avoid the transfer to other bodies
and professions of work which has always been
regarded as solicitors' work, we must take steps to
see that the profession is properly regulated, that