Bar of Ireland

The Bar of Ireland (Irish: Barra na hÉireann) is the professional association of barristers for Ireland, with over 2,000 members. It is based in the Law Library, with premises in Dublin and Cork. It is governed by the General Council of the Bar of Ireland, commonly called the Bar Council of Ireland, which was established in 1897. The Council is composed of twenty-five members: twenty who are elected, four co-opted, and the Attorney-General, who holds office ex officio. Every year, ten members are elected for two-year terms; five by senior counsel and five by junior counsel.

The Bar of Ireland funds the Law Library, which has premises in Dublin in the Four Courts, Church Street, and the Criminal Courts of Justice, and also a smaller library in Cork. Nearly all barristers practising in Ireland are members of the Law Library, which is often used as a metonym for the Irish barrister profession itself. Before the creation of the Bar of Ireland in 1897, barristers in Ireland were only loosely organised through their occupation of the physical premises of the Law Library.

Before the partition of Ireland, barristers throughout the island of Ireland were trained at the King's Inns and were members of the Bar of Ireland. The Government of Ireland Act 1920 split Ireland into two legal jurisdictions, and after 1922, Northern Ireland became a separate legal system. The King's Inns initially hoped partition would not end its all-island remit, and it set up a "Committee of Fifteen" Northern Ireland benchers in 1922. However, this committee sought more independence, and from 11 January 1926, the Inn of Court of Northern Ireland and the Bar Council of Northern Ireland were created.

The Bar of Ireland collaborates with the Bar of Northern Ireland on various initiatives, including the Irish Rule of Law International. The two associations jointly hosted the World Bar Conference in 2024.

Practising members of the Bar of Ireland are eligible to join the Bar of Northern Ireland without taking any further exams. Practising members of the Bar of Northern Ireland have a reciprocal eligibility.

The profession of barrister has been in existence in Ireland since the arrival of the common law system in the 12th century, and co-existed with the profession of aigne until the abolition of the native Brehon law system in approximately the 17th century.

In 1541, the Honorable Society of King’s Inns was established on what is now the site of the Four Courts. This meant that Irish barristers could now train within Ireland, albeit with an obligation to keep terms in one of the Inns of Court in London. This requirement was costly to Irish barristers and was a contentious issue until it was abolished by the Barristers' Admission (Ireland) Act, 1885.

The regulation of barristers in Ireland increased during the 18th century. The Benchers of the Honorable Society of King’s Inns was the profession's de facto governing body. Originally, the Benchers consisted of the Lord Chancellor, the judges of the superior courts, some senior officers of the superior courts and all the senior members of the Bar, including the Attorney-General, the Solicitor General and the three Serjeants. The Benchers had the power to censure or disbar barristers.