Criminal Courts of Justice

What a place it looks more like a hotel then a court was called for jury service and the jury room was really nice and comfortable thankfully I wasn’t call for a case and as gary pointed out in his review the views from the 6^th floor of Dublin are amazing you would never know this place is a court

Dublin has many great and beautiful buildings. From Trinity to Kings Inns, from Leinster House to the Aras. But not since Ireland gained its independence has Ireland dared embark on a building so emblematic of where we are as a nation today as it has with the € 300 million Dublin Criminal Courts.
Prior to entering the complex you hear stories comparing it to the Colosseum or the Parthenon. You see RTE presenters reporting from the steps and you think that its very nice but nothing, nothing at all prepares you for the size and wonder of this magnificent building.
Before I carry on, some of you may be wondering why Ireland needs a vast courts building when we already have the Four Courts. The reason is simple enough to be honest: The Four Courts simply couldn’t handle it anymore. They are 200 years old and designed for 200 years old volumes when the only people who went to court were the 100 or so people who owned land and had money or peasants who were to be shipped off to some godforsaken hell hole to eat rocks for a living.
This simply wasn’t a situation that could be tolerated and so the Criminal Courts were envisaged. The new courts have dedicated press rooms, overspill rooms for popular cases, improved areas for juries, barristers, witnesses etc, very pleasant canteen and a fabulous Great Hall which greets you upon entering. Just a quick note here, you will have to go through security at the entrance. Nothing too taxing, just put your bag through the scanner, dump your metals etc in the box and hope you don’t beep.
Upon entering, might I recommend taking the lift to floor number 6 and then looking out over the main area. That is when you see the vastness of the complex before you. Also to your right you will then see a large full length window with a view over Phoenix Park and Farmleigh House.
The courtrooms themselves are also v nice. The seats aren’t that comfortable but hey, who said justice was soft :)
If you should decide to go watch a case, and I would recommend it, just get the Luas to the Heuston Station stop and potter to the large round building that you won’t be able to miss. Trust me.