At the O'Buachalla Inquiry, the Chairman, Mr Justice Frank Murphy has said that he considered it unusual for Catherine Nevin's solicitor to seek the advice or guidance of District Judge Donnchadh O'Buachalla. Solicitor Donnchadh Lehane told the inquiry that he had sought the judge's assistance on the pub licence issue on his own initiative. Mr Lehane did not consider a private meeting in Judge O'Buachalla's chambers in September 1997 as either peculiar or surreal. This was the meeting at which the judge signed an order enabling the pub licence for Jack White's Inn to be renewed in Catherine Nevin's sole name.
Barrister Seamus O'Tuathail, giving evidence through Irish, said that none of the six people in the room suggested the matter should be dealt with in open court. He also said that Judge O'Buachalla strongly wanted Inspector Peter Finn to be there and he would not have granted the order if the Inspector was opposed.
Mr Justice Murphy questioned Mr Lehane on why he felt in June 1997 that he was entitled to invoke Judge O'Buachalla's assistance. He also said that to his mind it was unusual. Mr Lehane said that if the judge had felt he needed to go through the procedure for a certificate of transfer then he would follow this route. Mr Lehane believed that this certificate was unnecessary since Catherine Nevin was already the joint licensee of the premises.
The final witness this afternoon Liam Sexton, the Gorey District Court Clerk, said that he had visited Jack White's Inn in Judge O'Buachalla's company and socialised there with Tom and Catherine Nevin. He said that he had an excellent relationship with Judge O'Buachalla from the time the judge arrived in the district in 1992 until 1997. There was a hiccup at that time but he said that the relationship is now back again. He will continue his evidence tomorrow morning.
