This week: George Mallory's pursuit of Everest's Peak; The extraordinary lives of the last men to own Belvedere House in Westmeath; and the origins of the Irish courts system.

George Mallory's Pursuit of Everest's Peak

Everyone knows that Edmund Hilary and Tenzing Norgay were the first people to set foot atop the summit of Mount Everest in 1953. But there's a possibility, however remote, that two other men reached the summit almost 30 years before that.

On a 1924 Expedition to the mountain, climbers George Mallory and Andrew Irvine were last seen alive a few hundred metres from the top – sparking a debate that goes on to this day, as to whether one or both of them reached the summit before they died.

To talk about this, Myles is joined by historian and author Marc McMenamin.

Last year, Marc produced for radio with Donal O'Herlihy The Lost Mountaineers, a Documentary on One feature which delves into the Mallory expedition, and asks the question – did George Mallory and Andrew Irvine reach the summit of Everest nearly three decades before Hillary and Tenzing?

Bury, Beaumont and Belvedere House

Charles Howard-Bury was a man of many talents. A veteran of the First World War, his leadership of the British reconnaissance mission to Mount Everest in 1921 earned him international acclaim.

Fluent in multiple languages and with a deep interest in horticulture, he was the owner of Belvedere House and Gardens near Mullingar, County Westmeath: a house he shared with his partner Rex Beaumont, an English actor.

Their life together can be traced through the files and photographs of Charles Howard Bury's personal papers, stored in the archives of Mullingar Library.

Recently, while Historian in Residence with Westmeath County Council, Ian Kenneally had the opportunity to study those files.

In this report, he finds out about their relationship - and explores the final years of Belvedere House before it passed into public ownership. Ian speaks to two guests. Ruth Illingworth, is a historian, author and tour guide who knew Rex Beaumont. Dr Jonathan Westaway from the University of Central Lancashire has studied the lives of many Everest explorers, and is currently preparing a research paper on Charles Howard-Bury and the so-called "Big House".

The Courts of Justice Act 1924

The Courts of Justice Act of 1924 was one of the most significant pieces of legislation passed in the Irish Free State. It established the basic structure of our courts system, which has endured for a century.

To mark the centenary year of this Act, on Friday the 12th of April there will be an event taking place – featuring talks, exhibitions and guided tours – at Dublin Castle. Dublin Castle is an appropriate venue for such an event, as that's where the courts sat until 1932, when the Four Courts re-opened - rebuilt and remodelled following the destruction of the Civil War.

To talk about how our courts system began, Myles is joined by two guests.

Dr Niamh Howlin is Associate Professor at the UCD Sutherland School of Law.

Dr Donal Coffey is Assistant Professor at the School of Law in Maynooth University.