The origins of the present District Court in the court system inaugurated in 1919 by the First Dail mirror the confident surge towards political independence, but its raison d'etre was an immediate reaction to the outbreak of the Civil War. It was, therefore, already in place and functioning even before the Irish Free State was established. Many of the 27 lawyers appointed in great haste to be its first justices were established scholars and writers in other fields, and most passed their entire judicial careers of in the same area, yet none appears to have left a record of his experiences. "Tis All Lies, Your Worship", which is part history, part memoir, traces the development of the District Court in the life of the community and the country. Mary Kotsonouris, who is the historian of the Dail Courts, served for nine years as a district judge. She has talked to judicial colleagues, registrars, journalists and witnesses, pored over files in the National Archives and read court reports in contemporary newspapers. What emerges is a fascinating and often amusing picture of what actually goes on in the district courts throughout Ireland.
In addition to explaining how the district courts were founded, Kotsonouris describes some of the many colourful justices who sat on the courts and the many intriguing cases they presided over. There is a chapter on the sensational Rose Tattoo prosecution, as well as a discussion of the changes in jurisdiction brought about by the introduction of family law, the European Union, the Road Traffic Acts and more. The style is lively throughout and the stories are illustrated by amusing anecdotes and asides.