Attorney General pays tribute to author of Kelly: The Irish Constitution

Around 200 members of the legal profession gathered for the event hosted by Mr Woulfe, who said it was a “truly great honour” to speak at the launch of what is “probably the leading textbook in Irish law”, having commenced his studies in 1980, the same year that the first edition came out.

The Attorney General then paid homage to the late Mr Kelly, a man who distinguished himself in a multitude of different roles, including time spent as a lecturer at UCD, a Senator, TD and parliamentary secretary, as well as a brief stint as Attorney General.

Even if it his skill as a learned and concise writer on matters of constitutional law which has earned the most acclaim, Kelly’s reputation as a “great orator of the old tradition” should not be forgotten, according to Mr Woulfe. He was a man who could express himself with “peculiar clarity”, a trait best exemplified by many speeches in the Oireachtas.

The new edition, published by Bloomsbury Professional, is anchored by constitutional law stalwarts Dr Gerry Whyte of Trinity College and Gerard Hogan, formerly of the High Court and now an Advocate-General at the ECJ, and Trinity professors Dr Rachael Walsh and Dr David Kenny.

Speaking at the launch, Dr Whyte acknowledged his “intellectual indebtedness” to Mr Kelly, who set tremendously high standards in terms of his “erudition, clarity of expression and industry”.

While the 14-year lapse between editions was admittedly “unconscionable” according to Dr Whyte, this delay is at least in part attributable to an “explosion in constitutional jurisprudence”, and he credit Dr Walsh and Dr Kenny with helping the project get over the line.

Closing out the evening, Dr Walsh fondly recalled the “instantaneous positive response” she and Dr Kenny gave when they were asked to come on board for the fifth edition, jokingly adding that she was “wading through first year constitutional law and David was sitting his Leaving Certificate” when the last edition was released.