Lord MacDermott was first appointed to the bench in 1944 and retired from Northern Ireland’s top judicial post in 1971, though continued to sit in various cases for a number of years on an ad hoc basis.

He was “one of the most accomplished lawyers ever to emerge from Ireland or the United Kingdom” and yet “no publication has previously been produced which records in some detail the extent of his contribution to the law over his long career”, according to the new study.

Written by Professor Brice Dickson and Dr Conor McCormick, the 89-page article traces Lord MacDermott’s work at the Bar, his time in wartime public office and as Attorney General, as well as his judicial career in Northern Ireland, the House of Lords and the Privy Council.

It examines his judicial legacy, extra-judicial writings and constitutional influence, situating his career within the legal history of Northern Ireland.

The article was published in the Northern Ireland Legal Quarterly and can be read for free online.