Latest news with #RobertFrench
Irish Examiner
6 days ago
- General
- Irish Examiner
Three quarters of an acre to play with at €850k Blackrock home on Castle Road
COMMERCIAL photographer Robert French's black-and-white image of Blackrock Castle, taken in 1865, captures the iconic property from the opposite riverbank, against the dense tree line of Castlemahon estate. Only one other property is visible, the house featured here, Mahon View, on Castle Rd. Robert French's 1865 photograph of Blackrock Castle, with Mahon View (known then as Riversdale) to the right. The buildings stand in isolation and there's an air of solitude to the scene. Fast forward to 1967 and an image from the Irish Examiner archive shows alterations on Castle Rd. A terraced row of possibly fishermen's cottages runs down the side of Mahon View, on Castle Ave. Irish Examiner archive, 1967 Mahon View has changed, too. It was extended in the late 1940s, by master builder Seán Coughlan, to create two semi-ds. The image shows that housing on the wider hinterland is minimal. Comparing 'before' and 'after' images makes change tangible in a way words cannot. Contemporary photos of Castle Rd reflect major shifts. Housing estates — Gate Lodge, Sandy Lawn, Sandy Lane — have sprung up. A number of housing estates have sprung around close to Blackrock Castle Picture: Larry Cummins A popular peninsular walkway swings out around the estuary beyond Blackrock Castle. The castle looks good, thanks to upgrades. Upgraded Blackrock Castle is a minute's walk from Mahon View Extended Mahon View is not vastly different to what it was in 1865, when it was known as Riversdale. Even though it's now one of a pair of semi-ds, the original building is easily identified. Mahon View The house next door is now called Riversdale. Mahon View was named by its current owners, the O'Connor family, who moved there in the early 1960s, having bought it from a Mrs O'Driscoll, who both lived there and ran a bakery. 'My parents were living in St Luke's, and came down to take a look in the summer of '61,' their son, Robert O'Connor, says. 'They were in the confectionary trade at the time, so they bought both house and business,' he adds. His parents supplied confectionary to local shops and Robert recalls tales of Lee swimmers (the river is across the road) darting up the driveway and helping themselves to cakes left cooling outside. A keen historian, he also recalls the names of previous owners of Mahon View, including the Fogarty family, and, much further back, a Robert Staveley, captain of the Bristol steam packet SS Sabrina, which steamed twice a week between Cork and Bristol taking passengers and freight. Staveley and his wife, Catherine Anne, are thought to have moved to Riversdale around 1869. Captain Staveley died there in 1892 and a newspaper obituary recorded that he had suffered from 'a paralytic attack of a most serious kind, the fatal end of which was, we believe, long foreseen'. Mahon View was a good home for a sea captain, given its views up river and down estuary. For the O'Connors, all the moving parts that make up Tivoli Docks were part of the dynamic panorama, while the main fixture in that picture was always Blackrock Castle. Mahon View's waterfront location is as much an attraction now as it must have been for Captain Stavely. Flotilla of fishing boats passing Tivoli Docks on their way to the Port of Cork. Picture: Dan Linehan The size of the site was a big draw, too. There's three quarters of an acre, mostly to the rear, where a T-shaped garden includes a good stretch of lawn, an old orchard wall (growing your own was as popular in Victorian times as it is now), a 'secret' walled garden off to one side with access to Castle Ave, and a more overgrown section — a biodiversity haven — in the other side of the 'T'. Long stretch of lawn forms the stem of the 'T', with redbrick orchard wall to the right Entrance to the 'secret' garden Biodiversity haven The scale of what's there prompted Robert to undertake a feasibility study with John Morehead, of Wain Morehead Architects, in Celtic Tiger times. The conclusion was the land could accommodate four to five units, but the development wasn't pursued. Potential buyers/small developers might be interested? Or new owners could simply decide to enjoy a great big back garden, with glorious throwbacks to the Victorian era. As well as ancient apple and pear trees, Robert and his partner took to growing their own during covid, installing raised planters for fruit and vegetables, a nod to the land's original use as a market garden. Raised planters More recently, a patio courtyard was installed at a level below the rear lawn, outside the open-plan country-style kitchen (fitted in the past few years, where new sliding doors off a lounge area make access easy). Open plan kitchen lounge Country style kitchen The patio faces south. A sculpture by renowned Irish artist Michael Quane has pride of place. It's one of a series of impressive artworks dotted about Mahon View, including Robert's own work. He graduated with a master's in fine art from the University of Ulster in 2001, and in 2006, when the university was staging an exhibition celebrating the 25th anniversary of its master's in fine arts programme, he was chosen as the student of 2001. He has exhibited at home and abroad, including Shanghai. A solo photographic exhibition in 2011, in the Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts, was inspired by a box of 35mm slides bought at a Berlin flea market. Mahon View looks like a three-storey home, but the attic is currently closed off. New owners could reinstate the attic stairs or they may have enough accommodation on the existing floors. Three rooms on the second floor are currently in use as bedrooms, but there is scope for more, as one is currently in use as a home office. Downstairs, the entrance porch has a striking, church-style window with coloured glass, which leads into a high-ceilinged hallway and on to a living room with plenty of original features. Living room Church-style window in entrance porch High ceilinged hallway To the rear of the living room, through stylish French doors, a sunroom/library room overlooks the back garden. Sunroom Just a five-minute walk from Blackrock village, Mahon View is a home of great period charm, but it needs work. The extra investment required has been factored into the €850,000 guide by agent Tim Sullivan, of Timothy Sullivan & Associates. 'It's a do-er upper, but will appeal to a cross section that want to trade up and may well be in Blackrock already. I expect interest from Dublin also,' Mr Sullivan says. Mahon View, Castle Road Given the wonderful, elevated setting, and beautiful views of river and castle, not to mention potential for further site development, it could attract buyers banking for family going forward. Mr Sullivan says the property offers 'enormous potential, with its superb garden/site', as well as the original attic accommodation 'affording the opportunity to enlarge what's already there'. There's scope to do more too with a lean-to utility. VERDICT:A good deal of investment is needed, but the prize for the buyer is the Holy Trinity of generous site size, prime waterfront setting, and a prestigious Castle Road address.
South China Morning Post
13-05-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Appointment of latest overseas justice to top court boosts judiciary
The departure of foreign judges from Hong Kong's top court in recent years has raised concerns about the future of a system that has served the city well. Five left last year, variously citing their age or personal or political reasons. Another resigned in April, leaving only five. The announcement that William Young, an eminent retired judge from New Zealand, has been hired to sit on the Court of Final Appeal is, therefore, most welcome. It gives the judiciary a boost and shows that even at a time of geopolitical tensions, leading legal figures are prepared to commit to Hong Kong. Young has enjoyed a long and distinguished career. He was appointed to New Zealand's High Court in 1997, its Court of Appeal in 2004 and Supreme Court in 2010, before retiring in 2022. The jurist is also well known for chairing a royal commission of inquiry into the Christchurch terror attack of 2019. Young meets the requirement that the part-time foreign judges have experience at the highest level. He will be a valuable addition. The appointment swiftly follows the premature resignation of Australian judge Robert French. It is encouraging that he has been replaced quickly. French expressed his respect for the integrity and independence of the Court of Final Appeal judges. But he also suggested the overseas judges had become 'increasingly anachronistic and arguably cosmetic'. That is not the position, nor can it ever be allowed to become so. The role played by overseas judges is an integral part of the arrangements put in place for Hong Kong's return to China in 1997. It is provided for by the Basic Law. Chief Justice Andrew Cheung Kui-nung paid tribute to the 'immense' contribution of the foreign judges in his speech at the opening of the new legal year in January. He recognised that recruiting overseas judges with the right stature and experience had become more difficult amid the current 'geopolitical headwinds'.
South China Morning Post
12-04-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong cannot allow its system of foreign judges to wither and die
And then there were five. The pool of eminent foreign judges sitting on Hong Kong's top court, once of Olympic proportions, continues to evaporate. It is now little more than a puddle. Advertisement The latest judge to depart is Robert French, the former chief justice of Australia's High Court. His resignation is a blow to the judiciary, casting further doubts on a system that has served the city well. French, appointed as a part-time judge of the Court of Final Appeal in 2017, had previously stated he intended to stay. His withdrawal comes more than a year before the end of his contract. The judge's comments on his departure should prompt reflection in Hong Kong. The government has been quick to highlight French's continued confidence in the independence and integrity of the top court's remaining judges. He also rejected the idea that the foreign justices are 'somehow complicit in the application by the executive of national security laws or somehow confer on them a spurious legitimacy'. That view is often cited by critics of the judges overseas. Advertisement But French did not stop there. He also said the role of the part-time judges 'has become increasingly anachronistic and arguably cosmetic'. That is an observation that should be taken seriously. The dwindling of the number of foreign judges tells its own story. When Beijing passed a national security law for the city in 2020, there were 15 of them. The maximum allowed by law is 30. That gives an idea of the size of the talent pool envisaged. Five departed last year and now only five remain. Two of them were hired in 2023 and 2024. But the system is becoming difficult to sustain.
South China Morning Post
11-04-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Australian judge resigns from Hong Kong's top court, sixth to step down in year
An Australian judge has resigned from Hong Kong's top court, becoming the sixth foreign member to step down over the past year, telling the Post on Friday he had observed that the role of non-permanent justices had 'become increasingly anachronistic and arguably cosmetic'. Advertisement Justice Robert French, a non-permanent judge of the Court of Final Appeal since 2017, revealed that he had tendered his resignation on March 31. The judge, 78, stressed that he maintained his 'respect for the Hong Kong and international members of the court and their integrity and independence'. 'I reject the proposition that they are somehow complicit in the application by the executive of national security laws or somehow confer on them a spurious legitimacy,' French said, referring to the legislation imposed by Beijing in 2020 and the domestic law enacted last year. The judiciary announced French's resignation earlier on Friday while the government said the presence or absence of individual judges would not undermine the integrity of the judicial system. Justice Robert French had served on the top court since 2017. Photo: Court of Final Appeal French said he would not be making any statement about the national security laws and associated practices but 'there will no doubt be future cases in which their interpretation and application will come before the court'.
Reuters
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Another foreign judge quits Hong Kong's highest court amid national security crackdown
HONG KONG, April 11 (Reuters) - An Australian judge became the latest foreigner to resign from Hong Kong's highest court before the end of his term on Friday as a security crackdown fans international criticism of a perceived erosion of the rule of law in the financial hub. Robert French, a former Chief Justice of Australia's High Court, said he respected Hong Kong and the "integrity and independence" of the remaining foreign judges but that the "role of the non permanent justices on the Court of Final Appeal has become increasingly anachronistic and arguably cosmetic." Britain and China agreed to have non-permanent foreign judges on the court when London handed its former colony over to Chinese rule in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" formula. Their presence was widely seen by lawyers, businesses and politicians as burnishing the city's rule-of-law credentials after it lost access to Britain's Privy Council for appeals. Noting that the Hong Kong court was the only one in greater China to have foreign judges serving, French said there "may be a substantive role for international judges in Hong Kong in the future as part of an international commercial court." The government confirmed the resignation in a statement, saying it was grateful to French for his valuable contributions and his "support for the rule of law in Hong Kong." Last year, another non-permanent judge, Britain's Jonathan Sumption, quit the court shortly after a landmark verdict in which 14 prominent democratic activists were convicted for subversion, part of a national security crackdown on dissent. Sumption said Hong Kong's rule of law had been " profoundly compromised" and the city was "slowly becoming a totalitarian state." The number of foreign judges on Hong Kong's Court of Final Appeal (CFA) has fallen from around 13 to five in recent years, with some raising concerns at the imposition of a sweeping national security law. In his statement to Reuters, French said he rejected any suggestion that foreign judges serving on the CFA were "somehow complicit in the application ... of national security laws or somehow confer on them a spurious legitimacy." Hong Kong's chief justice is allowed to select one foreign judge - typically retired top jurists from Britain, Australia and Canada - to serve on the five-person Court of Final Appeal at any one time.
