Master of the High Court Edmund Honohan has said he would “do it again” after he broke windows in a courtroom in protest at the stuffy conditions.

The senior counsel hit headlines in the Sunday newspapers after it emerged he broke three small window panes in his Four Courts courtroom after he complained about the “fug”.

Speaking to RTE’s Today with Sean O’Rourke today, Mr Honohan said he broke the window panes with a hammer he had brought with him from home and would “do it again if necessary”.

He denied that he had “broken the law” and instead described it as “damage to property”.

“All the stale air is there,” he said, speaking about the incident which occurred in early December. .

“We have laymen and practitioners sweating it out. I call it the ‘fug’.”

Mr Honohan said the stuffy conditions have been an issue for “at least 10 years”.

“Obviously most of the time, it’s not too bad. But at this time of the year, the heating is on, the windows are closed, people are wearing their downs and the temperature rises and the air is stale. The ventilation system isn’t working.

“If I open the window beside me [onto the street], I catch the cold air which causes me to get colds and flu.

“It’s not a healthy environment to work in, especially not in the court of justice.”

Mr Honohan said he has never taken sick leave due to the conditions; “I get out of my sick bed and I go on,” he said.

He described how there is a glazed portion of the wall in the court to provide light to the corridors outside.

“The only way to get [one of the panes] open is to break it,” he said.

“I found myself a hammer and I brought it in. I left a notice that said; ‘Don’t reglaze’ and they did.

“Yes, I brought the hammer from home. Oh yes, yes, it was [premeditated],” he added.

Mr Honohan told the radio show he has a “statutory obligation” to provide a fair hearing in the room and the stuffy conditions don’t allow for that. He said there are now efforts being made to allow for more fresh air in the room.

“It’s a matter of responsibility to provide a fair hearing to the practitioners before me,” he continued.

“I’d do it again if necessary, of course.

“Now it is possible to open a window on to the corridor, nothing like that has been done in the last 20 years.”

It is understood the Courts Service sent the senior counsel a letter, warning him not to damage court property again.

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