How the District Court is organised
The District Court is organised on a regional basis. There are 23 districts all over Ireland, including the Dublin Metropolitan District. Each district is in turn divided into District Court areas. It should be noted that District Court areas may cross county boundaries.
Matters dealt with by the District Court
The District Court hears minor civil and criminal matters, such as preliminary hearings for serious cases, grants of extradition, fines, licensing matters and family law (maintenance) cases.
Family law cases
Family law cases held by the National Archives are closed to the public and can only be accessed with the written permission of the relevant District Court clerk.
District Court records in the National Archives
The records of the District Court are mainly in volume format with an entry for each case.
The main categories are:
- Justices Minute Book (formerly the Order Book and also known as the Minute Book)
- Civil Process Book
- Summary Judgment Book
- Enforcement Order Book
- Ejectment Order Book
- Licences (issuing of intoxicating liquor, public dancing (clubs), auctioneer and lottery licences)
- Family law (maintenance, barring orders, affiliation orders and access)
How to access District Court records
The finding aids for District Court records are located in the Reading Room. The records are in blue folders and are organised by county and then by district. A small number of District Court records are searchable in our online catalogue.
How to order records
To request District Court records, complete an order docket in the Reading Room.
District Court records are available onsite, allowing researchers to order and access them on the same day.