With an £8.5 million budget for refurbishment last year, it cannot be long before the finest courthouses of county towns join abbeys, castles and other heritage sites on the itineraries of coach tour operators.
As the first illustrated gazetteer of Irish courthouses was launched yesterday by the Heritage Council, the richness and cultural importance of this extensive built heritage - neglected for much of this century - is finally achieving wider appreciation.
Most media and public attention has focused, naturally, on proceedings within these structures rather than on their intrinsic architectural and historical significance.
But the multi-million pound upgrading programme being undertaken by the new Courts Service is steadily taking effect and, as a contributor to the Heritage Council's new inventory writes: ". . . the conservation of courthouses could act as a regenerative engine for the renewal of the existing urban and rural areas."
The south-east region is amply endowed with striking examples of these historic buildings. In Co Tipperary, Clonmel courthouse is one of the gems in the list.
Completed in 1801 to the design of Sir Richard Morrison, it has enjoyed a £2 million internal and external facelift in recent years and now stands out as one of the finest 19th century buildings in the town.
The building is also of deep historic significance. Leaders of the Young Ireland movement of 1848 - Thomas Francis Meagher, William Smith O'Brien and Terence Bellew McManus - were tried and sentenced there. A card bearing the signatures of all three is preserved in the courthouse.
Upstairs, the original courthouse had a ballroom and, like many county town courthouses, in its early days it was the venue for society events. A local newspaper of January 1808 announced a ball and supper at the courthouse - subscriptions being 4s.4d. for ladies and 7s.7d. for gentlemen.
Court buildings were frequently sited and designed to establish and emphasise a relationship between the majesty of the law and classical architecture. The imposing Carlow courthouse is in a dominating position at the head of the town. This building is now in phase two of a major modernisation project to be completed this year, after which its fine stonework will be displayed to better advantage.
Wicklow courthouse is currently being upgraded, and a total refurbishment of Athy courthouse is about to begin, a project which will take a year to complete and will cost about £1 million.
Waterford's magnificent court building, prominently sited in spacious parkland surroundings, had £400,000 spent on it in refurbishment work completed in 1998. Because of the heavy demands on its two courtrooms, consideration is being given to providing a third courtroom there.
In Co Waterford, Dungarvan courthouse is to get additional facilities following the move by county council staff to a new building. In Co Tipperary, upgrading works are planned at Cahir courthouse, which will continue to accommodate both the courts and county council offices.
Wexford courthouse, another Richard Morrison design, was refurbished and funded by Wexford County Council in 1991 and now provides elegant accommodation for both the county council and the courts. Priorities for future refurbishment by the Courts Service include Kilkenny, Thurles and Nenagh.
The restoration work on the courthouses has been recognised on occasion by awards - Baltinglass, Co Wicklow, courthouse won the Plan Expo Building of the Year award in 1999 in the heritage and restoration category.
The Courts Service, established by legislation last November, is now directly responsible for the provision and maintenance of all court buildings.
It is preparing a five- to seven-year capital building programme to upgrade the building stock, and the work has to provide for new requirements such as the installation of modern information technology equipment and dedicated family law facilities.
"We have an enormous task, and our plan initially is to complete the county town courthouses, which accommodate sittings of the High Court, circuit and district courts," said Mr Jim McCormack, director of estates and buildings for the Courts Service.
The Heritage Council continues to be directly involved with the Department of Justice in partnership consultations to ensure the appropriate refurbishment of the historic buildings. The need to retain the integrity of the architectural fabric has to be matched with the Department's requirement to provide modern court accommodation.
More than 160 court buildings around the country are pictured and described in the Heritage Council's new gazetteer of Irish courthouses. It has been facilitated by a comprehensive survey and architectural evaluation of courthouses carried out by Duchas - the Heritage Service.
That survey, which assessed and identified the architectural heritage value of the various courthouses, should assist the protection of this cultural resource. Mr Gerry Browner, describing the survey and its aims, points out: "The character given to a town or village by its courthouse can be eroded by new development that either consciously or unwittingly replaces these features."
The Courthouses of Ireland, compiled by Mildred Dunne and Brian Phillips; published by The Heritage Council, Rothe House, Kilkenny. Price: £25.