THE man in charge of yesterday's eviction attempt at Ballyleenan, Bawnboy, was Mr Thomas P. Owens, the Cavan county sheriff and county registrar.
Last August, Mr Owens - in his capacity as acting Donegal county registrar - was in charge of the eviction of the Graham family from the An Grianan estate in Co Donegal.
Until 1926 the enforcement of repossessions and other court orders in civil proceedings was carried out by sheriffs who were paid fees, often calculated as a percentage of the property they seized. But the Court Officer Act, 1926 provided that as each sheriff's position became vacant, their powers would be transferred to county registrars. This happened in all counties except Dublin and Cork.
County registrars are civil servants responsible for the organisation and administration of the Circuit Court within their county and the holding of parliamentary and presidential elections and referendums.
They are salaried officers, and therefore do not receive fees based on the property they repossess.