SIR James Comyn, who died yesterday aged 75, was one of the handful of Irish lawyers who achieved senior judicial status in Britain this century.
The son of a republican barrister from Co Clare, he became a judge of the English High Court during a distinguished legal career which included service as chairman of the Bar Council of England and Wales.
Born in Beaufield House, Stillorgan, Co Dublin, one of the "safe houses" used by Eamon de Valera during the Civil War, he was sent to school in England after his father and his uncle, Judge Michael Comyn, fell out with De Valera just as he was about to enter government.
He was educated at Cardinal Newman's Oratory School in Birmingham and spent six months as a trainee journalist under the tutelage of R.M. Smyllie at The Irish Times.
Aged 17, he entered New College, Oxford, and in 1940 he defeated Roy Jenkins to become president of the Oxford Union. He worked briefly for the BBC before his call to the Bar at the Inner Temple in 1945.
Sir James built up a large and fashionable practice and came to be regarded as one of the finest common law barristers of his day.
He appeared in many notable defamation cases and in 1977 defended Private Eye in the libel action brought by Sir James Goldsmith.
He appeared for Lord Lucan, and in 1970 successfully defended the Labour MP, Mr Will Owen against charges of passing secret information to the Czechs in return for payment.
But his most sensational case by far and the one which gave him most satisfaction - was the award of libel damages to the safe blower and prison escaper, Alfie Hinds, in his action against a senior Scotland Yard detective.
Sir James was appointed recorder of Andover in 1972. He was knighted on his appointment to the High Court.
Throughout his career he divided his time between his family home in Tara, Co Meath, and Cambridge.
In 1981 the Provisional IRA fire bombed his Irish home and caused severe damage.
After his retirement he wrote several books of memoirs including Summing it Up Memoirs of an Irishman at Law in England. (1991).
He was married to Ms Anne Chaundler, a solicitor, who, with their children, Rory and Kate, survives him.