Rex Mackey SC was, in the words of an eminent colleague, a towering figure of the Irish Bar. He advised relatives of the victims of the 1974 Dublin bombing right up to his death.
He was, another colleague confirmed, a great supporter of the underdog. He was a clever, painstaking barrister, who didn't suffer fools gladly, "or at all". A devout Catholic, he was proud of the link with Cardinal Patrick O'Donnell, his mother's uncle. His father served in the first World War.
Rex Mackey was born in Bray, Co Wicklow, on December 7th, 1911. Educated at Castleknock College, UCD and King's Inns, he was called to the Irish Bar in 1938 and the English Bar, Inner Temple, in 1947.
In his student days he played cricket, rugby and boxed. Later he became an actor, treading the boards with, most notably, Orson Welles and Noel Coward in the Abbey and Gate theatres and in London's West End.
He practised first on the North Western Circuit and, during the war years, enjoyed socialising with members of the Allied forces stationed in Derry. He transferred to the Dublin and Eastern Circuit, and was called to the Inner Bar in 1973.
In the meantime, he had written film scripts, radio plays, a television series and two books: one about bridge, Walk of the Oyster (1964), and Windward of the Law (1965), a collection of legal anecdotes.
At his funeral Mass in Newman's University Church reference was made to his bravery, courtroom rhetoric and wit. Furthermore, "he was happy to take on serious criminal cases, and to argue important constitutional cases, and to seek the vindication of the rights of the underprivileged. His formidable intellect, shown not merely in his writing and in his status as an international bridge player, was made available generously to all those who needed it, in the form of powerful advocacy."
He is survived by his wife Carmel (nee Guilfoyle), daughters Thora and Noemi, and sister Doreen (Mahon).
Rex Mackey: born December 1911, died November, 1999