'You were the best solicitor' defendant tells judge in Kildare court
The judge told the man that he remembered him
The presiding judge at Naas District Court was told he was the best solicitor in Sligo.
The remark came from a man who was appearing before him.
James Lynch, 33, whose address was given as 1 Our Lady’s Place, Naas, appeared before the court on allegations of a breach of the Misuse of Drugs Act on May 15, 2025, at Our Lady’s Place as well as a further allegatilon of driving with excess alcohol and having no insurance or licence and dangerous driving at the same location on August 21, 2024.
At the outset of the brief hearing Judge Tom McSharry addressed the defendant saying: “I remember you; I’m now a judge.”
The defendant replied: “Congratulations, the best solicitor in Sligo became a judge.”
Prior to his appointment to the bench, the judge was a solicitor in the Connacht town.
Judge McSharry was also a former county councillor and the mayor of Sligo.
He is a nephew of the former Fianna Fáil Minister for Finance Ray McSharry, who later became an EU commissioner.