Category:  History Publisher: Gill & Macmillan Type: Non-Fiction Libel trials are traumatic for plaintiff and defendant alike, but they make magnificent courtroom dramas. In this book, AJ Davidson recalls twelve headline-grabbing Irish Libel Trials. Some helped change British defamation law, while others may yet bring about the much delayed review of Irish defamation law. Excerpt Introduction 1. The Legal Eagles Soar: P.J. McGrory v Today & Ors 2. A Reversal of Fortune: Turkington & Ors v The Times & Ors 3. Not a Penny More: Albert Reynolds v The Sunday Times & Ors 4. Third Time Lucky: Proinsias De Rossa v Sunday Independent 5. Worth a Punt: Kieren Fallon & Ors v MGN & Ors 6. The Troubles I've Seen: Thomas Murphy v The Sunday Times & Ors 7. Money, Money, Money: Liam Neeson and Natasha Richardson v Daily Mirror & Ors 8. A Class Act: Beverley Cooper-Flynn v RTE & Ors 9. A Court too Far: Sean Sherwin v Sunday Independent 10. For Whom the Bell Tolls: Judge Joseph Mangan v Sunday Independent & Anor 11. Fear and Loathing in West Cork: Ian Bailey v The Irish Sun & Ors 12. Cyber-libel: Defamation in the Twenty-first Century

Michael Kealey, Law Society Gazette
"While focusing on the personal stories of the victors and vanquished, Davidson is not afraid to analyse the procedural quirks of libel law, including the shameful inability of defendants to lodge without an admission of liability, a rule that hinders settlement and act, in my view, to the detriment of both claimants and defendants. Perhaps this popular publication will help bring about reform quicker than the many legal articles written on the topic."


Judge Adrian Hardiman, The Dubliner
"Another high point of the book is the coverage of Albert Reynolds's libel action against the Sunday Times, tried in England in 1996."

"I spent many happy, if not entirely uncritical, hours with this book and I imagine that most people with an interest in current affairs would enjoy it equally."