Lord Norbury And The Bronze Beast

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A fine piece of urban art which adorns Wolf Tone Park in the centre of Dublin. The park was a Church of Ireland cemetery up to recently and has been turned over to the people of the city even though the remains of the interred are still there. As to be expected, this nice open space in the middle of Dublin is blighted by the large number of drunks and drug addicts who spend the day there drinking and fighting. Among it's more infamous residents is Lord Norbury who is best known as the judge who sentenced Robert Emmet to death. The following short biography is published on the Irish Courts Service website.

Lord Norbury - the "Hanging Judge"
John Toler was born in Co. Tipperary in 1745. He was admitted to the bar in 1770, and as a strong supporter of the Government, he attained many offices, including that of Lord Chief Justice, and was eventually ennobled as the Earl of Norbury. He was also the Solicitor General and a member of Grattan's Parliament. Later by bribery and deception he reached the Bench to become a corrupt and fearsome judge. He had poor legal skills and used his power to intimidate lawyers and defendants with his sarcastic wit and twisted sense of humour. His courts were like a wild theatre. His most famous trial was that of Robert Emmet, in which Norbury continually interrupted and abused Emmet when he was making his speech from the dock, before sentencing him to death.