Tributes paid to beloved Tipperary court clerk embarking on new life chapter

In a pleasant break from the usual prosecutions, legal troubles and convictions of the court, Friday’s sitting of Nenagh District Court began with a heartfelt send-off to respected court registrar Tommy Mockler. 

Mr Mockler, who has worked in the Courts Service since 2016, is leaving his post to start a new job at the Revenue Service. In a lengthy send-off, the packed court heard that the court’s loss will be Revenue’s gain. 

Sergeant Regina McCarthy, speaking on behalf of Nenagh gardaí, said that Mr Mockler was always “professional” and that under his watch “in the doors of this courthouse everyone was treated with the utmost respect”. 

A representative from the Probation Service also stood up in the courtroom and wished the man all the best, as did several legal professionals who worked alongside Tommy.

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Also mentioned was the close working relationship that Tommy shared with Judge Elizabeth MacGrath, who has since passed on. 

Judge Marie Keane read a speech paying tribute to the Cork man’s service. The Judge said: “The management of his (court) lists was absolutely outstanding.” She highlighted Tommy's “attention to detail at the foremost of all court preparation", adding: “Everyone has mentioned in their tributes to Tommy his welcoming smile - but there was also mischief behind it. “

She further mentioned: “The role of the court registrars and the staff, they are certainly the oil of the engine.”

Judge Keane, paying homage to Mr Mockler’s sunny disposition, regaled an anecdote that was met with laughter - a rare sound in any court room. The Judge spoke of a defendant before a sitting of Thurles Court, who was not pleased by Tommy’s good nature and “questioned what Mr Mockler was smiling at”. 

Wishing him all the best in his future endeavours, she said: “We won’t see the last of Tommy and I hope he will come back in the future in a managerial role.”

As Judge Keane’s tribute concluded, Mr Mockler read a short speech as he addressed those gathered in the courtroom. He thanked the Tipperary gardaí, the Probation Service, the journalists he worked with and all his colleagues past and present. 

Mr Mockler said he also wished to give thanks to the two “most important women in my life other than my mother and girlfriend: Judge McGrath and Judge Keane.”

With half an hour of the morning's court proceedings dedicated to giving thanks to Mr Mockler for his service, it is fair to say that the jovial court registrar's absence will be felt in the Tipperary courts service.