Cork District Court: Anglesea Street and Washington Street

Two buildings, one District Court

Cork city is District No. 19 of the District Court, and its work is split between two buildings in the city centre. The criminal lists sit at the Criminal Courts of Justice on Anglesea Street. Civil, family, licensing and the Children Court sit at the courthouse on Washington Street, the columned building that people picture when they think of Cork courthouse. Each has its own office, and the first thing to do with a summons or an application is to read which building it names.

The venue pages on this site are at /courts/cork-anglesea-street and /courts/cork-washington-street, and the district page is at /districts/19. The District Court handles about 90% of the State's criminal caseload, 342,791 offences in 2025, and 136,736 civil matters (Courts Service Annual Report 2025); District 19 is one of its busiest outside Dublin.

Anglesea Street: the criminal lists

Everything criminal in Cork city goes to Anglesea Street: summonses for road traffic, public order and other summary offences, charge sheet matters after arrest, remands, bail applications, hearings on pleas of not guilty, and sentencing. The District Court can impose up to 12 months on one charge and 2 years in all for consecutive sentences (Criminal Justice Act 1984, sections 11 and 12 as amended), and fines by class under the Fines Act 2010 from €500 (Class E) to €5,000 (Class A), with your means taken into account.

The sittings page for District 19 lists two District courtrooms at Anglesea Street. Court No. 1 sits for summary criminal business each Monday to Friday at 10:30 am. Court No. 2 sits for summary criminal business each Monday to Thursday at 10:30 am. Other criminal courts sit in the same building, so check the courtroom number on the list rather than following the crowd.

The office holds the daily list, takes the statement of means for a legal aid application, deals with fines and bail paperwork, and receives the Form 101.2 notice of appeal within 14 days of an order. What happens on the day is the same as anywhere else: the charge is read, you plead guilty or not guilty or ask for time, you can apply for legal aid, and a hearing date follows a not guilty plea.

Washington Street: civil, family, licensing and children

The Washington Street courthouse takes the District Court's non-criminal business for the city, and it also houses the Children Court. The sittings page for District 19 lists three courtrooms.

• Court No. 5: family and child care business each Monday to Thursday at 10:30 am. Domestic violence applications under the Domestic Violence Act 2018, maintenance, guardianship, custody and access are heard here, in camera. Child care applications by Tusla sit in the same list.
• Court No. 6: civil and licensing each Friday at 10:30 am. Civil claims up to €15,000, small claims up to €2,000 referred by the Small Claims Registrar, debt matters and instalment orders, and the licensing applications: special exemption orders, occasional licences and the annual licensing court in September.
• Court No. 4: the Children Court each Friday at 10:30 am. The District Court sitting in private for under-18s under the Children Act 2001; a parent or guardian must attend and the anonymity rule applies.

The public counter at Washington Street is open in the mornings only, 09:15 to 13:00, so an application for a protection order or a small claim is a morning job. For a domestic violence application the office staff help with the form, you swear it before a clerk, and a protection order application is heard without notice, usually the same day. The safety, protection and barring orders guide explains the orders; family law is in camera and nothing from any case appears on this site.

Small claims up to €2,000 can be lodged online through Courts Service Online or at this office for a €25 fee. The civil fees are set by the District Court (Fees) Order and the schedule of 8 September 2025: €25 for a claim notice up to €5,000, €70 to €10,000, €80 above; most family applications are free.

District 19 and the rest of County Cork

District No. 19 is Cork City. The county has three more districts, and their venues have their own offices: District 18 (West Cork), District 20 (North and East Cork) and District 21 (Cork, Tipperary and Waterford). A summons naming Mallow, Fermoy, Midleton, Bandon, Macroom or another county town is in one of those districts, and the Courts Service's find your District Court area map tells you which from an address. The District Court's boundaries were last amended by a District Court (Districts) Order in March 2026, so an older summons may name a venue that has since moved; ring the office on it if in doubt.

Appeals from either Cork building go to the Cork Circuit Court, within 14 days by Form 101.2 for a criminal order and for a €25 fee on a civil or family order.

Getting there

Both courthouses are in the city centre, within walking distance of each other and of the bus station at Parnell Place and the city bus routes. Anglesea Street runs south from the South Mall; Washington Street runs west from the Grand Parade. Kent Station is further out, a longer walk or a short bus ride. The Courts Service pages do not list parking at either building; the city's multi-storey car parks are the usual choice. Allow time for a security check at the Anglesea Street entrance.

Either office arranges interpreters, Irish Sign Language and other access needs on request; ask when you ring, and give a few days' notice where you can.

Lists, adjournments and the news page

District Court daily lists are not published online. The Legal Diary on courts.ie covers the higher courts only. The criminal list is at the Anglesea Street office and displayed in the building on the day; the civil, family and Children Court lists are at the Washington Street office. The Courts Service's news page carries notices when a venue's lists are adjourned or cancelled, and the updates page on this site notes those that affect the District Court.

If you have lost your date, ring the office that issued the summons or fixed the date with your name and any reference number, or use the court date tool to work out where you are. If you cannot attend, ring before the list is called; on a summons the court can proceed in your absence for a minor matter, and on a bail date non-appearance brings a bench warrant. Adjournments are at the judge's discretion; the median time from a summons to disposal in 2025 was 182 days.

The 2026 criminal legal aid dispute affected Cork as elsewhere: from 1 July 2026 a flat €520 per case replaced the per-appearance fees, solicitors withdrew except for custody and protocol cases, and lists were adjourned. If your solicitor has withdrawn, attend every date yourself, tell the judge, and ask for an adjournment and for legal aid. The changes page tracks it.

What to do when you arrive

Go to the building the summons names, find your courtroom from the list, and be in the room before 10:30 am. Stand when your case is called and address the judge as "Judge". There is no dress code. If you have no solicitor and your means are insufficient, ask for legal aid with a statement of means from the clerk; the judge decides it at the first appearance, and an adjournment for advice is normally granted. At Washington Street, if you are applying rather than answering, go to the office first.

Where this leaves you

Cork's District Court is two buildings with two offices, and the summons or application tells you which. Use Find a court to check the venue, its office hours and whether your address is in District 19 or one of the county districts. If you may qualify for legal aid, ask the judge for it at your first appearance (how legal aid works). If you want a solicitor of your own, the solicitor page explains how to find one who takes District Court work in Cork.