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Dolphin House: the Dublin District Family Law Court
Checked 15 Oct 2026the Road Traffic Acts, the Criminal Justice Acts and the District Court Rules as amended.
Dolphin House on East Essex Street is the Dublin District Court's family law venue: domestic violence, maintenance, guardianship, custody and access, heard in private. The office, forms, waits and support.
Written for the person who has to go to court. This guide covers the District Court of the Republic of Ireland.
What Dolphin House is
Dolphin House is the Dublin District Court's family law courthouse, at 45-47 East Essex Street in Temple Bar, Dublin 2. The Dublin District Family Law Office is in the same building. If you are applying for a safety, protection or barring order, for maintenance, for guardianship, or for custody or access, and you live in the Dublin Metropolitan District, this is where you go. The venue's own page is at /courts/dolphin-house and the district page at /districts/dublin.
The District Court handled 27,429 domestic violence applications in the State in 2025 (Courts Service Annual Report 2025), and the Dublin Metropolitan District is the largest single share of them. Family law business sits at Dolphin House daily, and the vacation sittings notice lists Court 41 there for family law on vacation days. Child care business for Dublin (applications by Tusla) sits at Court 44, Chancery Street, not at Dolphin House.
Nothing on this page is about any case. Family law is heard in camera, and this site explains the procedure only.
The applications made there
The District Court's family law jurisdiction covers four things, and all four are applied for at the Dolphin House office.
| Application | Act | What the court can order |
|---|---|---|
| Safety order | Domestic Violence Act 2018 | Up to 5 years in the District Court |
| Protection order | Domestic Violence Act 2018 | Interim, without notice, until the hearing |
| Barring order | Domestic Violence Act 2018 | Up to 3 years |
| Interim or emergency barring order | Domestic Violence Act 2018 | Without notice, up to 8 working days |
| Maintenance | Family Law (Maintenance of Spouses and Children) Act 1976 | Up to €500 a week for a spouse or civil partner, €150 a week per child, lump sums to €15,000 |
| Guardianship, custody, access | Guardianship of Infants Act 1964 as amended by the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015 | Guardianship, custody and access orders, variation and enforcement |
Breach of a domestic violence order is an offence with a Class B fine (up to €4,000) and/or 12 months. The safety, protection and barring orders guide explains which order fits which situation, and the hearing guide what the day itself is like. Maintenance has no formula; the maintenance guide covers what the judge weighs.
Divorce, judicial separation and the division of property are Circuit Court matters and are not heard at Dolphin House. DivorceWise covers that side.
The office
| Detail | Dublin District Family Law Office, Dolphin House |
|---|---|
| Address | 45-47 East Essex St, Dublin 2 |
| Eircode | D02 RR76 |
| Phone | 01 888 6355 |
| districtfamilylaw@courts.ie | |
| Hours | Mon to Fri 09:30 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 16:00 |
| Courts Service page | https://www.courts.ie/offices/dublin-district-family-law-office |
The office is where every application starts. The staff issue the forms, check them, fix the date, and arrange service on the other party. They cannot give legal advice, but they will tell you which form you need and what to bring. Most family applications are free of court fees; a family appeal to the Circuit Court is €25.
In camera: what that means for you
Family law is heard in private. The courtroom is cleared of everyone but the parties, their solicitors or barristers, and anyone the judge permits, such as a support worker. The press may attend under the reporting rules but cannot identify anyone. You cannot bring a friend into the courtroom without the judge's leave, though a friend or support worker can wait with you outside.
Because the hearing is private, there are no public lists of names. District Court daily lists are not online in any event, and the family list at Dolphin House is held at the office. The Courts Service's news page carries notices if a venue's lists are adjourned or cancelled, and the updates page notes those that affect the District Court.
The forms since June 2025
The District Court (Domestic Violence) Rules 2025, the Guardianship of Children Rules 2025 and the Maintenance Rules 2025, all from 28 May 2025, replaced the old family law forms. For domestic violence the 37 forms became 7 from June 2025, and the application form now carries the information the judge needs in one place. The forms are on the Courts Service forms page, and the office at Dolphin House has them printed.
For a domestic violence application you fill in the form at the office, swear or affirm it before a court clerk, and the office fixes a date and arranges for the Garda to serve the summons on the respondent. For a protection order the application is heard the same day without notice; for an emergency barring order likewise. For maintenance and for guardianship, custody or access, the application is lodged with the office, a date is fixed and the other party is served; mediation is encouraged first for custody and access.
Bring identification, the respondent's address, any relevant Garda PULSE reference, medical or other evidence of what has happened, and for maintenance your payslips, social welfare statements and a list of outgoings. The court date tool can help you keep the dates in order.
The waits
The Courts Service Annual Report 2025 recorded the wait for a contested domestic violence hearing at about 11 weeks in Dublin, the shortest in the State; the longest was 36 weeks at Naas. A protection order can be made the same day and lasts until the full hearing, so the wait is for the longer order, not for protection. Adjournments are at the judge's discretion and happen where service has not been completed or a party asks for time.
Support in and around the building
Nobody has to do this alone. The services below offer court accompaniment and advice before, during and after a Dolphin House date; ring before your date to arrange it.
- Women's Aid, 1800 341 900, 24 hours; ask about court accompaniment to Dolphin House.
- Men's Aid, 01 554 3811.
- Safe Ireland's member services across the State, with a guide to going to court for a domestic violence order.
- The support page on this site lists the helplines, including the Samaritans.
If you are in immediate danger, ring 999 or 112. The Garda can arrest for breach of an existing order and investigate an offence; the order itself comes from the court, and the next sitting at Dolphin House is the route to it.
Civil legal aid from the Legal Aid Board, with a means test and a contribution, covers District Court family law. The Board has its own eligibility calculator, and FLAC runs free legal advice clinics.
Getting there
Dolphin House is on East Essex Street between Temple Bar and the quays, a short walk from Dame Street and the Luas Green Line stops at Trinity and Westmoreland. The Courts Service page does not list parking; most people come by bus, Luas or on foot. If you need an interpreter, Irish Sign Language or help with access, the office arranges it on request; tell the staff when you apply.
Arrive before the time on your summons or application, go to the office if you have not been given a courtroom, and wait to be called. Address the judge as "Judge" and stand when you speak. There is no dress code.
The Family Courts Act 2024
The Family Courts Act 2024, signed on 13 November 2024, creates a Family District Court with its own judges. The implementation plan of 22 April 2026 starts Phase 1 in January 2027 in three locations the Department has not yet named. Nothing changes at Dolphin House in 2026: the applications, the office and the forms are as described here. The changes page tracks the commencement.
Where this leaves you
If your matter is in the Dublin Metropolitan District, Dolphin House is the venue and its office is the place to start. Use Find a court to confirm the office for your address and to find the equivalent family law office outside Dublin. If you cannot afford a solicitor, the Legal Aid Board's civil legal aid covers these applications; if you want to engage one privately, the solicitor page explains how. The support page has the helplines, and the exit button on this page leaves the site at once.
Frequently asked questions
What is Dolphin House court?
Dolphin House at 45-47 East Essex Street, Dublin 2, is where the Dublin District Court hears family law: domestic violence orders, maintenance, guardianship, custody and access. The Dublin District Family Law Office is in the same building and is where applications are made. The courts sit in private.
Can I get a protection order the same day at Dolphin House?
An application for a protection order is made at the family law office and heard without notice to the other person, usually the same day, where the judge is satisfied there is an immediate risk. It lasts until the safety or barring order application is heard. Emergency barring orders can run for up to eight working days.
Do I need a solicitor at Dolphin House?
No. Most domestic violence applications are made by the person themselves at the office with the staff's help on the forms. Civil legal aid from the Legal Aid Board, with a means test and a contribution, covers District Court family law, and the office can tell you where the nearest law centre is.
Is Dolphin House open to the public?
The office is open to the public Monday to Friday 09:30 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 16:00. The courtrooms are not: family law is heard in camera, so only the parties, their lawyers and the people the judge allows are present, and nothing from a case may be reported.
How long is the wait for a safety order in Dublin?
The Courts Service Annual Report 2025 put the wait for a contested domestic violence hearing at about 11 weeks in Dublin, the shortest in the State, against 36 weeks at the longest venue. A protection order can be in place in the meantime.
Where do I go for a divorce in Dublin?
Not Dolphin House. Divorce and judicial separation are Circuit Court matters, dealt with at the Dublin Circuit Family Court. Dolphin House handles the District Court's family list: domestic violence, maintenance, guardianship, custody and access.
On the sister sites
Separation and divorce: the Circuit Court side of family law · DivorceWise