Interpreters, disability access and children in the District Court

A courtroom assumes that everyone in it can hear, see, stand, follow English spoken fast and sit still for hours. When that is not true for you or for someone coming with you, the court can change how it works, and the change is usually a phone call away. This guide covers interpreters, Irish Sign Language, disability access arranged by the court office, bringing children, and the measures for vulnerable witnesses.

Interpreters

If you do not understand or speak English well enough to follow what is happening, the court provides an interpreter. In criminal cases the Courts Service engages the interpreter and pays for it; there is no cost to you and no means test. The interpreter sits beside you, interprets what the judge, the garda and the witnesses say, and interprets your answers. Everything you say to the interpreter in court is said to the court.

How to ask

Tell the court office before the date, giving your language and, where it matters, the dialect. The court finder gives the office number for your venue. If you did not know to ask in advance, say so when your case is called: "I need an interpreter, Judge" in whatever English you have, or have a friend say it. The judge puts the case back, that day or to another date, until an interpreter is present. A case does not go ahead against a person who cannot follow it.

If you have a solicitor, they arrange it. If you were given an interpreter at the Garda station, that does not carry over to the court; ask again.

What to expect

Interpretation slows everything. Speak in short sentences, pause for the interpreter, and say if you did not understand something interpreted to you. The interpreter is independent and does not advise you, explain the law or add to what you said. If you believe the interpretation is wrong, tell the judge; a different interpreter can be arranged. A friend or family member can sit with you for support but is not normally allowed to interpret in a criminal case, because the court needs an interpreter who is independent and competent.

A language barrier is one of the exceptional circumstances the judge can take into account when deciding legal aid under the 1962 Act. If you are applying, say that you needed an interpreter; criminal legal aid: who qualifies and how to apply covers the tests.

Irish Sign Language

The Irish Sign Language Act 2017 recognises ISL (glossary) and gives a person the right to use it in court, with the court providing an interpreter. Ask the court office in advance so that a qualified ISL interpreter can be booked; they are fewer than spoken-language interpreters and a short-notice request can mean an adjournment. A deaf person who uses a different sign language, or who lip-reads and needs a speech-to-text reporter, should say so, and the office arranges what is needed. Hearing loops are installed in many courtrooms; ask whether yours has one.

Disability access

The court office arranges access, and it is used to the request. Ring before the date and say what you need. The common arrangements are:

Older courthouses are the difficult ones, and the Courts Service has adapted many; where a building cannot accommodate you the case can be listed elsewhere in the district. Whatever is arranged, the registrar tells the judge, so you do not need to explain it again in open court unless you want to.

If an assistance dog accompanies you, it is allowed in the courtroom. Tell the office so that nobody questions it at the door.

Bringing children

There is no rule against bringing a child to a public criminal or civil sitting. The practical difficulty is that a District Court day is a long wait in a room where people are being sentenced and where language from the witness box can be rough. Registrars and judges prefer not to have small children in a criminal court and, if you have no choice, tell the registrar when you arrive: the case is often called sooner. Bring someone who can take the child out while your case is on. Buggies can usually be left outside the courtroom.

Family law sittings are in private. Only the parties, their lawyers and the people the judge allows may be present, and children are not brought into a domestic violence, maintenance or access hearing unless the judge has arranged to hear the child's views, which is done separately. The Children Court, for a person under 18 who is charged, is the District Court sitting in private under the Children Act 2001; a parent or guardian must attend and the child's identity is protected. Those guides are in chapters 9 and 12.

A child or a vulnerable person as a witness

A witness under 18, or a witness whom the court considers vulnerable because of age, disability, health or the nature of the offence, can give evidence in ways that reduce the strain: by live video link from another room in the building, from behind a screen so that the witness cannot see the accused, or through an intermediary who puts the questions in a way the witness can understand. Many District Court venues are equipped for video link; the Courts Service reported 173 technology-enabled courtrooms in 2025.

The Criminal Justice (Victims of Crime) Act 2017 gives a victim of crime the right to ask for these measures and requires the court to consider the victim's needs. The judge decides on application, which is usually made before the hearing date so that the room can be arranged. An accused person who needs a measure for their own evidence, for example a person with a learning disability, can ask too; the judge's duty to make sure the hearing is fair covers how the accused gives evidence as well as how witnesses do. Representing yourself in the District Court explains that duty.

Supporters in court

Anyone can sit in the public seats of a criminal or civil court. A person who is anxious, young or unwell can have a supporter beside them in the body of the court, and a McKenzie friend can sit with a person representing themselves to take notes. For a domestic violence applicant, support services often accompany the applicant to court and the family law offices in the larger venues have rooms for them; the support page lists the services.

On the day

Arrive early, find the office or the registrar, and say what has been arranged, because the person who took the call may not be the person on duty. If an interpreter has not arrived, say so when the case is called rather than trying to manage without one. If an arrangement was not made, ask for it anyway; the judge can adjourn to another date or another room. What happens in the District Court walks through the day, and what to wear and how to address the judge covers the rest of the morning.

Where this leaves you

Ring the court office before the date with what you need: a language, a sign language, step-free access, a seat, a break, a video link. The court day checklist adds the request and the arrangements to your list for the day. If you may qualify for legal aid, ask the judge for it at your first appearance; the legal aid page explains the tests, and a language barrier or a vulnerability counts. If you want a solicitor to make the arrangements for you, the solicitor page explains how the enquiry works.