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A modest man, thanking everyone for their kind words Mr Meaney said he agreed with the words of Roy Keane when he said ‘you don't congratulate the postman for delivering the letters.’ He said he didn’t need thanks for doing his job and the last 42 years had gone by quickly. He said he was lucky to have a job he enjoyed for 42 years and he had a special word of thanks for his wife Miriam, their two children, Maeve and Kevin, and four grandchildren. He had been lucky with work with his wife, Miriam, Mr Meaney said. Reflecting on his ‘great career’ Mr Meaney thanked the Kilkenny court staff who ‘from day one have been fantastic, so helpful’.He said the same of the gardaí, who he enjoyed dealing with, and the judiciary. Everyone he worked with ‘couldn't have been nicer’.
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District Court Judge Geraldine Carthy described Mr Meaney as “a colleague, a mentor and one of the finest solicitors to serve in the role he holds.” Tributes also came from His Honour Judge Cormac Quinn, Colman Cody SC, solicitor Michael Lanigan, Padraig Mawe of the state solicitor’s office, Stephanie O’Brien from the office of the DPP, Garda Superintendent Seán O’Meara. All highlighted the excellence of his legal work, his friendliness and easy company and that he never lost sight of the importance of human decency in his work. Judge Sinead McMullen, who presided over the most recent sessions of Kilkenny Circuit Court, said it was evident during that time that Mr Meaney was well liked by his colleagues and she wished him a happy retirement, before handing over MC duties to Kilkenny’s resident district court judge, Geraldine Carthy. Behind every good man is a good woman, Judge Carthy said, and for Mr Meaney that is his wife Miriam who worked alongside him and contributed to his enormous body of work. It was a ‘team effort’ in the office as well as at home, the judge said of the couple.
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Outside of the law, Mr Meaney pursued the hobbies of a ‘provincial solicitor’ with an interest in greyhound and horse racing. He was not only a spectator, having been the owner of a greyhound that won the Irish Derby and competed in the English Derby. In his ‘extraordinary’ 42-year career, Judge Carthy said Mr Meany had set the standard high from day one. At Blackhall Place he won a medal for his legal excellence and, as his career progressed, his attention to detail became something of legend. Legal files were not just prepared but were excellent and his books of evidence could withstand the closest scrutiny.Along with being a great colleague and great solicitor, with a phenomenal ability for work, Mr Meaney is a man of sharp wit and a sense of humour, Judge Carthy said. He brought a level of care and precision to his work most could only admire and he developed a keen ability to identify nonsense.
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Mr Meaney’s work has set a benchmark and his presence in the local court system will be missed, Judge Carthy said. Judge Cormac Quinn, who joined in the tributes remotely from his Wexford court office, said Mr Meaney held a very important job and he epitomised what a state solicitor should be. Every trial he presented before the court was ready to proceed and everything that should be done was done. He knew every case on a list and knew everything about the cases, Judge Quinn said of his court experience with Mr Meaney, adding “all cases were handled with the greatest humility and empathy.”