In this episode of Lines of Enquiry: Case Notes, renowned courtroom artist Mike O’Donnell takes us inside the hidden world of Ireland’s criminal courts as seen from his sketchpad. In his day to day, Mike sits just feet away from judges, juries, gardaí, families and some of the country’s most high profile defendants, capturing not only the people in the dock but the tension, emotion and fragile humanity of the courtroom itself.

He explains how he became Ireland’s first full time professional courtroom artist, and how his process has developed over the years, moving to ink and learning what exactly to look for when trying to distill an entire trial into a single image.

Mike reflects on what it is like to sit behind some of Ireland’s most notorious figures and study them at close range, from a Bible waving Enoch Burke to Conor McGregor losing his temper, and even having tart and tea with Gerry Hutch as he draws him in his home. He shares what years of observing faces in murder trials, gangland prosecutions and other high stakes cases have taught him about the best and worst of human nature.