THERE was spontaneous applause and cheers of delight in the usually staid surroundings of Belfast's Nisi Prius court on Friday, as a beaming Lord Chief Justice declared: "You have no idea what a relief that was."
Sir Declan Morgan had just made history by swearing in Denise McBride QC and Siobhan Keegan QC as Northern Ireland's first female high court judges.
No women had previously held the position since the north's High Court was established in 1921.
Unprecedented numbers of barristers and judges had crammed into the wood panelled courtroom in the Royal Courts of Justice which is more usually reserved for the hearing of civil cases before a judge and jury.
Even the gallery above was reduced to standing room only, with prominent lawyers half hanging over the balcony rail to witness the landmark moment from their birds-eye perch above the glass and metal chandeliers.
Attorney General John Larkin had downed tools to sit with senior counsel and judges - unrecognisable in sombre suits instead of wigs and gowns - in the front benches where he is more used to presenting technical evidence in judicial review cases, while Presiding District Judge Fiona Bagnall had to find a seat in the jury box.
Among those present was one of Sir Declan's predecessors Lord Carswell.
Scattered among the lawyers' dark suits were splashes of colour and even a jewelled fascinator or two worn by the proud family and friends of `their Ladyships'.
Family members - including young children - watched with barely suppressed excitement as the north's most senior judge oversaw the swearing in of the first women ever to sit on the jurisdiction's top benches, while one lawyer was even seen broadcasting the moment via the social media app Periscope.
As the ornate clock on the wall ticked to 10.30am, a clerk commanded those assembled to `all rise' as the three strode smiling into court, clad in scarlet robes trimmed with snow white ermine.
Sir Declan broke the tension with a joke to signal it was a day "principally to enjoy".
"I was tempted to start off proceedings by saying I feel the hand of history on my shoulder, and I'm sorry to say I wasn't able to resist the temptation," he said.
"Before anybody changes their mind we should proceed with the ceremony."
Ms McBride and Mrs Keegan each in turn vowed "do right to all manner of people without fear or favour, affection or ill will".
"This is a remarkable day, it's a day we have been waiting for for some 94 years," Sir Declan said, grinning from ear to ear as roars of approval rang around the courtroom
"The personal and professional regard in which these new judges are held is apparent by your presence here today, which in my experience is unprecedented."
Sir Declan had established a Joint Liaison Committee (JLC) to address the gender imbalance at the top of the judiciary.
He acknowledged it had been along time coming but was keen to stress that the elevation of Madam Justice McBride and Mrs Justice Keegan was due to merit as much as diversity, saying the two must "go hand in hand".
"I will continue to encourage our most talented practitioners to put themselves forward for appointment, safe in the knowledge that merit will always be the overriding consideration.
"Why would be deprive ourselves of the benefits of well-qualified and very capable women in the High Court?" he asked.
