Solicitor swaps legal profession for retirement in beautiful

EDWIN Colton is looking forward to retirement in the beautiful Italian region of Tuscany, after bringing a distinguished 40 year career in the legal profession to a close last week.

Edwin is a native of Dromore and a keen GAA enthusiast.

n his younger years, he attended Tummery Primary School and represented Dromore St Dympna’s at underage and adult level, and was also selected for the Tyrone Minor team which reached the Ulster Final in 1979.

“I was a good minor,” he said.

“You had to be big and hardy and I won four reserve championships with Dromore. I also served as chairman of the club in the early 1990s, but the role of a GAA administrator has changed beyond all recognition now.

“But the rise of Dromore during the past 20 years has brought me great satisfaction. Our facilities are currently second-to-none and a far cry from my memories of preparing for championship games in old tin huts!”

Edwin’s father, James, was the well-known principal of St John’s in Dromore.

However, as a student at St Michael’s College in Enniskillen, it was his brother, Adrian (now a High Court Judge) that inspired Edwin to pursue a career in the legal profession.

“My dad worked in education and there was particular inclination for me to do law.

“But I couldn’t decide what to do after my A-levels. My brother Adrian was already in the profession so I decided to follow in his footsteps.”

Edwin’s first job was at Murnaghan Fee in Enniskillen.

“There was an amalgamation of Shields and Murnaghan in Omagh, which meant I got the chance to experience both towns in a professional capacity for about 15 years.

“Then, in 1998, I became a partner in Murnaghan and Colton for 20 years.

“I had to cover all aspects of legal work during those years – that was the way in a country practice.

“What you learned at university meant nothing until you sat behind a desk and listened to someone coming in and talking about his cows calving or something that had happened at the mart.”

Edwin says he really enjoyed law because he met “real people with real problems.”

“That’s the big change between then and now,” he continued.

“At the present time, the law is so impersonal, and you barely see clients. It’s all emails, and the profession has changed so dramatically.”

Edwin particularly laments the changes in the courtroom as a result of the pandemic.

“Personal contact is absolutely vital and it’s largely missing now – I don’t agree with courts taking place remotely. It’s simply not the same because you can’t get the person’s attitude on screen, and there’s not the same drama as was the case in a courtroom.”

Edwin’s decision to retire has been influenced by various factors, but a cancer diagnosis in 2018 proved to be particularly life-changing.

“That was a very difficult time,” he said.

“I tried to get back to the same level, but simply wasn’t able to. There was a huge loss of confidence and self-worth, which was tough to build up again.”

However, as he prepares for a new chapter in life with his wife, Cathy, Edwin is looking forward to reaching for new horizons amidst beauty, friendliness and their simple lifestyle of the Tuscan landscape.

“The people of Tuscany are so friendly and welcoming. It’s a place very much like the Ireland of 50 or more years ago. I’m really relishing the chance to start a new life, and indulge my pleasures of reading, walking and relaxing.”