Can anyone advise re.finding out if an elderly deceased relative has made a will?

[Florenceinatemple]

I would be so appreciative of any advice as we have a rather unusual situation here.We are in the republic of Ireland and received word from the Irish police on friday last that an elderly uncle,86,has passed away.
Now,there is no family whatsoever in the UK.This man was not at all close to his family and never came home to Ireland.No falling out or anything but just kept himself to himself.
He was a barrister and was only really close to a retired couple next door to him.
We have spoken to these and they have kindly checked the house and there seems to be no will.This mans accountant has also been contacted but he too was unaware of any will/funeral plan etc.
Tomorrow we will contact the legal firm where this man used to work and also the solicitor with whom he purchased his house years ago.
If we find nothing what next?Can we contact his bank and ask them to check for us or will they need proof that we are who we say we are etc over the phone/
He has two elderly siblings here in Ireland and 9 nephews and nieces and we need to establish if he wanted to be repatrioted back here or what?
At what point can we say we are satisfied that there is no will .Where else can we try/

Sorry,obviously this man has lived in the UK for most of his life and has died there.

This is a very common problem and one which I see all the time. If the house has been checked and there is no sign of a will then you could try these people:
www.certainty.co.uk/findawill/home/index.ashx?gclid=CI-88_rfr7wCFcuWtAoddD4ARg
For a fee they will contact firms of solicitors close to where your uncle lived and worked and see if they hold a will for him.
You could also try his bank who may hold a copy of his will especially if they are appointed as executors.
The probate registry in England sometimes has wills lodged with them so you could also contact them.
Another alternative would be to contact a firm of solicitors local to where he lived and worked and ask them to undertake a wills search on your behalf which would generally encompass all of the above.
You will need a copy of his death certificate. If there is a will then it will only be released to the executors named therein.
Hope this helps.

If he is resident in England or Wales he might have lodged his will with the wills and probate service?

Try there.

Thanks to both of you for that.I will look in to those suggestions.

For £5 you can ask for a will search at the probate registry providing you know the approximate date of death.

If there's a will, you will get a copy of the will and, from memory, a copy of the grant of probate. If he was a barrister, I would think it unlikely he didn't have a will, unless it was one of those things he was always going to do 'next month'.

Please don't spend loads of money asking a firm to do it for you.

Sorry, there won't be any probate yet I misread the post.