Retirement of Mr Justice George Birmingham

On 3 August, Mr Justice George Birmingham officially retired as President of the Court of Appeal and as an ex officio judge of the Supreme Court. Mr Justice Birmingham had served as President since 2018, when he succeeded Mr Justice Seán Ryan and became the second judge to hold that position. Before that, Mr Justice Birmingham had served as a judge of the Court of Appeal (2014-2024) where he took charge of the criminal division, and as a judge of the High Court (2007-2014) where he sat across almost all lists and had charge of the Minors’ List.

On 26 July, Mr Justice Birmingham sat for the final time in Court 1 of the Court of Appeal building. Paying tribute to Mr Justice Birmingham, the Chief Justice remarked that:

“As a judge of the Court of Appeal and as President of the Court of Appeal, his output has been nothing short of phenomenal. In his judgments, he has an enviable capacity to marshal the facts, to simplify the issues and to make them easily understood to any reader... His experience in politics, his interest and empathy for people, has helped him to manage a courtroom and also, as President, to manage the talented individuals in the Court of Appeal.

During his career as a judge, and most recently as President of the Court of Appeal, [Mr Justice Birmingham] has done more than most to keep the country in good heart, the community ordered with justice and mercy. He has made sacrifices, has shown courage and, particularly, loyalty to the courts system, to his many colleagues and, most of all, to the administration of justice in Ireland.  He deserves our good wishes today, but, more than that, our gratitude.”

Tributes were also paid to Mr Justice Birmingham by Rossa Fanning SC, Attorney General; Sara Phelan SC, Chair of the Council of The Bar of Ireland; Barry MacCarthy, President of the Law Society; Catherine Pierse, Director of Public Prosecutions; Angela Denning, CEO of the Courts Service; Kevin O’Neill, Secretary to the Judicial Council; Angela Willis, Assistant Garda Commissioner; and Owen Duffy, Court of Appeal Registrar.