Margaret Heneghan (born 1959) is a retired Irish judge who served as a Judge of the High Court from 2015 to 2017 and a Judge of the Circuit Court from 2010 to 2015.

Margaret Heneghan
Judge of the High Court
In office
10 February 2015 – 2 October 2017
Nominated byGovernment of Ireland
Appointed byMichael D. Higgins
Judge of the Circuit Court
In office
22 January 2010 – 10 February 2015
Nominated byGovernment of Ireland
Appointed byMary McAleese
Personal details
Born1959 (age 64–65)
NationalityIrish
SpouseAustin Power
EducationGortnor Abbey
Alma mater

Early and personal life

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Heneghan was born in 1959. She attended the Gortnor Abbey school in County Mayo and was educated at the King's Inns.[1][2] She is married to businessman Austin Power.[3]

She was a founding member of the Mayo Association of Dublin.[4]

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She qualified as a barrister in 1993 and became a senior counsel in 2009.[5][2] She acted in cases involving family law, personal injuries and repossessions.[6][7][8] In 1997, she acted in repossession proceedings against Adele King.[9]

She was appointed to the panel of the Commission for Communications Regulation in 2004.[10] She served on the Legal Aid Board between 2009 and 2010.[5]

Judicial career

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Circuit Court

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Heneghan was appointed to the Circuit Court in January 2010.[2] In April 2011, she was assigned to the Dublin circuit where she primarily presided over criminal trials.[5][6] She also sat on three judge panels of the Special Criminal Court, including the trial of John Dundon for the murder of Shane Geoghegan.[11]

In 2011, she presided over a defamation case taken by Michael Lowry against journalist Sam Smyth.[12]

High Court

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She moved from the Circuit Court to the High Court in February 2015.[13] She continued to hear criminal trials, including cases involving murder and sexual offences.[14][15]

She retired early as judge, two years after being appointed to the High Court.[6][3] Her final day as a judge was in October 2017.[5]

References

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  1. ^ "The Chief cries foul". www.mayonews.ie. Archived from the original on 10 May 2013. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "Celebrations Reynolds's girl joins circuit court". Irish Independent. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  3. ^ a b Murray, Sean. "High Court judge steps down after just two years in the job". TheJournal.ie. Archived from the original on 7 December 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  4. ^ "Annual Business Lunch 2017". Mayo Association of Dublin. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d "Mrs Justice Heneghan retires from High Court". www.lawsociety.ie. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  6. ^ a b c Gallagher, Conor. "High Court judge resigns unexpectedly after only two years". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  7. ^ "Woman trapped in train for 2S hours gets €14,500". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  8. ^ "Fanning home repossession case adjourned indefinitely". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  9. ^ "Loan arrears case involving Twink settled". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  10. ^ Smyth, Jamie. "New appeals panel will oversee decisions made by ComReg". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  11. ^ "Dundon for June murder trial". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 22 May 2013. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  12. ^ Keena, Colm. "Lowry fails to secure summary ruling in Smyth defamation case". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 28 February 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  13. ^ "Annual Report 2015" (PDF). JAAB. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  14. ^ "Man died of blunt force trauma before being set on fire, court told". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 26 December 2015. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  15. ^ "Jury discharged in trial of men charged with rape". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 3 January 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2021.