Mary Irvine facts for kids

Mary Irvine is a well-known retired Irish judge. She was born on December 10, 1956. A judge is a public official who listens to and decides cases in a court of law.

Mary Irvine held many important positions in the Irish legal system. She was the President of the High Court from 2020 to 2022. Before that, she served as a judge in the High Court, the Supreme Court, and the Court of Appeal. She was the first woman to become President of the High Court. She also holds a special record as the first judge to have worked in four different judicial offices.

Early Life and Education

Mary Irvine was born in 1956 in Clontarf, Dublin. Her parents were John and Cecily Irvine. Her father was a deputy director at RTÉ, which is Ireland's national broadcaster.

She went to Mount Anville Secondary School for her education. Later, she studied at University College Dublin and the King's Inns. The King's Inns is a special place where lawyers in Ireland are trained. Mary was also a talented international golf player. She won the Irish Girls Close Championship in 1975.

Mary Irvine's Legal Career

Mary Irvine started her legal journey in 1978 when she became a barrister. A barrister is a type of lawyer who represents people in court. In 1996, she became a Senior Counsel, which means she was a very experienced and respected lawyer.

She also held important roles within the legal community. In 1992, she was the secretary of the Bar Council of Ireland, which is the main group for barristers. In 2004, she was elected a Bencher of the King's Inns. This is an honorary position given to distinguished members of the legal profession.

Mary Irvine focused on medical law. This means she handled cases related to healthcare and medical mistakes. She worked for and against health organizations in these cases. She also helped with an investigation into tax matters for the Public Accounts Committee. She worked with other future judges like Frank Clarke and Paul Gilligan. She also represented a religious group during an inquiry into child abuse. Her work also included cases about constitutional law, which deals with the basic rules of a country.

Mary Irvine's Judicial Career

Mary Irvine had a long and successful career as a judge, serving in several important courts in Ireland.

Serving in the High Court

In June 2007, Mary Irvine was appointed as a judge of the High Court. The High Court deals with serious cases and appeals. From 2009 to 2014, she was in charge of cases involving personal injuries. She also helped lead a group that looked at medical negligence cases and how payments were made over time.

Joining the Court of Appeal

When the Court of Appeal was created in October 2014, Mary Irvine was appointed as one of its first judges. This court hears appeals from lower courts. Some of her decisions in the Court of Appeal led to lower amounts of money being awarded for personal injury cases. Between 2015 and 2017, she wrote many important judgments that influenced how much compensation was given in later cases.

In 2019, she was chosen to lead a special group to handle cases related to the CervicalCheck cancer scandal. This scandal involved issues with cervical cancer screenings. However, when she became President of the High Court in 2020, she had to step down from this role.

Work at the Supreme Court

On April 4, 2019, Mary Irvine was chosen to become a judge of the Supreme Court. This is the highest court in Ireland. She was officially appointed on May 13, 2019. In the Supreme Court, she wrote decisions on many different types of law. These included planning law, intellectual property law, and cases where people asked courts to review decisions made by public bodies.

In 2019, the Chief Justice, Frank Clarke, asked Mary Irvine to lead a committee. This committee's job was to review how much money was given as compensation in personal injury cases. A government minister wrote to her, suggesting that these awards should be "recalibrated" or changed. Mary Irvine replied that her committee's job was not to favor any specific group. Instead, their goal was to be fair and impartial.

Leading the High Court

On June 12, 2020, it was announced that Mary Irvine would become the President of the High Court. She took over from Peter Kelly. A special group reviewed candidates for this important job. The President of the Law Society of Ireland praised her appointment, calling her an "outstandingly able judge." She made history as the first woman to hold this position. Because she had already been a judge in three other courts, her appointment made her the first person to have held four different judicial roles. She was officially appointed on June 18, 2020.

She became president during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland. She gave advice to lawyers to try and settle personal injury cases outside of court. This helped reduce the number of cases waiting to be heard. In July 2020, she also directed that people should wear face coverings in High Court hearings. She even reminded lawyers in October 2020 to wear their masks in the Four Courts, which is a main court building.

In her first week as president, she oversaw an important case. Several members of the Seanad Éireann (the Irish Senate) wanted the Seanad to meet even though some members had not yet been appointed. The court decided against them. In 2021, she also presided over another Seanad voting rights case. In this case, someone argued that more people should be allowed to vote for the Seanad. The court again found against the person making the argument. She continued to sit in the Supreme Court even after becoming President of the High Court.

In April 2022, Mary Irvine announced that she planned to retire in July 2022. She retired on July 13, 2022. David Barniville took over her role as President of the High Court.

Personal Life

Mary Irvine was married to retired judge Michael Moriarty. They have three children together. Her son, Mark Moriarty, sadly passed away in August 2022.