Declan Costello

Declan Costello
President of the High Court
In office
1 August 1995 – 12 October 1998
Nominated byGovernment of Ireland
Appointed byMary Robinson
Preceded byHarry Whelehan
Succeeded byFrederick Morris
Judge of the High Court
In office
1 June 1977 – 3 September 1998
Nominated byGovernment of Ireland
Appointed byPatrick Hillery
16th Attorney General of Ireland
In office
15 March 1973 – 19 May 1977
TaoiseachLiam Cosgrave
Preceded byColm Condon
Succeeded byJohn M. Kelly
Teachta Dála
In office
February 1973 – May 1977
ConstituencyDublin South-West
In office
May 1951 – June 1969
ConstituencyDublin North-West
Personal details
Born
David Declan Costello

(1926-08-01)1 August 1926
Ballsbridge, Dublin, Ireland
Died6 June 2011(2011-06-06) (aged 84)
Beaumont Medical Clinic, Dublin, Ireland
Resting placeShanganagh Cemetery, Shankill, Dublin, Ireland
Political partyFine Gael
Spouse
Joan Fitzsimons
(m. 1954)
Children6, including Caroline
Parents
Education
  • Sacred Heart convent school
  • St Xavier's School
Alma mater

Declan Costello (1 August 1926 – 6 June 2011) was an Irish judge, barrister and Fine Gael politician who served as President of the High Court from 1995 to 1998, a Judge of the High Court from 1977 to 1998 and Attorney General of Ireland from 1973 to 1977. He also served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin North-West constituency from 1951 to 1969 and for the Dublin South-West constituency from 1973 to 1977.[1]

The formulator of the Towards a Just Society policy document, Costello was credited with shifting Fine Gael towards the left,[2] a move which made the party a more attractive coalition partner for the Labour Party.[2] Costello's ideals were later viewed as having been taken up by Garret FitzGerald, who became leader of Fine Gael and was twice Taoiseach.[3] As Attorney General, Costello created the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Law Reform Commission, and for this Costello has been called the "most consequential attorney general in the state's history".[4]

  1. ^ "Declan Costello". Oireachtas Members Database. 16 March 1977. Archived from the original on 8 November 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Titans was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Kelly, Fiach (7 June 2011). "Fine Gael reformer Declan Costello dies at 84". Irish Independent. Retrieved 7 January 2022. Garret FitzGerald made the 'Just Society' document mainstream party policy when he assumed the Fine Gael leadership from 1977
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference DIB was invoked but never defined (see the help page).