Sean Ryan (judge)

Sean Ryan
President of the Court of Appeal
In office
28 October 2014 – 29 March 2018
Nominated byGovernment of Ireland
Appointed byMichael D. Higgins
Preceded byNew office
Succeeded byGeorge Birmingham
Judge of the Court of Appeal
In office
28 October 2014 – 29 March 2018
Nominated byGovernment of Ireland
Appointed byMichael D. Higgins
Judge of the High Court
In office
10 December 2003 – 28 October 2014
Nominated byGovernment of Ireland
Appointed byMary McAleese
Personal details
Born (1948-03-27) 27 March 1948 (age 76)
Dublin, Ireland
Spouse
Ruth Ryan
​
(m. 1980)​
Children3
Alma mater

Sean Ryan (born 27 March 1948)[1] is a retired Irish judge who served as president of the Court of Appeal and a judge of the Court of Appeal from 2014 to 2018, and a judge of the High Court from 2003 to 2014.[2]

As a barrister, he was senior counsel to the inquiry into abuse in the Catholic diocese of Ferns (the Ferns Report),[3] and was chairman of the Compensation Advisory Committee that prepared guidelines on compensation to be paid to abuse survivors at the Residential Institutions Redress Board.[4]

In September 2003, Ryan was selected to head the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse following the controversial resignation of the previous chair, Judge Mary Laffoy,[5] who claimed her work had been systematically obstructed by the Department of Education.[4] The government appointed him a High Court judge, without seeking a recommendation from the Judicial Appointments Advisory Board,[6] "to guarantee that the integrity and independence of the chairperson will be maintained."[3]

Ryan published the commission's public report on 20 May 2009 and it was immediately hailed as "a work of incalculable value to this country"[7] and praised for its "meticulous gathering of evidence",[8] though "Justice has not been done as many of the abusers will never face the rigours of the law."[9]

In 2014, he was named by the Government as the president designate of the newly established Court of Appeal.[10] He was nominated as president of the court by the Government on 29 October 2014[11] and appointed by the President of Ireland on the same day.[12]

He retired from the bench in March 2018 given the statutory requirement.

  1. ^ Coulter, Carol (21 May 2009). "Ryan was well received as chair". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  2. ^ "Retirement of Ryan report judge an 'enormous loss'". Dublin: The Irish Times. 23 March 2018. Archived from the original on 23 June 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  3. ^ a b "One in Four welcomes Ryan's appointment". RTÉ. 26 September 2003. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 19 June 2009.
  4. ^ a b "Laffoy inquiry faces threat of second collapse". The Sunday Business Post. 19 October 2003. Retrieved 19 June 2009.[permanent dead link‍]
  5. ^ "Laffoy quits Child Abuse Commission". RTÉ. 2 September 2003. Archived from the original on 23 February 2011. Retrieved 19 June 2009.
  6. ^ "Judicial Appointments Advisory Board: Annual Report 2003" (PDF). Irish Courts Service. p. 13. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 November 2007. Retrieved 19 June 2009.
  7. ^ "Report a monument to a society's shame". Irish Times. 21 May 2009. Archived from the original on 28 November 2010. Retrieved 19 June 2009.
  8. ^ Bunting, Madeleine (21 May 2009). "An abuse too far by the Catholic church". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 1 December 2016. Retrieved 19 June 2009.
  9. ^ "Child abuse scandal was Ireland's nightmare from hell". The Belfast Telegraph. 23 May 2009. Archived from the original on 9 December 2012. Retrieved 19 June 2009.
  10. ^ Announcement of six Judges Designate of the Court of Appeal. merrionstreet.ie (23 July 2014)
  11. ^ "Appointments to the Court of Appeal". MerrionStreet.ie. 29 October 2014. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  12. ^ "President appoints Appeal Court Judges". Áras an Uachtaráin. 28 October 2014. Archived from the original on 29 October 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)