Edmund Honohan (born April 1952) is an Irish barrister who was the

Master Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...

of the High Court from 2001 to 2022.

Early life

Honohan is from

Glasnevin Glasnevin (, also known as ''Glas Naedhe'', meaning "stream of O'Naeidhe" after a local stream and an ancient chieftain) is a neighbourhood of Dublin, Ireland, situated on the River Tolka. While primarily residential, Glasnevin is also home t ...

and is the brother of

Patrick Honohan Patrick Honohan (born 9 October 1949) is an Irish economist and public servant who served as the Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland from 2009 to 2015 (and as such was a member of the Governing Council of the European Central Bank). He has ...

. He was called to the Bar in 1975 and became a senior counsel in 1995. He was involved with

Fianna Fáil Fianna Fáil (, ; meaning 'Soldiers of Destiny' or 'Warriors of Fál'), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party ( ga, audio=ga-Fianna Fáil.ogg, Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach), is a conservative and Christian- ...

early in his career, where he assisted with the writing of the party's manifesto for the 1977 general election.

Bertie Ahern Bartholomew Patrick "Bertie" Ahern (born 12 September 1951) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach from 1997 to 2008, Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1994 to 2008, Leader of the Opposition from 1994 to 1997, Tánaiste a ...

was selected ahead of him to contest the 1977 election in Dublin Finglas. He advised the Minister for Economic Planning and Development Martin O'Donoghue between 1977 and 1979. He acted in cases involving company law, judicial review, chancery, employment law and personal injuries.

Master of the High Court

He was interviewed for the position of

of the High Court in 2001 and was appointed in May 2001. He succeeded Harry Hill. He unsuccessfully asked to be nominated to the

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in 2008 and the

Supreme Court of Ireland , image = Coat of arms of Ireland.svg , imagesize = 120px , alt = , caption = Coat of Arms of Ireland , image2 = Four Courts, Dublin 2014-09-13.jpg , imagesize2 = , alt2 ...

in 2014. He criticised the regulation of solicitors in 2005. In 2018, he used a hammer to a break a window in the

Four Courts The Four Courts ( ga, Na Ceithre Cúirteanna) is Ireland's most prominent courts building, located on Inns Quay in Dublin. The Four Courts is the principal seat of the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal, the High Court and the Dublin Circuit ...

due to his concerns over the ventilation in the Master's Court. He retired in April 2022.

Debt cases

Since the

post-2008 Irish economic downturn The post-2008 Irish economic downturn in the Republic of Ireland, coincided with a series of banking scandals, followed the 1990s and 2000s Celtic Tiger period of rapid real economic growth fuelled by foreign direct investment, a subsequent pr ...

, much of his case load has involved debt enforcement and repossession cases, often dealing with up to 200 cases a week. According to the ''

Business Post The ''Business Post'' (formerly ''The Sunday Business Post'') is a Sunday newspaper distributed nationally in Ireland and an online publication. It is focused mainly on business and financial issues in Ireland. Founding to Irish financial crisi ...

'', he has been considered a "debtors' champion". The President of the High Court Peter Kelly transferred the hearing of motions to seek final judgment in debt enforcement proceedings from the Master to judges of the High Court in January 2019. The High Court granted an injunction in 2014 restraining him from acting upon a referral he made to the

Director of Public Prosecutions The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is the office or official charged with the prosecution of criminal offences in several criminal jurisdictions around the world. The title is used mainly in jurisdictions that are or have been members o ...

regarding alleged perjury by

Allied Irish Banks Allied Irish Banks, p.l.c. is one of the so-called Big Four commercial banks in Ireland. AIB offers a full range of personal, business and corporate banking services. The bank also offers a range of general insurance products such as home, trav ...

in a debt recovery case.

Iseult O'Malley Iseult Pauline Mary O'Malley (born 30 June 1964) is an Irish judge who has served as a Judge of the Supreme Court of Ireland since October 2015. She previously served as a Judge of the High Court from 2012 to 2015. Early life O'Malley was born ...

later held in 2015 that he had no power to make such a referral and quashed his order to strike out the action. In 2018, Honohan drafted the National Housing Co-Operative and Fair Mortgage Bill, which he provided to Fianna Fáil. It sought to stop the eviction of homeowners in arrears until the house was sold and to provide for co-operatives to purchase such houses.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Honohan, Edmund Living people Alumni of King's Inns Irish barristers Masters of the High Court (Ireland) 1952 births