Henry Barron (25 May 1928 – 25 February 2010) was an Irish judge who served as a judge of the Supreme Court from 1997 to 2000 and a judge of the High Court from 1982 to 1997. He was known for granting Ireland's first divorce in 1997, and for his investigation into the 1974

Dublin and Monaghan bombings Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ce ...

. His report on the bombings became known as the

Barron Report Barron may refer to: Places *Barron County, Wisconsin, United States *Barron, Wisconsin, city, United States * Barron (town), Wisconsin, town, United States * Barrón, village, Spain *Barron Field, an airfield in Everman, Texas, U.S. *Barron, Q ...

, and it made a contribution towards the 2005 Commission of Investigation: Dublin and Monaghan Bombings 1974. He was president of the

Irish Jewish Museum The Irish Jewish Museum ( ga, Músaem Giúdach na hÉireann) is a small museum located in the once highly Jewish populated area of Portobello, around the South Circular Road, Dublin 8, dedicated to the history of the Irish Jewish community. The ...

Career

Barron attended Castle Park School in

Dalkey Dalkey ( ; ) is an affluent suburb of Dublin, and a seaside resort southeast of the city, and the town of Dún Laoghaire, in the county of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown in the historic County Dublin, Ireland. It was founded as a Viking settlement ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

, before progressing to Saint Columba's College, Rathfarnham. He studied at third level in

Trinity College Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...

. Upon his departure in 1950 Barron scored first class honours and was awarded a moderatorship in legal science. In 1951 he began the Bar and silk followed nineteen years later. In 1982, he was nominated by

Taoiseach The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legislature) and the o ...

Garret FitzGerald to become a judge of the High Court. He served in the High Court for fifteen years. In 1997, Taoiseach

John Bruton John Gerard Bruton (born 18 May 1947) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach from 1994 to 1997, Ambassador of the European Union to the United States from 2004 to 2009, Leader of Fine Gael from 1990 to 2001, Leader o ...

and the 24th Government of Ireland nominated Judge Barron as a judge of the Supreme Court. Upon his appointment to the court, he granted the state's first divorce. He was the first

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...

ever appointed to the Irish Supreme Court.

Retirement and Barron Report

Judge Barron retired in 2000. He was then commissioned to investigate the 1974

and Judge Liam Hamilton replaced him in the Supreme Court. He retired from the bench due to ill health. He investigated bombing incidents in

Castleblayney Castleblayney (; ) is a town in County Monaghan, Ireland. The town had a population of 3,607 as of the 2016 census. Castleblayney is near the border with County Armagh in Northern Ireland, and lies on the N2 road from Dublin to Derry and Let ...

Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ga, Dún Dealgan ), meaning "the fort of Dealgan", is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is h ...

Dublin Airport Dublin Airport (Irish: ''Aerfort Bhaile Átha Cliath'') is an international airport serving Dublin, Ireland. It is operated by DAA (formerly Dublin Airport Authority). The airport is located in Collinstown, north of Dublin, and south of ...

, the

Miami Showband murders The Miami Showband killings (also called the Miami Showband massacre) was an attack on 31 July 1975 by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), a Ulster loyalism, loyalist paramilitary group. It took place on the A1 road (Northern Ireland), A1 road a ...

and the deaths of eighteen other individuals. His report, terme
The Barron Report
and presented to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice in December 2003, was highly critical of the investigation into the bombings by both the

Fine Gael Fine Gael (, ; English: "Family (or Tribe) of the Irish") is a liberal-conservative and Christian-democratic political party in Ireland. Fine Gael is currently the third-largest party in the Republic of Ireland in terms of members of Dáil � ...

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

government and the Gardaí,Dublin and Monaghan bombings: Cover-up and incompetence, by Joe Tiernan
– '' The Village'', Wednesday, 2 May 2007 and stated they might have made a better attempt to catch those responsible. He did not lay any definitive blame on the British Government.

Death

Barron died at the age of 81 in

St. Vincent's University Hospital St. Vincent's Hospital ( ga, Ospidéal Ollscoile Naomh Uinseann) is a teaching hospital located at Elm Park, south of the city of Dublin, Ireland. It is at the junction of Merrion Road and Nutley Lane opposite the Merrion Centre, Dublin, Merrion ...

, on 25 February 2010, having been unwell for a short time. His wife Rosalind had predeceased him by 13 years. 2 sons (Harrie & Robert), 2 daughters (Jane & Anne) and 10 grandchildren outlived him. Barron's funeral took place at

Dolphin's Barn Dolphin's Barn () is an inner city suburb of Dublin, Ireland, situated on the Southside of the city in the Dublin 8, and partially in the Dublin 12, postal district. Etymology The district's name possibly derives from an Anglo-Norman family n ...

's Jewish cemetery on 26 February 2010. After his death tributes were made by politicians and campaigners for justice:

References

External links

* https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/henry-barron-irish-judge-who-led-the-inquiry-into-the-dublin-and-monaghan-bombings-1947255.html * http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article7089275.ece {{DEFAULTSORT:Barron, Henry 1928 births 2010 deaths Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Irish Jews Burials at Dolphins Barn Jewish Cemetery Judges of the Supreme Court of Ireland Lawyers from Dublin (city) Place of birth missing High Court judges (Ireland)