Hugh Geoghegan (born 16 May 1938) is a retired Irish judge who served as a Judge of the

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

from 2000 to 2010 and a Judge of the High Court from 1992 to 200

Early life

Geoghegan was born in 1938. His father James Geoghegan was a judge of the Supreme Court. He attended secondary school at Clongowes Wood College and received BCL and LLB degrees from University College Dublin. At UCD he was the auditor of the

University College Dublin Law Society The UCD Law Society is one of the largest student societies in Europe. Established in 1911 as 'The Legal and Economic Society', as of 2009 it had approximately 4100 members drawn from the various faculties of the university. Weekly Tuesday nigh ...

between 1960 and 1961. He studied at the

King's Inns The Honorable Society of King's Inns ( ir, Cumann Onórach Óstaí an Rí) is the "Inn of Court" for the Bar of Ireland. Established in 1541, King's Inns is Ireland's oldest school of law and one of Ireland's significant historical environment ...

in order to become a barrister.

Legal career

He was called to the Bar in 1962, becoming a senior counsel in 1977, practising in Dublin and the Midland Circuit. He was also called to the bar in Northern Ireland and in England and Wales. Geoghegan was a Public Service Arbitrator from 1982 to 1992. In the 1980s he served on the Circuit Court Rules Committee. He also appeared before the tribunal of inquiry into the Stardust fire. He chaired a commission which recommended the formation of the Labour Relations Commission. He is a bencher of Middle Temple.

Judicial career

Geoghegan was appointed to the High Court in December 1992. He was elevated to 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 2000, replacing Donal Barrington. He was appointed on 7 March 2000. He retired in May 2010 and was replaced by

Liam McKechnie William Martin McKechnie, SC (born April 1951) is an Irish judge who served as a Judge of the Supreme Court of Ireland between March 2010 and April 2021. He previously served as Judge of the High Court from 2000 to 2010. Early life He was ...

. In his retirement he has presided over citizenship ceremonies.

Personal life

He is married to Mary Finlay Geoghegan who also served as a judge of the Supreme Court, with whom he has two daughters and a son.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Geoghegan, Hugh 1938 births Living people Irish Senior Counsel Judges of the Supreme Court of Ireland High Court judges (Ireland) People educated at Clongowes Wood College Alumni of University College Dublin Alumni of King's Inns People from Athlone Lawyers from County Westmeath 20th-century Irish lawyers 21st-century Irish judges