Margaret Heneghan (born 1959) is an Irish lawyer who was a judge of the Circuit Court between 2010 and 2015, before serving on the High Court from 2015 to 2017. She previously practiced as a barrister.

Early and personal life

Heneghan was born in 1959. She attended the

Gortnor Abbey Gortnor Abbey is a Catholic secondary school in Crossmolina, County Mayo, Ireland. Located in a former hotel building, it is run by the Convent of Jesus and Mary. The school was established in 1912. Notable people * Deirdre Purcell (1945-202 ...

school in

County Mayo County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the Taxus baccata, yew trees") is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Conn ...

and was educated 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 ...

. She is married to businessman Austin Power. She was a founding member of the Mayo Association of Dublin.

Legal career

She qualified as a barrister in 1993 and became a senior counsel in 2009. She acted in cases involving family law, personal injuries and repossessions. In 1997, she acted in repossession proceedings against Adele King. She was appointed to the panel of the Commission for Communications Regulation in 2004. She served on the Legal Aid Board between 2009 and 2010.

Judicial career

Circuit Court

Heneghan was appointed to the Circuit Court in January 2010. In April 2011, she was assigned to the Dublin circuit where she primarily presided over criminal trials. She also sat on three judge panels of the Special Criminal Court, including the trial of John Dundon for the

murder of Shane Geoghegan Shane Geoghegan (7 March 1980 – 9 November 2008) was an Irish rugby player for Garryowen Football Club, Garryowen who was shot and killed in a case of mistaken identity as part of a gang feud in Dooradoyle, a suburb in the city of Limerick, Re ...

. In 2011, she presided over a defamation case taken by

Michael Lowry Michael Lowry (born 13 March 1953) is an Irish Independent politician who has served as a Teachta Dála (TD) since 1987, currently for the Tipperary constituency. He previously served as Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications fro ...

against journalist Sam Smyth.

High Court

She moved from the Circuit Court to the High Court in February 2015. She continued to hear criminal trials, including cases involving murder and sexual offences. She retired early as judge, two years after being appointed to the High Court. Her final day as a judge was in October 2017.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heneghan, Margaret Living people High Court judges (Ireland) Irish women judges Alumni of King's Inns 21st-century Irish judges 21st-century women judges 1959 births Circuit Court (Ireland) judges Irish Senior Counsel People educated at Gortnor Abbey Lawyers from County Mayo