Rory P. MacCabe is an Irish judge who is a judge of the High Court since January 2022 and is the chairperson of the

Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission The Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) is an independent statutory body in Ireland charged with overseeing the Garda Síochána, the national police force. It is a three-member body established under the Garda Síochána Act, 2005 to dea ...

. He was a judge of the Circuit Court between 2007 and 2022 and was formerly a barrister and civil servant.

Early career

MacCabe first worked in the Irish civil service. He holds a diploma in public administration. He was called to the Bar in 1984 and became a senior counsel in 1999. He was involved in criminal trials and also acted in civil matters including employment law, defamation, personal injuries and injunctions. He acted for the builder Tom Brennan at the

Mahon Tribunal The Tribunal of Inquiry into Certain Planning Matters and Payments commonly known as the Mahon Tribunal after the name of its last chairman, was a public inquiry in Ireland established by Dáil Éireann in 1997 to investigate allegations of cor ...

. David Andrews, as

Minister for Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between coun ...

, employed MacCabe from 1998 to advise him on European affairs. He was appointed to the Refugee Appeals Tribunal in August 2001.

Judicial career

Circuit Court

He was appointed to the Circuit Court in May 2007. He was not assigned to a particular circuit. He presided over criminal trials involving drugs offences, robbery, sexual offences, assault, fraud, harassment, arson, and theft. He was presiding judge in cases involving debt recovery, defamation and health and safety law. He was a member of the Sentencing Guidelines and Information Committee of the Judicial Council of Ireland and he was the chair of the Judicial ICT Cross Jurisdictional Committee. He chaired a steering group of the Irish Sports Council in 2008.

High Court and GSOC

MacCabe was nominated to replace

Mary Ellen Ring Mary Ellen Ring (born 1955) is an Irish lawyer who currently serves as a Judge of the High Court. She was the Chairperson of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission between 2015 and 2021. She formerly practised as a barrister and was a Judge ...

as the chairperson of the

in December 2021. To facilitate his appointment, he was appointed to the High Court in January 2022. He also became the GSOC chairperson in January 2022.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:MacCabe, Rory Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Circuit Court (Ireland) judges High Court judges (Ireland) Alumni of King's Inns 21st-century Irish judges Irish Senior Counsel 20th-century Irish lawyers