Catherine McGuinness (; born 14 November 1934) is a retired Irish judge who served as a Judge of the Supreme Court from 2000 to 2006, a Judge of the High Court from 1996 to 2000, a Judge of the Circuit Court from 1994 to 1996 and a Senator for the

Dublin University The University of Dublin ( ga, Ollscoil Átha Cliath), corporately designated the Chancellor, Doctors and Masters of the University of Dublin, is a university located in Dublin, Ireland. It is the degree-awarding body for Trinity College Dubl ...

from 1979 to 1981 and between 1983 and 1987. She was appointed by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Patrick Hillery Patrick John Hillery ( ga, Pádraig J. Ó hIrghile; 2 May 1923 – 12 April 2008) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as the sixth president of Ireland from December 1976 to December 1990. He also served as vice-president of the Eur ...

to the

Council of State A Council of State is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head o ...

from 1988 to 1990 and by

Michael D. Higgins Michael Daniel Higgins ( ga, Mícheál Dónal Ó hUigínn; born 18 April 1941) is an Irish politician, poet, sociologist, and broadcaster, who has served as the ninth president of Ireland since November 2011. Entering national politics throug ...

from 2012 to 2019. She was President of the

Law Reform Commission A law commission, law reform commission, or law revision commission is an independent body set up by a government to conduct law reform; that is, to consider the state of laws in a jurisdiction and make recommendations or proposals for legal chang ...

from 2007 to 2009. In May 2013, she was appointed Chair of the National University of Ireland Galway Governing Authority.

Biography

Catherine Isobel Bridget Ellis was born in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

, in 1934 to

Canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western ca ...

Robert Ellis and his wife, Sylvia Craig. She attended primary school in Belfast, and was later educated in

Alexandra College Alexandra College ( ir, Coláiste Alexandra) is a fee-charging boarding and day school for girls located in Milltown, Dublin, Ireland. The school operates under a Church of Ireland ethos. History The school was founded in 1866 and takes its ...

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 ...

and the King's Inns. In the 1960s, she worked for the Labour Party. She was called to the

Irish Bar The Bar of Ireland ( ga, Barra na hÉireann) is the professional association of barristers for Ireland, with over 2,000 members. It is based in the Law Library, with premises in Dublin and Cork. It is governed by the General Council of the Ba ...

in 1977 at age 42. In 1989, she was called to the Inner Bar. In 1979, she was elected as an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

candidate to

Seanad Éireann Seanad Éireann (, ; "Senate of Ireland") is the upper house of the Oireachtas (the Irish legislature), which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann (the lower house). It is commonly called the Seanad or Senate and its memb ...

at a by-election on 11 December 1979 as a senator for the

constituency, following the resignation of

Conor Cruise O'Brien Donal Conor David Dermot Donat Cruise O'Brien (3 November 1917 – 18 December 2008), often nicknamed "The Cruiser", was an Irish diplomat, politician, writer, historian and academic, who served as Minister for Posts and Telegraphs from 1973 ...

, taking her seat in the

14th Seanad This is a list of the members of the 14th Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Ireland. These Senators were elected or appointed in 1977, after the 1977 general election and served until the close of poll for ...

. She was re-elected at the 1981 elections to the 15th Seanad, and in 1983 to the 17th Seanad, where she served until 1987. She lost her seat to David Norris. She was appointed to the

on 2 May 1988 by President

and served until 1990. She was appointed a judge of the Circuit Court in 1994, the first woman to hold that office in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. In 1996, she was appointed to the High Court and remained there until her appointment to the Supreme Court in January 2000. In November 2005, she was appointed adjunct professor at the Faculty of Law, National University of Ireland, Galway. She was also appointed President of the

in 2005, and held that position until 2011. In April 2009, she was awarded a "Lord Mayor's Award" by

Lord Mayor of Dublin The Lord Mayor of Dublin ( ga, Ardmhéara Bhaile Átha Cliath) is the honorary title of the chairperson ( ga, Cathaoirleach, links=no ) of Dublin City Council which is the local government body for the city of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. Th ...

Eibhlin Byrne "for her contribution to the lives of children and families in the city through her pioneering work". In September 2010, she was named as one of the "People of the Year" for "her pioneering, courageous and long-standing service to Irish society". In November 2012, she won the 'Irish Tatler Hall of Fame Award' In addition to her judicial career, McGuinness has served on the Employment Equality Agency, Kilkenny Incest Investigation, the

Forum for Peace and Reconciliation The Forum for Peace and Reconciliation ( ga, an Fóram um Shíocháin agus Athmhuintearas) was a forum established by the government of Ireland in October 1994 as part of the Northern Ireland peace process. Initiation The Forum was envisaged in ...

, the National Council of the Forum on End of Life in Ireland, and the Irish Universities Quality Board. In June 2011, she became patron of the Irish Refugee Council. In November 2011, she was appointed Chairperson of the "Campaign for Children" She has received honorary doctorates from the

University of Ulster sco, Ulstèr Universitie , image = Ulster University coat of arms.png , caption = , motto_lang = , mottoeng = , latin_name = Universitas Ulidiae , established = 1865 – Magee College 1953 - Magee Un ...

, the National University of Ireland, the University of Dublin, the

Higher Education and Training Awards Council The Higher Education and Training Awards Council ( ga, Comhairle na nDámhachtainí Ardoideachais agus Oiliúna) (HETAC), the legal successor to the ''National Council for Educational Awards'' (NCEA), granted higher education awards in Ireland b ...

(HETAC) and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. In February 2013, McGuinness accepted the Honorary Presidency of

's Free Legal Advice Centre. In January 2014, she was appointed by Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources,

Pat Rabbitte Pat Rabbitte (born 18 May 1949) is an Irish former Labour Party politician who served as Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources from 2011 to 2014, Leader of the Labour Party from 2002 to 2007 and a Minister of State from 19 ...

to chair the expert panel to oversee the preparation of reports on the best underground route options to compare with the Grid Link and Grid West high voltage power lines in Ireland. In March 2015, she received an Alumni Award from

In July 2022 a portrait of her by Miseon Lee was unveiled at the

National Gallery of Ireland The National Gallery of Ireland ( ga, Gailearaí Náisiúnta na hÉireann) houses the national collection of Irish and European art. It is located in the centre of Dublin with one entrance on Merrion Square, beside Leinster House, and another on ...

. The portrait was presented to the Gallery by Tara Doyle, Chair of

Matheson (law firm) Matheson (previously Matheson Ormsby Prentice), is an Irish law firm partnership based in the IFSC in Dublin, which specialises in multinational tax schemes (e.g. for clients in Ireland such as Microsoft, Google and Abbot), and tax struc ...

Catherine McGuinness Fellowship on Children's Rights and Child Law

In November 2014, the Children's Rights Alliance established the Catherine McGuinness Fellowship on Children's Rights and Child Law, a one-year Fellowship Programme for newly qualified barristers to work as part of their Legal and Policy Team on law and policy reform for children in the area of children's rights and child law in the Irish context. The Programme was developed in partnership with the Bar Council of Ireland and with the support of the Family Lawyers Association of Ireland. The Fellowship was launched by the

Chief Justice of Ireland The Chief Justice of Ireland ( ga, Príomh-Bhreitheamh na hÉireann) is the president of the Supreme Court of Ireland. The chief justice is the highest judicial office and most senior judge in Ireland. The role includes constitutional and admini ...

, Susan Denham who described McGuinness as "an advocate at heart" and a "patriot, in the true sense of the word" who "stands up for the rights of others, particularly those who are marginalised and vulnerable in our society."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McGuinness, Catherine 1934 births Living people 21st-century Irish women Members of the 14th Seanad Members of the 15th Seanad Members of the 17th Seanad 20th-century women members of Seanad Éireann Lawyers from Belfast Irish barristers Judges of the Supreme Court of Ireland Irish Anglicans Alumni of Trinity College Dublin People educated at Alexandra College Presidential appointees to the Council of State (Ireland) Irish women judges High Court judges (Ireland) Members of Seanad Éireann for Dublin University Independent members of Seanad Éireann Alumni of King's Inns