Margaret Heneghan | |
|---|---|
| Judge of the High Court | |
| In office 10 February 2015 –2 October 2017 | |
| Nominated by | Government of Ireland |
| Appointed by | Michael D. Higgins |
| Judge of the Circuit Court | |
| In office 22 January 2010 –10 February 2015 | |
| Nominated by | Government of Ireland |
| Appointed by | Mary McAleese |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1959 (age 65–66) |
| Spouse | Austin Power |
| Education | Gortnor Abbey |
| Alma mater | |
Margaret Heneghan (born 1959) is a retired Irish judge who served as a Judge of the High Court from 2015 to 2017 and a Judge of the Circuit Court from 2010 to 2015.
Heneghan was born in 1959. She attended the Gortnor Abbey school in County Mayo and was educated at the King's Inns. [1] [2] She is married to businessman Austin Power. [3]
She was a founding member of the Mayo Association of Dublin. [4]
She qualified as a barrister in 1993 and became a senior counsel in 2009. [5] [2] She acted in cases involving family law, personal injuries and repossessions. [6] [7] [8] In 1997, she acted in repossession proceedings against Adele King. [9]
She was appointed to the panel of the Commission for Communications Regulation in 2004. [10] She served on the Legal Aid Board between 2009 and 2010. [5]
Heneghan was appointed to the Circuit Court in January 2010. [2] In April 2011, she was assigned to the Dublin circuit where she primarily presided over criminal trials. [5] [6] She also sat on three judge panels of the Special Criminal Court, including the trial of John Dundon for the murder of Shane Geoghegan. [11]
In 2011, she presided over a defamation case taken by Michael Lowry against journalist Sam Smyth. [12]
She moved from the Circuit Court to the High Court in February 2015. [13] She continued to hear criminal trials, including cases involving murder and sexual offences. [14] [15]
She retired early as judge, two years after being appointed to the High Court. [6] [3] Her final day as a judge was in October 2017. [5]