Sean Ryan (judge)

Sean Ryan
President of the Court of Appeal
In office 28 October 2014 – 29 March 2018
Nominated by	Government of Ireland
Appointed by	Michael D. Higgins
Preceded by	New office
Succeeded by	George Birmingham
Judge of the Court of Appeal
In office 28 October 2014 – 29 March 2018
Nominated by	Government of Ireland
Appointed by	Michael D. Higgins
Judge of the High Court
In office 10 December 2003 – 28 October 2014
Nominated by	Government of Ireland
Appointed by	Mary McAleese
Personal details
Born	(1948-03-27) 27 March 1948 (age 76) Dublin, Ireland
Spouse	Ruth Ryan ​ (m. 1980)​
Children	3
Alma mater	University College Dublin King's Inns

Sean Ryan (born 27 March 1948)^[1] is a retired Irish judge who served as president of the Court of Appeal and a judge of the Court of Appeal from 2014 to 2018, and a judge of the High Court from 2003 to 2014.^[2]

As a barrister, he was senior counsel to the inquiry into abuse in the Catholic diocese of Ferns (the Ferns Report),^[3] and was chairman of the Compensation Advisory Committee that prepared guidelines on compensation to be paid to abuse survivors at the Residential Institutions Redress Board.^[4]

In September 2003, Ryan was selected to head the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse following the controversial resignation of the previous chair, Judge Mary Laffoy,^[5] who claimed her work had been systematically obstructed by the Department of Education.^[4] The government appointed him a High Court judge, without seeking a recommendation from the Judicial Appointments Advisory Board,^[6] "to guarantee that the integrity and independence of the chairperson will be maintained."^[3]

Ryan published the commission's public report on 20 May 2009 and it was immediately hailed as "a work of incalculable value to this country"^[7] and praised for its "meticulous gathering of evidence",^[8] though "Justice has not been done as many of the abusers will never face the rigours of the law."^[9]

In 2014, he was named by the Government as the president designate of the newly established Court of Appeal.^[10] He was nominated as president of the court by the Government on 29 October 2014^[11] and appointed by the President of Ireland on the same day.^[12]

He retired from the bench in March 2018 given the statutory requirement.

References

1. Coulter, Carol (21 May 2009). "Ryan was well received as chair". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
2. "Retirement of Ryan report judge an 'enormous loss'". Dublin: The Irish Times. 23 March 2018. Archived from the original on 23 June 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
3. "One in Four welcomes Ryan's appointment". RTÉ. 26 September 2003. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 19 June 2009.
4. "Laffoy inquiry faces threat of second collapse". The Sunday Business Post. 19 October 2003. Retrieved 19 June 2009.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
5. "Laffoy quits Child Abuse Commission". RTÉ. 2 September 2003. Archived from the original on 23 February 2011. Retrieved 19 June 2009.
6. "Judicial Appointments Advisory Board: Annual Report 2003" (PDF). Irish Courts Service. p. 13. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 November 2007. Retrieved 19 June 2009.
7. "Report a monument to a society's shame". Irish Times. 21 May 2009. Archived from the original on 28 November 2010. Retrieved 19 June 2009.
8. Bunting, Madeleine (21 May 2009). "An abuse too far by the Catholic church". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 1 December 2016. Retrieved 19 June 2009.
9. "Child abuse scandal was Ireland's nightmare from hell". The Belfast Telegraph. 23 May 2009. Archived from the original on 9 December 2012. Retrieved 19 June 2009.
10. Announcement of six Judges Designate of the Court of Appeal. merrionstreet.ie (23 July 2014)
11. "Appointments to the Court of Appeal". MerrionStreet.ie. 29 October 2014. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
12. "President appoints Appeal Court Judges". Áras an Uachtaráin. 28 October 2014. Archived from the original on 29 October 2014.

External links

• CNN story on the Commission's report