Edmund Honohan
{{short description|Irish barrister, Master of the High Court}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=February 2022}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Edmund Honohan
| image =
| office = Master of the High Court
| term_start = 14 May 2001
| term_end = 8 April 2022
| nominator = Government of Ireland
| predecessor = Harry Hill
| successor = Vacant
| appointer =
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1952|04}}
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality = Irish
| party =
| spouse =
| children =
| education =
| alma_mater = {{Ubl|King's Inns}}
| signature =
|}}
Edmund Honohan (born April 1952){{cite news |title=Births, Marriages, Deaths |newspaper=The Irish Times |date=29 April 1952 |page=11}} is an Irish barrister who was the Master of the High Court from 2001 to 2022.
Early life
Honohan is from Glasnevin and is the brother of Patrick Honohan.{{cite news |title=Respected economist with wide experience |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/business/respected-economist-with-wide-experience-1.731167 |access-date=20 February 2022 |newspaper=The Irish Times |date=4 September 2009 |language=en}} He was called to the Bar in 1975 and became a senior counsel in 1995.{{cite news |title=Master of High Court appointed |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/master-of-high-court-appointed-1.306827 |access-date=20 February 2022 |newspaper=The Irish Times |date=9 May 2001 |language=en}} He was involved with Fianna Fáil early in his career, where he assisted with the writing of the party's manifesto for the 1977 general election. Bertie Ahern was selected ahead of him to contest the 1977 election in Dublin Finglas.{{cite book |last1=Ahern |first1=Bertie |title=Bertie Ahern: The Autobiography |date=2009 |publisher=Arrow |isbn=9780091931322 |pages=34–35}} He advised the Minister for Economic Planning and Development Martin O'Donoghue between 1977 and 1979. He acted in cases involving company law, judicial review, chancery, employment law and personal injuries.{{cite news |title=Purchase of shares in print company disputed |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/purchase-of-shares-in-print-company-disputed-1.35651 |access-date=20 February 2022 |newspaper=The Irish Times |language=en}}{{cite news |title=Court challenge to plan for Kill allowed |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/court-challenge-to-plan-for-kill-allowed-1.48620 |access-date=20 February 2022 |newspaper=The Irish Times |language=en}}{{cite news |last1=Reilly |first1=Miriam |title=Expenditure on property on foot of testator's promise creates an equity |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/expenditure-on-property-on-foot-of-testator-s-promise-creates-an-equity-1.57524 |access-date=20 February 2022 |newspaper=The Irish Times |language=en}}{{cite news |title=Diplomat refused order for allowances challenge |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/diplomat-refused-order-for-allowances-challenge-1.218725 |access-date=20 February 2022 |newspaper=The Irish Times |language=en}}{{cite news |title=Army deserter has case for alleged hearing loss dismissed with costs |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/army-deserter-has-case-for-alleged-hearing-loss-dismissed-with-costs-1.156833 |access-date=20 February 2022 |newspaper=The Irish Times |language=en}}
Master of the High Court
He was interviewed for the position of Master of the High Court in 2001 and was appointed in May 2001.{{cite web |title=Parliamentary Questions |url=https://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/PQ-12-03-2019-46 |website=Justice.ie |access-date=20 February 2022}} He succeeded Harry Hill.{{cite news |title=Ex-Master of the High Court and champion cricketer |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ex-master-of-the-high-court-and-champion-cricketer-1.1262725 |access-date=20 February 2022 |newspaper=The Irish Times |language=en}} He unsuccessfully asked to be nominated to the European Court of Justice in 2008 and the Supreme Court of Ireland in 2014.{{cite news |title=Ahern was lobbied for promotions to judiciary |url=https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/ahern-was-lobbied-for-promotions-to-judiciary-26750291.html |access-date=20 February 2022 |work=independent |language=en}}{{cite news |last1=Tighe |first1=Mark |title=Master's five pleas in bid to become judge |url=https://www.thetimes.com/world/ireland-world/article/masters-five-pleas-in-bid-to-become-judge-nt965lwf2 |access-date=20 February 2022 |work=The Times |language=en}}
He criticised the regulation of solicitors in 2005.{{cite news |title=Master of High Court calls for reform of legal complaints system |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/master-of-high-court-calls-for-reform-of-legal-complaints-system-1.508298 |access-date=20 February 2022 |issue=The Irish Times}} In 2018, he used a hammer to a break a window in the Four Courts due to his concerns over the ventilation in the Master's Court.{{cite news |title=Master of High Court defends breaking courtroom windows |url=https://www.rte.ie/news/courts/2019/0115/1023333-edmund-honohan-courts/ |access-date=20 February 2022 |work=RTÉ News |date=15 January 2019 |language=en}}{{cite news |last1=Halpin |first1=Hayley |title=Master of High Court defends breaking windows in Four Courts with hammer |url=https://www.thejournal.ie/edmund-honohan-window-breaking-four-courts-4442268-Jan2019/ |access-date=20 February 2022 |work=TheJournal.ie |language=en}}{{cite news |title='I'd do it again' - senior counsel who broke windows in courtroom in protest at stuffy 'fug' conditions |url=https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/id-do-it-again-senior-counsel-who-broke-windows-in-courtroom-in-protest-at-stuffy-fug-conditions-37713933.html |access-date=20 February 2022 |work=independent |language=en}}
= Debt cases =
Since the post-2008 Irish economic downturn, much of his case load has involved debt enforcement and repossession cases, often dealing with up to 200 cases a week.{{cite news |last1=O’Doherty |first1=Caroline |last2=O’Loughlin |first2=Ann |title=Honohan told to stop dealing with debt cases |url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-30899991.html |access-date=20 February 2022 |work=Irish Examiner |date=25 January 2019 |language=en}}{{cite news |last1=O'Halloran |first1=Marie |title=Removal of debt cases from Master of High Court 'deeply sinister and worrying' |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/oireachtas/removal-of-debt-cases-from-master-of-high-court-deeply-sinister-and-worrying-1.3775288 |access-date=20 February 2022 |newspaper=The Irish Times |language=en}} According to the Business Post, he has been considered a "debtors' champion".{{cite news |last1=Comyn |first1=Francesca |title=Mortgage crisis |url=http://journalismawards.ie/ja/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/FrancescaComyn.pdf |access-date=20 February 2022 |work=The Sunday Business Post |date=9 July 2017}} The President of the High Court Peter Kelly transferred the hearing of motions to seek final judgment in debt enforcement proceedings from the Master to judges of the High Court in January 2019.{{cite news |last1=Tighe |first1=Mark |title=Edmund Honohan blocked from ruling on debt cases because of possible 'bias against the banks' |url=https://www.thetimes.com/world/ireland-world/article/edmund-honohan-blocked-from-ruling-on-debt-cases-because-of-possible-bias-against-the-banks-pw0t35bkn |access-date=20 February 2022 |work=The Sunday Times Ireland |date=27 January 2019}}
The High Court granted an injunction in 2014 restraining him from acting upon a referral he made to the Director of Public Prosecutions regarding alleged perjury by Allied Irish Banks in a debt recovery case.{{cite news |title=High Court grants injunction against Master over referral decision |url=https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/high-court-grants-injunction-against-master-over-referral-decision-30332573.html |access-date=20 February 2022 |work=independent |language=en}} Iseult O'Malley later held in 2015 that he had no power to make such a referral and quashed his order to strike out the action.{{cite news |title=Senior court official acted outside his powers when he sought to refer €3m mortgage case to DPP, High Court rules |url=https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/senior-court-official-acted-outside-his-powers-when-he-sought-to-refer-3m-mortgage-case-to-dpp-high-court-rules-31151173.html |access-date=20 February 2022 |work=independent |language=en}}{{cite news |last1=Carolan |first1=Mary |title=High Court rules against Master's referral of AIB statement to DPP |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/high-court/high-court-rules-against-master-s-referral-of-aib-statement-to-dpp-1.2181110 |access-date=20 February 2022 |newspaper=The Irish Times |language=en}}[https://www.bailii.org/ie/cases/IEHC/2015/H247.html Allied Irish Bank Plc -v- Honohan [2015] IEHC 247 (17 April 2015)].
In 2018, Honohan drafted the National Housing Co-Operative and Fair Mortgage Bill, which he provided to Fianna Fáil. It sought to stop the eviction of homeowners in arrears until the house was sold and to provide for co-operatives to purchase such houses.{{cite news |title=High Court Master writes new legislation to help keep people in their homes |url=https://www.thejournal.ie/high-court-master-3862099-Feb2018/ |access-date=20 February 2022 |work=The Journal}}
References
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Category:Alumni of King's Inns