Hugh Geoghegan
{{Short description|Irish judge (1938–2024)}}
{{for|the former Irish football player|Hugh Geoghegan (footballer)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{Infobox judge
| image =
| office = Judge of the Supreme Court
| term_start = 7 March 2000
| term_end = 14 May 2010
| nominator = Government of Ireland
| appointer = Mary McAleese
| office1 = Judge of the High Court
| term_start1 = 11 December 1992
| term_end1 = 7 March 2000
| nominator1 = Government of Ireland
| appointer1 = Mary Robinson
| birth_date = {{birth date|1938|1|24|df=y}}
| birth_place = Athlone, County Westmeath, Ireland
| death_date = {{death date and age|2024|7|7|1938|1|24|df=y}}
| death_place = Dublin, Ireland
| nationality = Irish
| party = Fianna Fáil
| spouse = {{marriage|Mary Finlay Geoghegan|1981}}
| children = 3, including James
| father = James Geoghegan
| relatives = Thomas Finlay (father-in-law)
| education = Clongowes Wood College
| alma_mater = {{Ubl|University College Dublin|King's Inns}}
}}
Hugh Geoghegan (16 May 1938 – 7 July 2024) was an Irish judge who served on the Supreme Court from 2000 to 2010 and on the High Court from 1992 to 2000.{{cite web |title=Justice Hugh Geoghegan appointed to Supreme Court |website=RTÉ.ie |url=https://www.rte.ie/news/2000/0222/5708-supremecourt/ |access-date=8 July 2024 |language=en |date=22 February 2000 |archive-date=5 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210705143205/https://www.rte.ie/news/2000/0222/5708-supremecourt/ |url-status=live }}
Early life
Geoghegan was born on 16 May 1938.{{cite journal |title=Geoghegan, Hugh, (born 16 May 1938), a Judge of the Supreme Court of Ireland, 2000–10 |journal=Who's Who |date=1 December 2007 |doi=10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U245197}}{{cite web |title=UCD Connections 2010-2011 |date=4 March 2011 |url=https://issuu.com/glosspublications/docs/ucd2010_new/13 |access-date=6 April 2021 |archive-date=5 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210705142611/https://issuu.com/glosspublications/docs/ucd2010_new/13 |url-status=live }} His father James Geoghegan was a judge of the Supreme Court.{{cite news |last1=Rafter |first1=Kevin |title=Mr Justice Geoghegan for Supreme Court |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/mr-justice-geoghegan-for-supreme-court-1.248141 |access-date=6 April 2021 |newspaper=The Irish Times |date=23 February 2000 |language=en |archive-date=5 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210705142637/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/mr-justice-geoghegan-for-supreme-court-1.248141 |url-status=live }} He attended secondary school at Clongowes Wood College and received BCL and LLB degrees from University College Dublin. At UCD, he was the auditor of the University College Dublin Law Society between 1960 and 1961.{{cite news |title=A century of wit and verbal combat |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/a-century-of-wit-and-verbal-combat-1.561815 |access-date=6 April 2021 |newspaper=The Irish Times |language=en |archive-date=5 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210705142731/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/a-century-of-wit-and-verbal-combat-1.561815 |url-status=live }} He studied at the King's Inns in order to become a barrister.{{cite web |title=Der Ehrenwerte Richter Hugh Geoghegan |url=http://www.supremecourt.ie/SupremeCourt/sclibrary3.nsf/PageCurrent/EEAE1305B436BC5C802575C1003C53F4?opendocument&l=en |website=supremecourt.ie |access-date=6 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171023212111/http://www.supremecourt.ie/SupremeCourt/sclibrary3.nsf/PageCurrent/EEAE1305B436BC5C802575C1003C53F4?opendocument&l=en |archive-date=23 October 2017 |language=German |url-status=dead}}
Legal career
Geoghegan was called to the Bar in 1962, becoming a senior counsel in 1977, practising in Dublin and the Midland Circuit. He was also called to the bar in Northern Ireland and in England and Wales.
Geoghegan was a Public Service Arbitrator from 1982 to 1992. In the 1980s he served on the Circuit Court Rules Committee.{{cite ISB |title=Circuit Court Rules (No. 1) 1983 |year=1983|type=si|num=267 |date=28 July 1983|access-date=23 July 2007 |archive-date=29 September 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929125039/http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1983/en/si/0267.html |url-status=live }} He also appeared before the tribunal of inquiry into the Stardust fire.{{cite web |title=Written Answers. – Stardust Inquiry – Dáil Éireann (22nd Dáil) – Vol. 331 No. 8 |date=9 December 1981 |work=Oireachtas Debates |url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1981-12-09/26/ |access-date=9 July 2024 |archive-date=23 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220623141136/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1981-12-09/26/ |url-status=live }} He chaired a commission which recommended the formation of the Labour Relations Commission.{{cite web |title=Private Notice Questions. – An Post Dispute. – Dáil Éireann (26th Dáil) – Vol. 418 No. 7 |date=28 April 1992 |website=Oireachtas Debates |url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1992-04-28/9/ |access-date=6 April 2021 |archive-date=5 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210705142611/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1992-04-28/9/ |url-status=live }}
He was a bencher of Middle Temple.
Judicial career
Geoghegan was appointed to the High Court in December 1992.{{cite web |title=Written Answers. – Appointments to Public Boards. – Dáil Éireann (27th Dáil) |work=Oireachtas Debates|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1993-02-10/120/ |access-date=6 April 2021 |language=en-ie |date=10 February 1993 |archive-date=5 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210705142613/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1993-02-10/120/ |url-status=live }} He was elevated to the Supreme Court of Ireland in 2000, replacing Donal Barrington.{{cite news |title=Justice Hugh Geoghegan appointed to Supreme Court |url=https://www.rte.ie/news/2000/0222/5708-supremecourt/ |access-date=6 April 2021 |work=RTÉ News |date=22 February 2000 |language=en |archive-date=5 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210705143205/https://www.rte.ie/news/2000/0222/5708-supremecourt/ |url-status=live }} He was appointed on 7 March 2000.{{cite web |title=Engagements Week beginning 6th March 2000 |url=http://www.president.ie/index.php?section=6&engagement=200010&lang=eng |website=President of Ireland |access-date=6 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927034357/http://www.president.ie/index.php?section=6&engagement=200010&lang=eng |archive-date=27 September 2007 |url-status=dead}} He retired in May 2010 and was replaced by Liam McKechnie.{{cite news |title=Retiring judge backs civil court of appeal to clear backlog |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/retiring-judge-backs-civil-court-of-appeal-to-clear-backlog-1.665260 |access-date=6 April 2021 |newspaper=The Irish Times |date=15 May 2010 |language=en |archive-date=5 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210705142632/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/retiring-judge-backs-civil-court-of-appeal-to-clear-backlog-1.665260 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Coulter |first1=Carol |title=Mr Justice McKechnie nominated for Supreme Court |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/mr-justice-mckechnie-nominated-for-supreme-court-1.681801 |access-date=6 April 2021 |newspaper=The Irish Times |language=en |archive-date=5 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210705142650/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/mr-justice-mckechnie-nominated-for-supreme-court-1.681801 |url-status=live }}
In his retirement he presided over citizenship ceremonies.{{cite web |title=Departmental Bodies Parliamentary Questions (31st Dáil) |website=Houses of the Oireachtas |url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2013-02-28/188/ |access-date=6 April 2021 |language=en-ie |date=28 February 2013 |archive-date=5 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210705142627/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2013-02-28/188/ |url-status=live }}
Personal life
Hugh Geoghegan was married to Mary Finlay Geoghegan who also served as a judge of the Supreme Court, with whom he had two daughters and a son, James Geoghegan, who became Lord Mayor of Dublin shortly before his father's death.{{cite news |title=Retiring judge warns on 'unacceptable delays' in accessing justice |url=https://www.lawsociety.ie/gazette/top-stories/retiring-judge-warns-government-on-unacceptable-delays-in-accessing-justice/ |access-date=6 April 2021 |website=Law Society of Ireland |archive-date=23 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190623182236/https://www.lawsociety.ie/gazette/top-stories/retiring-judge-warns-government-on-unacceptable-delays-in-accessing-justice/ |url-status=live }}
Geoghegan died on 7 July 2024, at the age of 86.{{cite news |last1=Carolan |first1=Mary |title=Retired Supreme Court judge Hugh Geoghegan dies aged 86 |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/courts/2024/07/08/retired-supreme-court-judge-hugh-geoghegan-dies-aged-86/ |newspaper=The Irish Times |date=8 July 2024}}{{cite press release |title=Statement by Minister for Justice Helen McEntee, TD on death of retired judge Hugh Geoghegan |url=https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/ca184-statement-by-minister-for-justice-helen-mcentee-td-on-death-of-retired-judge-hugh-geoghegan/ |website=Government of Ireland |publisher=Department of Justice |date=9 July 2024}}{{cite web |title=Death Notice of Hugh Geoghegan (Dublin) |url=https://rip.ie/death-notice/hugh-geoghegan-dublin-561762 |website=RIP.ie |date=8 July 2024}}
References
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Category:Judges of the Supreme Court of Ireland
Category:High Court judges (Ireland)
Category:People educated at Clongowes Wood College
Category:Alumni of University College Dublin
Category:Alumni of King's Inns
Category:Lawyers from County Westmeath