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 64–65) |
Nationality | Irish |
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]