Donal Gerard O'Donnell was born on 25 October 1957 and is an Irish jurist who has served as the Chief Justice of Ireland since October 2021.
23 Facts About Donal O'Donnell
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Donal O'Donnell has served as a Judge of the Supreme Court of Ireland since January 2010.
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Donal O'Donnell practised as a barrister between 1982 and 2010, specialising in commercial law and public law.
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Donal O'Donnell comes from a legal family, his father, The Rt.
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Hon Turlough O'Donnell PC, was a member of the High Court of Northern Ireland and of the Court of Appeal of Northern Ireland between 1971 and 1990.
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Donal O'Donnell was called to the Bar of Ireland in 1982.
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Donal O'Donnell was then later called to the Bar of Northern Ireland in 1989.
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Donal O'Donnell has practised in all courts in Ireland, Northern Ireland, European Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights.
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Donal O'Donnell was known for his speciality in constitutional law, frequently appearing on behalf of the State.
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Donal O'Donnell successfully represented the applicants from the Garda Siochana after the death of John Carthy in a constitutional challenge which limited the powers of investigation of the Oireachtas, which led to the unsuccessful Thirtieth Amendment of the Constitution.
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Donal O'Donnell acted for the State in Zappone v Revenue Commissioners, Roche v Roche and Miss D In Michael Ring's challenge to a ban on a dual mandate he acted for the State and represented Micheal Martin in an action taken by Kathy Sinnott challenging the results of the 2002 general election in Cork South-Central.
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Donal O'Donnell was counsel for Michael Lowry at the Moriarty Tribunal.
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Donal O'Donnell acted for Ireland in the European Court of Human Rights in 2009 in A, B and C v Ireland.
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Donal O'Donnell represented the Beef Industry Development Society Ltd in a 2008 case in the ECJ which clarified the meaning of an agreement under Article 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.
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Donal O'Donnell appeared in cases involving insolvency law, employment law, company law and contract law.
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Donal O'Donnell was a member of the Law Reform Commission from 2005 to 2012.
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Donal O'Donnell became a Bencher of the King's Inns in 2009.
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Donal O'Donnell was appointed directly from practice to Ireland's highest court, a rare direct appointment.
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Donal O'Donnell's appointment followed Nicholas Kearns becoming President of the High Court.
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Ruadhan Mac Cormaic of The Irish Times says Donal O'Donnell has a reputation for elegant writing and having a "socially liberal" approach.
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Donal O'Donnell was reported to have been one of three judges shortlisted to be the 12th Chief Justice of Ireland in July 2017; however, Frank Clarke was chosen.
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Donal O'Donnell was appointed on 11 October 2021, by President Michael D Higgins at a ceremony at Aras an Uachtarain.
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Donal O'Donnell is married to Mary Rose Binchy, an artist, with whom he has four children.