Kevin Lynch (judge)

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Kevin Lynch
Judge of the Supreme Court
In office
15 April 1996 – 15 December 1999
Nominated byGovernment of Ireland
Appointed byMary Robinson
Judge of the High Court
In office
24 January 1984 – 15 April 1996
Nominated byGovernment of Ireland
Appointed byPatrick Hillery
Personal details
Born(1927-06-24)24 June 1927
Dublin, Ireland
Died (aged 85)
Croom, County Limerick, Ireland
NationalityIrish
Spouse(s)Bernadette Lynch
(m. 1957; d. 2013)
Children5
Parent(s)
EducationSt Mary's College, Dublin
Alma mater

Kevin Lynch (24 June 1927 – 31 October 2013) was an Irish judge and barrister who served as a Judge of the Supreme Court from 1996 to 1999 and a Judge of the High Court from 1984 to 1996. In 1984, he was the sole member of the Kerry Babies tribunal.

Early life and career[]

Lynch was born in Dublin in 1927.[1][2] His father, Fionán Lynch, was a member of the First Dáil and a judge of the Circuit Court.[3]

He attended St. Mary's College, Dublin and received a degree from University College Dublin.[4] He attended the King's Inns where he won the John Brooke Scholarship.[1]

He was called to the bar in 1949, and became a senior counsel in 1970.[2] His practice was centred on the Midland circuit.[1]

Judicial career[]

High Court[]

Lynch became a judge of the High Court in 1984.[1][5] In December 1984, he was appointed the chair of the tribunal into the Kerry Babies case.[6] He was among three judges who sat in a divisional High Court which heard an unsuccessful challenge by Des Hanafin to result of the 1995 divorce referendum.[7] He heard the High Court hearing of Bula Ltd v Tara Mines Ltd (No 6) in 1996 which ran for 277 days.[2]

Supreme Court[]

Lynch was appointed to the Supreme Court of Ireland in April 1996.[8] He was delayed from first sitting on the court as the Bula case had not yet completed.[3]

He retired in December 1999.[4][9]

Personal life[]

He was married to Bernadette, with who he had five children.[10] He died at the age of 85 in a nursing home near Croom, County Limerick in 2013.[10]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d Hugh Geoghegan; Harry Whelehan; James Nugent (16 December 2013). "Mr Justice Kevin Lynch: An Appreciation". The Irish Times. p. 15.
  2. ^ a b c Gleeson, Colin (31 October 2013). "Retired Supreme Court judge Kevin Lynch dies". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 27 June 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  3. ^ a b Kennedy, Geraldine (4 May 1996). "Supreme Court faces unprecedented change". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 22 September 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Mr Justice Lynch retires". The Irish Times. 18 December 1999. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  5. ^ "New judge sworn in". The Irish Times. 25 January 1984. p. 8.
  6. ^ "Dáil Éireann debate - Tuesday, 11 Dec 1984". Oireachtas.ie. Archived from the original on 14 May 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  7. ^ "Hanafin fails to win delay on divorce vote challenge". The Irish Times. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  8. ^ "Supreme and High Court judges appointed". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 22 September 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  9. ^ "Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 4 March 2008". Oireachtas.ie. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  10. ^ a b "A lovely, caring man who always got to the truth – judge's family bid farewell". Irish Independent. 5 November 2013. Archived from the original on 20 December 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
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