Thomas Finlay (judge)

Thomas Aloysius Finlay (17 September 1922 – 3 December 2017) was an Irish judge, politician and barrister who served as Chief Justice of Ireland and a Judge of the Supreme Court from 1985 to 1994, President of the High Court from 1974 to 1985 and a Judge of the High Court from 1971 to 1985. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin South-Central constituency from 1954 to 1957.^[1]

Early life[]

He was the second son of Thomas Finlay, a politician and senior counsel whose career was cut short by his early death in 1932. He was educated at Clongowes Wood College, University College Dublin (UCD) and King's Inns. While attending UCD, he was elected Auditor of the University College Dublin Law Society. He was called to the Bar in 1944 and to the Inner Bar in 1961.^[2]

Career[]

He was elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fine Gael TD for the Dublin South-Central constituency at the 1954 general election.^[3] He lost his seat at the 1957 general election.^[4]

In 1971, he was appointed a Judge of the High Court, and was later appointed President of the High Court in 1974. In 1985, he was nominated by Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald as a Judge of the Supreme Court and as Chief Justice of Ireland. On 10 October 1985, he was appointed by President Patrick Hillery to both roles. He remained in both positions until he announced his resignation and retirement in 1994.

Personal life[]

He was a member of a legal family: his father and brother William were both Senior Counsels as is his son John; both his brother-in-law, John Blayney, and his son-in-law, Hugh Geoghegan, were judges of the Supreme Court, as was Hugh's father, James Geoghegan. Thomas's daughter Mary was a judge of the High Court, judge of the Court of Appeal and judge of the Supreme Court.

Death[]

Finlay died on 3 December 2017, aged 95.^[5]

References[]