Irish judge (born 1948)
Sean Ryan (born 27 March 1948)[1] is a retired Irish judge who served as President of the Court of Appeal and a Judge of the Court of Appeal from 2014 to 2018, and a Judge of the High Court from 2003 to 2014.[2]
As a barrister, he was Senior Counsel to the inquiry into abuse in the Catholic diocese of Ferns (the Ferns Report),[3] and was Chairman of the Compensation Advisory Committee that prepared guidelines on compensation to be paid to abuse survivors at the Residential Institutions Redress Board.[4]
In September 2003, Ryan was selected to head the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse following the controversial resignation of the previous chair, Judge Mary Laffoy,[5] who claimed her work had been systematically obstructed by the Department of Education.[4] The government appointed him a High Court judge, without seeking a recommendation from the Judicial Appointments Advisory Board,[6] "to guarantee that the integrity and independence of the chairperson will be maintained."[3]
Ryan published the Commission's public report on 20 May 2009 and it was immediately hailed as "a work of incalculable value to this country"[7] and praised for its "meticulous gathering of evidence",[8] though "Justice has not been done as many of the abusers will never face the rigours of the law."[9]
In 2014, he was named by the Government as the President designate of the newly established Court of Appeal.[10] He was nominated as President of the court by the Government on 29 October 2014[11] and appointed by the President of Ireland on the same day.[12]
He retired from the bench in March 2018 given the statutory requirement.
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