Donal Barrington

Donal Patrick Michael Barrington[1] (28 February 1928 – 3 January 2018) was an Irish judge who was a member of the Supreme Court from 1996 to 2000.[2] An advocate for progressive policies, he was also the first President of the Irish Human Rights Commission.[3]

Barrington was born in South Dublin, the fifth and only surviving child of Thomas Barrington, a principal officer in the Department of Agriculture and native of Ennistymon, County Clare, and Eileen, was a daughter of J. K. Bracken and sister of Brendan Bracken, 1st Viscount Bracken. His father died when he was 2 years old. He later attended Trinity College Dublin.[4]

He had previously been a High Court judge and subsequently a judge of the Court of First Instance of the Court of Justice of the European Communities. As a barrister, he was a key advocate for social change. He successfully represented Mary McGee in the landmark 1973 case over the ban on importing contraceptives in Ireland, in which the Supreme Court ruled that the ban infringed on married couples' right to privacy.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Conniff, James (1994). The Useful Cobbler: Edmund Burke and the Politics of Progress. SUNY Press. p. 301. ISBN 9780791418437. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  2. ↑ Carswell, Simon (3 January 2018). "Ex-judge and 'barrister to underdog' Donal Barrington dies". The Irish Times. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  3. ↑ Finn, Christina (6 January 2018). "'Liberal' barrister fought game changer case that overturned the ban on importing contraceptives". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  4. ↑ "Outstanding jurist and advocate of social and political change". The Irish Times. 6 January 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  5. ↑ Keena, Colm (6 January 2018). "Donal Barrington saw Constitution as 'living document,' funeral hears". The Irish Times. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
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