Ireland’s courts opened a packed new legal term with a slate of high-profile criminal and constitutional matters that will keep judges and litigators busy over the coming months. At the centre are a Central Criminal Court trial for a Dublin woman accused of a double murder, the sentencing hearing of former hurler DJ Carey for a long-running fraud, and a Supreme Court panel’s decision on whether to hear Conor McGregor’s latest application.
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Ruth Lawrence and Other Major Criminal Trials
The trial of Ruth Lawrence, accused of murdering Anthony Keegan and Eoin O’Connor whose bodies were recovered from Inchicup Island in Lough Sheelin in May 2014, is listed before the Central Criminal Court. The case, which has attracted intense public interest due to the circumstances and delays since the deaths, will be among the term’s most closely watched prosecutions. Other serious criminal matters set for hearings include sentencing for those convicted over the murder of schoolteacher Ashling Murphy, the adjourned sentencing of Jozef Puska’s wife and family for offences connected to that case, and separate hearings for the men implicated in the killing of 73-year-old Tom Niland in Co Sligo.
Carey, McGregor and a Crowded Docket
Former Kilkenny hurler DJ Carey faces a sentencing hearing on October 29 after pleading guilty to multiple counts of dishonestly inducing people to pay money by falsely claiming he had cancer. The admitted offences stretch from 2014 to 2022 and involve a number of complainants. In the Supreme Court, judges will decide whether to grant former mixed martial arts champion Conor McGregor permission to pursue another appeal against a civil jury verdict in favour of Nikita Hand. The court will only entertain the application if it raises a point of law of general public importance or is otherwise in the interests of justice.
Wider Public Interest and Judicial Business
Beyond sensational cases, the term will address significant public law questions. The High Court is expected to deliver judgment on whether ministers of State may attend cabinet meetings without voting rights, a constitutional issue with implications for government composition. Environmental and planning matters such as disputes over night flights at Dublin Airport and a landmark renewables appeal are also on the list. In the non-jury Special Criminal Court, a major trial involving what authorities describe as the largest crystal meth seizure in the State opens next week.
