by Allison Bray for Irish Independent, 13th June 2020:
The representative body for solicitors has welcomed the nomination of Supreme Court Judge Ms Justice Mary Irvine to the position of president of the High Court.
The nomination would see her make history as the first woman appointed to the role.
It was approved by ministers at a Cabinet meeting at Dublin Castle yesterday.
It is now up to President Michael D Higgins to formally appoint her to the role when it becomes vacant following the retirement of the current president of the High Court, Mr Justice Peter Kelly, who is due to retire on June 18.
Michele O'Boyle, president of the Law Society of Ireland, said: "I welcome in the warmest of terms this nomination of Ms Justice Mary Irvine both as an outstandingly able judge and as the first woman in history to hold this absolutely key role in the Irish judiciary.
"She will bring the qualities of independence, deep legal knowledge and insight that have characterised her distinguished career as a judge."
Ms Justice Irvine was appointed to the Supreme Court as a judge in 2019.
Prior to that appointment, she was best known by the general public as the chair of the CervicalCheck Tribunal.
It was established by the Government in 2018 to hear and determine claims made outside of the court process arising from acts of negligence on the part of CervicalCheck as provided for in the Cervical Tribunal Act 2019.
She was also appointed as a judge to the Appeal Court in 2014 after a stint as a High Court judge in which she was in charge of the personal injuries list from 2009 to 2014.
During her tenure as a High Court judge, she was responsible for the determination of all Garda compensation claims against the State.
She also chaired the Working Group on Medical Negligence and Periodic Payments established by the president of the High Court in 2010 to "examine the system within the courts for the management of claims for damages arising out of alleged medical negligence and to identify shortcomings in that system", according to the Courts Service.
Ms Justice Irvine was born in Dublin and graduated from UCD and the Honourable Society of King's Inns before she was called to the Bar of Ireland in 1978 and to the Inner Bar in 1996 where she specialised in medical law.
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