The Government is to nominate Ms Justice Mary Irvine to be the president of the High Court, one of the most senior judicial positions in the State.

Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan brought the nomination to Friday’s Cabinet meeting, where it was approved by Ministers, sources confirmed. She will now be formally appointed to the post by President Michael D Higgins, in succession to Mr Justice Peter Kelly.

Ms Justice Irvine, who will be the first woman to hold the post, is currently a judge of the Supreme Court, having been appointed to the State’s highest court last year from the Court of Appeal (COA), where she had served as a judge since the courts establishment in 2014. Prior to that she had served as a judge of the High Court since 2007. As president of the High Court, she will remain an ex-officio member of the Supreme Court.

Ms Justice Irvine was one of the members of the Supreme court to visit Waterford in February of this year.

The Supreme Court sat in Waterford, for the first time, for two days on Monday February 24th and Tuesday February 25th2020.