Jury is out on judge situation in Limerick Circuit Criminal Court

LIMERICK will have no circuit criminal court judges in situ by the end of next week when the Trinity term concludes.

Long-serving judge, Tom O’Donnell, who retired last month, has not been replaced to date. 

Judge Dermot Sheehan, who has been on the bench in Limerick for over a year, has been permanently appointed to the Cork Circuit.

Julianne Kiely, president of Limerick Solicitors Bar Association, said it is disappointing that “more certainty could not have been given to our Circuit in relation to an assigned judge”. 

“The retirement date of Judge O’Donnell was well known and no steps were taken to ensure the smooth running of the court after his departure. In fact, we had been led to believe that a second judge may have been made available until the end of term to deal with the workload but this did not come to pass,” said Ms Kiely.

The solicitor said Limerick is the third busiest jurisdiction in the country but “repeatedly we seem to be faced with a lack of resources to include not only the judiciary but also our Court Service”.

“Apart from hindering progress within the court, it adds unnecessary and unhelpful stress to all those that appear before the court. It really is an access to justice issue for both complainants and accused persons,” said Ms Kiely.

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A Department of Justice spokesperson told the Limerick Leader it is a “priority” for the Government to ensure that the courts are resourced to administer justice efficiently and effectively.

“Work is currently underway to fill this assignment vacancy arising from the retirement of Judge Tom O’Donnell on June 27 in the South Western Circuit. The allocation of moveable Circuit Court judges across the country is a matter for the Court President.

“Judges are key persons at the heart of the courts system. To ensure that there are sufficient judicial resources in place throughout the country, the Minister for Justice established the Judicial Planning Working Group in 2021. 

“It was the group’s aim to consider the number and type of judges required for  the efficient administration of justice over the next five years,” said the spokesperson.

 lished its report in February 2023 and recommended a phased approach to increasing judicial resources to address backlogs and excessive waiting times nationwide.