Seán O'Leary

Seán O'Leary
Seán O'Leary
Judge of the High Court
	In office; 19 April 2002 – 9 September 2006
Nominated by	Government of Ireland
Appointed by	Mary McAleese
Judge of the Circuit Court
	In office; 3 March 1995 – 19 April 2002
Nominated by	Government of Ireland
Appointed by	Mary Robinson
Senator
	In office; 23 February 1983 – 25 April 1987
	In office; 8 October 1981 – 13 May 1982
Constituency	Nominated by the Taoiseach
Lord Mayor of Cork
	In office; 11 June 1972 – 4 June 1973
Preceded by	Timothy J. O'Sullivan
Succeeded by	Patrick Kerrigan
Personal details
Born	7 June 1941; Cork, Ireland
Died	22 December 2006 (aged 65); Blackrock, Dublin, Ireland
Political party	Fine Gael
Spouse	Mary Holly (m. 1979)
Children	5
Relatives	John Horgan (grandfather)
Education	St Finbarr's College, Farranferris
Alma mater	University College Dublin; King's Inns;

Seán Anthony O'Leary (7 June 1941 – 22 December 2006) was an Irish judge, politician and barrister who served as a judge of the High Court from 2002 to 2006, a judge of the Circuit Court from 1995 to 2002, a senator from 1981 to 1982 and 1983 to 1987, and Lord Mayor of Cork from 1972 to 1973.^[1]

O'Leary was Lord Mayor of Cork from 1972 to 1973, having been a Fine Gael member of Cork City Council. He was an unsuccessful Fine Gael candidate for Dáil Éireann at the 1965, 1969, 1973 and 1977 general elections for various Cork constituencies.^[2] In 1981, he was nominated by the Taoiseach, Garret FitzGerald as a member of the 15th Seanad.^[2] He was a political activist one of the group known as the 'National Handlers'. Prior to qualifying as a barrister, he was an accountant. He was nominated again as a senator in 1983, and served in the 17th Seanad from 1983 to 1987. He did not seek re-election in 1987.^[2]

He was later appointed a Circuit Court judge and later again elevated to the High Court. He chaired enquiries into the proposed Luas light rail system for Dublin in 1997 and 1999, which were praised for their promptness. While a High Court judge, he served as Chairman of the Residential Institutions Redress Board. He died at his Dublin home on 22 December 2006.^[2]

His grandfather John Horgan was a Teachta Dála (TD), as well as a Lord Mayor of Cork from 1941 to 1942.^[3]^[4]

References

^ "Seán A. O'Leary". Oireachtas Members Database. Archived from the original on 8 November 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2012.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Seán A. O'Leary". ElectionsIreland.org. Archived from the original on 14 April 2012. Retrieved 5 June 2012.
^ Cadogan, Tim & Falvey, Jeremiah: A Biographical Dictionary of Cork p.138, Four Courts Press (2006), ISBN 1-84682-030-8
^ "Previous Mayors of Cork". Cork City Council. Retrieved 11 December 2022.