Judicial roles for TWO brothers of FG election official
TWO brothers of Mayo Fine Gael election official Pat O’Connor have been made judges since Enda Kenny came into office.
Mr Justice Tony O’Connor was made a judge of the High Court in 2015, while Mr John O’Connor was made a district court judge in 2012.
The brothers are members of a well-known legal family from Co. Mayo. Pat O’Connor held the position of Fine Gael press officer designate for the Mayo constituency in the 2016 general election – and was director of elections in Mayo in 2007.
Having previously been coroner for East Mayo, he replaced South
Mayo coroner John O’Dwyer after he retired last year. The South Mayo post is better remunerated.
Mr O’Connor was president of the Law Society of Ireland in 1998 and was later a member of the Judicial Appointments Advisory Board.
He has been a member of the independent appeals tribunal of the Irish Prison Service since 2011.
Mr O’Connor was also appointed a director of Sport Ireland (formerly the Irish Sports Council) in May 2014.
When contacted last night Pat O’Connor told the Irish Mail on Sunday he had ‘no comment to make’.
Both the O’Connor judges are well-respected figures and eminently qualified to sit on the bench.
A spokesperson for the Court Service of Ireland said that he would send an email to both judges. However, no response was received from either.