Professor John Harbison (23 December 1935 – 18 December 2020) was the first State Pathologist of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Early life and education

Harbison was born in the

Howth Howth ( ; ; non, Hǫfuð) is an affluent peninsular village and outer suburb of Dublin, Ireland. The district as a whole occupies the greater part of the peninsula of Howth Head, which forms the northern boundary of Dublin Bay, and include ...

area to

Sheelagh Harbison Sheelagh Harbison (2 September 1914 14 October 2012), was an Irish medieval historian. Biography Harbison was born Sheelagh Helen MacSherry on 2 September 1914 in Letterkenny, County Donegal, to bank manager Frederick William MacSherry and his ...

and her husband Dr James Austin Harbison, educated locally, and at St Gerard's School, Bray and

Stonyhurst College Stonyhurst College is a co-educational Catholic Church, Roman Catholic independent school, adhering to the Society of Jesus, Jesuit tradition, on the Stonyhurst, Stonyhurst Estate, Lancashire, England. It occupies a Grade I listed building. Th ...

, and subsequently graduated from

Trinity College Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...

in 1960. He had at least one brother and his father was a doctor, who had held roles as county and city medical officer. His brother Peter Harbison is an archaeologist.

Career

He worked at Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children and held positions in hospitals in

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and

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the Un ...

before becoming an assistant pathologist in TCD. He was a lecturer in

medical jurisprudence Medical jurisprudence or legal medicine is the branch of science and medicine involving the study and application of scientific and medical knowledge to legal problems, such as inquests, and in the field of law. As modern medicine is a legal ...

in TCD and became the first state pathologist in 1974. He worked on cases including the

Kerry babies The Kerry Babies case () was a 1984 investigation by the Garda Síochána in County Kerry, Ireland, into the killing of one newborn baby and the alleged killing of another. The mother who concealed the second baby, Joanne Hayes, was arrested and ...

, Sophie Toscan du Plantier, Brian Murphy and Grangegorman, carrying out around 100 post mortems a year. In 1991 he was appointed Professor of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology at the

Royal College of Surgeons The Royal College of Surgeons is an ancient college (a form of corporation) established in England to regulate the activity of surgeons. Derivative organisations survive in many present and former members of the Commonwealth. These organisations ar ...

. He ceased performing post mortems in 2003, at the age of 67. In 2006 health issues prevented him from giving testimony in court cases. He was succeeded as State Pathologist by Professor Marie Cassidy.

Personal life

Harbison was married to Kathleen Harbison in 1979, and they had two children and two grandchildren. He and his family used to live at Innisbeg in Howth. He died on 18 December 2020, just five days before his 85th birthday. His funeral took place at Glasnevin Crematorium on 21 December 2020.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harbison, John 1935 births People from Howth People educated at St Gerard's School, Bray People educated at Stonyhurst College Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Irish pathologists 2020 deaths