Michael Anthony Moriarty, SC (born 10 August 1946) is a retired Irish judge who served as a Judge of the High Court from 1996 to 2018 and a Judge of the Circuit Court from 1987 to 1996.

Early life and career

Born in Belfast in 1946 to parents James and Nora Moriarty. He moved to Dublin in 1960 and was educated at Blackrock College, University College Dublin and

King's Inns The Honorable Society of King's Inns ( ir, Cumann Onórach Óstaí an Rí) is the "Inn of Court" for the Bar of Ireland. Established in 1541, King's Inns is Ireland's oldest school of law and one of Ireland's significant historical environment ...

. He was called to the Irish Bar in 1968, and became a Senior Counsel in March 1982. He specialised in criminal law at the bar. He was appointed Chairman of the Employment Appeals Tribunal in 1986.

Judicial career

He became a Circuit Court judge in 1987. He was subsequently appointed a High Court judge in March 1996. He was the chairperson of the Lord Mayor's Commission on Crime. He is best known as Chair of the Moriarty Tribunal, which he chaired between 1997 and 2010. The Tribunal investigated the financial affairs of former Taoiseach Charles Haughey and former Minister

Michael Lowry Michael Lowry (born 13 March 1953) is an Irish Independent politician who has served as a Teachta Dála (TD) since 1987, currently for the Tipperary constituency. He previously served as Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications fro ...

. The first report, in 2006, found that Haughey had misappropriated funds. The second report, delivered in 2011, found that Lowry had shared information with Denis O'Brien "of significant value and assistance" to aid in the awarding of a mobile telephone licence. He retired in April 2018, following 31 years as a judge.

Personal life

He was formerly married to

Mary Irvine Mary Irvine (born 10 December 1956) is an Irish judge who was the President of the Irish High Court between 2020 and 2022. She first practiced as a barrister. She was a judge of the High Court between 2007 and 2014. She was a judge of the Cou ...

, with whom he has three children. He subsequently married Doreen Delahunty.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moriarty, Michael 1946 births Living people Irish Senior Counsel Alumni of University College Dublin High Court judges (Ireland) Circuit Court (Ireland) judges People educated at Blackrock College Lawyers from Belfast Alumni of King's Inns Lawyers from County Dublin 20th-century Irish judges 21st-century Irish judges