Retirement of Ryan report judge an ‘enormous loss’

The president of the Court of Appeal, Mr Justice Seán Ryan, who chaired the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse, has retired after a legal career spanning almost five decades.

The Attorney General, Seamus Woulfe SC, said the commission's 2009 report, known as the Ryan report, is among the judge's "lasting legacies" to the people of Ireland. He thanked him, on behalf of the Government and people, for his outstanding public service.

Mr Woulfe also praised Mr Justice Ryan for his success in his role as the first president of the Court of Appeal, saying his departure represented an “enormous loss” for the court, judiciary and the people.

Since 2014, the judge had managed to run the new court as efficiently as possible despite the “extraordinary overburden” the court carried as a result of inheriting a backlog of appeals from the Supreme Court.

Mr Woulfe lead a series of tributes when Mr Justice Ryan sat as a judge for the last time today in the Court of Appeal building in the Four Courts.

The ceremony was attended by the judge’s wife Ruth, their two sons and other family members, virtually all judges of the superior courts, and many other serving and retired members of the judiciary, legal profession and court staff.

Replying to the tributes, Mr Justice Ryan said it was “impossible” to describe his own feelings about the commission’s work.

‘Proper history’

He said that work is in the public domain and it was "important and vital" to the understanding of the "proper history of this State" that these matters were explored and excavated to do justice to the victims of child abuse. He also paid tribute to Ms Justice Mary Laffoy, who set up the commission in the first place and the other commissioners and staff.

He said the establishment of the Court of Appeal in 2014 represented a “real challenge” but he had been “incredibly fortunate” in the judges appointed to the court. He warmly thanked a long list of colleagues, friends and court staff with whom he had worked over the years and concluded by saying “none of this would have been possible” without his family.

Earlier, Mr Justice Michael Peart, a fellow judge of the Court of Appeal, said Mr Justice Ryan's retirement marked the end of a "truly great legal career".

His lasting legacy included the Ryan report and hundreds of judgments and his leadership of the appeal court had ensured an “outstanding record of achievement” in a short time. His judgments and running of the court reflected a “wise human being” who believed the common law is rooted in “common sense”.

Good humour

Tributes were also paid on behalf of the Bar Council, Law Society, DPP, Courts Service, gardaí and Geraldine Manners, registrar of the Court of Appeal. Many of the speakers noted the judge's courtesy and good humour in presiding over the court

Mr Justice Ryan was called to the Bar in 1972 and practiced on the South Eastern Circuit. He became a senior counsel in 1983. Among the cases he was involved in was Webb v Ireland, concerning issues of property rights arising from the finding of the Derrynaflan chalice and other items and a 1997 libel action by former minister Proinsias de Rossa, resulting in a then record €300,000 award.

In 2002, he chaired the abuse victims’ compensation expert group leading to the Ferns report and was appointed the following year as a High Court judge.

He was also that year appointed chair of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse in institutions here since the 1930s. The commission’s report, published in 2009, said testimony had demonstrated beyond doubt the entire system treated children more like “prison inmates and slaves” than people with legal rights and human potential.

In 2012, Mr Justice Ryan was appointed chair of the expert group on the ABC judgment of the European Court of Human Rights, concerning the right to abortion when a woman’s life is threatened.

Two years later, he was appointed the first president of the Court of Appeal.