The High Court judge Ms Justice Laffoy is to chair the new Commission on Childhood Abuse, the Government has announced.
The other members are Dr Imelda Ryan, consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist, who specialises in child abuse, and Mr Bob Lewis CBE, a former director of social services in England.
Ms Justice Laffoy was educated at Colaise Colaiste Mhuire, Tourmakeady, Co Mayo, UCD and the King's Inns, where she was Brooke's Scholar in her final year. She was called to the Bar in 1971 and became a senior counsel in 1987, one of only three women members of the Inner Bar. She was made a High Court judge in 1995.
Dr Ryan is director of the child sexual abuse assessment and treatment unit at Our Lady's Hospital in Dublin. and a community based child psychiatrist.
She has worked with sexually-abused children and families for 11 years and chaired the organising committee for the international congress on child abuse and neglect in Ireland in 1996. Mr Lewis worked in industry, was a house-master at an approved school for Catholic boys and was director of social services for Stockport Council before retiring in March. He is a consultant with Tunstall, advising on alarm systems for older people.
He has chaired child care reviews and was recently commissioned to review social work services in hospitals in England.
The Minister for Education, Mr Martin, said the commission's first task was to make recommendations to the Government on its powers and terms of reference, and it was envisaged that this work would start very shortly, with an initial report available within three months.