Michael MacGrath

Michael MacGrath is an Irish judge who has served as a Judge of the Court of Appeal since July 2024. He previously served as a Judge of the High Court from 2018 to 2024.

Early life MacGrath attended University College Dublin from where he received BCL and LLM degrees. He subsequently attended the King's Inns.

Legal career He was called to the Bar in 1984 and became a senior counsel in 2000.

He was counsel for the Barr Tribunal and he represented the Attorney General of Ireland and the public interest at the Moriarty Tribunal.

In addition to his legal practice, he was the chairperson of the Broadcasting Complaints Commission between 2005 and 2009,

MacGrath was a tutor in law at University College Dublin. He has acted as the external examiner for Tort law the King's Inns since 2009. He was appointment came following a vacancy created at the retirement of Judge Henry Abbott.

He has presided over cases involving commercial law, regulatory law, judicial review, employment law, and medical negligence.

In the midst of a judicial review hearing in 2019, a lay litigant unsuccessfully attempted to effect a citizen's arrest against him. In 2019, he decided against the Friends of the Irish Environment which sought to challenge governmental policy on climate change and reducing carbon emissions. The decision was appealed to the Supreme Court of Ireland with a hearing in June 2020.

He was elevated as a judge of the Court of Appeal in July 2024, and was appointed by President Michael D. Higgins.

In July 2025 MacGrath was appointed Chair of the Commission of Investigation into the Handling of Historical Child Sexual Abuse in Schools.