Council plans bench tribute to former judge

CORK city is to honour the distinguished judge and former Lord Mayor, Sean O’Leary who died last year.

Mr O’Leary died at Cork University Hospital on December 22 aged 65 after a short illness.

The city council is now planning to install a park bench in his honour at The Lough — a city bird sanctuary — close to where the O’Learys lived before moving to Leemount. Mr O’Leary often used the popular amenity for his walks.

The proposal to honour Mr O’Leary from council’s corporate policy group was unanimously welcomed.

A park bench in memory of Jim Cunningham, the late father of Cork hurling legend, Ger, was installed at The Lough some years ago.

Mr O’Leary was twice a member of Seanad Éireann and served as a circuit court judge before his promotion to the High Court bench.

In the years before his death, he took on one of the challenge of chairing the Residential Institutions Redress Board, responsible for compensating the victims of abuse in State orphanages. He was credited with getting the system moving after a period marred by rows with the Government over board independence.

Mr O’Leary’s political career began in 1967 when he started a 10-year stint as an elected member of the then Cork Corporation. In 1972 he became the city’s mayor.

He represented Fine Gael in the Seanad twice between 1981 and 1987, also serving as director of elections.

As Mr Justice O’Leary he led a team of High Court investigators who exposed the extent of tax evasion through the Ansbacher accounts on the Cayman Islands. After his death, Mr O’Leary sparked controversy with the publication of his observations criticising the judicial system and members of the Supreme Court’s handling of the Mr A case.