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Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh

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Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh
Born
Blinne Nessa Áine Ní Ghrálaigh
Alma mater

Blinne Nessa Áine Ní Ghrálaigh KC is an Irish barrister who has worked in England and Ireland. She specialises in human rights and international law.

Early life and education

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After spending her early childhood in Glenamoy,[1] her mother from Dublin and her father from Mayo,[2] Ní Ghrálaigh was raised in Holloway, North London where her mother taught at Tufnell Park Primary School.[3] She was interested in law from a young age, and would spend her school holidays visiting the gallery of the Old Bailey. She studied French and Latin at Queens' College, Cambridge on a Foundation Scholarship, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Modern and Medieval Languages.[4]

After graduating, Ní Ghrálaigh worked for an American think tank, for an NGO, and as a paralegal for a human rights firm in London. She was offered a job as a legal observer on the Bloody Sunday Inquiry, prompting her to move to Derry for a year. Ní Ghrálaigh said of the experience in 2022, "It was an immense privilege to be part of that historic legal process" and that she remains friends with a number of the families she worked with.[3] She went on to complete a Graduate Diploma in Law at the University of Westminster and a Master of Laws (LLM) in International Legal Studies at New York University. She also took a vocational course at the Inns of Court School of Law.[5]

Career

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Ní Ghrálaigh joined Matrix Chambers in 2005, when she was called to the Bar of England and Wales. Later she was also called to the Bar of Northern Ireland in 2013 and to the Bar of Ireland in 2017. She was vice chair of the Bar Human Rights Committee from 2014 to 2019. In 2016, she was a visiting fellow at Harvard Law School.[6]

At the end of 2022 and beginning of 2023, Ní Ghrálaigh was appointed to King's Counsel[7][8] and welcomed as a new silk by Lincoln's Inn.[9] Also in 2022, she was shortlisted for Barrister of the Year by The Lawyer and placed third.[10][11]

Notable cases

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In 2015, Ní Ghrálaigh worked on the Croatia–Serbia genocide case at the International Court of Justice on behalf of Croatia, though both claims were ultimately dismissed.[12] In 2017, she secured an acquittal for activists Sam Walton and Dan Woodhouse,[3] who had been arrested for attempting to disarm Typhoon jets they believed were bound for Saudi Arabia to be used to bomb Yemen.[13]

Ní Ghrálaigh went on to work on the Colston Four trial regarding the toppling of the Colston statue by four protesters in Bristol in 2020, representing Rhian Graham. The jury acquitted the protesters in January 2022, and The Times named Ní Ghrálaigh Lawyer of the Week.[14]

In January 2024, Ní Ghrálaigh returned to the International Court of Justice as a member of the legal team representing South Africa's proceedings accusing Israel of genocide.[15] In her remarks, Ní Ghrálaigh claimed it to be the "first genocide in history" to be broadcast "in real-time" and pointed out the "dehumanising genocidal rhetoric" by Israeli governmental and military officials.[16] She also outlined that the number of Palestinian orphans caused by Israel's assault in the Gaza Strip has led to a "terrible, new" acronym WCNSFs (Wounded Child, No Surviving Family)[17] and highlighted that the UNICEF called Israel's actions a "war on children".[12] Ní Ghrálaigh was praised for her statement by viewers on social media with British journalist Owen Jones saying it "floored" him.[17] She had previously been to the Gaza strip on a legal fact-finding in the aftermath of Operation Cast Lead in 2009.[3]

Bibliography

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  • "Human Rights, International Justice and the Rule of Law" in Globalisation – A Liberal Response (2007), with Philippe Sands
  • "Towards an International Rule of Law?" in Tom Bingham and the Transformation of the Law: A Liber Amicorum (2009), with Philippe Sands
  • "Civilian Protections and the Arms Trade Treaty" in The Grey Zone (2018)

References

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  1. ^ Keady, Ava (16 January 2024). "Star human rights barrister, Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh, and her Mayo ties". Mayo News. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  2. ^ Rogers, Mal (14 January 2022). "Irish barrister gets acquittal for client in Colston 4 verdict". The Irish Post. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d Gallagher, Rosemary (7 February 2022). "Lawyer of the Month: Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh". Irish Legal News. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  4. ^ O'Shea, Kerry (4 January 2024). "Irish lawyer part of South Africa's legal team bringing genocide charges against Israel". Irish Central. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  5. ^ "Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh KC > Matrix Chambers > London, England". Legal 500. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  6. ^ "Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh KC". Matrix Chambers. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  7. ^ "King's Counsel 2023 Announcements". University of Cambridge. 4 January 2023. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  8. ^ "Four Matrix members to be appointed to King's Counsel". Matrix Chambers. 23 December 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  9. ^ "Lincoln's Inn New Silks". Lincoln's Inn. 16 January 2023. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  10. ^ "Barrister of the Year 2022". The Lawyer. 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  11. ^ "Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh shortlisted for Barrister of the Year award". Irish Legal. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  12. ^ a b Halley, Darren (11 January 2024). "'Entire multigenerational families will be obliterated' - Irish lawyer Blinne Ni Ghralaigh at The Hague". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 17 July 2024. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  13. ^ "'Greater good' pair cleared of BAE attack". BBC News. 26 October 2017. Archived from the original on 17 July 2024.
  14. ^ Tsang, Linda (13 January 2022). "Lawyer of the week: Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh who acted for one of the 'Colston Four'". The Times. Archived from the original on 13 January 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  15. ^ Kgosana, Rorisang (5 January 2024). "The 'A-team' lawyers representing South Africa at the world court against Israel". Times Live. Archived from the original on 17 July 2024. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  16. ^ "Irish lawyer tells Hague that Gaza is 'first genocide in history' being broadcast in 'real-time'". The Journal. 11 January 2024. Archived from the original on 17 July 2024. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  17. ^ a b "Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh: Lawyer's closing statement in ICJ case against Israel praised". The National. 11 January 2024. Archived from the original on 17 July 2024. Retrieved 17 July 2024.