The 2025 Gael Linn Moot Court took place on Friday 7th November, in the King’s Inns and the Four Courts in Dublin. This competition provides a valuable opportunity for third level students from across the country to gain practical experience in the law through the medium of Irish, developing their communication, research and reasoning skills – essential skills for the legal profession today.
Students from various universities, including University College Dublin, University College Dublin, King’s Inns and the Law Society of Ireland, took part in the competition, discussing an appeal case between Pádraig Mac Gafraidh and the newspaper An Réalta Laethúil. The focus was on issues of defamation, freedom of the press and the public interest – themes that are of paramount importance in today’s law.
The preliminary rounds of the competition were held in the King’s Inns in the morning, and the day continued with the Final in the Four Courts of Ireland in the afternoon. The Final was judged by three distinguished judges:
Judge Nuala de Buitléir (Court of Appeal), Judge Siobhán de Staic (High Court), and Clíona Kimber, Senior Counsel, Chair of the Environment – Climate Bar Association. This is the first time in the history of the Mock Court that an all-female panel of judges has presided over the hearing of the case – a historic point in the history of the competition.
Tomás Rua Ó Cadhla, Competition Coordinator, said:
The Mock Court is a great opportunity for law students to develop the use of Irish in a professional context, and to gain confidence in their speaking and argumentation skills in a court setting. In recent years, the standard of submissions and interest in law through Irish has increased significantly, reflecting a strong revival in this field
The competition is run by Gael Linn in association with members of the Law Society and the Irish Bar, in honour of the former President and Chief Justice of Ireland, Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh. It fosters a culture of law through Irish and enhances the language competence of future generations of lawyers and barristers.
Teams from Galway University who argued for both sides of the case in the Final, Cianna Cullen and Tomás Ó Canáin on Team A for the Appellant and Eoin Ó Nuanáin on Team C for the Respondent.
Eoin Ó Nuanáin was awarded the Gael Linn permanent trophy and a cash prize in recognition of the strong, high-quality arguments he confidently presented in his defence of the Respondent.