Irish In Britain

About

Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC is an international human rights lawyer. She has acted in many landmark cases before the European Court of Human Rights, United Nations and international tribunals, in the UK and Privy Council.

Her work includes many of the leading cases in the UK over the past 20 years, including acting for bereaved families and survivors of the 7/7 London Bombings and the Hillsborough Disaster; and in a series of cases which have changed the law on the rights of children in custody.

She often acts in cases concerning cross-border issues and rights of the Irish in Britain, for example leading the legal team for the family of Margaret Keane in their landmark challenge regarding the use of the Irish language on a gravestone.

Caoilfhionn also acts in many cases involving arbitrary detention: she has acted for, and secured the freedom of, many imprisoned journalists, human rights defenders, lawyers, cartoonists and peaceful protestors in a number of jurisdictions internationally. Her work includes acting for Irish people unjustly detained abroad, including Ibrahim Halawa (Egypt) and Yasser Eljuboori (Iraq).

In the field of media freedom Caoilfhionn has led the international legal teams for the bereaved family of assassinated journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia (Malta); for imprisoned publisher and pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai (Hong Kong); and (jointly with Amal Clooney) for Maria Ressa, the Nobel Peace Prize winning journalist (Philippines).

Caoilfhionn is also Ireland’s Special Rapporteur on Child Protection; a Commissioner of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission; and an Adjunct Full Professor at University College Dublin.

In January 2024 she was awarded the President of Ireland’s Distinguished Service Award.