Neilan's successor not yet confirmed

The person who will fill Judge John Neilan's shoes at Mullingar District Court has not yet been confirmed, despite the appointment of a new judge to fill the vacancy left by his retirement in May.At its meeting on Tuesday last, the Government announced the nomination of Leixlip-based solicitor and Fianna Fáil county councillor Paul Kelly for appointment by the President to join the roster of District Court judges, in light of the vacancy which arose after Judge Neilan's retirement. However, a spokesperson for the Courts Service said that the position in District No. 9 (the jurisdiction of Mullingar, Athlone and Longford District Courts) remains open, and that the appointment of a judge to permanently replace Judge Neilan has not yet been decided. The spokeperson said that this is “a matter for the Cabinet”, and that the decision is likely to be taken in the New Year. Courts in District No. 9 have been presided over by movable judges of the District Court since early June. The now Judge Kelly qualified as a solicitor in 1979, after completing a BCL degree at University College, Dublin.From 1982 to date, he has operated his own practice in Leixlip, Co. Kildare, dealing with areas such as conveyancing, tort, family law, employment and industrial relations, as well as criminal work.