Courts

There are five main courts in Ireland:

• The District Court
• The Circuit Court
• The High Court
• The Court of Appeal
• The Supreme Court

In criminal cases:

• The Circuit Criminal Court and the Special Criminal Court operate in place of the Circuit Court
• The Central Criminal Court and the Special Criminal Court operate in place of the High Court.

Articles 34 to 37 of the Irish Constitution deal with the administration of justice in general and outline the structure of the court system.

Article 34.1 requires that justice is administered in courts established by law. It must be administered in public (except in limit cases).

Each court has the power to make judgments over legal matters depending on how serious the matter is. This is sometimes referred to as the court’s jurisdiction.

The District Court is where minor civil and criminal matters are dealt with initially. For example, if you fail to pay a parking fine you may be brought to the District Court. You can appeal the outcome of a case heard in the District Court to the Circuit Court.

The Circuit Court is where more serious civil and criminal matters are dealt with initially. For example, if you are charged with a serious assault, you may be tried in the Circuit Court. Many divorce and judicial separation proceedings are also heard in the Circuit Court. You can appeal the outcome of a case heard in the Circuit Court to the High Court.

The High Court is where the most serious civil and criminal matters are heard initially. For example, the most serious criminal offences, such as murder, are dealt with by the High Court. The President of the High Court is in charge of the High Court. You can appeal the outcome of a case heard in the High Court to the Court of Appeal or in some instances directly to the Supreme Court.

The Court of Appeal hears appeals from the High Court in civil cases and in criminal cases hears appeals from:

• The Circuit Criminal Court
• The Central Criminal Court
• The Special Criminal Court

The Supreme Court is the final court of appeal. The Chief Justice is in charge of the Supreme Court.

Special Criminal Court

Other courts can hear civil and criminal matters, the Special Criminal Court only deals with criminal cases. This court was set-up to hear cases about paramilitary, subversive and organised crimes, but much of its workload now involves organised crime cases. This court sits with 3 judges and no jury.

The Director of Public Prosecutions sends cases to the Special Criminal Court when it certifies that the ordinary Courts would not be able to achieve the effective administration of justice and the preservation of public peace and order.

The Irish Constitution also provides for the setting up of special courts where the best interest of justice would not be served in a normal court, for example, the Children Court and the Drug Treatment Court.

You can find out more about what courts do.

The Courts Service is set up under the Court Service Act 1998. It:

• Manages the courts and court buildings
• Provides information about the operation of the courts.

You can find more about the courts in Ireland on the courts service website.