Chair
Mr Justice Michael MacGrath was appointed a judge of the High Court in January 2018, where he presided over civil cases. He also presided over criminal trials in the Special Criminal Court and the Central Criminal Court between 2020 and 2024. He was appointed to the Court of Appeal in June 2024. Prior to his judicial appointments, he practiced as a barrister and was appointed Senior Counsel in 2000. He was appointed to chair the Commission of Investigation into the Handling of Historical Child Sexual Abuse in Schools in 2025.
Commissioners
Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring was appointed a judge of the Circuit Court in 2012, where she presided almost exclusively over criminal courts, and a judge of the High Court in 2015 where she served for over ten years. A former Chair of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission from 2015 to 2021, she previously practised as a barrister specialising in criminal and public law, constitutional litigation and child law. She is also co-founder of the Children’s Legal Centre and the Association for Criminal Justice Research and Development.
Mr Roddy Bourke is an experienced solicitor who was partner in McCann FitzGerald LLP from 1992 to 2024 where he specialised in complex litigation and investigations. He has extensive experience acting in tribunals and commissions of investigation and is a former member and Chair of the Law Society’s Litigation, Alternative Dispute Resolution and Law Reform Committees.
Ms Michele Clarke is Adjunct Professor at the School of Social Work and Social Policy, Trinity College Dublin. Her previous roles include Chief Social Worker in the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and Chief Inspector of the Social Services Inspectorate. She was the trauma-informed survivor engagement advisor to the Scoping Inquiry into Historical Sexual Abuse in Day and Boarding Schools Run by Religious Orders.
Mr Kieran McGrath is an independent safeguarding consultant with twenty years of experience advising Government and non-Government bodies on child protection and welfare matters. In his career as a social worker, he specialised in sexual abuse prevention, risk assessment and clinical supervision. He led the trauma-informed survivor engagement process for the Scoping Inquiry into Historical Sexual Abuse in Day and Boarding Schools Run by Religious Orders.
Additional Support
The Commissioners are supported by an experienced team of legal and administrative professionals whose backgrounds in public administration and the private sector span a range of disciplines.
Together, they provide the legal, investigative, policy and operational support that underpins the Commission’s work as set out in its Terms of Reference.
The Commission is committed to a trauma-informed approach to its work, and this is central to our policies and working practices.