Farewell from the Editor

Connor Beaton

Our most loyal readers, who have been around since our launch in October 2015, will appreciate how far it has come in that time. I’ve enjoyed delving through the archives recently – tracing my own development as a journalist and media professional over that period.

A quick calculation suggests that we’ve published more than 2,500 email newsletters during my tenure. That we have grown to now more than 12,000 email subscribers feels like a massive vote of confidence.

It has been a great privilege for ILN to be trusted by so many solicitors, barristers, judges, academics and policy-makers across two jurisdictions to deliver accurate and up-to-date news on a daily basis. It would not have been possible without the hard work of colleagues past and present, including our case reporter Gillian O’Hanlon BL and her predecessors, Killian Flood BL, Andrew McKeown BL, Dr Róise Connolly and Dr Rachel Killean.

I’m particularly proud of how prestigious our Lawyer of the Month feature has become, spotlighting the impressive work of Irish lawyers at home and abroad. Much credit is due to Colin Cardwell, as well as Rosemary Gallagher and Margaret Taylor. There have been too many worthy subjects for me to name them all, but it was gratifying to see media outlets from around the world quote from our February 2022 interview with human rights lawyer Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh KC when she broke onto the international spotlight in January 2024 with her powerful advocacy for Palestinians in The Hague.

As well as those who have worked with us over the years, many going on to successful legal and journalistic careers – people like Tom O’Connor, Conor Courtney, Marita Moloney and Kevin Burns – I must thank those who have contributed of their own volition, the practitioners who have accepted the open invitation to use Irish Legal News as their platform. This publication has always sought to advocate fiercely on behalf of the professions we serve, championing legal aid and judicial review in the face of political attacks on both sides of the border, while defending access to justice, judicial independence and the rule of law. I hope you will return a good verdict on our performance to date.

I’m grateful to all of the PR and communications professionals who have made the breadth of our coverage possible, especially those at the Bar of Ireland, the Law Society of Ireland, the Bar of Northern Ireland and the Law Society of Northern Ireland, who I’ve come to rely on more than any other. The team at the Irish Law Awards, where I’ve enjoyed presenting the Excellence in Communications award since 2024, also deserve a shout-out – note the nominations window for this year remains open for just one more day.

While I’ve decided the acquisition this month of Irish Legal News by Hero Media & Entertainment Ltd is the perfect time to move on to a new challenge, my colleagues are staying put, including the formidable legal affairs journalist Kapil Summan and our hard-working advertising manager Jeff Anderson. I wish them – and my successor as editor, to be named in due course – all the best going forward.

You can continue to share news with the ILN team on newsdesk@irishlegal.com, and advertising and commercial partnerships can be discussed with Jeff on jeff@irishlegal.com. Those who wish to stay in touch with me beyond today are welcome to connect with me via LinkedIn.