Sam Byrne

Jonathon Boylan was awarded the prize of Best Overall Contribution to Volume 24 for his article entitled “On Whose Authority? An Analysis of Judicial Discretion in Irish Sentencing”, which examines the extent to which sentencing in Ireland is determined by the discretion of individual judges.

Dr Jonathan O’Rourke, editor-in-chief for Volume 24, said: “On behalf of the editorial board, I am delighted to present Volume 24 of the Journal.

“I would like to express my sincere thanks to the Law Society of Ireland, particularly Mr T P Kennedy, as well to our judge in residence, Mr Justice Michael Quinn, for all of their generous support and guidance.

“We would also like to thank our academic reviewers, our publishers Thomson Reuters, and our sponsor firms, Mason Hayes & Curran LLP, Matheson LLP, and McCann FitzGerald LLP.”

Mr Byrne, a deputy editor of the outgoing board, is a trainee solicitor at Matheson LLP, and succeeds Dr Jonathan O’Rourke in the role of editor-in-chief.

He said: “I am delighted to be appointed editor-in-chief of Volume 25 of the Hibernian Law Journal.

“I’m hugely grateful for the support I’ve received from my predecessors, and from the Law Society.

“I look forward to building on the successes of Volume 24 as we begin the process of compiling Volume 25.”

The Hibernian Law Journal is now accepting submissions of articles and case notes for publication in Volume 25. Submissions should be forwarded to editor@hibernianlawjournal.com by Friday 13 March 2026.