Eoin Mac Giolla Ri

Eoin Mac Giolla Ri yesterday began serving as a magistrate in Brisbane, where he will be based until December, when he will be relocated to the city of Mt Isa on the opposite side of the state.

A graduate of National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG) and the King’s Inns, Mr Mac Giolla Ri was called to The Bar of Ireland in 2000.

He subsequently moved to Australia and was admitted to the Bar in Queensland in 2002, where he gained extensive experience in criminal law.

Queensland’s Attorney General and Justice Minister Shannon Fentiman said: “I congratulate Magistrate Mac Giolla Ri on his well-deserved appointment.

“Our newest magistrate is very familiar with the magistrates’ courts, having made extensive appearances in that jurisdiction during five years at Legal Aid Queensland before entering private practice.

“This work included providing hundreds of duty lawyer sessions in the busiest courts in the Brisbane area and working in our regions appearing as counsel on court circuits.”

She added: “Practising primarily in the area of criminal law, Magistrate Mac Giolla Ri is also experienced in electoral, administrative law and disciplinary matters and has appeared as counsel in the federal courts in a number of refugee matters.”