Isabel Charleton, Fiona Daly, Peter Charleton and Anna Rose Charleton 

In order to be eligible candidates must show that they have made an outstanding, internationally recognised contribution to the advancement of knowledge and that they have a connection to the university.

A graduate of Trinity College, Dublin, Mr Charleton was called to the Bar in 1979 and became senior counsel in 1995. He was appointed a High Court judge in 2006 and was assigned to the Commercial Court from 2010. He was appointed to the Supreme Court in July 2014. He retired in April 2026.

With a body of work spanning five decades from 1980 to the present day Mr Charleton’s publications include 50 peer-reviewed articles and four books. He joins the ranks of only two other judges in the history of the State awarded the degree namely, James Creed Meredith and Gerard Hogan.

The award of the degree was made on 19 June 2026 alongside Katie Taylor who was awarded the same degree (LL.D.), honoris causa.

Speaking to Irish Legal News after the conferring, Peter Charleton said:

“What I appreciate most of all is all the Law School here did for me here in TCD.  We had great teachers, Professor Heuston for tort and constitutional law, Kadar Asmal who taught labour law and human rights, Dr Jeremy Phillips in intellectual property, Yvonne Scannell who drilled us in contract, Eldon Exshaw who challenged us with property law. Then, it was a small faculty and, so, you got to know people really well.

“Patrick Ussher, who taught company law, I remember bringing me into his room and spending an afternoon proofing and improving my first academic article before publication. In life you remember kindness. They encouraged me to contribute to academic discourse and whether it has made any difference or not, I feel the important thing is to put stuff out there and give it a go at improving the law. So, it’s nice to be acknowledged by the academic community and by my university in particular and told that the things I’ve written over the last 46 years merit this degree.”