Tributes paid to Mr Justice Alan Mahon on departure from the bench

Tributes have been paid to Mr Justice Alan Mahon of the Court of Appeal on his departure from the bench to become Ombudsman for the Defence Forces, The Irish Times reports.

Mr Justice George Birmingham, president of the Court of Appeal, led tributes to Mr Justice Mahon, who was appointed to the Court of Appeal bench in October 2014.

Mr Justice Mahon, 64, was called to the Bar in 1976, became senior counsel in 1988 and was appointed a Circuit Court judge in 2002.

He chaired the Tribunal of Inquiry Into Certain Planning Matters and Payments, which was established in 2003 and reported in 2012.

Mr Justice Birmingham said Ireland would be a “more open and transparent society” if its recommendations had been implemented.

Attorney General Seámus Woulfe and representatives of the Bar Council, Law Society, DPP and Courts Service also paid tribute.