Quick Facts
Biography
Tara Burns is an Irish judge who has served as a Judge of the High Court since June 2018.
Burns was born in Sligo and attended Mercy College. She obtained a BCL from University College Dublin in 1993. Burns was a barrister from 1995 and became a senior counsel in 2013. She frequently appeared in criminal cases for both defendants and the Director of Public Prosecutions. She appeared on behalf of the Garda Commissioner at the Morris Tribunal in 2002 and represented Superintendent Dave Taylor at the Disclosures Tribunal. She also often practised on the Midland and Northern Circuits.
Burns was appointed a judge of the High Court on 28 June 2018. In November 2018, she was assigned to the Special Criminal Court. She was appointed as chairperson of the Referendum Commission in February 2019 for the May 2019 referendum to amend the Constitution. Burns attended events around Ireland to promote voter participation in the referendum, including a ceremony to confer Irish citizenship on 2,500 people.