Former chief justice, attorney general and judge of the European Court of Justice worked on several cases which developed European law and expanded its impact
After attending Crescent College, Limerick, and Rockwell College, Co Tipperary, he completed a BA degree at University College Dublin. The university had an impact on both his personal and professional life. It was where he met his future wife, Gabrielle Walsh, who was studying law. Her father was Supreme Court judge Brian Walsh. A life in law also appealed to the young Limerick man and so he attended King’s Inns and was called to the Bar in 1967.
It was a short stint as attorney general, so short that, on the December day the southwestern bar was hosting a dinner to celebrate his appointment, the government fell. His term as attorney general was followed by an appointment to the European Court of Justice from 1992 to 1999. In his eulogy delivered at Mr Murray’s funeral, his friend, former attorney general Paul Gallagher, said he had worked on a number of important cases which developed European law and expanded its impact. The cases affected issues such as equal pay rights and the breaking down of internal market barriers for goods and services.
He retired from the Supreme Court in 2015, expressing gratitude at the privilege he had been given. Mr Gallagher said it was typical of his friend to express thanks at having had the opportunity to serve. “In truth virtually all of John’s life in the law was devoted to serving the public. The sacrifices he, Gabrielle and his family made were great, frequent and made without complaint,” he said.
His vast legal experience meant he was asked to chair many committees. Posts he accepted included chair of the European Central Bank Anti-Fraud Committee, the Ad Hoc Ethical Committee of the European Commission and the Advisory Panel of Experts on the Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights.
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