Pádraig Ó Muirigh
Solicitor & Principal

Pádraig Ó Muirigh is an experienced solicitor and legal advocate, specialising in Inquest Law, Legacy Litigation, Public Inquiries, Actions Against the State, Human Rights Law, Judicial Review, Criminal Law, and Strategic Litigation. As the Principal of Ó Muirigh Solicitors, he has built a reputation for representing clients in high-profile cases that seek justice, accountability, and social change.

Pádraig has acted for numerous families and individuals affected by state violence and institutional wrongdoing, including representing clients in the Ballymurphy Massacre, Springhill Massacre, and Kelly’s Bar bombing campaigns. His work in legacy inquests has been instrumental in securing findings that state forces acted unjustly. Notably, following his successful application to the Attorney General to reopen inquests into the Ballymurphy Massacre, a Coroner ruled in May 2021 that all ten individuals killed by the British Army were ‘entirely innocent’ (Ballymurphy Inquest Findings).

He has also represented families in other significant legacy inquests, with Coroners consistently finding that the use of force by state agents was unjustified.

Beyond inquests, Pádraig has led civil actions against the British Government and Ministry of Defence, representing hundreds of former internees challenging the legality of internment and ill-treatment while detained without trial between 1971-1975.  He has also successfully challenged the provisions of the NI Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 which has denied internees the ability to progress these civil proceedings. The Court of Appeal has made a declaration pursuant to section 4 of the Human Rights Act 1998 that the provisions in the 2023 Act relating to interim custody orders were incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

Pádraig has represented a number of individuals arrested for peacefully protesting against the Genocide in Gaza (https://x.com/OMuirighSols/status/1937908715153453073/photo/1).

His legal expertise also extends to public inquiries, where he has represented clients in:

  • The UK Covid-19 Public Inquiry
  • The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) Inquiry
  • The Historical Institutional Abuse (HIA) Inquiry

A committed advocate beyond the courtroom, Pádraig has provided advice to members of the Assembly and the Policing Board on matters related to legacy investigations, policing, and justice policy. Pádraig has also contributed to the Columbia peace process, where he provided assistance during negotiations held in Havana, Cuba.

Pádraig has also represented Amnesty International.

He is a member of INQUEST’s Lawyers Group and the Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers, reflecting his dedication to legal reform, social justice, and human rights advocacy

Landmark Legal Cases & Advocacy

Ballymurphy Massacre Inquest

  • One of the most significant inquests in Ireland’s history, where Ó Muirigh Solicitors successfully represented families of the victims killed by the British Army in 1971.
  • A Coroner ruled in May 2021 that all those killed were entirely innocent, exposing state wrongdoing (Ballymurphy Inquest Findings).

Court of Appeal - Six Former Internees’ Convictions Overturned

  • Francis McCann, Patrick Holden, Anthony Hughes, James Joseph Walsh, Patrick Fitzsimmons, and Francis Johnston were convicted in 1975 of escaping from the Maze Prison in 1974.
  • Their detentions were based on Interim Custody Orders (ICO), which were later found to be legally flawed following the R v Adams ruling.
  • The Court of Appeal quashed their convictions, bringing renewed scrutiny to the policy of internment without trial.
  • During the escape attempt, Hugh Gerard Coney was shot dead by a British soldier (ITV)(Belfast Telegraph).

Court of Appeal - Patrick Thompson Case

  • Patrick Thompson was convicted in 1976 for the Forkhill landmine attack, in which four British Army officers were killed.
  • He received a life sentence with a minimum term of 30 years.
  • In 2024, the Court of Appeal overturned his conviction, ruling that his right to a fair trial was compromised due to procedural issues and concerns over how his confession was obtained (Judiciary NI).
Landmark Legal Cases & Advocacy

Other Key Legacy Inquests

  • Francis Rowntree
    A Coroner ruled that his killing by a rubber bullet in 1972 was not justified (BBC).
  • Henry Thornton
    The Coroner found that his shooting by the British Army in 1971 was unjustified (BBC)(Irish News).
  • Bernard Watt
    Coroner ruled that his shooting by the British Army in 1971 was unjustified (Judiciary NI).
  • Stephen Geddis
    The inquest into the killing of a 10-year-old boy by a plastic bullet fired by the British Army in 1975 ruled that the shot was not justified (Judiciary NI).
  • Hugh Coney
    Inquest confirmed that the internee was shot and killed by British soldiers during an escape attempt from Long Kesh prison in 1974 (Judiciary NI).
  • Springhill Massacre
    Ongoing inquest into the killing of five people, including three teenagers, by the British Army in 1972 (Springhill Inquest).
  • Marian Brown
    Inquest into to the killing of a 17 years old, who was killed on 10 June 1972 in Belfast by gunfire from the British Army. The Inquest found that the force used by that soldier by firing in the direction of Marian Brown was not justified (Summary of Coroners findings).
  • Joseph Parker
    the Coroner found that the ‘soldier was acting recklessly when he fired shots at such a low level in a hall full of civilians’; and further stated ‘I have not been presented with any evidence which suggests that Mr Parker posed any threat, either direct or indirect, to the military patrol. I am satisfied, therefore, that the force used against Joseph Parker was not justified since he posed no threat to members of the patrol. (2017 NI CORONER).

Judicial Review

  • Dillon & Others
    Legal challenge against the NI Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023, where the Court of Appeal ruled provisions on interim custody orders incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights (Judiciary NI) /Appeal Judgement

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