Conor Power SC

Conor Power is a Senior Counsel since 2014, and a barrister since 1996. Conor advises and represents individual, public and corporate clients. He has a general civil law practice, specialising in public and constitutional law, asylum & immigration law, European law, employment law as well as general law, data protection and civil litigation. He has represented clients before the specialist employment bodies and in the High Court, Court of Appeal, Supreme Court and the Court of Justice of the EU.

Conor is a member of the Irish Financial Services Appeals Tribunal and was on the Tribunal that decided AB v The Central Bank of Ireland.

He is also a mediator.

Memberships

Committee member of Media, Internet and Data Protection Bar Association.

Member of Asylum and Immigration Bar Association.

Member of Employment Bar Association.

Court of Justice of the EU

C-429/15 Danqua – International Protection – Procedural autonomy of Member States -Principle of effectiveness.

C-378/17 – Minister for Justice and Equality v WRC – EU Constitutional law – Equal treatment in employment — Directive 2000/78/EC — Prohibition of discrimination on grounds of age — Recruitment of police officers —Power to disapply national legislation that conflicts with EU law — Primacy of EU law

Case C‑94/18 Chenchooliah – EU Free movement of persons – Directive 2004/38/EC -Definition of beneficiary.

Case C-359/22 A.H.Y. v Minister for Justice – International Protection – Dublin III Regulation – Right to effective remedy.

Supreme Court

Gearty v DPP [2024] IESC 45 – Constitutional law, Art. 15 – EU law – delegated legislation.

L.K. v IPAT [2024] IESC 42 – International Protection – EU law – labour market access – reference made to CJEU.

Bord Banistiochta, Gaelscoil Moshiológ v Labour Court [2024] IESC 38 – Employment law – Unfair dismissal of school principal.

Mallon v Minister for Justice [2024] IESC 27 – Employment law – age discrimination.

Kerins v Dáil Éireann – [2024] IESC 24 – Constitutional law – parliamentary utterances and immunity.

E.M. v Minister for Justice [2024] IESC 3 – Validity of deportation order.

Odum v Minister for Justice and Equality [2023] IESC 26 – Constitutional Law – family rights – validity of deportation order.

Revenue Commissioners v Karshan Midlands Ltd T/A Dominos Pizza [2023] IESC 24 [2023] 2 ILRM 309 – Employment law – status of contract – atypical workers/gig economy – mutuality of obligations.

A, B, C (A Minor) v The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade [2023] IESC 10 [2023] 1 ILRM 335– Constitutional law – family rights – surrogacy – entitlement to citizenship.

Odum v Minister for Justice & Equality [2023] IESC 3 – Mootness.

Middlekamp v Minster for Justice & Equality [2023] IESC 2 [2023] 1 ILRM 277– Immigration law – refusal of visa – ECHR Rights.

A & B v The International Protection Appeals Tribunal [2022] IESC 35 – International protection – Appeal to IPAT – fairness of regulations – powers of Minister.

U.M. v The Minister for Foreign Affairs [2022] IESC 25; [2023] 1 ILRM 24 – Immigration law – revocation of asylum – citizenship.

PMcD v Governor of X Prison [2021] IESC 65; [2022] 1 IR 741 – Prison law – complaints procedures – damages – declarations.

Fox v The Minister for Justice [2021] IESC 61; [2022] 3 IR 221 – Constitutional and ECHR law – Right to life – entitlement to investigation.

Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources v The Information Commissioner [2020] IESC 57; [2022] 1 IR 1 – Freedom of Information law – role of Commissioner – nature of public interest.

M.K.F.S. v Minister for Justice [2020] IESC 48 – Immigration law – family rights.

X v Minister for Justice & Equality [2020] IESC 30; [2023] 1 IR 428 – Immigration law – family reunification – definition of “child”

A.W.K. v The Minister for Justice & Equality [2020] IESC 10 – Immigration law – nature of leave to remain – statutory interpretation.

Fagan v Dublin City Council [2019] IESC 96 [2022] 3 IR 745 – Housing law – family rights.

E.R. v Director of Public Prosecutions [2019] IESC 86 – Criminal Law – fair procedures.

Minister for Health v Information Commissioner [2019] IESC 40; [2020] 2 IR 417 – Freedom of Information Act 2014 – whether record held by public body – report of non-statutory inquiry.

Owens and Dooley v DPP [2019] IESC 36 [2019] 1 IR 478 – Criminal Law – Interpretation of Fines Act 2014.

O’Brien v Clerk of Dáil Éireann [2019] IESC 12; [2020] 1 IR 90 – Constitutional law – parliamentary utterances and immunity.

Kerins v McGuinness [2019] IESC 11; [2020] 1 IR 1 – Constitutional law – parliamentary utterances and immunity.

Wansboro v The Director of Public Prosecutions [2018] IESC 63 [2019] 1 ILRM 305 – Criminal Law – suspended sentence.

E v The Minister for Justice and Equality [2018] IESC 20; [2018] 3 IR 317 – Immigration law – service of documents.

K v The Minister for Justice & Equality [2018] IESC 18 [2019] 1 IR 217- Immigration law – validity of deportation order.

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform v WRC [2017] IESC 43; [2020] 2 IR 244 – EU & Constitutional law – Equal treatment in employment — Directive 2000/78/EC — Prohibition of discrimination on grounds of age — Recruitment of police officers —Power to disapply national legislation that conflicts with EU law — Primacy of EU law – reference to CJEU.

McEnery v Commissioner of An Garda Síochána [2016] IESC 66 – Dismissal of member of An An Garda Síochána.

Rooney v The Minister for Agriculture [2016] IESC 1 – Appeal of motion to dismiss and amended statement of claim.

Adigun v The Equality Tribunal [2015] IESC 91 – Jurisdiction of Tribunal – whether employee – fair procedures.

Court of Appeal

M v The Minister of Justice [2025] IECA 1 – Citizenship – naturalisation.

Imran v Minister for Justice [2024] IECA 83 – EU law – freedom of movement – proportionality. (Leave granted to appeal to Supreme Court.)

Sibanda v The Minister for Justice and Equality [2024] IECA 206 – Immigration law – family reunification – fair procedures. (Leave granted to appeal to Supreme Court.)

B.D. v IPAT [2024] IECA 186 – Tribunal – judicial review – whether partial remittal possible – (Leave granted to appeal to Supreme Court.)

Yaqub v The Minister for Justice [2024] IECA 166 – EU law – freedom of movement – fair procedures.

S v The Minister for Justice [2024] IECA 151 – EU law – freedom of movement. (Reference made to CJEU.)

K.P v L.P (Enforcement of Access Order) [2024] IECA 63 – Child and family law.

M v The International Appeals Tribunal [2023] IECA 290 – International protection – Dublin III Regulation.

Hegarty v The Commissioner of An Garda Síochána [2023] IECA 266 – Dismissal of member – fair procedures. (Under appeal to Supreme Court.)

Blythe v The Commissioner of An Garda Síochána [2023] IECA 255 – Norwich Pharma Order.

T.F. v The Minister for Justice and Equality [2023] IECA 183 – revocation of asylum.

Barrett v Commissioner of An Garda Síochána [2023] IECA 112 – Employment law – Protected Disclosures – injunction preventing proposed dismissal.

Akram v The Minister for Justice and Equality [2022] IECA 108 – Immigration law – retention of data – breach of Article 8 ECHR.

Mascarenhas v Karim [2022] IECA 48 – Company Law – oppression – Section 212, Companies Act 2014.

M. v Director of Oberstown Children’s Detention Centre [2020] IECA 249 – Children – detention.

Nowak v The Data Protection Commissioner & Anor [2020] IECA 175 – Data protection law.

M.N.N v The Minister for Justice & Equality [2020] IECA 187 – Naturalisation & Citizenship.

Talla v The Minister for Justice & Equality [2020] IECA 135 – Naturalisation & Citizenship.

Stanberry Investments Ltd. v Commissioner of Valuation [2020] IECA 33 – Valuation – method of valuation.

Borta (A Minor) v Minister for Justice & Equality [2019] IECA 255 – Naturalisation – reasons.

McDonagh v Governor of Mountjoy Prison (No. 2) [2015] IECA 71 – Detention – Liberty – habeas corpus – amend certificate of detention.

Carter v Minister for Education [2019] IECA 162; [2020] 1 IR 244 – Leaving Certificate Results – Appeal – delay – fair procedures.

M.W. v D.C. [2017] IECA 255; [2020] 3 IR 569 – Family Law – whether cohabitation.

Freeman v Governor of Wheatfield [2016] IECA 342; [2017] 1 IR 314 – Reversal of decision granting release under Article 40.4.2° — Whether applicant subject to remainder of sentence.

Independent Trustee Company Ltd v Registrar of Companies [2016] IECA 274 – Powers of Registrar of Companies – Companies Act 2014.

McDonagh v Governor of Mountjoy Prison [2015] IECA 71 – Appeal – Whether moot.

High Court (Selected)

Stillorgan Gas Heating and Plumbing Ltd v Manning [2025] IEHC 90 – Defamation – social media

McShane v Data Protection Commission [2023] IEHC 567 – Data Protection

Ali v Director of Public Prosecutions [2022] IEHC 98 – COVID-19 – travel restrictions – lawfulness of prosecution

Clarke v Ireland [2020] IEHC 716 – Pensions – Constitution – EU law – Funding proposal – Property rights.

McCarthy Meats Ltd v The Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government [2020] IEHC 371 – Planning – Zoning – Ministerial Direction.

Commissioner for Valuation v Valuation Tribunal [2019] IEHC 23 – Valuation – preliminary issue.

Morelli v An Taoiseach [2018] IEHC 215 – Constitution – Referendum – Right to vote – resident of Northern Ireland.

Moore v DPP [2016] IEHC 244; [2018] 2 IR 170 – Suspended sentence – Appeal – fairness.

Telefonica 02 Ireland Limited v Commission for Communications Regulation [2011] IEHC 380 – costs of notice parties post-settlement

Telefonica O2 Ireland Ltd -v- Commission for Communications Regulation [2011] IEHC 265 – discovery v notice parties – modularity.

Lecturing & Training

Lecturer in Advanced Diplomas in King’s Inns.

Former lecturer in UCG, TCD, and tutor in Law Society.

Recent conferences

UCD Law School: Annual Update on Constitutional Law, January 22, 2025.

Legal Island: Looking Forward: Employment Equality Developments, 23 October 2024.

Media, Internet and Data Protection Bar Association Conference, 2024.

UCD Law School Annual Conference: Current issues in Irish public law May 29 2024.

IACBA Conference 2022, Refusal of relief on discretionary grounds.

Provided.