Luxembourg, 03/11/2004 (Agence Europe) - The European Court of Justice has finally welcomed Aindrias O Caoimh, the new Irish judge onto its premises. O Caoimh will begin work once his compatriot Fidelma O'Kelly Macken leaves. Her mandate expires on 6 October 2009.
Born in 1950, Aindrias O Caoimh has spent his whole career (until 1999) at the Bar in Ireland. He became a judge at the High Court in Ireland earlier this year. He will occupy this post until he is appointed to the Court of Justice next month.
According to his official biography, as a lawyer, he represented the Irish government in many cases at court, ssuch as in the "Eurostock Meat Marketing" case (a company he defended in a case involving mad cow disease).
O Caoimh, whose name is also pronounced O Cuiv, is the son of Andreas O'Keefe, a judge at the European Court of Justice from 1974-85. His father opted for the anglicised version of his name.
His family is well known in Ireland, notably for its alliance with the great Irish statesman, Ëamon de Valera (and Ëamonn de Bhailéara) the founder of Fianna Fáil, the party to which the current prime minister (Taoiseach) Bertie Ahern belongs.
The Irish language is a language used in procedures at the European Court of Justice although it has never been used. This means that if it is receives a "prejudicial" question (question of interpretation of Community law) from the Irish court, the European Court of Justice will have to give a ruling in this language.