Frank Clarke

George Bernard Francis Clarke (born 10 October 1951) is an Irish barrister who was Chief Justice of Ireland from July 2017 to October 2021. Clarke had a successful career as a barrister for many years, with a broad practice in commercial law and public law. He was the chair of the Bar Council of Ireland between 1993 and 1995. He was appointed to the High Court in 2004 and he became a judge of the Supreme Court in February 2012. Following his retirement from the bench, he returned to work as a barrister. Across his career as a barrister and a judge, he has been involved in many seminal cases in Irish legal history. Early life and education Clarke was born on 10 October 1951, in Walkinstown, Dublin. He is the son of a customs officer who died when he was aged eleven; his mother was a secretary. He was educated at Drimnagh Castle Secondary School, a Christian Brothers secondary school in Dublin. He won the Dublin Junior High Jump Championship in 1969. He studied Economics and Maths at undergraduate level in University College Dublin, while he concurrently studied to become a barrister at King's Inns. He was the first of his family to attend third level education and was able to attend university by receiving grants. While attending University College Dublin, he lost an election to Adrian Hardiman to become auditor of the L&H.