The 19th Annual Martin Tansey Memorial Lecture takes place on Thursday, 26 February 2026 at 5.30pm in the Criminal Courts of Justice, Dublin 8. The keynote speaker is the Hon. Mr Justice White who will deliver a lecture entitled “A Lifetime Involvement with the Criminal Justice System”.
His address will focus on the importance of rehabilitation as a core sentencing principle and the vital role of the Probation Service in supporting this principle throughout the Criminal Justice system. He will draw upon his extensive personal experience spanning over 50 years, including 21 years as a practising solicitor, 15 years as a Circuit Court judge, 10 years as a High Court judge, four years as the inaugural Chairperson of the Parole Board, and four years chairing a Commission of Investigation into the handling of a criminal investigation concerning multiple abuse of young boys in Waterford during the 1980s.
The Hon. Mr Justice Michael White retired in 2021 following a distinguished judicial career. Having qualified as a solicitor in 1975, he was among the first three solicitors appointed to the judiciary when he joined the Circuit Court in 1996. He was elevated to the High Court in 2011, where he served until his retirement, including three years as Head of the Central Criminal Court. In February 2021, he was appointed as the inaugural Chairperson of the Parole Board. In June 2021 he was appointed to the Commission of Investigation (Response to complaints or allegations of child sexual abuse made against Bill Kennealy and related matters) Order 2018.
Registration for this event is free of charge but essential – please register in advance via Eventbrite at this link: Register here
Martin Tansey Memorial Lectures
Each spring the ACJRD marks the contribution Martin Tansey made to criminal justice in Ireland, and to this organisation with a memorial lecture.
Martin Tansey grew up in Co Roscommon and began his career as a teacher before joining the Probation and Welfare Service in 1965 where he served until his retirement in 2002. He worked tirelessly to bring Government support and public recognition to the work of the Probation Service.
During his long and distinguished career, he guided the development of the Probation Service to the nationwide service we have today.
Martin was a persistent advocate of community sanctions, where the justice system worked with the offender to give them a second chance. He believed the rehabilitation of offenders was a rational social objective.
Martin also had a keen interest in promoting independent criminal justice research. He was a founder member and former Chair of the ACJRD. Information and papers from the lectures which have taken place since the inaugural event in 2008 can be found here.
CPD points: Attendance at the event may qualify for CPD points. Qualification is determined by the points’ issuer. ACJRD is happy to provide certificates of attendance on request. For GDPR purposes, attendance lists will be deleted after 12 months and it will no longer be possible to provide certificates of attendance after that. Please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to request a certificate of attendance.
The Chatham House Rule:
To encourage openness and the sharing of information, ACJRD invokes the Chatham House Rule at all events.
*The Chatham House Rule reads as follows: "When a meeting, or part thereof, is held under the Chatham House Rule, participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s), nor that of any other participant, may be revealed".
See: https://www.chathamhouse.org/about-us/chatham-house-rule