Alan Shatter

Alan Shatter was a member of the Dáil for over 30 years. The originator of a substantial body of law reform throughout that time, he is a former Minister for Justice, Equality & Defence & former chairperson and long standing member of the Irish Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee and former member of its Justice & Law Reform Committee. He was also a former chairperson and member of the EU Council of Justice and Home Affairs Ministers and also Council of Defence Ministers. Presently his memberships include the Board of the Israel Council on Foreign Relations, Ireland Israel Alliance and chairperson of Magen David Adom Ireland. He was a founder member of the now extinct Ireland Israel Parliamentary Friendship Group.
A law graduate of Trinity College Dublin & post graduate of the Europa Institute of Amsterdam University, Alan is author of 4 major textbooks on Irish Family law, numerous legal articles, 2 novels, ‘Laura’ and ‘Cyril’s Lottery of Life’, 2 biographies ‘Life is a Funny Business’ and ‘Frenzy & Betrayal’ and one short unpublished work ‘ So You Have a Problem With Jews’, completed in February 2023, an unconventional factual depiction of the global history of antisemitism, discussing then reality and predicting its escalation. Publishers rejected it on the grounds it would generate few readers and would be of no interest in Ireland. It has proved to be prescient.
Alan is also a retired solicitor advocate, acted in various seminal cases in the Irish High and Supreme Court and the European Court and is a former Irish Law Society Lecturer. When Justice Minister he was responsible for the creation of Ireland’s Court of Appeal after a successful referendum vote and also the creation of a new Human Rights and Equality Commission with a wider remit than its predecessors.
Alan writes occasional op-eds and blogs published by the Jerusalem Post, the Times of Israel, the Jerusalem Journal and used to have op-eds published in mainstream Irish newspapers. His academic writings include the Israel Journal on Foreign Affairs. Having visited Israel, the West Bank and Gaza many times and other Middle East states and engaged with both Israeli and Palestinian leaders over many decades, Alan occasionally lectures and broadcasts on Israeli/ Palestinian conflict, related conflicts and the complexities of the Middle East as well as Ireland/ Israel relations.