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Courts of Ireland

A single chain of courts from the District Court up to the Supreme Court, plus a special court for some serious crimes.

Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.

Courts

Supreme CourtAlso decides whether laws match the Constitution
Court of Appeal
High CourtUnlimited jurisdiction in civil and criminal matters
Circuit Court
District CourtMost cases begin here

Stands apart from the chain of appeals

Special Criminal CourtHears some serious crimes without a jury
Appeals travel up the arrows. Boxes with a heavier border are the top court of each track.

Worth knowing

  • There is no separate constitutional court: the High Court and the Supreme Court decide constitutional questions.

Compare Ireland with another country →
Read the Ireland profile in the Legal Families Atlas →

Sources

Other systems

African Court on Human and Peoples' RightsArgentinaAustraliaAustriaBangladeshBelgiumBrazilCanadaChileChinaColombiaCzechiaDenmarkEgyptEngland and WalesEuropean Court of Human RightsEuropean UnionFinlandFranceGermanyGhanaGreeceHong KongIndiaIndonesiaInter-American Court of Human RightsInternational Court of JusticeInternational Criminal CourtIranIsraelItalyJapanKenyaMalaysiaMexicoNetherlandsNew ZealandNigeriaNorwayPakistanPeruPhilippinesPolandPortugalRomaniaRussiaSaudi ArabiaScotlandSingaporeSouth AfricaSouth KoreaSpainSri LankaSwedenSwitzerlandTaiwanThailandTurkeyUnited Arab EmiratesUnited StatesVietnam

TheLawToKnow Tools’s court-structure diagrams are simplified on purpose and are not legal advice. Report a mistake.