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How to read legal citations in Ireland

Irish citations look like English ones, with square brackets for the year of the report and a neutral citation for modern judgments. The court is named in abbreviations that start with 'IE'.

Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.

Style guide: OSCOLA (Ireland version) and court practice. Irish law schools commonly use an OSCOLA-based style. Courts use their own neutral citations.

Real citations, decoded

Click or hover over any underlined piece to see what it means.

A case in the Irish Reports Case

  1. Case name Byrne v Ireland
    The parties. When the State is a party, it appears as Ireland.
  2. Year in square brackets [1972]
    The year of the volume, needed to find it.
  3. Series IR
    The Irish Reports, the official series of Irish court decisions.
  4. First page 241
    The page where the report begins.
Full citation: Byrne v Ireland [1972] IR 241

A modern case with a neutral citation Case

  1. Case name Fleming v Ireland
    The parties.
  2. Year [2013]
    The year of the judgment.
  3. Court IESC
    Ireland, Supreme Court. Other examples: IECA (Court of Appeal) and IEHC (High Court).
  4. Number 19
    The running number of the judgment in that court for that year.
Full citation: Fleming v Ireland [2013] IESC 19

A statute Statute

,

  1. Short title and year Civil Liability Act 1961
    Irish statutes are named by short title and year.
  2. Act number (No 41 of 1961)
    Each Act also has a number for the year, which is sometimes added to be exact.
  3. Section s 2
    A section of the Act.
Full citation: Civil Liability Act 1961 (No 41 of 1961), s 2

The Constitution Constitution

,

  1. Instrument Constitution of Ireland 1937
    Bunreacht na hÉireann, adopted by referendum in 1937.
  2. Article art 40.3.1°
    Article 40, section 3, subsection 1. The State guarantees to respect and defend the personal rights of citizens. The courts have found unlisted rights here, such as the right to bodily integrity.
Full citation: Constitution of Ireland 1937, art 40.3.1°

Court rules Regulation

,

  1. Title Rules of the Superior Courts
    The rules of procedure for the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.
  2. Statutory instrument SI No 15 of 1986
    'SI' means statutory instrument. Irish instruments are cited by number and year, with the number first.
Full citation: Rules of the Superior Courts, SI No 15 of 1986

Things to remember

  • The Irish Statute Book and the courts' own site publish the full text for free.
  • Many older Irish cases cite English reports too, since English decisions were often followed.
  • A neutral citation begins with the year, then a code for the court, then a number.

Where to find the text, free

To understand how courts and law fit together in Ireland, read the Ireland profile in the Legal Families Atlas.

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TheLawToKnow Tools’s citation guide is an educational overview of standard conventions. Courts and journals sometimes vary, so check the style guide before submitting or publishing. It is not legal advice. Report a mistake.