First women appointed as NI High Court judges

Two women have been appointed as High Court judges for the first time in the history of the judiciary in Northern Ireland.

Denise McBride QC and Siobhan Keegan QC were sworn into office on Friday.

They are the first women to be appointed to the position since the High Court was established in 1921.

Their appointments have been welcomed by the Lord Chief Justice, Sir Declan Morgan, who established the Women in Law group in 2012.

He said the appointments made him feel as though "the hands of history" were on his shoulder.

"This event was not just the product of what happened in the last couple of years, but the product of efforts made by both (legal) professions and the judiciary to ensure we have a judiciary reflective of the community and based on the principle of merit.

"This sends out a message that the judiciary are interested in getting the best people for the job and there are no barriers."

Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan welcomed the appointments saying change was needed

The chairman of the Bar Council, Gerry McAlinden, said he had worked closely with both women on the council and had been struck by their dedication to "representing our members".

"Their absence will be felt but it is a well-deserved honour as they will go down in history as Northern Ireland's first female High Court judges," he said.

The first members of the Northern Ireland judiciary in 1921 were exclusively male

Analysis: BBC News NI Home Affairs Correspondent Vincent Kearney

Senior judicial ranks have been a bastion of male dominance since 1921.

For much of that time, it was the same for the rest of the legal profession.

During the first 50 years of the Bar Council in Northern Ireland, only eight women were called to the Bar. Of those, only three went on to practice.

There are now said to be more women qualifying as barristers and solicitors than men.

There are also five female County Court judges, out of a total of 18.

But when it comes to the most senior judicial positions, until today all of those occupying the positions of Appeal Court and High Court judges were men.

That all changed at 10.30 this morning when Denise McBride QC and Siobhan Keegan QC were sworn in as High Court judges.

Northern Ireland is the last place in the United Kingdom to appoint women to this judicial office.

Denise McBride QC

Ms McBride was called to the Bar in 1989 and appointed to Queen's Counsel in 2011.

She is an alumna of Queen's University Belfast school of law and was an honorary lecturer at the institution from 2012 - 2014.

During Ms McBride's career she has specialised in chancery, family, civil and international law.

Siobhan Keegan QC

Mrs Keegan is a former pupil of Sacred Heart Grammar School in Newry.

She graduated with a law degree from Queen's University Belfast before she was called to the bar in 1994.

Mrs Keegan achieved Queen's Counsel status in 2006.

Her legal specialism is in family law, however she has also been involved in criminal, judicial review and other civil law.