More than €250,000 was spent on training for judges, including courses on how to avoid retraumatising victims and understanding coercive control.
The Judicial Council said it had spent €77,200 on non-legal training in 2025. This included courses on how to write judgments, managing bias in the courtroom and communicating with children.
A record of spending also details €125,000 worth of courses in 2024, with training on “judicial frankness”, courtroom control and “the voice of the child”.
Judges also made a number of visits to prisons and other institutions to help better understand the penal system. This included trips to Mountjoy Prison in Dublin, Portlaoise Prison, Co Laois and Oberstown Children Detention Campus, Co Dublin.
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There were courses, too, on human rights and working with the LGBTQ+ and Traveller communities, according to data released under Freedom of Information.
Other courses listed included training on neurodiversity and ADHD as well as “unconscious bias” and a mentorship programme.
Judges took part in outreach programmes with newer groups living in Ireland, including the Russian Orthodox community, the African community and the Muslim community.
The Judicial Council also provided language training for the judiciary, with French, German, and Irish lessons available.
Spending between September, 2023 and October, 2025 – the latest figures available – came to €250,718, according to the records.
Details of the bill for each course were not provided but the overall expenditure included some training and travel-related expenses for events outside Ireland.
In 2023, a residential course on judicial accountability took place with the European Judicial Training Network, which is based in Brussels. An exchange programme was organised with the Spanish judiciary in 2024, with further EU training also taking place.
There were also multiple larger events organised within Ireland for judges of the District Court, Circuit Court, and the Superior Courts.
The Judicial Council said one of its statutory functions was to promote and maintain the continuing education of judges. It said there were three dimensions to this: substantive law, “judgecraft” and the social context of being a judge.
The Judicial Council said training included lectures, small-group workshops and full-day conferences. An information note said: “To minimise disruption to court operations, training is scheduled predominantly before or after court sessions, during lunchtime or in the vacation period.“
“Releasing judges from court for training during regular sitting times is generally only facilitated where a suitable alternative arrangement can be made.”
The council said international courses were an essential part of their work, especially for specialist judges with particular areas of expertise.
“In many instances, the Irish judiciary participate in international events as both speakers and participants,” the note explained.
