The well known judge Paul Carney has died at the age of 72 

He retired from the Central Criminal Court in April where he presided over a long career dealing with more than a 100 murder and rape trials.

He is survived by his wife Dr Marjorie Young and his 4 children.

Mr Carney presided over some of the most high profile cases in Ireland.  He was often outspoken and frequently controvercial.

In a statement this afternoon the President of the High Court, Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns said 

"The news today of the death of Mr Justice Paul Carney, coming as it does so soon after his recent retirement, is a sad loss for his family and for the judiciary which he served with such distinction for so many years. He was the pre-eminent criminal law judge in the Central Criminal Court in our time, presiding in a long career over well more than a hundred murder and rape trials. He did so with exemplary fairness throughout, a fact acknowledged by not only by practitioners but in many instances also by those standing trial before him.  He will be greatly missed, particularly by his colleagues in the High Court, who held him in such high esteem."

Paul Carney was born in Dublin in 1943 and educated at Gonzaga College in Dublin before attending Kings Inns.  He was called to the bar in 1966.  HI practice was both Civil and Criminal and for both prosecution and defence.

In 1991 he was appointed Judge of the High Court.  Presiding judge of the Central Criminal Court.  Most recently he was a member of the Fennelly Commission on the Jurisdiction of the Courts.