RIP: Longford lawyer Conor Gearty was a ‘towering figure in the field of human rights’

Proud Longford native, Professor Conor Gearty KC, who died suddenly, aged 67, on Thursday, September 11 has been remembered as a ‘towering figure in the field of human rights’. 

Dr Conor Anthony Gearty, Kentish Town, London and formerly of Abbeylara, was professor of human rights law in the faculty of law at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

He will be deeply missed by his wife Aoife, his children Eliza, Owen, Èile and Fiadh, his mother Margot, his brother Frank, his sisters Rhona, Catherine, Margaret and Sarah, their partners and children, his in-laws, and his wide circle of friends, neighbours and colleagues. He is predeceased by his late wife Diane and his father Enda.

Immensely proud of his Longford roots, Conor was thrilled to open the 2025 Granard Booktown Festival last April where he spoke about his book, “Homeland Insecurity: The Rise and Rise of Global Anti-Terrorism Law”. 

He grew up in Ballinacross and attended the convent school Granard and Abbeylara national school. He continued his education at Castleknock College and University College Dublin, from where he graduated in law before moving to England to study at Wolfson College, Cambridge, where he achieved a master’s degree, followed by a PhD.

In 1983, he became a fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge. In 1990, he moved to the school of law at King’s College London, where he was appointed a professor in 1995. He was a founder member of Matrix Chambers in London and an honorary KC and Bencher of both the Middle Temple in London and the King’s Inn in Dublin; and a Fellow of the Royal Irish Academy and of the British Academy, where he served as Vice President for Social Sciences from 2019 to 2023. 

Conor joined London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) as founding Director of the Centre for Human Rights in 2002, a position he held until he became Professor of Human Rights in the Law School in 2009.  

He also served as Director of the Institute of Public Affairs from 2012 to 2016, a position in which he formed a formidable array of intellectual relationships right across the School, exemplified in his Gearty Grillings podcasts – conversations defined by his deep and wide-ranging intellectual curiosity as well as his personal charm and wit.  

A charismatic and devoted teacher, Conor, who twice won The Irish Times debating competition during the 1970s,  brought tremendous learning and energy to his courses in civil liberties, human rights and anti-terrorism law. He also embodied the power of reasoned argument, as the caution about human rights which marked his early scholarship gradually gave way to a meticulously argued conviction in their potential for human good.  

This is reflected in an important body of scholarship, notably his Hamlyn Lectures, Can Human Rights Survive? (2006); Principles of Human Rights Adjudication (2004); and On Fantasy Island. Britain, Europe, and Human Rights (2016).  

In the post-2001 world, he became a leading scholarly voice on state uses and abuses of anti-terrorism law, with contributions such Liberty and Security (2013) and – most recently – Homeland Insecurity: the Rise and Rise of Anti-Terrorism Law (2024).  His work was shaped by a keen historical sensibility as well as an appreciation of the risks of anti-terrorism policy which surely had deep roots in his Irish background. 

Leading tributes to Conor Gearty, President Michael D Higgins said he “was an inspirational human rights figure for young scholars and activists in the field. He had earned the deep respect of so many of his fellow theorists.”

President Higgins continued, “Through his work as a researcher and teacher as Professor of Human Rights Law at the London School of Economics, and as a practitioner through Matrix Chambers, he was a leading figure in the advocacy of civil liberties and human rights.

“In his engagement with the public through the LSE’s Institute of Public Affairs, journals, newspapers and online, he further worked to extend knowledge of these important matters to the public at large and to provide people with the information necessary to advocate for their rights and to understand issues of public policy.

“He was a very good friend, a fine scholar and a principled activist. He will be deeply missed.

“May I express my deepest condolences to Conor’s family and his many friends, to his colleagues, and to all those who have been influenced by his work.”

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The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) stated that it was ‘with profound sadness’ they learned of the sudden passing of Professor Gearty.

Paying tribute the IHREC said, “Conor was a towering figure in the field of human rights. Through his scholarship, legal practice and public engagement, he strove to ensure that principles of dignity, equality and justice were not just ideals but active realities. 

“At IHREC we work towards a society where everyone’s human rights are respected, and equality is more than a promise. In Conor’s work we saw that belief made manifest. 

“His fearless voice and advocacy will have a lasting legacy in the global fight for human rights, equality, justice and dignity. He will be sorely missed, but his work will continue to inspire those of us who carry forward the mission of human rights and equality in Ireland and beyond. May he rest in peace.”

LSE President and Vice Chancellor Professor Larry Kramer outlined that there are no words to express what it means to lose someone like Conor Gearty. 

“He was a brilliant scholar and incredibly dedicated teacher, but so much more than that. LSE is a community, and communities are shaped by the people who make them. Everyone contributes, but some people make a bigger imprint, just by virtue of the kind of person they are. Conor was a huge presence—passionate, kind, thoughtful, someone who could light up a room, make you laugh, make you think, and then make you laugh and think some more. He will be terribly missed, though he remains with us in the countless people he touched and whose lives he changed.”

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Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan also expressed his sadness. "So sad to hear this news. Conor Gearty was not only a brilliant lawyer, teacher and academic, but also someone who inspired and encouraged thousands of students and lawyers along the way. He made an indelible mark on the world of law and human rights, but it was his kindness, generosity, and humour that touched so many of us. He will be deeply missed, and my thoughts are with his family."

The funeral of Professor Conor Anthony Gearty will take place in London. Ní bheidh a leithéid ann arís. May he rest in power and peace.