EU Law & Sport

Please join us on 29 May 2025 at the Dublin Dispute Resolution Centre for an examination of EU Law where it intercepts with Sport.

• Introduced by David Barniville, President of the High Court
• Moderated by Paul McGarry SC
• With Catherine Donnelly SC, Benoit Keane, Keane Legal, and Susan Ahern SC.

Followed by a drinks reception in The Sheds

This event will also be available via Zoom please click HERE to register. 

In association with EUBA

Paul McGarry SC

Paul McGarry SC was Chairman of the Bar of Ireland from July 2016 to July 2018.  He was called to the Bar in 1996 and appointed a Senior Counsel in 2010. He is a member of the Bar of England and Wales (Middle Temple) since 2012. He obtained a BCL from University College Dublin in 1991 and an LLM in European Law in 1992. His practice is primarily in European, public, and commercial law. He is an accredited mediator and international arbitrator.  He has served on many statutory bodies and authorities, including the Judicial Appointments Advisory Board, Courts Service Board, Euro Changeover Board, the Board of Irish Rail and the International Council for Advocates and Barristers.  He is head of the Irish delegation to the Council of European Bars and Law Societies (2018-2020). He is also co-chair of the IBA Forum for Advocates and Barristers (2018-2020). He is the chairman of both the EU Bar Association and the Sports Law Bar Association of Ireland.  He has appeared frequently before the European Courts in cases involving tax (Cadbury Schweppes), customs (Donnellan v Revenue and Greece), state aids (Aughinish Alumina), competition in the insurance sector (Bupa v Ireland), anti-dumping (Medici Grimm KG) and state liability in EU law (Fallimiento). He is currently lead counsel for the plaintiffs in a large number of claims involving a cartel in the haulage industry.  He was elected a bencher of Kings Inns in 2016, and a master of the bench at Middle Temple in 2018.

Catherine Donnelly SC

Catherine Donnelly was called to the Bar of Ireland in 2007 and was called to the Inner Bar in 2020. She undertook her LL.B. in Trinity College Dublin and is a former scholar of the College. She completed a B.C.L. in Oxford, at Magdalen College, followed by an LL.M. and Fellowship in Harvard. She practised as a litigation attorney at Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York from 1999-2001 and was admitted to both the New York State and Federal Bars (Eastern and Southern Districts). During this time, she also taught an asylum law workshop at Columbia Law School and worked on pro bono projects for the Yale Law Clinic and Human Rights Watch. From 2001-2004, she completed a D.Phil. in Oxford, again at Magdalen College, during part of which time she held a college lectureship shared between Corpus Christi College and St John’s College, Oxford. She was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 2003 (Gray’s Inn) and from 2004-2005, she undertook pupillage at Blackstone Chambers, where she is currently a member. She joined the Law Faculty of the University of Oxford in 2005 as a University Lecturer and Fellow in Law at Wadham College, teaching Administrative, Constitutional and European Union Law. She joined the Law School of Trinity College Dublin in January 2007 and is a Fellow and Associate Professor there. She was a legal advisor to the Bill of Rights Forum Northern Ireland (2007) and to the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission on its proposals for a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland (2008-2010). She was called to the Bar of Northern Ireland in 2012.

Benoît Keane

Benoît Keane, who comes from Ireland, read law at University College Cork. He obtained a master’s degree in European law at the College of Europe in Bruges (1999). He trained in London and Paris at an international law firm before moving to Brussels to undertake a stage in the European Commission (DG Competition). He qualified as a Solicitor of England & Wales in 2003. He is also admitted to the roll of Solicitors of Ireland and as an Avocat at the Barreau de Bruxelles in Belgium. Benoît is a leading European lawyer. He specialises in European law and European competition law in particular relating to the sports sector. Benoît regularly represents clients before the European Commission and European Courts. Benoît Keane’s practice involves a broad range of industries, most notably the sports sector where he is a recognised leader. He often works closely with other law firms, bringing his European law expertise to play in complex cases. Legal directories highlight praise for his creativity, practical approach and friendly manner. Benoît is recognised for his expertise in European sports law. He has acted in many of the leading sports cases of the last decade and has appeared as a legal expert as well as counsel before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). His work deals with a full range of issues relating to the legality of sports organisations’ regulations with EU law. He has been at the forefront of major initiatives to reform the regulation of football in compliance with EU legal principles. Major regulatory cases include representing UEFA in the Super League case before the EU Court of Justice. He was counsel to the International Skating Union in the landmark European Commission case concerning the authorisation of events held by independent organisers, defending the autonomy of sports governance and negotiating the introduction of a new authorisation system. Benoît also advises on the commercial aspect of sport relating to ticketing, sponsorship and media rights. He acted in the cases before the EU Courts concerning the EU listed events regime for the broadcasting rights to the FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Championship. He also represented a major sports federation in the ground-breaking Murphy case concerning exclusivity of broadcasting rights.

MORE INFORMATION TO COME!