Minister for Health re-appoints four and appoints thirteen to Medical Council

The Minister for Health has re-appointed four members and appointed thirteen new members to the Medical Council, in exercise of the powers conferred on her by the Medical Practitioners Act 2007. The appointments are published in Iris Oifigiúil No. 81 of 9 October 2026, under notice reference [G-5], with the re-appointments and the first group of new appointments taking effect from 1 June 2026. A further two new members took up office on 13 July 2026, and one casual vacancy was filled from 22 July 2026.

The notice states that the Minister acted in exercise of the powers conferred on her by the Medical Practitioners Act 2007, the statute under which the Medical Council is constituted. It lists each appointee alongside the length of the term attached to the post — three years for some of the re-appointments and five years for the remainder — and records the date on which each group’s term commenced.

The appointments are set out in three blocks: re-appointments, new appointments and a casual vacancy. The re-appointments and the first group of new appointments both commenced on 1 June 2026; a second group of new appointments commenced on 13 July 2026; and the casual vacancy appointment runs from 22 July 2026 to the end of the unexpired term on 31 May 2028. The notice does not name the nominating bodies or categories represented by the individual appointees.

Four members re-appointed

Four existing members were re-appointed, all with effect from 1 June 2026:

• Dr Margaret O’Riordan, three-year term
• Dr Louise Kavanagh McBride, five-year term
• Ms Jill Long, three-year term
• Mr Ronan Quirke, three-year term

Thirteen new members take up five-year terms

Eleven new members commenced five-year terms on 1 June 2026:

• Prof John Conor O’Keane
• Dr Mai Mannix
• Dr Ehtesham Izhar Khan
• Dr Sinéad Murphy
• Professor Alice Stanton
• Professor John Murphy
• Professor Eunan O’Halpin
• Mr Brian Murphy
• Ms Dervila Eyres
• Ms Aoife Watters
• Professor Michelle Leech

Two further new members commenced five-year terms on 13 July 2026:

• Ms Margaret Larkin
• Mr Paul McGarry

Casual vacancy filled after resignation

The notice also records the filling of a casual vacancy on the Council. Dr Muhammad Waqas Hussain was appointed for the remaining term, from 22 July 2026 until 31 May 2028, replacing Dr Liqa ur Rehman, who had been scheduled to serve until 31 May 2028 but resigned from the Council on 25 March 2026.

The appointments settle the membership of the Medical Council for the years ahead, with the bulk of the new intake serving five-year terms. The notice appears in the same edition of Iris Oifigiúil as other ministerial appointments, including new members of the Veterinary Council Ireland and the re-appointment of Darach O’Connor to the board of the Digital Hub Development Agency.

Source: Iris Oifigiúil, No. 81, 9 October 2026, section I (official reference: [G-5]).