1 July 2025
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
Following on from the retirement of Martin A Harvey as Cork City Sheriff, the roles of City and County Sheriff are now to be held by the same person.
Martin A Harvey served as City Sheriff for over three decades and as part of that role was also the Returning Officer for Dail elections, meaning he was a familiar face to those who follow elections; he his the person who read out the results at the City Count centre.
Now, moving ahead, Sinead McNamara (BCL, Diploma in Employment Law) who has already been serving as the Cork County Sheriff since 1st March 2013, has now also been appointed as Cork City Sheriff from June 6th, 2025. This means there is one person serving as sheriff for both the City and County, rather than two. The newly named Cork City & County Sheriff operates from offices at 3rd Floor, 6 Lapps Quay, Cork City.
A Sheriff must have worked for at least 5 years working as a barrister, solicitor or a principal assistant to a sheriff, so the the criteria were clearly met in this case as Sinead McNamara has been serving as County Sheriff since 2013, and is a well established Solicitor.
According to the new website at CorkSheriff.ie
“The Sheriff’s office is committed to upholding the rule of law by efficiently executing Court Orders and enforcing judgments, while treating all individuals with dignity and respect. The Sheriff’s Office works closely with government agencies, legal professionals, and the Courts to ensure the proper administration of debt enforcement throughout Cork City and County.”