3 October 2026
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie

Know your rights:  Jury service

Legal News

Who is eligible for jury service

If you are an Irish citizen aged 18 and over, and are on the Register of Electors you are eligible for jury service, unless you:

• Are involved in any way with the administration of justice. This includes judges, former judges, the President, the Attorney General, the Director of Public Prosecutions, members of the Gardaí and defence forces, prison officers, practising barristers, solicitors, court officers such as registrars, and personnel in government departments involved in matters of justice or the courts.
• Have, or had, a mental illness or mental disability and because of this are staying in a hospital or similar institution, or regularly attend treatment with a medical practitioner
• Are unable to read or have a long-term impairment that means it is not practical for you to serve on a jury

Who is disqualified from jury service?

You are disqualified from jury service if you:

• Have been convicted of a serious offence in Ireland
• Have ever been sentenced to five years or more in prison
• Have been sentenced to three months or more in prison in the last ten years
• Are living in Ireland but are not an Irish citizen

Who has a right to be excused from jury service?

You have the right to be excused from jury service if you:

• Are aged 65 or over
• Are a member of either House of the Oireachtas, a member of the Council of State, the Comptroller and Auditor General, a Clerk of Dáil Éireann or Seanad Éireann, in Holy Orders, a minister of any religious denomination or community, a member of a monastery or convent, an aircraft pilot, a full-time student or a ship’s master
• Provide an important community service, such as a practising doctor, nurse, midwife, dentist, vet or chemist
• Have served on a jury in the last three years, or have been excused by a judge for a certain amount of time after a previous period of jury service

In some cases, people with other roles can be excused, however in these cases you must provide certification that your role cannot be postponed or reasonably performed by another person. Contact your local Citizens Information Service for more information on the specific jobs included.

What happens if I don’t attend for jury service?

Under the Juries Act 1976, you can be fined for:

• Failing to attend for jury service without a reasonable excuse
• Being unavailable when called to serve as a juror
• Being unfit for service by reason of drink or drugs

You can also be fined for other offences in relation to jury service, including:

• Making (or causing to be made) any false representations
• Serving on a jury knowing you are ineligible or disqualified
• Giving false or misleading answers to the judge about your qualification for jury service
• Making (or causing to be made) any false representations about a person summoned as a juror so they don’t have to do jury service

How is a jury selected?

Jurors are contacted by summons of the County Registrar. You must reply to the jury summons. You can do this online by visiting jury.courts.ie or by using the QR code on the summons. You can also reply by post using the form and pre-paid envelope provided.

Local Authorities provide the Courts Service with the Electoral Register for the Dail, the Courts service then use that to randomly select names to summons for Jury Duty. However, both British and Irish citizens can vote for the Dail, nad are on the Dail Electoral Register. Yet only Irish citizens can serve on a Jury. So, a British only citizen is sometimes summoned for Jury Duty. They should not serve, and should point out they are not eligible and ask to be “excused”, unless they are also an Irish citizen and are on the Electoral Register as such. The problem arises because the 1976 Act simply refers to “citizens” without prefixing a country name, but that means Irish citizens.

Is there payment for jury service?

You are not paid for jury service and travelling expenses are not allowed. If you are actually serving as a juror, lunch will be provided on the day or days of the trial.

If you are self-employed and work alone and your attendance at jury service means you cannot earn a living, you may qualify to be excused from jury service. 

If you are signing on for a Jobseeker’s payment you will continue to be paid, but you should advise your local social welfare office that you have been called for jury service.

If you are in employment, your employer must let you attend jury service. Time spent on jury service should be treated as if the employee were actually employed. 

South Munster Citizens Information

Further information on this and other topics is available from Cork City Centre CIC in Cornmarket Street, open to the public on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 9.45am to 12.30pm and Wednesdays from 2pm to 4pm, Tel 0818 07 6950 (Lines open Mon-Fri 10am-4.30pm).  Blackpool CIC is also open to the public on Tuesdays and Thursdays  from 10am to 1pm and 2pm to 4pm, Tel 0818 07 6890 while Hollyhill CIC is open Mondays and Fridays from 10am to 1pm and 2pm to 4pm, Tel: 0818 07 6850.

Information is also available from the Citizens Information Phone Service Tel: 0818 07 4000 (9am – 8pm, Mon – Fri) or online at www.citizensinformation.ie