Sunniva McDonagh was a Commission Member until the 30 July 2025.
She is Senior Counsel who practices mainly in the areas of fundamental rights, administrative and constitutional law. She has acted in many leading cases including in the area of immigration and fair trial rights in historical abuse cases. Sunniva has a particular interest in human rights and the Rule of Law. She is the Vice President of the Management Board of the Fundamental Rights Agency, a former Chair of the Refugee Appeals Tribunal and a current Chair of the Mental Health Commission. She is a Member of the Strategic Human Rights Advisory Committee of An Garda Síochána, and a Member of the Press Council of Ireland. Sunniva is serving her second term, having been first appointed to serve from November 2014 – October 2019.