Guides · 27 at launch
Every guide, for both sides of the problem
Each guide names the Act or official page it comes from, says which paragraphs apply to the person defamed and which to the person accused, and carries the date it was last checked.
Is it defamation?
What defamation is in Ireland, the four things you have to show, and the defences the other side can raise.
- Both sidesDefences to defamation in Ireland: every defence under the 2009 Act as amended in 2026Every defence under the Defamation Act 2009 with its section: truth, privilege, honest opinion, public interest, innocent publication, plus the two new 2026 defences and what each needs in evidence.Read →
- Both sidesIs it defamation if it is true, if no names are used, or if you say allegedly? IrelandThree questions answered for Ireland: truth is a complete defence the speaker must prove, you can be identified without being named, and saying allegedly does not stop a repeat being a publication.Read →
- Both sidesThe four things you have to prove in an Irish defamation claimA defamation claim in Ireland needs a statement, a defamatory meaning, publication to someone else and identification of you, under s.6 of the Defamation Act 2009. Each element explained.Read →
- Both sidesWhat is defamation in Ireland? The law in plain EnglishDefamation in Ireland is a civil wrong under the Defamation Act 2009, not a crime. What counts as defamation, who can claim, the one-year limit and what changed on 1 March 2026.Read →
The clock
The one-year time limit, the two-year outer limit, and when the clock starts for a post, an article or a repeat.
- Both sidesThe defamation time limit in Ireland: one year, and when it can be twoYou have one year from publication to issue a defamation claim in Ireland, extendable to two by court order in limited cases. Plus the Press Ombudsman's three months and the broadcaster's 30 days.Read →
- Both sidesWhen the defamation clock starts in Ireland: online posts, repeats and the multiple publication ruleFor online defamation in Ireland the one-year clock starts when the post was first capable of being viewed. How accrual works for speech, print, broadcast and web, plus repeats and the s.11 rule.Read →
Shops, work and everyday life
Falsely accused of shoplifting, defamation at work, and neighbours, clubs and community pages.
- Both sidesDefamation at work in Ireland: references, disciplinaries, investigations and gossipA false accusation at work may be defamatory, but qualified privilege covers much of what employers say in good faith. Where the line falls, the WRC route, and investigating without defaming.Read →
- Both sidesFalsely accused of shoplifting in Ireland: what you can do, and what the shop can sayA false shoplifting accusation may be defamatory if someone else heard it. What counts as publication, the new retail defence, what shops have paid, and the one-year limit.Read →
- Both sidesSomeone is spreading lies about you on a local Facebook page, in a club or in the neighbourhood: what you can doA false post in a local Facebook group or at a residents' meeting may be defamatory. The routes that are not court, the page admin's position, and what a small dispute costs against the likely award.Read →
Newspapers and broadcasters
The Press Ombudsman, Coimisiún na Meán, and what fair and reasonable publication now means.
- For the person defamedHow to complain about a newspaper article in Ireland: the Press Ombudsman route and the court routeThe Press Ombudsman is free: write to the editor first, then to the Office within three months of publication. What the process can give, and when a court claim is the only route.Read →
- For the person defamedHow to complain about a radio or TV programme in Ireland: the broadcaster, Coimisiún na Meán and the courtsComplain to the broadcaster in writing within 30 days of the broadcast, then to Coimisiún na Meán within 14 days of its reply. What the process gives, the live-broadcast defence, and the court route.Read →
- Both sidesThe public interest defence after the Defamation (Amendment) Act 2026: fair and reasonable publication under s.26Since 1 March 2026 the s.26 defence has three parts: public interest, a reasonable belief that publication was in the public interest, and good faith. What a publisher must show, and how to respond.Read →
Court: cost, time, outcomes
What a case costs and who pays, which court, what courts have awarded, apologies and the offer of amends, and legal aid.
- Both sidesApology, correction and the offer of amends in Irish defamation lawAn apology is not an admission under s.24 of the Defamation Act 2009. How the offer of amends works, what a correction order requires since 2026, and what a good apology contains.Read →
- Both sidesCircuit Court or High Court: where a defamation case is heard in IrelandDefamation claims in Ireland go to the Circuit Court (up to €75,000) or the High Court (unlimited). The District Court and small claims cannot hear them; since 1 March 2026 a judge sits alone.Read →
- Both sidesDefamation payout in Ireland: what the courts have actually awardedThe Supreme Court's damages bands from Higgins v Irish Aviation Authority, what most Irish defamation cases settle for, the reported retail range, and the large awards and their appeals.Read →
- Both sidesHow much does a defamation case cost in Ireland?What a solicitor's letter, a Circuit Court case and a High Court case cost in Ireland as planning assumptions, who pays the other side's costs at the end, and why legal aid does not cover defamation.Read →
- For the person defamedLegal aid for defamation in Ireland: why it is not available and what to do insteadCivil legal aid does not cover defamation in Ireland: s.28(9) of the Civil Legal Aid Act 1995 excludes it, with a narrow EU cross-border exception. The free routes, and how solicitors may charge.Read →
On the receiving end
A solicitor's letter, the new retail defence, companies and serious financial loss, and being sued over a review.
- Both sidesCan a company sue you for a bad review? Serious financial loss and the 2026 testSince 1 March 2026 a company bringing a defamation claim must show the statement caused, or is likely to cause, serious financial loss. What that needs in evidence, and where sole traders stand.Read →
- For the person accusedSued over a review you wrote: honest opinion, truth and the company's hurdleA letter or claim over a review you posted. Honest opinion and truth, what turns a review into a statement of fact, the offer of amends, and the serious-financial-loss test a company must meet.Read →
- For the person accusedThe retail defence: how shops and staff can deal with suspected theft without a defamation claimSince 1 March 2026 a shop has a defence where staff asked in good faith whether a customer had paid and did not publish the inquiry excessively. What each limb needs and how to prepare.Read →
- For the person accusedYou have received a solicitor's letter about defamation: what it means and what to doA solicitor's letter is a demand, not a court order. What it asks for, what its deadline means, how an offer of amends works, and what the letter cost the other side (a planning assumption).Read →