Jurisdiction(s):
Ireland

Republic of Ireland personal injuries limitation: two-year rule, date of knowledge, disability/minors, sexual abuse extensions, PIAB suspension, section 8 notice, and fatal injuries actions

Published by a Lexis+ Ireland - Dispute Resolution expert

Practice notes

General rule

Where someone seeks compensation for personal injury arising from negligence, nuisance, or a breach of duty, they have two years from either the date the cause of action arose or the injured person’s date of knowledge, whichever occurs later (section (3)(1) of the Statute of Limitations (Amendment) Act 1991 (Ireland) (SLAA 1991 (IRL))

Date of knowledge

In some personal injury claims, harm may have been sustained without the individual realising it, so they would not initially consider bringing proceedings. The two-year limit measured from the ‘date of knowledge’ therefore allows a plaintiff two years from the point they know they have been injured to commence a claim. Under SLAA 1991 (IRL), s 2(1), the ‘date of knowledge’ is the date on which the person first knew:

that the person said to have been injured had in fact suffered injury
that the injury was of a significant nature
that the injury was caused, in whole or in part, by the act or omission alleged to amount to negligence, nuisance, or breach of duty
the identity of the defendant, and
if it

...

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Anne Marie O'Mahony , BL

Bar of Ireland

Anne Marie is a Practising Barrister at the Bar of Ireland. She obtained a first-class honours degree in Law and Business from University College Cork (graduating 1st in her class and awarded title of “College Scholar”). On foot of her academic excellence at Undergraduate level, she was selected as the Research Assistant for the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence for EU Integration and Citizens’ Rights at University College Cork. She was a guest lecturer of the LW3307 and LW3360 (Moot Court) modules in University College Cork. Anne Marie previously worked as a paralegal in a personal injury and medical negligence law firm. She has experience in all aspects of litigation, including research, case preparation, client management and court procedures. She was awarded the Arthur Brown Scholarship (for achieving the highest overall mark in the...

Web page updated on 22/05/2026

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