One of his comrades, Ian Smith, later recalled that Ambrose had “an insatiable thirst” for adventure and was “totally without fear”. Ambrose’s career as a lawyer and judge are very interesting to read about, as is his attitude to having to have a bodyguard at all times, and to protect his family from those who wanted to kill them due to his chosen career. (Like Catholics in the RUC, Catholic Judges spoiled the narrative that there were no Catholics in those professions, so the IRA used their own means to reduce the numbers.) Although a pillar of the Establishment, he was renowned for being fair to all who came before him. At a time when hanging was still a mandatory sentence for certain crimes in Northern Ireland, his approach was fair to the Establishment, the victim, the criminal and the changes he could see coming through in society. This was a man I'd like to have met. After leaving school, both also seemed set on law careers. Ambrose initially attended Queen’s University in Belfast (QUB) where in his own words, he spent “two inglorious years” studying for an arts degree – before enrolling at King’s Inns in Dublin with the aim of becoming a barrister. In fact, both brothers only managed to complete a year’s legal study before war broke out in September 1939, when Ambrose was aged 21. With the disbandment of 12 Commando, Ambrose’s next posting was to “Layforce II” – a group of small -scale raiding forces brought together to conduct a series of high-risk, hit-and-run raids in Motor Torpedo Boats (MTBs) along the French coast and Channel Islands. During December 1943, reconnaissance operations were stepped up for “Operation Overlord” – this was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation to liberate German-occupied western Europe. He became great friends with the legendary Lieutenant Colonel Robert Blair Mayne as their career paths were the same.​

After demobilisation with the rank of major in 1946 McGonigal studied law as a bar student at QUB, and was called to the Northern Ireland bar in Michaelmas term 1948, aged thirty, having been exempted in view of his war service from the requirement to have a degree. Despite competition from contemporaries who had served in the war and were also called to the bar in its aftermath, he soon made his mark as a member of the junior bar, becoming a QC in 1956. As a silk he had a general common law practice, and in 1964 his standing as one of the leaders of the senior bar was confirmed by his appointment as senior crown prosecutor for Co. Down and election as a bencher of the Inn of Court of Northern Ireland. Although judicial appointments at all levels in Northern Ireland had hitherto been made predominantly from Unionist politicians or supporters, when it was decided to increase the complement of the Northern Ireland high court by two additional judges, McGonigal was the obvious candidate to fill one of the new posts – the other being the attorney general E. W. Jones QC MP; they were appointed on 3 March 1968.

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Sir Ambrose Joseph McGonigal, MC (22 November 1917 – 22 September 1979) [1] was a High Court Judge in Northern Ireland. The author Patric McGonigal story is based on two Irish brothers in Special Forces. He guides readers Light is also shone on the brothers’ close friend, the legendary Blair Mayne and the controversial decision to downgrade the award of his Victoria Cross.

In May 1944, Ambrose became involved with what were known as the Dover “Tarbrush” raids. This led to him receiving a Bar to his MC after this recommendation: “This officer [Lt. Ambrose McGonigal] was the commander of a military force which landed to the East of Calais on the North coast of France on the night of 16/17 May 1944, to carry out a reconnaissance of enemy beach obstacles. The operation was of the highest importance and was of an extremely hazardous nature, involving as it did a three mile approach to a heavily defended enemy coastline, by night in an 18 foot Dory, and the carrying out of a minute examination of beach mines and obstacles of unknown potentialities. During the run in, and the return passage to the parent M.T.B., Lt. McGonigal was forced to alter course on two occasions to avoid a single enemy vessel and a convoy of seven vessels proceeding towards Calais a mile offshore. Despite such interference he so navigated his craft as to reach the selected landing point without error thus greatly facilitating the task of the landing party. Throughout the entire operation his skill, courage, and level headedness inspired his force to the maximum of effort and resulted in the obtaining of vital information.”A handsome but stern appearance, coupled with natural authority, meant that at times on the bench McGonigal conveyed an intimidating demeanour to counsel and witnesses alike. He was a man of decisive judgement and unimpeachable integrity, and any hint that the court was being misled or not told the full truth, or that counsel was not fully prepared, would result in an uncomfortable experience for the person concerned as the error was exposed in measured but icy terms. Nevertheless, any counsel who had been found wanting knew that on his next appearance before McGonigal he started with a clean slate. Eoin was one of the first two officers selected from an Irish Regiment for Commando training in 1940, and the stories of his training in Arran alongside Mayne are highly entertaining. They were the closest of friends, and it’s intriguing to me that after the disappearance of Eoin on the first ever SAS parachute drop (in Libya), Mayne was incredibly distressed and angry, which may help to explain some of his later behaviours which have been discussed at length elsewhere. The book also sheds light on why Mayne’s VC award was downgraded. Justice McGonigal is mentioned in Tony Geraghty's The Irish War: the hidden conflict between the IRA and British Intelligence [5] as having been "forced to carry a gun under his robe" due to terrorism in Northern Ireland, which would claim the lives of at least five judges or justices in Northern Ireland. Lieutenant McGonigal joined the Royal Ulster Rifles in 1939​ and was subsequently attached Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) in 1940.

This is an excellent book. Not a constricted biography of the brothers but includes detailed information on the development of Commandos and L Detachment of the SAS from the start, including the dreadful operation where so many were killed, injured, or captured. Paddy Mayne’s role in the commandos, SAS and how he mourned the loss of a close friend and fellow soldier and how he tried to solve the riddle of his disappearance are given significant attention. Ambrose’s role and times in the SBS is very useful additional material on the activities of the unit of which more is still to be unravelled. Robert Bartlett - Oxford and Cambridge Club Military History Group Within days of officially being informed that Eoin was missing in action, Ambrose was married on December 19 1940 to Patricia “Paddy” Taylor, whom he had met while training in Ballymena. Having served with the RUR, Ambrose joined 12 Commando on May 21 1943, by this point looking for revenge over his brother’s death. 12 Commando was often simply known as the “Irish Commando” because so many of its members were Irish. In 1922, the year that the Irish Free State came into existence, the family moved to Belfast, the home city of John McGonigal, who was one of no less than 17 siblings. Such a move had its challenges but John went on to become the chief crown prosecutor for Belfast and, in time, was elected the “father” of the Northern Irish Bar and appointed to the bench as a judge in Tyrone. McGonigal was a member of many committees and public bodies in Northern Ireland, and served terms as a member of the senate of Queen's University and as a governor of St Mary's college of education. Keenly interested in the improvement of legal education, he made a significant contribution to the foundation of the Institute of Professional Legal Studies at QUB in 1977, at the time a unique institution providing for the common vocational training of barristers and solicitors. He served with distinction in the British Army during the Second World War and was awarded the MC in 1944. [4] In 1948 he was called to the Northern Ireland Bar and became a High Court judge on 8 March 1968.https://web.archive.org/web/20100615033338/http:/www.belfastcathedral.org/visitors/virtual-tour/item/5/regimental-chapel/ PDF / EPUB File Name: Special_Forces_Brothers_in_Arms_-_Patric_McGonigal.pdf, Special_Forces_Brothers_in_Arms_-_Patric_McGonigal.epub Ambrose Joseph McGonigal was born in Dublin on November 22 1917 – during the second half of the First World War and just a year after the Easter Rebellion that saw armed resistance to British rule. His younger brother, Eoin, was born three years later in 1920, the same year that the Government of Ireland Act was passed that resulted in the partition of the country the following year. However, Ambrose, also had a much older brother, Richard, who was 15 years his senior, and four sisters.

Eoin Christopher McGonigal was the Son of John and Margaret McGonigal of Dun Laoghaire, Co.Dublin, Eire. His brother Ambrose McGonigal was also a member of the British Special Forces. [2] Eoin McGonigal has no known grave but is named on the Alamein Memorial, Egypt on Column 71. [5] In popular culture [ edit ] On 28 May 1975 McGonigal was promoted to the court of appeal in Northern Ireland as a lord justice of appeal, and shortly afterwards was knighted and sworn of the privy council. As was the custom in Northern Ireland, after his appointment to the court of appeal he sat regularly at the first hearings of both civil and criminal cases. As the lord chief justice usually gave the leading judgment in the court of appeal, McGonigal had few opportunities to make a distinctive contribution to the development of the law, most of his judgments reported in the law reports being given at first instance. A sound and thorough lawyer, his judgments were rarely reversed on appeal.The author has done extensive research using official and unofficial documents, letters, conversations with those who were there, as well as family memories.