As president of the Irish Human Rights Commission (IHRC), he represented it from October 2006 in two successive two-year terms when the IHRC has chaired the European Group of National Human Rights Institutions.
He held the position of president of the Irish Human Rights Commission (IHRC) from October 2006 to October 2008, during which time the IHRC played a key role in leading the European Group of National Human Rights Institutions.