Image: OSP_Image
The Office of the State Pathologist (OSP) is an independent body under the aegis of the Department of Justice. The OSP provides the State with a national forensic pathology service where a forensic pathologist is on duty, twenty-four hours a day, each day of the year.
An on-call rota is provided to An Garda Síochána and to all Coroners on a continual basis.
For all queries relating to organ retention, post mortem reports, death certificates, inquest dates and information regarding the release of a deceased person from the mortuary please contact your local Coroner.
All Coroner contact details are listed at: www.coroners.ie
All press queries should be addressed to the Department of Justice Press Office which can be contacted via: pressoffice@justice.ie
Forensic pathology is the discipline of medicine that deals with the determination of the cause of death for legal purposes. Forensic pathologists are medical doctors who are trained in anatomical pathology and the forensic examination and interpretation of injuries after death.
The main activity of the OSP is the performance of post mortem examinations in cases of sudden, unexplained death where a criminal or suspicious element is present (referred to as “State” cases). In some cases, this will involve a visit to the scene of death. The pathologists deal with homicides as well as a wide range of natural and unnatural deaths (for example: road traffic accidents, other accidents, drug-related and prison deaths) as instructed by the Coroner.
The OSP also deals with a significant number of other types of cases. These include: skeletal remains, which may require the expertise of a forensic anthropologist; cold case reviews; and occasionally referred cases – these cases are referred for a further professional opinion and are usually from outside the Irish jurisdiction (for example: Northern Ireland, UK).
Office of the State Pathologist
Address:
Griffith Avenue, Whitehall, Dublin 9, D09 RDT8
Email:
Phone number:
Sheena Hickey, Access Officer
Address:
Office of the State Pathologist, Whitehall, Griffith Avenue, Dublin 9
, D09 RDT8
Phone number:
The pathologists based in the OSP are provided with office support from five clerical staff.
All histological material from state forensic cases is processed onsite at the new Histopathology Laboratory in the Whitehall building. There is currently one full-time senior laboratory analyst based in the OSP.
Samples taken for toxicology are transported from the location of the post mortem examination to the State Laboratory in Backweston, Co Kildare. The results of toxicological analysis are usually available after approximately 12 weeks.
On a case by case basis, and following discussion with the respective coroner, the forensic pathologists may deem it necessary for another forensic specialist to be involved in the investigation of a suspicious death.
The specialist areas most frequently required are:
- neuropathology
- paediatric pathology
- forensic anthropology
- post mortem toxicology
- forensic archaeology
- forensic entomology
Alongside post mortem examinations the State Pathologists also undertake a number of out-of-office activities including:
• Attendance at inquests, criminal or civil courts.
• Provision of expert advice to various national groups (e.g. National Emergency Framework, National Drug-Related Death Index, HSE and government bodies).
• Teaching of medical students (undergraduate / postgraduate), military recruits and Gardaí.
• Active involvement with the Faculty of Pathology and Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI).
Image: OSP 2023 Total Cases
| Year | State cases | Coroner’s cases/ non-forensic cases | Skeletal Remains | Referred Cases |
| 2023 | 192 | 161 | 36 | 11 |
| 2022 | 213 | 172 | 28 | 4 |
| 2021 | 182 | 95 | 43 | 7 |
| 2020 | 188 | 109 | 39 | 9 |
| 2019 | 188 | 115 | 27 | 5 |
| 2018 | 196 | 62 | 17 | 11 |
| 2017 | 167 | 58 | 19 | 17 |
Image: The Process of Death Investigations
The Coroner
The Coroner is responsible for directing investigation into all deaths covered in the Coroners Act, 1962-2020. For more information, please visit www.coroners.ie
The Scene
When a body is discovered following a sudden, unexpected or suspicious death, the Emergency Services, Paramedics and Gardaí are alerted. The Gardaí attend the scene and inform the Coroner of the circumstances and scene findings. The Coroner then requests the State Pathologist to perform a post mortem examination to determine the cause of death. Scenes of crime Gardaí (either local teams or a team from the Technical Bureau) and sometimes the Pathologist attend the scene.
The Post Mortem Examination
The body can then be moved to a local hospital (throughout the country) or to the Dublin District Mortuary in Whitehall (if the death occurs in Dublin) where the post mortem examination is performed by one of the State Pathologists with the assistance of an anatomical pathology technician, Garda photographer and exhibits officer.
Following the post mortem examination histological samples will be processed and reviewed in the OSP Laboratory and toxicological samples will be analysed at the State Laboratory.
The Post Mortem Report
Once all the further investigations have been undertaken and reports have been received, the findings will be added to the post mortem report, enabling conclusions regarding the death to be made. The report will be peer reviewed by another forensic pathologist(s) before being finalised and sent to the Coroner.
If you have found skeletal remains the first point of contact should be your nearest Garda Station and they will be in a position to help.
Image: Skeletal Remains
Office of the State Pathologist: Annual Report 2023
The 2023 Annual Report, of the OSP sets out the complexity of the work undertaken by the forensic pathologists and identified areas for development and advancement of the OSP. The next report is due for publication in 2025.
The report is available in English and Irish at the link below:
Previous Annual Reports
- Office of the State Pathologist Annual Report 2022
- Office of the State Pathologist Annual Report 2021
- Office of the State Pathologist Annual Report 2020
- Office of the State Pathologist Annual Report 2019
- Office of the State Pathologist Annual Report 2018
- Office of the State Pathologist Annual Report 2017
Transition year students
Due to the nature of the work in the OSP, we do not facilitate work experience requests from transition year students.
Medical students
Unfortunately we are unable to offer any summer electives in 2025.
Pathway into Forensic Histopathology
An undergraduate or postgraduate medical degree is required. After you obtain the medical degree, you will complete your intern training as directed by the university and its affiliated hospitals.
Following the intern year, you can either do a year (or two) in clinical medicine, or apply directly to Histopathology as a Basic Specialist Trainee (BST) which is a two-year programme completed in Senior House Officer (SHO) posts. There are four training hubs in BST in Histopathology and during the two years you rotate around hospitals within your training hub. After BST you will complete your Part 1 exam in Histopathology (FRCPath Part 1). You then apply for a Higher Specialist Training (HST) post. The duration of training in HST (as a Specialist Registrar) will normally be four to five years.
In the UK you apply to the National Histopathology Training Programme and undertake at least two years (ST1 and ST2) providing successful completion of the OSPE competency exam at the end of the first year. Towards the end of ST2 you would sit the FRCPath Part 1 exam, after which it may be possible to apply for a Forensic Histopathology training post at one of the training centres around the UK. Forensic Histopathology training is between three and four years with the final FRCPath Part 2 exam undertaken towards the end of this period.
In Ireland this is not yet possible and you will have to complete your general Histopathology HST scheme and obtain your Part 2 in General Histopathology (FRCPath Part 2). After passing your Part 2 examination and receiving your Certificate of Satisfactory Completion of Specialist Training (CSCT), you may apply for the post of Deputy State Pathologist. During this two years of on-the-job forensic training, you will require a Diploma in Forensic Pathology which is undertaken via the Royal College of Pathologists, UK. We would also recommend that you do the Diploma in Forensic Medical Sciences.
Image: Current Training Route into forensic pathology in Ireland
If you are interested in Forensic Pathology as a career, you will always have to do some Histopathology training. We would recommend that during the medical school and intern years, you spend some time attached to a hospital histopathology department.