Mother permitted to relocate children to United Kingdom following divorce despite children’s wishes

The High Court dismissed an appeal by a father challenging an order permitting the mother to relocate their two children from Ireland to the United Kingdom following their divorce, upholding the original Circuit Court decision. The court found that while the children were well-settled and had expressed a wish not to move, the mother's desire to return to her established family and support network in the UK, where the family had lived for many years, was reasonable and in the children's best interests given the circumstances. The court was critical of the father's rigid opposition to relocation, found the mother's evidence on past discussions more credible, and determined that suitable and generous access could be arranged to maintain the children's relationship with the father. Ancillary orders addressed custody, maintenance, property division, and future contact arrangements.