He was an unsuccessful Fine Gael candidate for Dáil Éireann at the 1965, 1969, 1973 and 1977 general elections for various Cork constituencies.
[2] In 1981, he was nominated by the Taoiseach, Garret FitzGerald as a member of the 15th Seanad.
He chaired enquiries into the proposed Luas light rail system for Dublin in 1997 and 1999, which were praised for their promptness.
While a High Court judge, he served as Chairman of the Residential Institutions Redress Board.
[2] His grandfather John Horgan was a Teachta Dála (TD), as well as a Lord Mayor of Cork from 1941 to 1942.