A Year in Review - 2025 Research Highlights

15 Dec 2025

As we bid farewell to another year, we reflect on some of 2025’s highlights at the UCC School of Law.  Now is the turn of Key Research Highlights. 

Report launch: ‘Ascertaining the Views of Children in Guardianship, Custody and Access Proceedings in Ireland’.

In February, the Child Law Clinic published a report on ‘Ascertaining the Views of Children in Guardianship, Custody and Access Proceedings in Ireland’.  This report, written by Professor Conor O’Mahony with the research assistance of postgraduate students on the LLM in Children's Rights and Family Law at UCC, commissioned by Children's Rights Alliance and One Family and funded by Research Ireland, documents shortfalls in the implementation of the obligation imposed by Article 42A.4 of the Irish Constitution to ascertain and give due weight to the views of children in private family law proceedings and makes recommendations for reform. The report is available here.

‘The Cambridge Handbook of the Right to Freedom of Thought’ published

‘The Cambridge Handbook of the Right to Freedom of Thought’ edited by School of Law’s Dr Patrick O’Callaghan and Bethany Shiner, Middlesex University, was published in March. The right to freedom of thought features prominently in debates about emerging technologies including neurotechnology and AI, but there is little understanding of its scope, content or application. This book presents the first attempt to set out how the right is protected, interpreted and applied globally.

UCC Research and Innovation Awards

The UCC Research & Innovation Awards embrace excellence in research, innovation, and entrepreneurial activity, across the entire university research community. Congratulations to School of Law colleagues who were awarded at the event. PhD Student of the Year Niamh Guiry, PhD researcher at the School of Law, was jointly awarded the UCC 180 Professor Adrian Dixon Prize PhD Student of the Year. Niamh is supervised by Professor Owen McIntyre and Dr Dug Cubie. The Research Image of the Year award was made to Dr. Luigi Lonardo, UCC School of Law, artist Claire Halpin and the Glucksman for the commission of Panorama Europa as part of an EU funded project on citizen's rights. 

Professor Louise Crowley and Marianne Joyce received the Dublin Solicitors Bar Association Law Book of the year award 2023/2024 for 'Family Law' (2nd edition).
Published in December 2023, exactly 10 years since the publication of the 1st edition, Louise began working on the 2nd edition of 'Family Law' in January 2023, whilst on 6 months sabbatical leave from her role as Professor of Family Law. In March 2023 she approached her then LLM student Marianne Joyce and recruited her as a part-time research assistant to conduct some of the research. After 6-8 weeks it became apparent that Marianne's work was of such a high standard that Professor Crowley asked Marianne if she would be interested in becoming a co-author. Read more here.

National Survey of Intercountry adoption experiences launches

A new national survey of the lived experience of intercounty adoption for parents of children aged 0-12 has been launched today by researchers in University College Cork and Trinity College Dublin. The survey forms part of a study exploring the experience of intercountry adoption from the perspectives of children (aged 0-12 years) and their families.  Approximately 5,000 children have been adopted into Ireland through intercountry adoption. Dr Aisling Parkes, Senior Lecturer in Law in University College Cork, explained: “This interdisciplinary study will explore the views of children who have been adopted from other countries using carefully considered research methods which are dynamic and child-appropriate. Informed by a children’s rights-based approach, this study is interested in learning about the unique experiences of children aged between 0-12 years in the context of intercountry adoption in Ireland.” The survey can be accessed here.

In April, The Centre for Children's Rights and Family Law hosted the Biennial Workshop on Developing Research in Children's Rights and Family Law. Scholars from Japan, the US, Norway, Slovakia, Belgium, the Netherlands, the UK and Ireland gathered for two days of  discussion of papers-in-progress. 

In May, the Centre for Law and the Environment hosted the 21st Law and the Environment Conference. This year’s conference focused on the theme ‘Reframing Environmental Law for Accountability, Circularity, Sustainability and Justice’, with parallel sessions covering a wide range of topics such as ‘Key Sectoral Challenges in Environmental Governance’, ‘The Onward March of Environmental (Human) Rights’, ‘Planning, Development and Heritage Law’ and ‘Environmental Developments in International Law’. We would like to thank all our sponsors -  McCann FitzGerald LLP, Clark Hill Law, FuturEnergy Ireland and RDJ LLP, for their generous support of the conference.

In July, The Centre for Children’s Rights and Family Law hosted the 6th Colloquium on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child Implementation Project (CRC-IP). This biennial event brings together leading scholars and practitioners in children's rights and family law to examine a specific article of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. This year’s chosen article was article 4 of the UNCRC, which outlines the obligations on the state to ensure the realisation of children’s rights

Throughout 2025, in the lead up to its 20^th anniversary celebrations in 2026, the Centre for Criminal Justice and Human Rights (CCJHR) presented a number of events focused on key research areas of the Centre. In September, Acting Director of the CCJHR Dr Luke Noonan and Dr Darius Whelan convened the Mental Health and Capacity Law Conference 2025.  The Centre (with the assistance of Professor Patrick O’Callaghan, Dr Fiona Donson, and Dr Catherine O’Sullivan) also held a series of lunchtime seminars on sentencing law. In November, (with the assistance of Dr Dug Cubie and Dr Henrietta Zeffert) it hosted several events focused on Palestine. In December, the Centre hosted an interdisciplinary seminar featuring Dr Elena Kavanagh (UCC), Dr Jesse Peterson (UCC), and Julián Eduardo Suárez Bohórquez (PhD Candidate) on Indigenous Rights, in advance of the official launch of the Indigenous Rights Cluster in 2026.

Dr Mary Tumelty, Senior Lecturer, UCC School of Law and Dr Annie Sorbie, Senior Lecturer in Health, Medical Law and Ethics, University of Edinburgh, have been awarded funding by the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Royal Irish Academy as part of the Ireland-Scotland Bilateral Network Grants. The collaborative project is titled, ‘Regulating for the Workforce of the Future: Addressing the Healthcare Workforce Crisis in Scotland and Ireland’.

In September, The Law and the Inner Self Project hosted a workshop in Copenhagen in partnership with the Centre for Privacy Studies, University of Copenhagen.  The project team presented the legal history components of their own project on Law and the Inner Self. Thanks to Research Ireland for supporting this project.

COP and the Experiences of Children and Youth

The Youth Climate Justice project (funded by the European Research Council) research child and youth leadership on the climate. They recently spoke to children and youth who attend (or have tried to attend) COP and have produced an article in the leading children's rights journal, the International Journal of Children's Rights.  Each year, more and more children and youth are attending COP, the global United Nations conference where decision-makers from across the world discuss climate action and progress.  We do not know a lot about the experiences of children and youth who have participated (or tried to participate) – both the positive experiences they have had, and the challenges they have faced.

As part of the Youth Climate Justice research project, the research team decided to explore
this by speaking with children and youth from across the world.  The research findings can be accessed here

Dr Kate Falconer awarded COALESCE Grant for Project entitled 'Making Body Disposal in Ireland Environmentally and Socially Sustainable (BoDIESS)'

COALESCE (Collaborative Alliances for Societal Challenges) supports excellent, interdisciplinary research that addresses national and global societal challenges by fostering collaboration between researchers and policymakers, civil society, and enterprise. Among the new research projects totalling €1.1 million that will be funded at University College Cork is Dr Kate Flaconer (Lead Researcher), School of Law and Radical Humanities Laboratory; Dr Tim Sullivan (Co-PI), School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences. The funding amount received for ‘Making Body Disposal in Ireland Environmentally and Socially Sustainable (BoDIESS)’ is €219,949. This project will use methodological tools drawn from socio-legal studies and environmental science to develop new insights into changing body disposal preferences in communities across Ireland.

In November, the Annual Lecture for the Centre for Children's Rights and Family Law was delivered by Professor Mary McAleese, former President of Ireland. Professor McAleese spoke on the topic of “Children’s Rights and Religion”, drawing on her research for her 2019 book entitled Children's Rights and Obligations in Canon Law. Responses to the lecture were provided by Centre members, including Professor Ursula Kilkelly, Professor Aoife Daly and Dr Aisling Parkes.  The event was chaired by Centre Director and Dean of the School of Law, Professor Conor O’Mahony, and attended by a large and diverse audience. Professor McAleese also took the opportunity to view the recently unveiled Accenture Women on Walls exhibit in UCC’s Aula Maxima.

RESEARCH IN FOCUS: First study into the operation of the In Camera Rule in Ireland is published

The first research study of its kind to ever have been conducted into the in-camera rule in Ireland was published in May by the Minister for Justice, Mr Jim O’Callaghan T.D.

Led by the School of Law in UCC, the interdisciplinary project was commissioned by the Department of Justice. A key action in the Family Justice Strategy, this ground-breaking study conducted by a joint UCC and Trinity College Dublin team will significantly impact family law proceedings (private and public) in Ireland. The report contains 21 recommendations in total and recommends that family law proceedings continue to be held in private, and that the privacy rights of children and parties to proceedings be maintained. The study collected data from 13 judges, 18 focus groups with 84 professional participants and services, as well as 300 parents and family members who completed the national online survey about their experiences of the in camera rule in the family law courts. Dr Aisling Parkes, Senior Lecturer in Law in UCC led the study.

Publishing the report, Minister O’Callaghan T.D. said:s

“This is an important piece of research which details the perspectives of many stakeholders regarding the current understanding and operation of the in camera rule in family law proceedings.  Importantly, it includes the views of those who have been parties in such proceedings.  I would like to thank the authors of the report, Dr Aisling Parkes, Dr Simone McCaughren and Dr Kenneth Burns, for their expertise in bringing this report to fruition.  Most importantly, I would like to express my gratitude to all the research participants who contributed their experiences and insights, which added to the richness of the report’s findings.”

Dr Aisling Parkes, Senior Lecturer in Law UCC, said:

‘‘What emerged as one of the most significant findings is the striking absence of public knowledge and understanding of what goes on behind the closed doors of the family law courts due to the operation of the in camera rule. This is a deeply concerning finding given that a democratic society depends on transparency to ensure public confidence in the family justice system, and in particular, in the administration of family justice. A review of other legal systems has demonstrated that it is possible to achieve an appropriate balance between promoting transparency and protecting the privacy of family members involved in these cases. In the context of ambitious family law reform that is currently underway in Ireland, now presents an opportune time for change”.

In November, the report was presented at the Law Society Family and Child Law Conference 2025 held in November. Discussing their report at the event, Dr Aisling Parkes (UCC), Dr Kenneth Burns (UCC) and Dr Simone McCaughren (TCD) explained the importance of reforming the rule through:

• Clearer legislative drafting,
• Increased publication of anonymised judgments,
• More explicit guidance on handling and sanctioning breaches, and
• Enhanced support for responsible research and reporting.