A Year in Review 2023: Events Highlights

22 Dec 2023

As we bid farewell to another year, we reflect on some of 2023’s highlights at the UCC School of Law.

Now is the turn of key Event Highlights.  To keep up with the School’s events for 2024, please sign up to our mailing list here.

2023 saw the return of the hugely popular and highly regarded EU Trip, which offers second year law students a unique opportunity to become informed practically, about the various EU Institutions.  32 students along with Declan Walsh, Dr Fidelma White and Dr Luigi Lonardo spent a week in Luxembourg and Brussels.

We were delighted to welcome Judges from the Court of Appeal to the School of Law in March . It was a wonderful opportunity for students and staff of the School to hear about the work of the Court of Appeal.

The prestigious Law and the Environment Conference was held on campus this April.  The conference provides a regular forum for the expert presentation of legal developments and research results in the area of Environmental Law. This year's conference considered the theme 'Environmental Law as Administrative Governance'. The 2024 Law and Environment Conference will be held on Thursday, 25^th April.  Keep an eye on the The Centre for Law and the Environment website for details of 2024’s conference.

In April, 25 international scholars from 8 countries gathered at the School of Law for the Centre for Children’s Rights and Family Law biennial research workshop on frontier research in children's rights and family law, reading and critiquing each other's work-in-progress.

In June an international conference was hosted by UCC  under the auspices of Professor Maria Cahill’s Societās project, which is supported by Laureate funding from the Irish Research Council.  The ‘Comparative Perspectives on the Purpose and Potential of Freedom of Association’ international conference brought together an emerging global network of freedom of association scholars from nineteen different jurisdictions with expertise on how this right is interpreted and applied in those particular contexts.

In September, UCC hosted a Traveller Equality and Justice Community event in the Aula Maxima. The event brought together Travellers, legal professionals, and academics to explore the issues faced by Travellers and highlight work to achieve more equitable future for all. Organised by The Traveller Equality and Justice Project (TEJP), the was an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the strength and resilience of the Traveller Community and their commitment to securing their rights.The Traveller Equality & Justice Project (TEJP) is an innovative collaborative project between UCC School of Law and the Free Legal Advice Centre (FLAC), based within the Centre for Criminal Justice & Human Rights and funded by an EU Rights Equality and Citizenship Award 2021-2023

The Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence for EU Integration and Citizens’ Rights had a series of events exploring EU-derived rights in various contexts throughout the year. Each event was complemented by a podcast with guest speakers discussing the main features of their contributions – listen here!

The Centre for European Integration held the EU Law Lecture Series again this year.  Guests at the Spring series include Prof Elaine Fahey, Prof Robert Schütze, Prof Eleanor Spaventa and Prof Sara Poli.  Guests at the autumn lecture series include Dr Thomas Verellen, Prof Emilia Korkea-aho and Prof Takis Tridimas.  The Centre will hold a webinar on Thursday 11^th January 2024 on the European Superleague Judgement – please register your interest here.