A Year in Review 2024: Research Highlights

13 Jan 2025

As we bid farewell to another year, we reflect on some of 2024’s highlights at the UCC School of Law.  

Now is the turn of key Research Highlights.   

The strength of research ambition has been very evident in the School in recent years and 2024 was no exception. 

Research Funding Awards 

Two significant awards were secured including:  

Research examining the operation of the in-camera rule in the context of family law 

The project, led by Dr Aisling Parkes of the School of Law, and to the value of just under €50,000, is intended to uncover how the in-camera rule works in practice in Ireland and how it is experienced by those who encounter it and work within the courts. 

The independent study is being conducted by Dr Aisling Parkes, School of Law (PI) and Dr Kenneth Burns, School of Applied Social Studies, from University College Cork and Dr Simone McCaughren, School of Social Work and Social Policy, Trinity College Dublin. This research has been commissioned by the Department of Justice and is an action in the Family Justice Strategy 2022-2025.  

Home in Crisis 

In October 2024 Dr Marie Aronsson-Storrier, UCC School of Law, was awarded €91,000 in funding from Research Ireland as part of the CHANSE (Collaboration of Humanities and Social Sciences in Europe) and HERA (Humanities in the European Research Area) ‘Crisis – Perspectives from the Humanities’  for a 3-year project, entitled ‘Home in Crisis’. Home in Crisis is one of 10 projects selected for funding under this call, out of over 200 applications.  The project is led by the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, with Principal Investigators in Ireland, Norway and the UK, and supported by project partners EmpatheatreThe project aims to reveal diverse understandings of home in the context of the climate crisis. It will advance the protection of home for those affected, strengthen academic understanding, and be of concrete value to policy makers, legal practitioners, and the judiciary. 

Several smaller grants were secured by colleagues, for example, from Enterprise Ireland to support the development of larger funding applications, mainly to the European Research Council.   

Several further applications for European Research Council Advanced, Consolidator and Starter grants were submitted, with two colleagues reaching Stage 2 of Starter Grant applications in the early part of the year and decisions still awaited on some applications at the year’s end. 

Progress on existing major Research Projects 

January 2024 – 'Trauma informed Approaches to Clinical Legal Education' Event  

In January, Dr Fiona Donson and Dr Samantha Morgan-Williams along with colleagues in UCL and University of Glasgow hosted an event in UCL 'Trauma informed Approaches to Clinical Legal Education (CLE). The event brought together international experts in trauma-informed and trauma aware clinical legal education to discuss best-practice principles and how CLE coordinators can support and resource our students for the challenges of future legal practice during CLE in Law School.  A follow up networking event was organised in September, where network members discussed next steps and plans for expanded membership. The event was partially funded by SATLE and the School of Law UCC CoBL Seminar Series and is part of an ongoing collaboration between the three law schools for enrichment of CLE modules. 

Youth Climate Justice 

The Youth Climate Justice Project (European Research Council, Principal Investigator: Prof Aoife Daly) held an International Conference on Child/Youth-friendly Climate Justice: Progress and Opportunities (30th Sept/1st Oct) bringing together an impressive array of voices from all around the world this interdisciplinary event highlighted how children and youth have emerged as central figures in the fight against the climate crisis, challenging traditional views of children as passive victims.  

The conference is a key milestone for the Youth Climate Justice project, which is underpinned by the postpaternalism theory - that children are environmental rights leaders, and we should approach the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child differently. The project’s keystone journal article on postpaternalism, “Climate action and the UNCRC: A ‘postpaternalist’ world where children claim their own rights” was published in the MDPI journal, Youth, the week of the conference, and you can read it here.  On the project more generally, see: Youth Climate Justice | University College Cork or watch the video in the link below:  

LAWINSEL- The Law and the Inner Self 

In 2024, the Law and the Inner Self project, funded by the Irish Research Council, made a significant impact in legal scholarship. Led by Dr. Patrick O’Callaghan, the research team published both single- and multi-authored book chapters and papers in top-tier journals, making critical contributions to human rights law, private law, and law and technology. The project has also fostered inter and cross-disciplinary collaborations, both within UCC and beyond, including the organization of a joint workshop with UCC’s CyberSocial project in June 2024. The team’s findings have attracted international attention, with invitations to present at prestigious events such as Harvard Law School’s Law and Philosophy Society in February 2024. On the policy front, the project has made a notable impact, with the team actively engaging in consultations for the UN Human Rights Council’s report on neurotechnology and human rights in March and April 2024. Dr. O’Callaghan was invited to co-author a formal submission, which was published on the UNHRC website in April 2024. For more information on the LAWINSEL project and its research agenda, see https://www.lawinnerself.org 

Societās – Exploring the Value of Freedom of Association 

This Irish Research Council funded project, led by Professor Maria Cahill, held a number of important workshops during the year including Exploring Associational Life on 9 May, The Importance of Sociality on 3 July, and Law and the Social Dimension of the Human Experience on 20 Nov.  The project’s successful progress and impact was marked by a UCC Research Award for Maria for Research Collaboration of the Year for the project in June and by the team winning the College of Business & Law Research Team of the Year Award in December (see Research Awards below).   On the project more generally, see: Societas: Research Project on Freedom of Association at University College Cork. 

Traveller Equality & Justice Project 

The TEJP led by Drs Fiona Donson and Samantha Morgan-Williams had a highly successful 2024, securing Council of Europe funding to further their Traveller community outreach activities, including the Traveller Court Supports Initiative. As part of this, the Traveller Court Support Workers were invited to the Four Courts in November by the President of the High Court Mr Justice Hugh Barniville. While there, they were provided with a tour of the courts and had a sit-down discussion with senior judges such as President of the District Court Mr Justice Kelly, as well as judges from the family courts, high court and district court about the work of the Traveller Court Support Initiatives and approaches to matters concerning Travellers.  Ancillary to this, the TEJP also launched their 'TravLaw' Legal Issues for Travellers Course, in Charleville CFE which was attended by 20 Travellers from across Cork & Kerry. 

Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence for EU Integration and Citizens’ Rights 

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. Based on the creative engagement workshops hosted by the Glucksman Gallery in Summer 2024, artist Claire Halpin's commissioned piece was launched at the Glucksman on Friday 18th October. This piece considered citizens' perspectives and the centre's research through the medium of art. The painting by Claire Halpin, titled Panorama Europa, is a diptych that will be part of the UCC Art Collection. The project’s closing conference and opening of the art exhibition was an occasion to reflect upon, and further disseminate, the work of the Jean Monnet Centre on EU Integration and Citizens' Rights. In addition to the Centre’s PI, Dr Luigi Lonardo, the speakers were Fiona Kearney, the founding Director of the Glucksman Gallery and Prof. John O’Halloran.   

Choosing to Provide: Early Medical Abortion and Clinician Conscience in Ireland’ 

The important findings of a research study on abortion services in Ireland conducted by Prof Mary Donnelly and Dr Claire Murray from the School of Law were recently published.  The study, funded by the IRC New Foundations scheme and with the support of the Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA), focused on the experiences of clinicians providing early medical abortion in primary care settings following the legalisation of abortion in Ireland in 2019. 

Promoting Resilient Cities through Community Participation and Communication of Climate and Disaster Risks 

Dr Dug Cubie and Dr Marie Aronsson-Storrier launched their report on ‘Guidance on Risk Communication and Community Engagement Practices’ in September 2024. This report is part of their UNIC seed-funded project Promoting Resilient Cities through Community Participation and Communication of Climate and Disaster Risks. This project was a collaboration between UCC, Cork City Council, Malmo University and the City of Malmo under the UNIC initiative. 

Major Publications  

Dr Henrietta Zeffert  Home and International Law: Dispossession, Displacement and Resistance in Everyday Life' is a book about home and international law (Routledge, 2024).  

The sixth edition of Prof Deirdre Madden’s Medical Law in Ireland was published in April (Wolters Kluwer, 2024).    

Prof. Ursula Kilkelly, Professor of Law and UCC Vice President for Global Engagement; Dr Louise Forde, Brunel University London, Dr Sharon Lambert, UCC School of Applied Psychology; and Dr Katharina Swirak, UCC School of Sociology and Criminology,  Children in Conflict with the Law (Palgrave MacMillan, 2024).    

Professors Ursula Kilkelly and Jonathan Todres (Georgia State University) edited Children’s Rights and Children’s Development – An Integrated Approach (New York University Press, 2024). 

Other Research Developments 

UCC Centre for Law and the Environment launches new ‘Law and the Environment Podcast’ series. 

In September 2024 the UCC Centre for Law and Environment launched a new podcast series featuring interviews with UCC Centre for Law and the Environment faculty members, focusing on their work, upcoming events, ongoing research and projects being undertaken at the centre. 

In episode one of the series, our host, Dr Marie Aronsson-Storrier spoke to PhD Researcher, Niamh Guiry, an IRC-EPA PhD scholar at the School of Law, UCC.  Her research explores the interrelationship between the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), global environmental governance, and evolving patterns of international law-making. Last year, Marie and Niamh both attended the COP 28 in Dubai, as part of UCC’s Delegation and in the first episode, Marie and Niamh reflect on their experience of the COP 28. Visit the Centre website to listen to the podcast or visit the School’s Spotify Channel here.

Capacity Building and Researcher Mobility in transitional justice research: Developing Khmer-Irish Legal Researcher Cooperation for a better world 

The Centre for Criminal Justice and Human Rights agreed a collaborative project “Capacity Building and Researcher Mobility in transitional justice research: Developing Khmer-Irish Legal Researcher Cooperation for a better world” with the Royal University of Law and Economics (RULE) in Cambodia. The project involves a number of activities including hosting Cambodian researchers in Cork in spring 2025. However, the initial phase of the project began in December 2024 when Dr Fiona Donson and Professor Owen McIntyre visited the university to teach legal research methods to the RULE Dual Degree LLM programme. It is hoped that this initial project, which runs for 9 months, and is funded by the Irish Embassy in Hanoi, will lead to future collaborations including joint research and teaching activities on shared interests and capacities in human rights, transitional justice and research. 

Research Awards 

Colleagues’ achievements in research were also recognised at both the UCC Research & Innovation Awards in May 2024 and the College of Business & Law Research Awards in December 2024. 

At the UCC Research & Innovation Awards in May we were delighted that colleagues from the School secured two of the available awards, with Professor Maria Cahill receiving the Research Collaboration of the Year Award for her IRC Laureate project ‘Societās - Exploring the Potential of Freedom of Association’, through which Maria has created a ground breaking network of legal scholars that represent 24 jurisdictions.  Meanwhile Professor Louise Crowley  was awarded Consultancy Project of the Year Award for her impactful Bystander Intervention programme with the Irish Defence Forces, addressing sexual misconduct and violence. 

At the College of Business & Law Research Awards in December 2024 a number of colleagues secured awards with Professor Owen McIntyre securing the Researcher of Year (Advanced Career) Award for his incredibly productive and impactful work in international environmental and water law, Professor Maria Cahill’s Societās Team including postdoctoral researchers Giulia Lasagni and Cinzia Ruggeri securing the Research Team of the Year Award and Niamh Guiry securing the Postgraduate Researcher of Year Award.#

PhD Student Success

No fewer than 9 PhD students successfully defended their Theses in the past year:

06/02/2024 – Franz Wittmann “The Children's Right to Non-Violent Education - a comparative rights-based approach to certain issue of protection and prevention” Supervisors: Professor Conor O’Mahony & Professor Ursula Kilkelly

26/02/2024 – Rhoda Jennings “The Use of Science in EU Environmental Decision-Making: A Measure of Legitimacy in Environmental Regulation” Supervisors: Professor Owen McIntyre & Professor Mark Poustie

05/03/2024 – Alison Hardiman “Reconciling the Objectives of Environmental Protection and Climate Mitigation in EU Law: The Problem of Renewable Energy Project Authorisation” Supervisors: Professor Owen McIntyre & Professor Mark Poustie

07/03/2024 – Aisling Ryan “Administrative Discretion at First Instance: Power, People and Place” Supervisors: Dr Fiona Donson & Professor Mark Poustie

23/08/2024 – Elena Kavanagh “The Language Rights of Indigenous Peoples within the Russia Federation" Supervisors: Dr Seán Ó Conaill & Professor Mark Poustie

19/09/2024 – Deirdre Leahy “Law of Cross-Border Online Gambling in the EU” Supervisor: Dr Fidelma White

15/11/2024 – Seán O'Reilly “Enforcing European Union Law in a Common Law Jurisdiction: A Study of the Irish Superior Courts" Supervisor: Professor Prof. Áine Ryall

22/11/2024 – Barry Scannell “Intellectual Property Law Copyright and Artificial Intelligence" Supervisor: Dr Darius Whelan

13/12/2024 – Bernard Long “Towards a Normative Theory of Gambling Self-Exclusion Agreements" Supervisors: Dr Fidelma White & Professor Mary Donnelly

Our congratulations to them and their supervisors and our thanks to the examiners.

As noted above, current PhD student Niamh Guiry also won the College of Business & Law Research Award in 2024 for Postgraduate Researcher of the Year.