Law

Research Interests

To date, the central focus of my research has been on international children's rights law and, in particular, the right of the child to be heard in all matters affecting them. My research has focussed specifically on the nature and scope of this right and the extent to which it has been implemented under international law. Indeed, it represents the first international comparative legal analysis of its kind, the primary aim of which was to identify the extent to which the right of the child to be heard has been implemented in practice across a variety of jurisdictions.

The publications which I have completed to date have built upon this research and have not only explored the extent to which this right has been reflected in specific areas of Irish Law such as legal proceedings, but it has also identified the extent to which the voice of the child is protected for certain vulnerable groups of children such as children with disabilities or indeed children in care. Conference papers I have presented have also built upon this research further and have explored the conflict which exists between this fundamental right of the child and the use of age limits in areas such as adoption, custody and access and healthcare. The extent to which this right is respected in Ireland in areas of youth justice has also been illustrated.

I have also been actively involved in other research projects as a research assistant in the areas of the children's court, matrimonial property law and barriers to the implementation of children's rights. My Masters thesis was grounded in Family law and focussed specifically on The Nature and Scope of Common Law Marriage.