She is a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin (LLB) and the European University Institute (LLM, PhD). She lectured at the National University of Ireland, Galway, before joining the Faculty of Law at University College Cork in August 2008. She teaches Constitutional Law, Advanced Legal Reasoning, Advanced Constitutional Law and Research Methods for PhD researchers.
Maria was a Visiting Fellow at the Institute of European and Comparative Law at the University of Oxford in 2015 and a Kathleen Fitzpatrick Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Comparative Constitutional Studies at the University of Melbourne in 2019. Maria's research has focussed on social groups and concepts such as subsidiarity, freedom of association and pluralism. More generally, she is interested in issues of constitutional theory (questions of amendability, constituent power, constitutional architecture), legal theory, legal history and comparative law.
She won the UCC Early Career Researcher of the Year award in 2017, the President's Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2019 and the President's award for Enhancing the Student Experience in 2020.
Biography
Maria Cahill is Professor of Law at University College Cork and project lead for "Societās: Exploring the Value of Freedom of Association", a four-year Laureate project funded by the Irish Research Council (www.associationalfreedom.org).She is a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin (LLB) and the European University Institute (LLM, PhD). She lectured at the National University of Ireland, Galway, before joining the Faculty of Law at University College Cork in August 2008. She teaches Constitutional Law, Advanced Legal Reasoning, Advanced Constitutional Law and Research Methods for PhD researchers.
Maria was a Visiting Fellow at the Institute of European and Comparative Law at the University of Oxford in 2015 and a Kathleen Fitzpatrick Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Comparative Constitutional Studies at the University of Melbourne in 2019. Maria's research has focussed on social groups and concepts such as subsidiarity, freedom of association and pluralism. More generally, she is interested in issues of constitutional theory (questions of amendability, constituent power, constitutional architecture), legal theory, legal history and comparative law.
She won the UCC Early Career Researcher of the Year award in 2017, the President's Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2019 and the President's award for Enhancing the Student Experience in 2020.
Research Interests
Maria's research has focussed on subsidiarity (as a concept, in its interaction with sovereignty and liberalism, in its application within the European Union and the Council of Europe, in the context of fundamental rights adjudication, and so on), as well as pluralism and freedom of association. She is generally interested in issues of constitutional theory (questions of amendability, constituent power, constitutional architecture), legal theory, legal history and comparative law.
Publications
Peer Reviewed Journals
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| (2020) | 'Recognising Freedom of Thought in Irish Constitutional Law' Maria Cahill (2020) 'Recognising Freedom of Thought in Irish Constitutional Law'. European Journal of Comparative Law and Governance, [Details] | |
| (2019) | 'Judicial Constraint can also Undermine Constitutional Principles' Maria Cahill & Sean O Conaill (2019) 'Judicial Constraint can also Undermine Constitutional Principles'. University of Queensland Law Journal, [Details] | |
| (2017) | 'Theorising Subsidiarity: Towards an Ontology-Sensitive Approach' Maria Cahill (2017) 'Theorising Subsidiarity: Towards an Ontology-Sensitive Approach'. Icon-International Journal Of Constitutional Law, 15 (1):201-224 [Details] | |
| (2017) | 'Theorizing Subsidiarity: A Rejoinder to Gareth Davies' Maria Cahill (2017) 'Theorizing Subsidiarity: A Rejoinder to Gareth Davies'. Icon-International Journal Of Constitutional Law, 15 (1):231-234 [Details] | |
| (2016) | 'Sovereignty, Liberalism and the Intelligibility of Attraction to Subsidiarity' Maria Cahill (2016) 'Sovereignty, Liberalism and the Intelligibility of Attraction to Subsidiarity'. American Journal of Jurisprudence, 61 (1):109-132 [Details] | |
| (2016) | 'Ever Closer Remoteness Among the Peoples of Europe? Limits on the Power of Amendment and National Constituent Power' Maria Cahill (2016) 'Ever Closer Remoteness Among the Peoples of Europe? Limits on the Power of Amendment and National Constituent Power'. Cambridge Law Journal, 75 (2):245-270 [Details] | |
| (2014) | '“Crotty after Pringle: The Revival of the Doctrine of Implied Amendment”' Maria Cahill (2014) '“Crotty after Pringle: The Revival of the Doctrine of Implied Amendment”'. Irish Journal of European Law, 17 (1):1-25 [Details] | |
| (2011) | 'Constitutional Exclusion Clauses, Article 29.4.6 and the Constitutional Reception of European Law' Cahill, Maria (2011) 'Constitutional Exclusion Clauses, Article 29.4.6 and the Constitutional Reception of European Law'. Dublin University Law Journal, 34 :74-100 [Details] | |
| (2011) | 'McD v. L and the Incorporation of the European Convention on Human Rights' Cahill, Maria (2011) 'McD v. L and the Incorporation of the European Convention on Human Rights'. The Irish Jurist, XLVI :221-229 [Details] | |
| (2008) | 'Ireland's Constitutional Amendability and Europe's Constitutional Ambition: the Lisbon Referendum in Context' Cahill, Maria (2008) 'Ireland's Constitutional Amendability and Europe's Constitutional Ambition: the Lisbon Referendum in Context'. German Law Journal, 9 (10):1191-1218 [Details] | |
| (2006) | 'The Constitutional Success of Ratification Failure' Cahill, Maria (2006) 'The Constitutional Success of Ratification Failure'. German Law Journal, 7 (11):947-966 [Details] |
Book Chapters
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| (2021) | 'Subsidiarity and the City' Maria Cahill (2021) 'Subsidiarity and the City' In: Erika Arban (eds). Cities in Federal Constitutional Theory. Oxford: Oxford University Press. [Details] | |
| (2020) | 'The Reign of Popular Sovereignty in Ireland: an antidote to populism?' Maria Cahill (2020) 'The Reign of Popular Sovereignty in Ireland: an antidote to populism?' In: Maria Cahill, Colm O Cinneide, Sean O Conaill, Conor O'Mahony (eds). Sovereignty, Populism and Constitutional Policits: Irish and Comparative Perspectives on Constitutional Change. London: Routledge. [Details] | |
| (2020) | 'Ambivalent Self-Determination: Freedom from and Deference to Foreign Laws' Maria Cahill (2020) 'Ambivalent Self-Determination: Freedom from and Deference to Foreign Laws' In: Oxford Handbook of Irish Politics. Oxford: Oxford University Press. [Details] | |
| (2019) | 'Why Sovereignty is part of the Problem' Maria Cahill (2019) 'Why Sovereignty is part of the Problem' In: Sovranita, democrazia e liberta. Italy: Aracne editrice. [Details] | |
| (2018) | 'The Rule of Law or the Rule of Rights? Five ECHR Misconceptions that the Courts convincingly refute' Maria Cahill (2018) 'The Rule of Law or the Rule of Rights? Five ECHR Misconceptions that the Courts convincingly refute' In: Judicial Power in Ireland. Dublin: Institute of Public Administration. [Details] | |
| (2018) | 'Subverting sovereignty’s voluntarism: pluralism and subsidiarity in cahoots' Cahill, Maria (2018) 'Subverting sovereignty’s voluntarism: pluralism and subsidiarity in cahoots' In: Research Handbook on Legal Pluralism and EU Law. Cheltenham, United Kingdom: Edward Elgar Publishing. [DOI] [Full Text] [Details] | |
| (2019) | 'Subsidiarity' Maria Cahill (2019) 'Subsidiarity' In: Gerry Bradley & Christian Brugger (eds). Catholic Social Teaching: a volume of scholarly essays. University of Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. [Details] | |
| (2014) | '“Making and Amending Constitutions: Some Reflections”' Maria Cahill (2014) '“Making and Amending Constitutions: Some Reflections”' In: Fatih Oztürk, Murat Yanik & Hüseyin Özcan (eds). A Road Map of a New Constitution for Turkey: Essays in Comparative Constitutional Law. Durham, North Carolina: Carolina Academic Press. [Details] | |
| (2014) | 'Ireland, Europe, and the Partial Eclipse of Constitutional Authority' Maria Cahill (2014) 'Ireland, Europe, and the Partial Eclipse of Constitutional Authority' In: 75 Years of the Irish Constitution: An Irish-Italian Dialogue. Dublin: Clarus Press. [Details] | |
| (2012) | 'Judicial Conceptions of Sovereignty' Maria Cahill (2012) 'Judicial Conceptions of Sovereignty' In: The Constitution of Ireland: Perspectives and Prospects. Dublin: Bloomsbury. [Details] | |
| (2012) | 'Anayasalarin Yapimi ve Değiştirilmesi: Bazi Yansimalar (Making and Amending Constitutions: Some Reflections)' Maria Cahill (2012) 'Anayasalarin Yapimi ve Değiştirilmesi: Bazi Yansimalar (Making and Amending Constitutions: Some Reflections)' In: Yeni Anayasa Için Yol Haritasi (A Route Map of a New Constitution for Turkey). Istanbul: Adalet ve Hukuk Denegi. [Details] | |
| (2011) | 'Ireland's Constitutional Amendability and Europe's Constitutional Ambition: The Lisbon Referendum in Context' Cahill, Maria (2011) 'Ireland's Constitutional Amendability and Europe's Constitutional Ambition: The Lisbon Referendum in Context' In: Comparative Law as Transnational Law: A Decade of the German Law Journal. London: Oxford University Press. [Details] | |
| (2012) | 'European Integration and European Constitutionalism: Consonances and Dissonances' Maria Cahill (2012) 'European Integration and European Constitutionalism: Consonances and Dissonances' In: Integration through Law’ Revisited: The Making of the European Polity. London: Ashgate. [Details] | |
| (2011) | 'A Critical Assessment of Irish Scholarship on the Constitutional Reception of European Law' Maria Cahill (2011) 'A Critical Assessment of Irish Scholarship on the Constitutional Reception of European Law' In: Thirty Years of the Irish Legal Scholarship. Dublin: Roundhall Press. [Details] |
Edited Books
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| (2020) | Sovereignty, Populism and Constitutional Politics: Irish and Comparative Perspectives on Constitutional Change Colm O Cinneide, Sean O Conaill, Conor O'Mahony (Ed.). (2020) Sovereignty, Populism and Constitutional Politics: Irish and Comparative Perspectives on Constitutional Change London: Routledge. [Details] | |
| (2019) | The Rise and Fall of the European Constitution Nicholas Barber, Maria Cahill & Richard Ekins (Ed.). (2019) The Rise and Fall of the European Constitution Oxford: Hart Publishing. [Details] |
Blog
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| (2020) | Is there a right to freedom of thought in Irish law?. Maria Cahill (2020) Is there a right to freedom of thought in Irish law?. Blog [Details] | |
| (2020) | Lockdown v. Liberty: do we still believe in freedom?. Maria Cahill (2020) Lockdown v. Liberty: do we still believe in freedom?. Blog [Details] | |
| (2019) | The Danger of Frequent Constitutional Amendment. Maria Cahill (2019) The Danger of Frequent Constitutional Amendment. Blog [Details] | |
| (2013) | Collateral Damage of Seanad Abolition. Maria Cahill (2013) Collateral Damage of Seanad Abolition. Blog [Details] | |
| (1919) | Why the 1919 Declaration of Independence matters. Maria Cahill (1919) Why the 1919 Declaration of Independence matters. Blog [Details] |
Professional Activities
Honours and Awards
| Year | Title | Awarding Body | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | President's Award for Enhancing the Student Experience | University College Cork | |
| 2019 | President's Award for Excellence in Teaching | University College Cork | |
| 2017 | Early Career Researcher of the Year | University College Cork |
Professional Associations
| Association | Function | From / To | |
|---|---|---|---|
| University Association for Contemporary European Studies | Member | / | |
| Irish Jurisprudence Society | Member | / | |
| Irish Association of Law Teachers | Council Member | / | |
| Irish Society for Comparative Law | Member | / | |
| Society of Legal Scholars | Member | / | |
| Irish Legal History Society | Member | / |
Committees
| Committee | Function | From / To | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ConsitutionProject.ie | Founding Member | / |
Conference Contributions
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| (2016) | Trust and the Common Good Conference, St. John's College, Oxford, Maria Cahill (2016) Centripetal and Centrifugal Trends in Constitutional Design. [Invited Lectures (Conference)], Trust and the Common Good Conference, St. John's College, Oxford, University of Oxford , 10-JUN-16 - 10-JUN-16. [Details] | |
| (2014) | “The National Interest in European Union Law and Governmence”, Cahill, Maria (2014) “The National Interest as the Voice of the People: a comparison of the legal recognition of national constituent power in Ireland and France”. [Peer Reviewed Abstract], “The National Interest in European Union Law and Governmence”, Hungarian Academy of Science, Centre for Social Sciences, Budapest , 03-JUL-14 - 04-JUL-14. [Details] | |
| (2014) | UACES Annual Conference, Cahill, Maria (2014) “Sovereignty and the Impact of Voluntarism”. [Peer Reviewed Abstract], UACES Annual Conference, University College Cork, Cork , 31-AUG-14 - 02-SEP-14. [Details] | |
| (2016) | The Social Ontology of Law, Politics and Human Rights Workshop, St. Cross College, Oxford, Maria Cahill (2016) The Untapped Potential of Subsidairity in Fundamental Rights Adjudication. [Invited Lectures (Conference)], The Social Ontology of Law, Politics and Human Rights Workshop, St. Cross College, Oxford, St. Cross College, University of Oxford , 20-MAY-16 - 20-MAY-16. [Details] | |
| (2016) | Invited Lecture, Brasenose College, University of Oxford, Maria Cahill (2016) Subsidiarity in the Defence of Social Freedom. [Invited Lectures (Workshops)], Invited Lecture, Brasenose College, University of Oxford, University of Oxford , 18-MAY-16. [Details] | |
| (2016) | The Principle of Subsidiarity: What Next? Swedish Network for European Legal Studies Workshop, Maria Cahill (2016) Theorizing Subsidiarity: Beyond a Test of Efficiency. [Invited Lectures (Conference)], The Principle of Subsidiarity: What Next? Swedish Network for European Legal Studies Workshop, Uppsala University, Sweden , 07-APR-16 - 07-APR-16. [Details] | |
| (2015) | The Public/Private Divide UK-IVR Annual Conference, Maria Cahill (2015) Subsidiarity's Perspective on the Public-Private Divide. [Oral Presentation], The Public/Private Divide UK-IVR Annual Conference, Queen's University, Belfast , 23-OCT-15 - 24-OCT-15. [Details] | |
| (2015) | Bratislava Legal Forum, Maria Cahill (2015) Involving National Courts in the Justiciability of Subsidiarity. [Oral Presentation], Bratislava Legal Forum, Bratislava , 09-OCT-15 - 10-OCT-15. [Details] | |
| (2014) | UACES Annual Conference, University College Cork, Maria Cahill (2014) Sovereignty and the Impact of Voluntarism. [Oral Presentation], UACES Annual Conference, University College Cork, University College Cork , 31-AUG-14 - 02-SEP-14. [Details] | |
| (2014) | The National Interest as the Voice of the People: a comparison of the legal recognition of national constituent power in Ireland and France, Maria Cahill (2014) The National Interest in European Union Law and Governance Conference at the Hungarian Academy of Science, Centre for Social Sciences. [Invited Lectures (Conference)], The National Interest as the Voice of the People: a comparison of the legal recognition of national constituent power in Ireland and France, Budapest , 03-JUL-14 - 04-JUL-14. [Details] | |
| (2014) | “Rethinking the Boundaries of Public Law and Public Space”, Cahill, Maria (2014) “Sovereignty and Late Sovereignty: Consonances and Dissonances”. [Peer Reviewed Abstract], “Rethinking the Boundaries of Public Law and Public Space”, Florence, Italy , 26-JUN-14 - 28-JUN-14. [Details] | |
| (2014) | IASJF Academic Symposium on “Family and Religion: Juridical Dimensions”, Cahill, Maria (2014) “The Penal Laws and their Focus on the Family: being Catholic in Ireland in the 17th and 18th centuries”. [Peer Reviewed Abstract], IASJF Academic Symposium on “Family and Religion: Juridical Dimensions”, A Coruna Law School, Spain , 09-JUN-14 - 10-JUN-14. [Details] | |
| (2013) | IASJF Academic Symposium on “The Jurisprudence of Family Relations: Privacy, Autonomy, and Whether States Should Regulate Family Relations”, Cahill, Maria (2013) The Impact of Anti-Subsidiarity Trends on Regulation of the Family. [Invited Lectures (Conference)], IASJF Academic Symposium on “The Jurisprudence of Family Relations: Privacy, Autonomy, and Whether States Should Regulate Family Relations”, Cardozo Law School, Yeshiva University, New York , 10-JUN-13 - 11-JUN-13. [Details] | |
| (2013) | 16th Annual Irish European Law Forum – Changing Sovereignty in Europe, Cahill, Maria (2013) The Rootlessness of Modern Sovereignty. [Invited Lectures (Conference)], 16th Annual Irish European Law Forum – Changing Sovereignty in Europe, University College Dublin , 06-DEC-13 - 06-DEC-13. [Details] | |
| (2012) | Legal Scholarship and Judicial Reasoning: A Mutual Interaction, Cahill, Maria (2012) Encouraging Students to Critically Evaluate Judicial Reasoning: UCC’s Advanced Legal Reasoning Module. [Peer Reviewed Abstract], Legal Scholarship and Judicial Reasoning: A Mutual Interaction, Dublin , 16-NOV-12 - 18-NOV-12. [Details] | |
| (2012) | Legal Theory and Argumentation Conference, Cahill, Maria (2012) The Good of Sovereignty and the Sovereignty of Good. [Invited Lectures (Conference)], Legal Theory and Argumentation Conference, Lake Bled, Slovenia , 09-NOV-12 - 10-NOV-12. [Details] | |
| (2012) | Beyond Montesquieu: Re-thinking the architecture of contemporary governance, Cahill, Maria (2012) Beyond Montesquieu: the Pouvoir Constituant of the Nation State in the Light of European Integration. [Invited Lectures (Conference)], Beyond Montesquieu: Re-thinking the architecture of contemporary governance, Dublin , 29-MAR-12 - 30-MAR-12. [Details] | |
| (2011) | Annual Conference of the Irish Association of Law Teachers, Cahill, Maria (2011) The Legal Bindingness of the Irish 'Guarantees'. [Peer Reviewed Abstract], Annual Conference of the Irish Association of Law Teachers, Athlone , 18-NOV-11 - 20-NOV-11. [Details] | |
| (2011) | 3rd Annual Conference of Irish Society of Comparative Law, Cahill, Maria (2011) Comparing and contrasting the Irish ‘guarantees’ and the German Lisbon Decision. [Peer Reviewed Abstract], 3rd Annual Conference of Irish Society of Comparative Law, Dublin , 29-APR-11 - 30-APR-11. [Details] | |
| (2010) | UACES Conference, Cahill, Maria (2010) Approaching European Law from inside the National Legal Order: Pedagogical Reflections. [Peer Reviewed Abstract], UACES Conference, Bruges, Belgium , 06-SEP-10 - 09-SEP-10. [Details] | |
| (2010) | ‘Does Ireland Need Constitutional Reform?', Cahill, Maria (2010) Re-Placing the Constitution in the Context of Reform. [Invited Lectures (Conference)], ‘Does Ireland Need Constitutional Reform?', Dublin , 21-MAY-10 - 21-MAY-10. [Details] | |
| (2010) | Conference on Politics of EU Law, Cahill, Maria (2010) The Scope of the Mandate for the Entry of EU Law into Ireland. [Invited Lectures (Conference)], Conference on Politics of EU Law, Trinity College, Dublin , 11-MAR-10 - 12-MAR-10. [Details] | |
| (2010) | 2nd Annual Irish Society of Comparative Law Conference, Cahill, Maria (2010) Article 29.4.6 in Comparative Perspective. [Peer Reviewed Abstract], 2nd Annual Irish Society of Comparative Law Conference, Queen's University Belfast , 05-MAR-10 - 07-MAR-10. [Details] | |
| (2008) | After Lisbon: The Future of Ireland and the EU, Cahill, Maria; (2008) More than a Political Crisis: The Constitutional Implications of the Lisbon Rejection. [Oral Presentation], After Lisbon: The Future of Ireland and the EU, Dublin, Ireland , 23-OCT-08 - 23-OCT-08. [Details] | |
| (2008) | IJS 'Symposium on Constitutionalism and Legal Theory', Cahill, Maria; (2008) The Connection between Freedom and Constitutionalism. [Oral Presentation], IJS 'Symposium on Constitutionalism and Legal Theory', Galway, Ireland , 25-OCT-08 - 25-OCT-08. [Details] | |
| (2008) | Constitutionalism and Legal Theory, Cahill, Maria; (2008) Co-organiser. [Conference Organising Committee Member], Constitutionalism and Legal Theory, Galway, Ireland , 25-OCT-08 - 25-OCT-08. [Details] | |
| (2007) | XXIII World Congress of Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy, Cahill, Maria; (2007) Distilling the Constitutional Essence: What Europe can learn from American Constitutionalism. [Oral Presentation], XXIII World Congress of Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy, Cracow, Poland , 01-AUG-07 - 06-AUG-07. [Details] | |
| (2007) | Foundations of European Law, Cahill, Maria; (2007) The Foundations of the European Constitution. [Oral Presentation], Foundations of European Law, Helsinki, Finland , 24-SEP-07 - 27-SEP-07. [Details] | |
| (2007) | The Case against Pluralism, Cahill, Maria; (2007) The Case against Pluralism. [Oral Presentation], The Case against Pluralism, Florence, Italy , 01-MAR-07 - 01-MAR-07. [Details] | |
| (2005) | Law's European Empire: Artificial Integrity, Cahill, Maria; (2005) Law's European Empire: Artificial Integrity. [Oral Presentation], Law's European Empire: Artificial Integrity, Florence, Italy , 01-NOV-05 - 01-NOV-05. [Details] | |
| (2005) | On Sovereignty, Cahill, Maria; (2005) Conflicting Constitutional Authorities in Europe: Almost Sovereign Claims. [Oral Presentation], On Sovereignty, Florence, Italy , 09-JUN-05 - 10-JUN-05. [Details] | |
| (2004) | Constitution-Making or Disagreeing to Agree, Cahill, Maria; (2004) Constitution-Making or Disagreeing to Agree. [Oral Presentation], Constitution-Making or Disagreeing to Agree, Florence, Italy , 01-OCT-04 - 01-OCT-04. [Details] |
Employment
| Employer | Position | From / To | |
|---|---|---|---|
| University College Cork | College Lecturer in Faculty of Law | 01-AUG-08 / | |
| National University of Ireland, Galway | Lecturer in Law | 01-DEC-07 / 01-AUG-08 |
Education
| Year | Institution | Qualification | Subject | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Trinity College, Dublin | LLB | LLB | |
| 2009 | European University Institute, Florence | PhD | European Constitutionalism | |
| 2004 | European University Institute, Florence | LLM | European, International and Comparative Law |
Consultancy
| Client | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| Oireachtas Sub-Committee on Ireland's Future in the European Union | ||
| Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children |
Outreach Activities
| Description | |
|---|---|
“25 Years after Crotty v An Taoiseach: Are Referendums Really Necessary for EU Treaties?”, The People’s Constitution: A Reflection on the Referendum Process. Launch event of constitutionproject.ie, University College Cork, 27th September, 2012 | |
“The Constitutional Implications of Seanad Abolition”, Referendum on the Abolition of the Seanad: Public Debate and Information Event hosted by constitutionproject.ie, University College Cork, 19th September 2013 |
Teaching Activities
Teaching Interests
Maria teaches Constitutional Law, Constitutional Theory and Advanced Legal Reasoning, and has a particular interest in inverted learning approaches within the scholarship of teaching and learning.