Patrick O'Callaghan

Patrick O'Callaghan teaches Jurisprudence and Tort Law at UCC. He is currently Principal Investigator in the Law and the Inner Self Project (2022–2026), funded by a Research Ireland (Consolidator) Laureate Grant. You can learn more about this research here.

Patrick joined UCC in 2014, having previously lectured at Newcastle University, UK (2007–2014). Before that, he was a researcher at the Centre for European Law and Politics (ZERP), Universität Bremen, Germany (2004–2007).

Patrick's background is in the legal protection of personality rights, as that field is conceptualised in the civilian private law tradition. This has led to an interest in theories of selfhood and questions about the role personality rights can play in safeguarding the opacity of the self. In this context, he has researched aspects of privacy law, the right to freedom of thought, the relationship between law and memory, including the right to be forgotten, the right to honour and reputation, and the historical development of personality rights. In contextualising his doctrinal research, Patrick draws on the methodologies of the field of law and humanities.

Module coordinator of LW1106 (Torts I) and LW3367 (Jurisprudence)

Personality Rights, Law and Humanities, Tort Law, Comparative Private Law

Law and the Inner Self Project (2022–2026) funded by a Research Ireland Laureate (Consolidator) Grant (IRCLA/2022/2628)

Understanding the Right to be Forgotten in Context Project (2016–2017) funded by an Irish Research Council New Horizons Grant (REPRO/2015/85)