Irish Centre for Human Rights

Outstanding recognition for University of Galway School of Law👏. We have achieved exceptional results in the recent Institutional Review of Research Performance (IRRP), with 100% of our submitted impact case studies awarded a 4-star “exceptional” rating.

The review highlighted our strong research impact across commissioned research, collaboration with NGOs and international organisations, policy influence, and stakeholder engagement. It also recognised a research culture built on excellence, describing our School as a “rights-based, impact-driven research community.”

Key achievements include:
🔹 100% of impact case studies rated 4-star (exceptional)
🔹 71% of research outputs ranked 3- or 4-star (outstanding or exceptional)
🔹 79% of overall research activity achieving a 3/4-star ranking

Read more at: https://www.universityofgalway.ie/business-public-policy-law/school-of-law/news/institutional-review-rates-university-of-galway-law-research-impact-as-exceptional--1.html

In this episode of the Human Rights Podcast, LLM student Marlene Kulmus speaks to Ðermana Kurić, a research associate at the BILQIS project at the Irish Centre for Human Rights and former adviser on combatting racism, xenophobia and discrimination, about the intersections of Islamophobia and sexism and its impact on Muslim women’s access to justice.

Listen now: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6puZ3ZmrIZ7UBMA7QDXBkL?si=1a674bffdd1f49ce

Congratulations to our PhD graduate Dr Mary Harney who is the oldest ever PhD graduate from our Irish Centre for Human Rights, graduating at 77 years young. Mary's Phd title was 'Towards Best Practices in the Pedagogy of Human Rights Clinics: Movement Lawyering, its Emotional Impacts on Students and the Question of Teaching Resilience', supervised by Dr Maeve O'Rourke.

We are incredibly honoured to have had Mary as a PhD student and are grateful for all her contributions to the Centre including helping to teach our students about Ireland’s institutional and family separation abuses and the ongoing justice campaigns.

Mary is an award winning human rights defender and survivor of the Mother and Baby Institutions. Read more at: https://www.universityofgalway.ie/about-us/news-and-events/news-archive/2026/june/university-of-galway-celebrates-phd-graduate-born-in-mother-and-baby-home-1.html

University of Galway

Join us for 'From Islamic Feminism to Radical Imaginations: Reclaiming Gender Justice in an Age of Crisis' with Professor Ziba Mir-Hosseini, which will be the Gender Justice in MENA Workshop keynote lecture.

When: 2-3:30pm, Monday, 6 July 2026

Where: Irish Centre for Human Rights Seminar Room, University of Galway

This is a public event. All are welcome. No registration is required.

REMINDER: Join us tomorrow at 4pm for our International Criminal Court Summer School keynote address 'International Law in the age of Trump' by Professor William Schabas, Professor of International Law at Middlesex University and founder of the Summer School.

This is a public event organised by the Irish Centre for Human Rights at University of Galway. No registration is necessary.

For more information on the Summer School, visit: https://www.universityofgalway.ie/irish-centre-human-rights/summerschools/iccsummerschool/

'International Law in the age of Trump'

The keynote address at the 26th annual Summer School on the International Criminal Court will be delivered by Professor William Schabas, Professor of International Law at Middlesex University and founder of the Summer School.

9 June 2026 at 4pm, Ó Tnúthail Theatre, Arts Millennium Building, University of Galway.

This is a public event organised by the Irish Centre for Human Rights at University of Galway. No registration is necessary.

For more information on the Summer School, visit: https://www.universityofgalway.ie/irish-centre-human-rights/summerschools/iccsummerschool/

The Irish Centre for Human Rights, School of Law, University of Galway, was honoured to welcome Palestinian human rights defender Shawan Jabarin for a public lecture on “US Sanctions against the International Criminal Court: an attack on human rights and accountability for Palestine”.

During his visit, Mr Jabarin met with President Catherine Connolly alongside colleagues from the Irish Centre for Human Rights and School of Law.

A graduate of the LLM in International Human Rights at University of Galway and recipient of the University’s 2024 Alumni Award for Law, Public Policy and Society, Shawan Jabarin continues to be a leading global voice for human rights and accountability as Director-General of Palestinian human rights organisation Al-Haq, and a member of Human Rights Watch Middle East Advisory Board.

Photos: Martina Regan