This has been a year of immense change, achievement and celebration for the College of Social Sciences and Law. The publication of the QS World University Rankings 2024 placed seven of our subjects in the top 100 globally with all our disciplines now in the global top 200. The College also welcomed the appointment of Professor Niamh Moore-Cherry as the new College Principal.
The relevance of our activity was nowhere more evident than in the lead-up to Ireland’s referenda on care and family to amend the text of Article 41 of the Irish Constitution. In February 2024, a durational reading of Bunreacht na hÉireann was held at UCD Sutherland School of Law, led by Dr Maebh Harding and poet and law graduate Dr Julie Morrissy in collaboration with academic staff, administrative staff and law students. This was the first time the Constitution has been publicly read and reflected upon from start to finish. The event was part of our wider highly successful Cultural Week.
The College enjoyed numerous research successes including the launch of the new Centre for Democracy Research at UCD. This builds on an ongoing European Research Council (ERC) grant held by Dr Joseph Lacey (School of Politics and International Relations). Dr Aidan Regan, of the same school, recently received €2m for his research project ‘Democracy Challenged’, which will examine why concentrated capital and wealth inequality are a problem for democracy. This builds on previous remarkable success in the ERC programme in the Schools of Geography, Archaeology and Law, a testament to the quality of our faculty and professional support.
Professor Judith Harford, School of Education, was elected to the Academy of Social Sciences, UK in recognition of her outstanding contribution to social science and is one of only four Fellows elected to the Academy from outside the UK. The Royal Archaeological Institute elected Dr Rena Maguire from UCD School of Archaeology to its Council, the first time the 180-yearold UK society has named an Irish woman to its governing body.
We celebrated the tenth anniversary of the Sutherland School of Law building and marked this milestone in April 2024 with the John M. Kelly lecture. It was delivered by Judge Suzanne Kingston of the General Court of the European Union who is also a faculty member at UCD Sutherland School of Law. Guests included many alumni and friends of the school including the Chief Justice, Mr Donal O’Donnell and Attorney General, Rossa Fanning.
Our colleagues have been busy organising many conferences and events during the year in partnership with government departments, agencies, and academic and corporate partners, and we look forward to many more.
