Ireland and the European Convention on Human Rights ― 60 Years and Beyond

This book marks the 60th anniversary of Ireland's ratification of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the 10th anniversary of the Convention's incorporation into domestic law, by means of the ECHR Act 2003. It contains a wealth of essays and articles that examine Ireland's engagement with the ECHR through the years, as well as the extent to which the case law of the European Court of Human Rights has influenced domestic human rights law and administrative action. The book analyzes current Strasbourg jurisprudence on key issues and discusses the likely implications on law and policy in the Contracting States, with particular reference to Irish domestic law. The book addresses the difficult questions that arise for judges in both jurisdictions, following the constitutionalization of the EU's Charter of Fundamental Rights in 2009 and the revised agreement of the EU's accession to the ECHR. As well as outlining the specific domestic context in which the ECHR operates in Ireland, the book also includes comparative insights from the UK context as to the impact of the Human Rights Act to date in that jurisdiction. Additional themes of the book include development jurisprudence and its effects in the domestic setting on asylum, immigration, criminal justice, mental health patients, gender recognition, and its limits and potential in combating poverty.

Suzanne Egan is a lecturer in international and European human rights law at the School of Law in University College Dublin. Liam Thornton is a lecturer in law and director of clinical legal education in the School of Law, UCD. Judy Walsh is Head of the Equality Studies Centre at the UCD School of Social Justice.