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Staff Profiles

Dr Ciara Smyth

PhD, LL.M, LL.B, B.A.

Contact Details

Lecturer Above The Bar
Law
403
Tower 2
Arts/Sciences Building

T: 091 492937
E: ciara.m.smyth@nuigalway.ie
 
researcher

Biography

Ciara Smyth is a lecturer in the School of Law where she teaches Public International Law, International Human Rights, Immigration Law and Refugee Law (the latter at the Irish Centre for Human Rights). She is also the Director of the PhD Programme in the School of Law.
Ciara holds a PhD from Leiden University, the Netherlands, for which she was awarded a Max Van Der Stoel Human Rights award in 2013; an LL.M in Human Rights (with distinction) from Queen's University Belfast; and an LL.B and B.A. from NUI Galway. Her research interest lies at the intersection of international refugee and human rights law, with a particular focus on the European (Council of Europe and EU) context.
Prior to joining the School of Law, Ciara worked for a number of non-governmental and intergovernmental organisations in Ireland and abroad, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. She continues to play an active role in civil society and in the influencing of public policy, including as a member - and variously Vice Chair and Acting Chair - of the Board of Directors of the Irish Refugee Council (2012-15), as the academic on the Working Group on the Protection Process established by the Minister of Justice and Equality (2014-15) and, most recently, as an expert witness before the House of Lords EU Home Affairs Committee on the situation of unaccompanied minors in the EU (http://parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/82cb35c8-058d-4c46-b398-37dd6a729d98)

Research Interests

Ciara researches in the area of asylum, immigration and citizenship.  She is particularly interested in how asylum law and human rights law intersect.  She has spent the past number of years focusing on the EU Common European Asylum System and whether it is compatible with the rights of the child in international law.

Peer Reviewed Journals

  Year Publication
(2016) 'Chronicle of a Reform Process: the Irish Working Group on Protection'
Smyth, Ciara (2016) 'Chronicle of a Reform Process: the Irish Working Group on Protection'. Journal of Refugee Studies, 29 (3):388-410 [Details]
(2015) 'The Best Interests of the Child in the Expulsion and First-entry Jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights: How Principled is the Court's Use of the Principle?'
Smyth, C (2015) 'The Best Interests of the Child in the Expulsion and First-entry Jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights: How Principled is the Court's Use of the Principle?'. European Journal of Migration and Law, 17 :70-103 [DOI] [Details]
(2013) 'Is the Right of the Child to Liberty Safeguarded in the Common European Asylum System?'
Smyth, C. (2013) 'Is the Right of the Child to Liberty Safeguarded in the Common European Asylum System?'. European Journal of Migration and Law, 15 (2):111-136 [Details]
(2010) 'Why is it So Difficult to Promote a Rights-Based Approach to Immigration?'
Smyth, C. (2010) 'Why is it So Difficult to Promote a Rights-Based Approach to Immigration?'. Irish Human Rights Law Review, 1 [Details]
(2005) 'Refugee Status Determination of Separated Children: International Developments and the Irish Response, Part II - The Asylum Procedure''
Smyth, C. (2005) 'Refugee Status Determination of Separated Children: International Developments and the Irish Response, Part II - The Asylum Procedure''. Irish Journal Of Family Law, 2 [Details]
(2005) 'Refugee Status Determination of Separated Children: International Developments and the Irish Response, Part I - The Refugee Definition''
Smyth, C. (2005) 'Refugee Status Determination of Separated Children: International Developments and the Irish Response, Part I - The Refugee Definition''. Irish Journal Of Family Law, 1 [Details]
(1999) 'Does the Statute of the International Criminal Court Deal Adequately with the Problem of Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict? A Critique and Recommendations for the Future'
Smyth, C. (1999) 'Does the Statute of the International Criminal Court Deal Adequately with the Problem of Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict? A Critique and Recommendations for the Future'. Occasional Paper Queen'S University Belfast, (8) [Details]

Books

  Year Publication
(2014) European Asylum Law and the Rights of the Child.
Ciara Smyth (2014) European Asylum Law and the Rights of the Child. Oxford: Routledge. [Details]

Book Chapters

  Year Publication
(2014) 'Children, Direct Provision and the European Convention on Human Rights'
Ciara Smyth (2014) 'Children, Direct Provision and the European Convention on Human Rights' In: Ireland and the European Convention on Human Rights, 60 Years and Beyond. London: Bloomsbury. [Details]
(2012) 'The Best Interests of the Immigrant Child in the European Courts: Problems and Prospects'
Smyth, C. (2012) 'The Best Interests of the Immigrant Child in the European Courts: Problems and Prospects' In: Het Kind in het Immigratierecht. The Hague: Publicatiereeks Instituut voor Immigratierecht. [Details]
(2006) 'The Irish Citizenship Referendum 2004: A Solution in Search of a Problem?'
Smyth, C. and O'Connell, D. (2006) 'The Irish Citizenship Referendum 2004: A Solution in Search of a Problem?' In: Migration, Diasporas and Legal Systems. London and New York: Routledge Cavendish. [Details]
(2003) 'Citizenship and the Irish Constitution'
O'Connell D., and Smyth, C. (2003) 'Citizenship and the Irish Constitution' In: Sanctuary in Ireland, Perspectives on Asylum Law and Policy. Dublin, Ireland: Institute of Public Administration. [Details]

Conference Publications

  Year Publication
(2015) Conflict, Climate Change and Displacement, The Mary Robinson Centre
Ciara Smyth (2015) Europe's Response to the Current Refugee Crisis Conflict, Climate Change and Displacement, The Mary Robinson Centre [Details]
(2014) European Database of Asylum Law Conference, Irish Refugee Council and Irish Centre for European Law
Ciara Smyth (2014) The best Interests of the Child and the Common European Asylum System European Database of Asylum Law Conference, Irish Refugee Council and Irish Centre for European Law [Details]
(2013) The ECHR and Ireland: 60 Years and Beyond, University College Dublin
Ciara Smyth (2013) Is the Treatment of Asylum-Seeking Children in Direct Provision Contrary to the ECHR? The ECHR and Ireland: 60 Years and Beyond, University College Dublin [Details]
(2012) The Rights of the Immigrant Child, Leiden University
Ciara Smyth (2012) The Best Interests of the Child in the European Courts: Problems and Prospects The Rights of the Immigrant Child, Leiden University [Details]
(2007) North-South Roundtable Discussion on Immigration, National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism
Ciara Smyth (2007) Overview of EU and Irish Legislation and Policy on Immigration North-South Roundtable Discussion on Immigration, National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism [Details]
(2007) New Rules for the New Irish, Law Society of Ireland
Ciara Smyth (2007) Protection Aspects of the Immigration, Protection and Residence Bill New Rules for the New Irish, Law Society of Ireland [Details]
(2005) The Future for Refugee Law in Ireland, Irish Centre for Human Rights
Ciara Smyth (2005) The Future of Subsidiary Protection in Ireland The Future for Refugee Law in Ireland, Irish Centre for Human Rights [Details]
(2005) Citizens, Non-citizens and Voting Rights in Europe, University of Edinburgh
Ciara Smyth (2005) The Right to Vote and Participate in Local Elections: Citizens' Right or Human Right? Citizens, Non-citizens and Voting Rights in Europe, University of Edinburgh [Details]
(2005) Parnell Summer School
Ciara Smyth (2005) How the Law in Ireland Perceives Immigrants Parnell Summer School [Details]
(2004) The Challenge of Migration to Legal Systems, Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, London
Ciara Smyth and Donncha O'Connell (2004) The Irish Citizenship Referendum: Two Solutions in Search of a Problem The Challenge of Migration to Legal Systems, Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, London [Details]

Published Reports

  Year Publication
(2015) Working Group to Report to Government on Improvements to the Protection Process, including Direct Provision and Supports to Asylum Seekers.
Working Group on Protection (2015) Working Group to Report to Government on Improvements to the Protection Process, including Direct Provision and Supports to Asylum Seekers. Government Publications, Dublin. [Details]
(2003) Advocacy Paper No. 3: The Citizenship Referendum, Issues, Observations and Concerns.
Ciara Smyth (2003) Advocacy Paper No. 3: The Citizenship Referendum, Issues, Observations and Concerns. National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism, Dublin, Ireland. [Details]

Book Review

  Year Publication
(2016) The EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, A Commentary, Irish Journal of European law.
Ciara Smyth (2016) The EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, A Commentary, Irish Journal of European law. Oxford and Portland, Oregon: Book Review [Details]

Report

  Year Publication
(2008) National Report (Ireland) on the Domestic Implementation of EC Immigration and Asylum Directives: Directive on Family Reunification, Directive on Victims of Trafficking, Directive on Mutual Recognition of Expulsion Decisions, Odysseus Network (for the European Commission).
Ciara Smyth (2008) National Report (Ireland) on the Domestic Implementation of EC Immigration and Asylum Directives: Directive on Family Reunification, Directive on Victims of Trafficking, Directive on Mutual Recognition of Expulsion Decisions, Odysseus Network (for the European Commission). Report [Details]

Teaching Interests

Public International Law with a particular focus on international and European refugee law, human rights law and immigration law.