FOREWORD
The broad theme of this year’s journal, reflecting on 100 years of the Irish State, from 1922 – 2022, is a particularly appropriate one for a UCD student journal. A large proportion of the generation that built the State from the War of Independence onwards were educated in UCD. In particular, law students like Hugh Kennedy and James Murnaghan found themselves to the forefront of efforts to set the terms upon which Ireland would govern itself, and later were key members of the Supreme Court which did much to establish the importance of the rule of law in the new State. Kennedy and Murnaghan were part of a very talented group in UCD which included James Joyce, in the early part of the 20th century. One of the brightest stars, Tom Kettle wrote in 1905 that UCD was “incontestably… the university college of Ireland”. It might be stretching things unduly to make the same claim for the talented cohort who studied in UCD when I was a student, or even for the authors and editors of the essays which are collected in this journal. But one striking feature that unites the young students of the early 20th century with those of the early 21st century and those in between, is the demonstration of the truth that only some of the education a student receives in university comes in classrooms directly from the teaching staff. A large part of the most valuable education comes from the interaction of students with each other. This student edited and student written journal is a manifestation of that process. It is possible to see in these pages evidence of lively intelligence grappling with disparate issues of law, and writers developing the confidence to form their own opinions and seeking to express them clearly and sometimes forcefully. The authors and editors are to be congratulated. Their work deserves the accolade which has been afforded to the thoughts and ideas of student lawyers in UCD and, indeed, elsewhere for well over a century now: to be read respectfully and thoughtfully, to be tested, challenged and engaged with, and finally applauded.
Donal O’Donnell Chief Justice 28th March 2022
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