Ulysses Medal Awarded to Judge Síofra O'Leary
(l to r) Prof Laurent Pech, Judge Síofra O'Leary, Prof Orla Feely, Prof Cathryn Costello
Judge Síofra O'Leary, the first female President of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), and the first Irish person to serve in the role, has been awarded the UCD Ulysses Medal, the highest honour that University College Dublin can bestow.
At the award ceremony, UCD President, (opens in a new window)Professor Orla Feely said “This award recognises Judge Síofra O'Leary’s remarkable contribution to human rights law over the course of an illustrious career as a legal scholar, judge, and judicial statesperson”, and commented that she represents a powerful role model for UCD students.
(opens in a new window)Professor Cathryn Costello delivered the citation on behalf of the university and praised Judge O’Leary’s performance in the role of the President of the Court, commenting, “There is a resounding consensus amongst the human rights community on the commitment, gravitas, and strategic vision she displayed as President, befitting this challenging moment in European history”. Read the citation in full here.
Judge Síofra O’Leary holds a doctorate from the European University Institute in Florence and has held a number of academic roles throughout her career. Thus we were extremely honoured when she agreed to deliver a PhD workshop to a group of doctoral students on the day of the awards. Organised by (opens in a new window)Professor Imelda Maher, the workshop was a unique and inspiring opportunity for PhD researchers to engage in an informal discussion with someone of Judge O’Leary’s standing.
(l) Prof Imelda Maher with Judge Síofra O’Leary, (r) Prof Cathryn Costello and PhD researchers from Sutherland School of Law