LAW10360 General Introduction to the Irish Legal System

Academic Year 2024/2025

General Introduction to the Irish Legal System (GIILS) acts as a critical introduction for students to the Irish legal system.

Students examine the sources and hierarchies of laws in the Irish legal system within a rule of law framework. In this module we explore a number of key questions:

(1) what is the rule of law and how is this concept relevant to the Irish legal system?
(2) what is the role and function of courts in the Irish legal system?
(3) how is legislation created and what is the role of judges in interpreting legislation?
(4) Where does European Union law and international law sit within the hierarchy of law in the Irish legal system?

In addition, we will explore a number of other key topics, such as civil legal aid, gender and the Irish legal system and how the Irish legal system is evolving.

GIILS is assessed through two pieces of continuous assessment (100%).

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this module, a student, who has attended lectures and engaged with essential readings, will be able to:

(a) Outline the sources of law and the hierarchy of these sources in the Irish legal system, as a common law system, and the importance (or otherwise) of "the rule of law" in Ireland.
(b) Describe the respective first instance and appellate jurisdiction of Irish courts in criminal and civil matters.
(c) Explain the importance of legislation in the Irish legal system, evidencing an ability to read legislation (seen and unseen), and appraise the rationale for legislation, including the legislative and common law rules for legislative (statutory) interpretation.
(d) Understand the legal value of European Union law and public international law in the Irish legal system.
(e) Assess how the Irish legal system operates within a societal context, such as the extent that access to justice is realised, the role of gender in Irish law and practice, and the emergence of new forms of lawyering.
(f) Utilise legal research and legal writing skills to engage in directed and/or independent legal research.


Indicative Module Content:

In the 2024/2025 academic year, it is envisaged that the following topics will be explored.

The concept of the rule of law in the Irish legal system and the sources and hierarchies of law.
Courts system and jurisdiction.
Common law and the operation of a system of legal precedent in Ireland.
Law, legislation & legislative (statutory) interpretation
EU & international law in the Irish legal system.
Access to justice (civil legal aid).
Women, feminism and the Irish legal system.
Lawyers in a digital age

This is subject to change. A confirmed list of lecture topics will be shared with registered students in January 2025.

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

20
Autonomous Student Learning

105
Total

125
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Students have a number of supports to enable them to reach their potential in this module. In order to meet the learning outcomes for this module, you must spend 125 hours completing this module over the duration of the semester. Learning is a communal experience . Knowledge is shared, discussed and (respectfully) critiqued. It is important that all contributions within this module are valued and respected, even if we may disagree on a particular issue.

Lectures for this module constitute 20 hours of your learning. Think of lectures as providing a comprehensive introduction and of a particular topic, and an indication of key issues that you should focus on in your independent learning for this module (105 hours).

All lectures take place face to face only. Students will be supported through reading lists for each topic, a PowerPoint presentation and any other material that a particular lecture may make available to students (such as lecture outlines or lecture summaries). Weekly reading lists provide a topic by topic identification of essential (must complete) reading, that nearly always includes reading from a text book, legal journal articles and required case-law reading. Some reading lists may include optional reading.

Your learning in this module mainly occurs outside the lecture hall. The vast majority of your time that you will spend learning in this module is dedicated to independent learning (105 hours). This independent learning is structured. It is the responsibility of students to complete *all* essential readings on reading lists.

Continuous assessment is adopted for assessing your knowledge and understanding of the learning outcomes for this module. 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Incompatibles:
LAW10450 - Law and Courts


 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade

Not yet recorded.

Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Autumn Yes - 2 Hour
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment
• Self-assessment activities

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Throughout the semester: Should students require feedback on their learning for this module, then students are encouraged to self-assess their learning, and seek clarification from the relevant lecturer who delivered that topic, by arranging to meet the lecturer during their office hours. See the module outline for contact details of lecturers. Group Feedback on Examination: On release of LAW10360 examination results in June 2024, group class feedback will be available on the examination. Individual Feedback on Examination: Students will be informed of opportunities to receive individual feedback on their examination. This will follow UCD School of Law requirements for viewing/ individual feedback on the examination. Further information on this process will be communicated to you in June/July 2024 via Brightspace.

The core textbooks for this module are:

*E-Book*: Raymond Byrne, Paul McCutcheon, Laura Cahillane & Emma Roche-Cagney , Byrne and McCutcheon on the Irish Legal System (7th edition, Bloomsbury, 2020). This e-book is available through UCD Library

and

Tanya Ni Mhuirthle, Catherine O’Sullivan and Liam Thornton, Fundamentals of the Irish Legal System: Law, Policy and Politics (Roundhall 2016) (available in UCD Library only).

In addition, students will be referred to relevant legislation, case-law, other textbooks and journal articles in week to week reading lists.
Name Role
Mr Raymond Byrne Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Dr Maebh Harding Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Assoc Professor Niamh Howlin Lecturer / Co-Lecturer