Category: 2025

Know Your Rights ZINE WORKSHOP at Community Law & Mediation! 

Posted on by Editor

Our annual Legal Eagles programme 2025 concluded on Thursday 13 November when we welcomed students from Mercy College Coolock to our Northside Dublin office for a zine-making workshop with writer and facilitator Robyn Gill.

Students had the opportunity to reflect on, evaluate, and share what they’ve learned through this year’s programme.  

During the session, students designed their own interactive ‘Zine’ resources about what they learnt. Each of the 10 Zines produced by students were based on the Consent, Sex and the Law lesson with the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, or on the Garda Powers (Stop and Searches) lesson with the Irish Council for Civil Liberties.   

Below, you can check out an interactive showcase of the student’s Zines, which act as DIY resources that you can download and print for yourself. If you’re interested in printing these resources, or designing your own, check out this short instructional video. 

Consent, Sex and the Law 

Some of the students in attendance designed their Zines around what they learned during their lessons on Consent, Sex and the Law with the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre.  

The topics they covered included: 

  • What is consent?  
  • Checking in for consent – phrases  
  • Ways to communicate a NO 
  • Ways to communicate a YES  
  • What does the law say? 

Check all of them out below – You can download the Zines to print or read yourself: 

Download PDF
‚

Garda Powers (stop and searches) 

Some of the other students designed their Zines around what they learned during their lessons on Garda Powers (Stop and Searches) with the Irish Council for Civil Liberties.   

The topics that they covered included: 

  • When can a Garda Stop & Search me?  
  • A Stop & Search quiz  
  • A list of Stop & Search facts!  
  • Stop & Search do’s and don’ts  
  • Where to go if you feel like you have been mistreated by gardaí?  

Check all of them out below – You can download the Zines to print or read yourself: 

Download PDF
‚

Many thanks to all of the students and staff of Mercy College Coolock that participated in the unforgettable workshop. 

Note: These Zines were prepared by students as part of a learning exercise and do not contain legal advice. 

CLM Launches New Report “Community Mediation in Ireland: Unmet Need, Delivery Challenges and Emerging Opportunities”

Posted on by Editor

Today we launch a new report exploring how community mediation can better meet the needs of communities across Ireland.

The report highlights the significant but untapped potential of community mediation to prevent and resolve disputes in areas such as neighbour and wider family conflicts, as well as issues affecting young people, Travellers, refugees and new communities. It shows that mediation has the greatest impact when it is integrated with other services and tailored to the specific needs of the participants.

The report sets out practical recommendations to expand and diversify mediation services, improve access across Ireland, safeguard vulnerable parties and ensure community mediation is supported and resourced on an equal footing with family and commercial mediation.

Written by Dr Heidi Riley, Adjunct Research Fellow at University College Dublin, this research was commissioned by Community Law & Mediation and funded by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC).

We are grateful to IHREC and to all those who shared their experiences and insights throughout this process.

Read the report below.

Download PDF
‚

Placing Children’s Rights at the Heart of Housing Reform on World Homeless Day 2025

Posted on by Editor

No child should have to grow up homeless in unsuitable emergency accommodation.

It’s time to put children’s rights at the heart of housing reform. Every child deserves a home. 

This #WorldHomelessDay, we’re calling for urgent action to protect children living in unsuitable emergency accommodation. Right now, more than 16,000 people in Ireland are in emergency accommodation and 5,145 are children.

Too many families are confined to single hotel rooms for months or even years, without space to cook, play, study or simply enjoy their childhood.  

Recent reports by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, Mercy Law Resource Centre and the Ombudsman for Children have all highlighted the devastating impact on families living in emergency accommodation and family hubs — from disrupted education to lasting harm on children’s health, wellbeing and development. 

The ongoing review of the Housing Act 1988 is a crucial chance to put children’s rights at the centre of housing law. 

Read our letter to the Minister for Housing below:

Download PDF
‚

The Centre for Environmental Justice response to the European Commission’s proposed 2040 target for carbon emissions reductions

Posted on by Editor

Carbon credits are not a fast or cost-effective solution to Europe’s need to decarbonise.

We call on the EU to continue its practice of achieving its binding climate targets domestically for the 2040 goal, as enshrined in the EU Climate law, for the 2030 target and for the 2050 climate neutrality goal.

Check out our full response to the European European Commission’s proposed 2040 target below.

Download PDF
‚

CEJ Report: Constitutionalising Environmental Rights – Practical Insights Into the Irish Context

Posted on by Editor

Ireland, like all countries, is facing the interrelated crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. While Ireland has a wide-ranging environmental governance regime, implementation and enforcement issues continue to undermine the effectiveness of its environmental laws and policies.

Environmental rights are a potentially valuable tool to address this issue and to enhance environmental ambitions within policy and legislation. Such rights are gradually increasing in presence internationally including within treaties, resolutions and national constitutions.

Currently in Ireland, there are no express constitutional environmental rights. In April 2023, the Citizens Assembly on Biodiversity Loss recommended that a referendum be held on inserting environmental human rights and Rights of Nature into the Constitution.

This report, ‘Constitutionalising Environmental Rights – Practical Insights into the Irish Context‘ examines if, and how, Ireland should constitutionalise environmental rights. The project was undertaken by Dr Orla Kelleher and Dr Mary Dobbs of the School of Law and Criminology in Maynooth University and commissioned by Community Law & Mediation with funding from Lifes2Good Foundation and support from Maynooth University Social Sciences Institute.

With the potential of environmental rights to address the triple planetary crisis a live issue, the urgency of which is only likely to grow, the report provides valuable insights into constitutionalising environmental rights in Ireland and contains recommendations for policymakers, legislators, civil society and academia. 

Read the full report below.

Download PDF
‚

New Health, Home and Your Environment Free Information and Advice Clinic – The Centre for Environmental Justice

Posted on by Editor

Are harmful environmental issues impacting the health and safety of you, your home or community?

As the person experiencing an environmental harm, you are best placed to diagnose the issue.  

Pollution in the environment or climate-related events can have an impact on our health. Health impacts of environmental stressors include cardiovascular diseases, respiratory illnesses, and cancers. In contrast, living in a safe and healthy home and having access to green spaces contributes to our physical and mental wellbeing. 

Community Law & Mediation, your local community law centre, is running a free information and advice clinic on how to address environmental harms and protect biodiversity.   

This clinic is for your concerns about: 

  • The quality of the air you breathe inside your home and outdoors 
  • Water quality in your home  
  • Water pollution in your local area (rivers, lakes, groundwater, and the coast) 
  • Biodiversity loss in your local area and access to green space  
  • Illegal dumping  
  • The impacts of climate change affecting you and your community  

Our new Health, Home and Your Environment free information and advice clinic aims to empower you with the information needed to act for a just solution that ensures the health of you, your home, and your community.  

Book into the clinic by filling out this online booking form. 

(Ensure your place! – Please mention our new environmental clinic within the booking form)

Air and Water Quality 

Our clinic could be helpful if: 

  • Your local area has bad outdoor air quality from traffic, solid fuel burning, or industrial burning 
  • Your home has poor indoor air quality 
  • You have been advised not to drink your tap water without first boiling the water 
  • You are concerned that local groundwater, rivers, lakes, or coastal waters are polluted 
  • There is illegal dumping in your neighbourhood 

Energy Costs and Dampness

Our clinic could be helpful if: 

  • You are concerned about climate change  
  • There is biodiversity loss in your local area, and you want to protect nature.  
  • You want to ensure that your community has access to green space, and that such areas are protected. 
  • You have experienced the effects of climate change in the form of storms, flooding, erosion, or other damage to your home or property 

Climate and Biodiversity  

Our clinic could be helpful if: 

  • You are concerned about climate change  
  • There is biodiversity loss in your local area, and you want to protect nature.  
  • You want to ensure that your community has access to green space, and that such areas are protected. 
  • You have experienced the effects of climate change in the form of storms, flooding, erosion, or other damage to your home or property 

Book into the clinic by filling out this online booking form. 

(Ensure your place! – Please mention our new environmental clinic within the booking form)

If you would like to help us spread the word about this new clinic, you can download and share the flyer below, or share our social media posts! 

You can help us spread the word by sharing our LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Bluesky or Instagram posts.

Aoife Kelly-Desmond appointed new CEO of Community Law & Mediation 

Posted on by Editor

Monday 10th March: Community Law & Mediation (CLM) is delighted to announce the appointment of Aoife Kelly-Desmond as its new Chief Executive Officer. Aoife brings a wealth of experience to the role, having previously served as the Managing Solicitor at Mercy Law Resource Centre, an independent law centre which provides  free legal advice and representation to individuals experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. 

Aoife previously worked as a solicitor in A&L Goodbody and Matheson, where she advised commercial entities, in particular financial institutions, and public bodies on investigations, regulatory matters and complex litigation and disputes.  

Aoife is chairperson of Plan International Ireland, an international development charity that works to advance the rights of children and promote equality for girls. She is a member of the CORU Social Workers Registration Board representing the interests of the general public.  

Aoife is a member of the Law Society of Ireland, a graduate of University College Cork and has completed post-graduate programmes in law and business disciplines with Queen Mary, University of London, the Leicester Castle Business School, DeMontfort University of Leicester, and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research. 

Commenting on Aoife’s appointment, Éamonn Conlon, Chair of Community Law & Mediation, said: “On behalf of the Board and the entire team at Community Law & Mediation, I am delighted to welcome Aoife Kelly-Desmond as our new CEO. As we celebrate our 50th anniversary and focus on our strategic vision for the future, we look forward to working alongside Aoife to advance our mission and strengthen our impact in the years ahead.  

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our outgoing CEO, Rose Wall, for her outstanding leadership of CLM over the last twelve years and to wish her our very best as she moves on to pursue new adventures and opportunities.” 

“I am excited to take on the role of CEO at Community Law & Mediation, an organisation that has been at the forefront of advancing access to justice for fifty years. At a time when human rights and the systems that protect them are increasingly under threat, CLM’s work is more important than ever. Now, more than ever, we must boldly champion human rights and equality. I look forward to working with our dedicated team to further our mission, strengthen our services, and ensure that marginalised individuals and communities have access to the support they need to safeguard and promote their rights.” 

Aoife Kelly-Desmond

Community Law & Mediation, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, was established in 1975 as Ireland’s first independent community law centre. Over the past five decades, the organisation has evolved from a neighbourhood law centre to a national service with physical locations in Coolock and Limerick and offering new services in mediation, environmental justice and children’s law. It has played a significant role in the movement for civil legal aid in Ireland. 

Each year, it assists with more than 4,700 legal and mediation matters and provides ‘know your rights’ talks and legal training to more than 1,450 people.  

Contact Us