Dr Orla Kelleher

    Law

    Assistant Professor

    Riverstown House
    Ground Floor
    6

    Biography

    Dr Orla Kelleher joined the School of Law and Criminology in August 2022. Orla specialises in climate change, environmental, and human rights law. Her current research focuses on environmental rights, climate law and litigation, climate justice, and just transitions. Orla was awarded her Ph.D. without corrections from UCD Sutherland School of Law in March 2022. Her Ph.D. examined the impact of climate change on legal reasoning in rights-based systemic climate change litigation in European countries. Her Ph.D. was awarded dual research scholarships: an IRC Government of Ireland Postgraduate scholarship (2019-2021) and a UCD School of Law Doctoral Scholarship (2017-2019). Her work has been published in outlets such as the Journal of Environmental Law, the Journal of Human Rights and the Environment, the Review of European Comparative and International Environmental Law (RECIEL), the Irish Jurist, the Irish Judicial Studies Journal, and the Irish Planning and Environmental Law Journal.  
    Prior to joining Maynooth, Orla lectured at the University of Limerick. She holds a Ph.D. from UCD, an LL.M. from the College of Europe (Bruges) and a BCL (Law and French) from UCC. Orla is also a qualified barrister, having been called to the Irish Bar in 2020. 

    Research Interests

    Orla's research interests include climate change law and policy, environmental and planning law and policy, public interest law, human rights law, constitutional and administrative law, European Union law, tort law, feminist legal theory, climate justice and just transitions. 

    Peer Reviewed Journal

    Year Publication
    2023 Andrew Jackson and Orla Kelleher (2023) 'Ireland’s second generation Climate Act: still playing the laggard during the climate crisis?'. Irish Jurist, 70 .
    2023 Orla Kelleher (2023) 'Environmental constitutionalism: a transformative legal discourse'. Irish Judicial Studies Journal, 3 . [Full-Text]
    2023 Orla Kelleher (2023) 'Possibilities for a right to clean air after Case C-61/21 - JP v Ministre de la Transition écologique and Premier ministre'. Irish Journal of European Law, 25 (1).
    2022 Orla Kelleher (2022) 'Systemic Climate Change Litigation, Standing Rules and the Aarhus Convention: A Purposive Approach'. Journal of Environmental Law, 34 (1). [Full-Text]
    2022 Orla Kelleher (2022) 'Incorporating climate justice into legal reasoning: towards a risk-based approach to causation in systemic climate litigation'. Journal of Human Rights and the Environment, 13 (1). [Full-Text]
    2021 Orla Kelleher (2021) '‘The role of judges in systemic climate litigation: a comparative analysis of Ireland and the Netherlands’'. The Journal Of Comparative Law, 16 (2). [Full-Text]
    2021 Orla Kelleher (2021) 'A critical appraisal of Friends of the Irish Environment v Government of Ireland'. Review of European, Comparative and International Environmental Law, 30 (1). [Full-Text]
    2018 Orla Kelleher (2018) 'The revival of the unenumerated rights doctrine: a right to an environment and its implications for future climate change litigation in Ireland'. Irish Planning and Environmental Law Journal, 25 (3).

    Published Report

    Year Publication
    2023 Ciara Brennan, Alison Hough, Orla Kelleher, Caitlín McIlhennon, Shea Anderson, (2023) Strategic Climate Litigation on the Island of Ireland: Building cooperation at domestic and transboundary levels. EJNI, . [Link]

    Conference Contribution

    Year Publication
    2023 Orla Kelleher and Clodagh Daly (2023) GreenDeal-Net Workshop (Brussels, December 2023) ‘Releasing the full potential of National Energy and Climate Plans under the Governance Regulation through the European Union’s Charter on Fundamental Rights’ GreenDeal-Net Workshop Brussels, .
    2023 Orla Kelleher (2023) Invited panellist at the MUSSI and Maynooth FSS Sustainability and Just Transition Research Group event on the Contribution of Social Science to Climate Change Research Invited panellist at the MUSSI and Maynooth FSS Sustainability and Just Transition Research Group event on the Contribution of Social Science to Climate Change Research Maynooth, .
    2023 Mary Dobbs; Orla Kelleher (2023) Irish Association of Law Teachers Conference ‘Safeguarding the environment on the island of Ireland: from the 1998 Agreement to the Protocol on Ireland / Northern Ireland’ Dublin, .
    2023 Mary Dobbs; Orla Kelleher (2023) Workshop on the Northern Ireland Protocol ‘Article 2 of the Protocol & RSE: a pathway to environmental protections post-Brexit?’ Maynooth, .
    2023 Andrew Jackson and Orla Kelleher (2023) UCC Environmental Law Conference ‘Ireland’s second generation framework climate law: gaps between law, implementation, and justice’ Cork, .
    2023 Mary Dobbs and Orla Kelleher (2023) Irish Centre for European Law ‘Environmental Cases’ invited presentation at the ICEL Review of the CJEU in 2022 Dublin, February 2023 Dublin, .
    2023 Orla Kelleher (2023) New and Emerging Voices in Constitutional Law ‘Possibilities for a right to clean air after Case C-61-21’ Invited to present a paper at a symposium entitled New and Emerging Voices in Constitutional Law at the UCD Centre for Constitutional Studies Dublin, .
    2023 Mary Dobbs and Orla Kelleher (2023) Network of European Environmental Lawyers ‘Recent CJEU Judgments: Environmental Law’ invited presentation at the Network of European Environmental Lawyers Meeting Dublin (an event for State-employed lawyers), March 2023 Dublin, .
    2022 Orla Kelleher (2022) Constitutionalising a right to a healthy environment in Ireland: a transformative discourse or time-wasting distraction in a climate crisis?’ IUCN WCEL Oslo International Environmental Law Conference Oslo, .
    2022 Orla Kelleher (2022) Constitutionalising a right to a healthy environment in Ireland: a transformative discourse or time-wasting distraction in a climate crisis?’ Irish Association of Law Teachers Conference Belfast, .
    2022 Orla Kelleher (2022) UCC FLAC conference ‘Strategic Litigation the Courts as a vehicle for Change,’ Panellist UCC, .
    2020 Orla Kelleher (2020) ‘Causation and attribution of responsibility for climate harms in systemic rights-based climate change litigation: through a climate justice lens’ QUB School of Law SRN Symposium Belfast, .
    2019 Orla Kelleher (2019) ‘Climate justice and its influence on standing in systemic climate litigation’ SLS Postgraduate Conference University of Central Lancashire, Preston, .
    2019 Orla Kelleher (2019) ‘Climate Justice and its influence on judicial interpretation in systemic climate litigation’ Irish Association of Law Teachers Conference Limerick, .
    2019 Orla Kelleher (2019) ‘Climate Justice After the Paris Agreement’ College of Social Sciences & Law and College of Business Annual Research Student Symposium UCD, .
    2018 Orla Kelleher (2018) , ‘The Revival of the Unenumerated Rights Doctrine: A Right to Environmental Protection and its Implications for Future Climate Change Litigation in Ireland’ Postgraduate Research Symposium on Environmental Law UCC, .

    Article

    Year Publication
    2020 Orla Kelleher (2020) ‘A Reflection on Climate Justice in Ireland’. [Article] [Link]

    Blog

    Year Publication
    2023 Orla Kelleher (2023) ‘What is the Climate Action Plan legal challenge all about?’ (RTÉ Brainstorm, 27 September 2023). [Blog] [Link]
    2022 Orla Kelleher (2022) What could a Citizens' Assembly on biodiversity in Ireland do?. [Blog] [Link]
    2020 Orla Kelleher (2020) The Supreme Court of Ireland’s decision in Friends of the Irish Environment v Government of Ireland (“Climate Case Ireland”). [Blog] [Link]

    Invited Seminars

    Year Publication
    2022 Orla Kelleher (2022) Panellist at UL Research Week roundtable discussion on biodiversity and the 6th mass extinction. [Invited Seminars]

    Newspaper Articles

    Year Publication
    2023 Orla Kelleher (2023) 'Does 2050 climate strategy give enough detail on how Ireland will reach net-zero?’ (The Irish Examiner, May 2023). [Newspaper Articles] [Link]
    2023 Orla Kelleher (2023) ‘Can Ireland tackle climate change without a credible medium or long-term plan?’ (The Journal.ie, April 2023). [Newspaper Articles] [Link]
    2020 Clodagh Daly, Orla Kelleher and Andrew Jackson (2020) 'Proposed Climate Bill is not good enough- we need clear and binding commitments’. [Newspaper Articles]
    2020 Orla Kelleher and Clodagh Daly (2020) ‘Ireland’s 2050 climate target: too little, too late’. [Newspaper Articles] [Link]

    Workshops

    Year Publication
    2022 Orla Kelleher (2022) Panellist at an NGO workshop organised by the CLM Environmental Justice Centre on the Clean Air Strategy Consultation. [Workshops]

    Podcast

    Year Publication
    2021 Orla Kelleher (2021) Panellist for discussion of human rights and climate change as part of the ABCs of Green Politics Podcast. [Podcast]

    Webinar

    Year Publication
    2022 Orla Kelleher (2022) ‘The benefits of the access to justice provisions of the Aarhus Convention: lessons from the case law’. [Webinar]
    2022 Orla Kelleher (2022) ‘A legal view of climate justice and just transition’. [Webinar]
    2021 Orla Kelleher (2021) Panellist at Climate Bar Association Climate Case CPD Event at the Irish Bar Council. [Webinar]

    Policy Contribution

    Year Publication
    2023 Mary Dobbs and Orla Kelleher (2023) Invited oral and written evidence to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment and Climate Action (JOCECA) for the Committee's examination of the Citizens' Assembly Report on Biodiversity Loss. [Policy Contribution] [Link]
    2023 Orla Kelleher (2023) Is Ireland’s national long term strategy (nLTS) sufficiently detailed? (EJNI Briefing Paper, May 2023). [Policy Contribution] [Link]
    2023 CAN Europe (2023) National rapporteur for Ireland in the Climate laws in Europe – essential for achieving climate neutrality report (2023, CAN-E). [Policy Contribution] [Link]
    2023 CAN Europe and Together for 1.5 (2023) National rapporteur for Ireland in the Time to step up national climate action An assessment of the draft National Energy and Climate Plans updates report (CAN-E and Together for 1.5, October 2023). [Policy Contribution] [Link]
    2023 Orla Kelleher (2023) The role of NECP revision as a driver of net zero ambition, implementation and accountability in Ireland (EJNI Briefing Paper, March 2023). [Policy Contribution] [Link]
    2022 Mary Dobbs, Micheal O Cinneide, Vivianne Gravey, Sarah Hamill, Alison Hough, Orla Kelleher, Racheal Killean and Racheal Walsh (2022) Mapping governance for nature protection in Ireland - Briefing for the Irish Citizens. [Policy Contribution]
    Certain data included herein are derived from the © Web of Science (2024) of Clarivate. All rights reserved.

    Honors and Awards

    Date Title Awarding Body
    01/09/2019 Irish Research Council Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship Irish Research Council
    01/09/2017 UCD Sutherland School of Law Doctoral Scholarship UCD Sutherland School of Law
    01/09/2016 Full entrance scholarship to attend College of Europe Irish Department of Education and Skills
    01/09/2011 Strategic Skills Entrance Scholarship University College Cork

    Employment

    Employer Position From / To
    University of Limerick Teaching assistant 30/08/2021 - 30/06/2022

    Education

    Start date Institution Qualification Subject
    University College Dublin PhD Law
    The King's Inns Barrister at Law Law
    College of Europe LLM European Law
    University College Cork BCL Law and French