Dr Caoimhe Kiernan Celebrates PhD Success with No Corrections
A huge congratulations to our very own Dr. Caoimhe Kiernan (née Hough) on successfully passing her PhD viva voce on 25 September 2026 with no corrections required!
Caoimhe's thesis, ‘Gender Diversity in the Irish Judiciary: What barriers exist in the progression of women in the legal profession, how has the increasing representation of women shaped judicial opinion writing, and do women judges matter?’, explores gender diversity within the Irish judiciary.
Using a mixed-methods approach, her research examines the barriers women face in progressing to senior positions in the legal profession and judiciary, the influence of increasing female representation on judicial opinion writing, and the wider importance of diversity within the judiciary.
Her research makes a valuable contribution to our understanding of gender, representation and diversity in the Irish legal system, providing new empirical evidence to inform ongoing academic and professional discussions.
Caoimhe's PhD was supervised by Deirdre McGowan and Kevin Lalor, with Laura Cahillane (University of Limerick) and Fiona Buckley (University College Cork) serving as examiners.
Congratulations once again to Caoimhe on this fantastic academic achievement!