Irene Walsh

Assistant Professor in Speech & Language Pathology

Research Interests

My research interests are primarily within the domain of language and communication disorders associated with mental health disorders in child and adulthood, with a particular interest in conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (AD(H)D) and schizophrenia.   Additionally, I have a keen interest in discourse analysis or the analysis of talk in interaction in ordinary (e.g. everyday settings) and extraordinary contexts (e.g. institutional or clinical settings).  Finally, narrative analysis, from both developmental and illness perspectives is also an interest of mine.

Selected Publications

• Walsh, I.P. & Kovarsky, D. (2011). Establishing relationships in speech and language therapy when working alongside people with mental health disorders. In editor R. Fourie, Therapeutic Processes for Communication Disorders, London: Psychology Press. pp. 123 – 137.
• Walsh, I.P. & Duchan, J. (2011). Examining relationship talk between clients and their speech-language pathologists during clinical interactions: A review of the literature. In editor R. Fourie, Therapeutic Processes for Communication Disorders. London: Psychology Press. pp. 53 – 65.
• Kovarsky, D. & Walsh, I.P. (2011). The discursive construction of language disorders: A comparison of three different genres for characterising deficit. In editor(s) C.N. Candlin J. Crichton, Discourses of Deficit, Basingstoke, Hampshire, U.K: Palgrave Macmillan.  pp. 195 – 214.
• Degabriele, J. & Walsh, I.P. (2010).  Humour appreciation and comprehension in children with intellectual disability, Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 54, (6), pp. 525 – 537.
• Walsh, I.P. & Leahy, M.M. (2009) ‘‘Cajoling’’ as a means of engagement in the dysphagia clinic.  Seminars in Speech and Language, 30, (1), pp.37 – 47.
• Regan, J., Sowman, R., & Walsh, I.P. (2009). Schizophrenia in, editor(s) H. Jones J. Rosenbeck , Dysphagia in Rare Conditions: An Encyclopaedia., San Diego, Plural Publishing Inc., pp523 – 525.
• Walsh, I.P. (2008). Whose voice is it anyway? Hushing and hearing ‘voices’ in speech and language therapy interactions with people with chronic schizophrenia. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 43, (supp 1), p81-95.
• Walsh, I.P. (2008). Language socialisation among people with mental health disorders.  In editors P. Duff & N.H. Hornberger,  Encyclopedia of Language and Education, Volume 8, Language Socialization. New York: Springer.  pp. 327 – 340.
• Walsh, I.P., Regan, J., Sowman, R., Parsons, B. & Mc Kay, A.P. (2007). A needs analysis for the provision of a speech and language therapy service to adults with mental health disorders", Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , 24, (3), p89 – 93.
• Regan, J., Walsh, I.P.,  Sowman, R., Parsons, B. & Mc Kay, A.P.  (2006).  'Prevalence of dysphagia in acute and community mental health settings", Dysphagia, 21, (2), p95 – 101.

Teaching/Supervision

I teach on the following modules at undergraduate level: Assessment of Language & Communication Disorders, Intervention in Language & Communication Disorders and Interactive Discourse Analysis.  At a taught postgraduate level (MSc in Clinical Speech & Language Studies), I teach Analysis of Talk-in-Interaction and contribute to the Child Language Specialist strand.  I am happy to supervise Masters’ degrees and PhDs (by research) in the areas of discourse analysis (e.g. institutional/clinical discourse, narrative), pragmatics, child language and language and communication disorders associated with child and adult psychiatric conditions and related topics.

Irene Walsh on the TCD Research Support System

Contact Details

Clinical Speech and Language Studies
Room No 1.02 (1st Floor)
Trinity College 
7 - 9 South Leinster Street
Dublin 2

Telephone: +353 1 896 2420
Fax: +353 1 232 1005
Email: ipwalsh@tcd.ie