Date: Thursday 26 February 2026
Time: 18.00
Location: Examination Hall, Trinity College Dublin.
Registration and further information are available on the School of Law website here.
The School of Law and the Law Student Colloquium are delighted to invite you to the 14th Brian Lenihan Memorial Lecture. This year, we are honoured to welcome Emily O’Reilly, former European Ombudsman, to deliver the address.
This year’s lecture ‘Democratic Erosion and the Rule of Law: Lessons from the EU and the US’ will explore how democratic institutions, and the rule of law are facing new tension and challenges, even in countries that were once seen as stable Western democracies.
Emily O'Reilly will explore how a declining support for human rights, combine with pressures and political pushback are revealing the limits of current laws and institutions.
With a focus on the European Union, the discussion will interrogate whether the EU and its partners can summon the political will and develop the necessary institutional tools to counter democratic regression. The lecture aims to address how we might defend liberal principles and revitalise the post-war democratic order.”
For further information please email lawevent@tcd.ie.