Casualty or Keystone? Human Rights and the Future of EU Security and Defence

A panel discussion organised by the School of Law and School of Religion, Theology and Peace Studies.

A panel discussion bringing together constitutional, international and EU human rights experts, and a journalist focused on migration, conflict and humanitarian crises.
With this seminar, we hope to inform the priorities and outcomes of the Irish Presidency of the EU, beginning the 1st July till the end of 2026. As Europe increases defence spending and pursues strategic autonomy at unprecedented speed, this seminar asks a deceptively simple question: Are human rights a casualty of Europe’s security turn, or can they become a keystone of a credible European defence posture? Further, does Ireland hold unique resources for an international relations of peace and security?

Speakers & Topics:
Dr Andrew Forde (Assistant Professor of European Human Rights Law, DCU)
‘The role of international human rights law in creating a brave, resilient and secure Europe’
Andrew Ford is Assistant Professor of European Human Rights Law at DCU and a Commissioner on the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. He worked for over a decade with the Council of Europe and the OSCE, including five years leading Council of Europe operations in Kosovo. His books include European Human Rights Grey Zones (Cambridge University Press, 2024).

Prof David Kenny (Professor of Human Rights Law, TCD)
‘Constitutional resources for an international relations of peace, security and defence’
David Kenny is Professor in Law and Fellow at Trinity College Dublin, specialising in Irish and comparative constitutional law. A graduate of TCD, Harvard Law School, and the King's Inns, he is co-author of the leading treatise Kelly: The Irish Constitution and has advised on constitutional reform processes in Ireland, Ukraine, and Thailand.

Sally Hayden (Irish Times Journalist)
‘Foregrounding the ‘Human’ in the EU Human Rights Debate'
Sally Hayden is an award-winning Irish journalist and author focused on migration, conflict, and humanitarian crises. Her first book, My Fourth Time, We Drowned, won the Orwell Prize for Political Writing and the Irish Book of the Year, and her second, This Is Also a Love Story, is forthcoming in 2026. She was named Journalist of the Year at the Irish Journalism Awards in both 2023 and 2025.

Dr Katherine Zappone (Visiting Research Fellow, TCD School of Religion, Theology and Peace Studies) will place the seminar in the context of Irish priorities for the EU presidency
Katherine Zappone is a Visiting Research Fellow in the School of Religion, Theology and Peace Studies at Trinity College Dublin. A human rights advocate, former Irish Senator and Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (2016–2020), she is co-founder of An Cosán and a catalyst of Ireland's marriage equality movement. Her memoir Love in a Time of Politics was published by Hachette in 2025.

Prof Aileen Kavanagh (Professor of Constitutional Governance and Director of TriCON, TCD Law School) will chair the seminar.
Aileen Kavanagh is Professor of Constitutional Governance at Trinity College Dublin, Director of TriCON (the Trinity Centre for Constitutional Governance), and formerly Professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Oxford. Her book The Collaborative Constitution (Cambridge University Press, 2023) won the Inner Temple Book Prize 2025.

This event is run in accordance with Trinity’s Dignity and Respect policy, and its commitment to nurturing a respectful and inclusive research culture.
Please indicate if you have any access requirements, such as ISL/English interpreting, so that we can facilitate you in attending this event. Contact: lawevent@tcd.ie