DELI Annual Lecture with Judges of the European Court of Human Rights
The Dublin European Law Institute Annual Lecture, Frontiers of Justice: A Conversation with Judges of the European Court of Human Rights, took place at the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission on 2 April 2026.
The event featured two distinguished judges of the European Court of Human Rights, Judge Úna Ní Raifeartaigh (Ireland) and Judge Mykola Gnatovskyy (Ukraine), and was moderated by Dr Andrew Forde, Assistant Professor of European Human Rights Law at DCU and Commissioner of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission.
The discussion emphasised the Court’s role as an additional layer of human rights protection beyond national systems, and stressed the importance of its independence even in the face of political pressure. The conversation addressed the principle of subsidiarity, the enforcement of judgments, and the Court’s influence on domestic legal systems. Both Judge Ní Raifeartaigh and Judge Gnatovskyy encouraged young people, including Ukrainians and other new communities in Ireland, to engage with the Convention and the Court and to help shape the future of human rights protection in Europe
L-R: Dr. Andrew Forde (Assistant Professor of European Human Rights Law at DCU & Commissioner, Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission), Dr Tanya Ni Mhuirthile, Head of the School of Law and Government at DCU, Prof Derek Hand, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at DCU, Judge Mykola Gnatovskyy, Judge of the European Court of Human Rights in respect of Ukraine, Judge Úna Ní Raifeartaigh, Judge of the European Court of Human Rights in respect of Ireland, Liam Herrick, Chief Commissioner, Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, Prof Federico Fabbrini, Full Professor of European Law and Founding Director of the Dublin European Law Institute.