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Dr. Róisín Costello

Assistant Professor (Law)
      
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Dr. Róisín Costello

Assistant Professor (Law)

 ROISIN.ACOSTELLO@tcd.ie

 


Róisín is an Assistant Professor of EU and International Law and a practicing barrister. Róisín is a graduate of the LLB and PhD programmes at TCD, as well as The Honorable Society of Kings Inns, the Institut d'études politiques de Paris (where she earned a Masters in International Affairs) and Georgetown Law (where she earned her LL.M.). Prior to joining TCD Róisín was an Assistant Professor at Maynooth University (2019-2020) and at Dublin City University (2020-2023). She has been a Visiting Fellow at the European University Institute, Columbia University, the University of Notre Dame. Róisín is currently the Deputy Director of the Trinity Centre for Constitutional Law, and is Director and principal investigator for "DEMCONEX" The Jean Monnet Centre for Excellence in Freedom of Expression and Democratic Resilience in Europe's Digital Age which will run from 2025-2028. She is the author of `Privacy Law in Ireland (Bloomsbury, 2023) which was shortlisted for the Irish Law Book of the Year in 2023, `Law in Irish Literature' (Edinburgh University Press, 2026) and is the co-author of the forthcoming 'The Data Protection Acts and the GDPR: A Commentary' (Bloomsbury, 2026). Róisín has also co-edited the volumes 'Critical Reflections on the EU's Data Protection Regime' (Hart, 2024) and 'Data Protection After Brexit: Reflections from the UK and Ireland' (Hart, 2023). Róisín researches and works on EU law (with a particular focus on privacy/data protection and EU constitutionalism), and law and language. Her research on language rights has been cited by the House of Lords Public Services Committee report "Interpreting and language services in the courts" and her work on the right to privacy has been referenced by the Irish Supreme Court in Hyland v Commission of An Garda Síochána [2025] IESC 43. Róisín's research has been funded by the European Union, The Irish Research Council (now Research Ireland), The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), and The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). She has also received smaller grants from the SLSA and SLS. Prospective PhD and/or Post-doctoral students Róisín welcomes expressions of interest from prospective PhD students and post-doctoral researchers whose research is focused on: (i) privacy and/or data protection law (ii) EU constitutionalism (iii) Political Economy approaches to EU law (iv) the intersection of fundamental / human rights and digital technologies (v) language rights / law and language (vi) the intersections of law and humanities with a particular focus on: law and history / law and literature / law and culture PhD or postdoctoral students interested in working with Dr Costello should meet the requirements for admission to the Law School's PhD programme and (in general) should have a jurisdictional focus on one or more of: Europe (including EU Member States), Ireland, or another common law jurisdiction. Róisín's preference is that students have an LL.M. or a Masters degree in a discipline relevant to their proposed area of study. Candidates who do not have a Masters qualification should have a first class honours (or equivalent) undergraduate degree and evidence of their ability to conduct independent research. Dr Costello will not consider or respond to PhD or postdoctoral queries which: (i) do not fall within her areas of expertise as listed above, (ii) have been composed using AI, (iii) which reference non-existent outputs or research, and/or (iv) which purport to draw on the contents of outputs which are not yet publicly available.
  data privacy   Data Protection Law   EU Law   Governance, Human Rights, European Union Law   International Law   law and technology   Public International Law   Sociolegal Studies
Project Title
 DEMCONEX Jean Monnet Centre for Excellence
From
To
Summary
The DEMCONEX Jean Monnet Centre for Excellence for Freedom of Expression and Democratic Resilience in Europe"s Digital Age will examine how freedom of expression and its regulation supports the ability of citizens to participate in political processes and contribute to Europe"s democratic project and will provide a wider umbrella for promoting EU Studies at TCD. The JMCE has 3 complementary, integrated strands - Research: The JMCE will facilitate interdisciplinary research including the production of: a monograph examining the development of freedom of expression and its association with political participation; articles and book chapters on topics such as participatory democracy, de-platforming, regulation of social media platforms, and EU law in national constitutional courts; and conference papers and participation. Teaching: The JMCE will lead an ambitious expansion of teaching and the promotion of excellence in EU studies teaching. It will deliver two new modules on freedom of expression and democratic participation, integrate materials on freedom of expression, constitutionalism and democratic theory into existing modules and deliver seminars to students in universities outside the EU. Events: The JMCE will host events including an annual Public Lecture series, two interdisciplinary seminar series and a multi-day international conference. Connecting theory and practice, the events will reach students and key stakeholders including government and civil society. The JMCE represents a consolidation and an ambitious expansion in events, teaching and research on EU Studies at TCD, and will lay the groundwork for future ERASMUS+ activities. It will also provide support to capitalise on the `competitive advantage" that Dublin now enjoys as a centre for EU studies as a result of its position as the capital city of the only English-speaking Member State, and the jurisdiction where many digital undertakings central to this research are located and regulated.
Funding Agency
Erasmus+
Programme
Erasmus+
Project Type
Centre for Excellence
Project Title
 Court Interpretation in Wales and the Republic of Ireland
From
2023
To
2025
Summary
Funding Agency
Arts and Humanities Research Council
Programme
International networking grant
Project Type
Networking grant
Person Months
18
Project Title
 Supporting Irish Language Use on a Cross-Community Basis"
From
2021
To
2022
Summary
Funding Agency
Irish Research Council & The Department of Foreign Affairs
Programme
New Foundations Award
Project Type
Network building
Person Months
12
Project Title
 Court Interpretation in Wales and the Republic of Ireland
From
To
Summary
Funding Agency
SLSA
Programme
SLSA Event Grant
Project Type
Conference/Workshop
Project Title
 Building a Cross-border Data Protection Network
From
2020
To
2022
Summary
Funding Agency
Economic & Social Research Council/Irish Research Council
Programme
Networking Grant
Project Type
Network building
Person Months
24

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Language Skill Reading Skill Writing Skill Speaking
English Fluent Fluent Fluent
French Fluent Medium Fluent
Irish Fluent Fluent Fluent
Details Date From Date To
Incorporated Council of Law Reporting of Ireland January 2024 Present
Director and Board Member of the Irish Centre for European Law October 2021 October 2023
Board Member of the Irish Supreme Court Review February 2022 Present
Ordinary Member Society of Legal Scholars September 2020 Present
Ordinary Member Socio-Legal Studies Association September 2020 Present
Ordinary Member Council of European Studies June 2025 Present
Róisín Á Costello, James Kneale, Seán Hurley, The Data Protection Acts and the GDPR: A Commentary, Bloomsbury, 2027, Book, IN_PRESS
Reserve and Revelation: Modern Conceptions of Privacy in the novels of Jane Austen in, editor(s)Patrick O Callaghan and Paolo Astorri , Privacy Before the Right to Privacy: Past as a Prologue to a Technological Future, Hart, 2027, [Róisín Á Costello], Book Chapter, IN_PRESS
Law as Spectre in `The Giant O Brien' in, editor(s)Marco Man Ho Wan , Cambridge Handbook of Law, Literature and Colonialism, Cambridge University Press, 2026, [Róisín Á Costello], Book Chapter, PUBLISHED
Róisín Áine Costello, Reserve and Revelation: The Right to Privacy in the novels of Jane Austen, Privacy before the Right to Privacy, University of Copenhagen, 2026, Invited Talk, PRESENTED
Róisín Á Costello, Unreasonable and Impracticable: Interrogating the scope of the State's duty to facilitate legal proceedings in the Irish language, Just. Journal of Language Rights & Minorities, 2026, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Róisín Á Costello, Strasbourg's Consideration of Article 267 TFEU and the ECtHR as a Shadow Constitutional Court of the European Union, German Law Journal, 27, 2026, p537-, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  URL
Deepfakes and Digital Trust: Authenticating Open Source Evidence in, editor(s)Richard H Steinberg , The International Criminal Court: Legal, Policy and Political Challenges, Brill, 2025, pp93 - 99, [Róisín Á Costello], Book Chapter, PUBLISHED
Róisín Á Costello and Liz Heffernan, Subsequent Legal Developments and Admissibility of Evidence: DPP v Smyth [2024] IESC 22, Irish Supreme Court Review, 2025, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Róisín Á Costello, Anglophone Presumptions in the Courtrooms of Wales and the Republic of Ireland: Some Initial Thoughts on Achieving Language-neutral Courtrooms, Revista de Llengua i Dret, 2025, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text
Roisin A Costello, Ireland (mostly) at The Bar, Dublin University Law Journal, 45, (2), 2025, p340-, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
  

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Róisín Áine Costello, A Republican Theory of Privacy: securing intellectual freedom and the right to walk tall in the modern state, Public Law, University of Cape Town, 2026, Conference Paper, PRESENTED
Róisín Áine Costello, Privacy and Democratic Participation in the Modern State, ICON, University College Dublin, 2026, Conference Paper, PRESENTED
Róisín Áine Costello, AI and Privacy Rights, CPD, Office of the Attorney General, 2026, Office of the Attorney General, Invited Talk, PRESENTED
Róisín Áine Costello, Article 267 and the ECHR as a Shadow Constitutional Court, European Lawyer's Assembly, University College London, 2025, Conference Paper, PRESENTED
Róisín Áine Costello, Beyond Privacy: Genetic Data and Research, CPDP, Brussels, 2025, Conference Paper, PRESENTED
Róisín Áine Costello, Antigone: Demos, Oikos, Thilykós: The subversive power of female agency in Sophocles" Antigone, Antigone in Ireland, The Abbey Theatre, 2025, Conference Paper, PRESENTED
Róisín Áine Costello, Image Rights and AI: Privacy Torts Revived?, Media, Internet and Data Protection Bar Association CPD, 2025, Media, Internet and Data Protection Bar Association, Invited Talk, PRESENTED
Róisín Á Costello, Critical Reflections on the EU's Data Protection Regime, Oxford, Hart, 2024, Book, PUBLISHED
Róisín Áine COSTELLO, Unauthorised access to data" some recent developments, Irish Centre for European Law Annual Data Protection Conference, Royal Irish Academy, 2024, Invited Talk, PRESENTED
Róisín Áine Costello, The Decision in Quirke v DPP: Dividing A Computer's Body and its Soul, UCD Public Law Conference, University College Dublin, 2023, 2023, Invited Talk, PUBLISHED

  


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Award Date
Fellow of International Economic Law (Georgetown Law) 2014-2015
International Student Scholarship (Georgetown Law) 2014-2015
Postgraduate Studentship (Trinity College Dublin, Law School) 2017-2018
Róisín is an EU lawyer and researches and works on EU law with a particular focus on privacy and data protection law and EU constitutionalism, including the intersectional of constitutionalism and digital technologies. Róisín's research in EU law has been funded by the IRC and ESRC. The second strand of Róisín's research focuses on law and language, with a particular focus on regional and minority language rights in Ireland and the European Union. Róisín's research has afforded particular attention to the rights of minority language speakers in courtroom settings, and the role of courtroom interpretation in the right to a fair hearing. Róisín has received funding from the SLS, the SLSA, The Arts and Humanities Research Council, and the Irish Research Council & The Department of Foreign Affairs for research projects related to her research in minority language rights. Róisín is also interested in the intersection of law and the humanities - in particular the portrayal of law and lawyers in literature and what this can tell us about the impacts of law on identity, language and expression.