Biography

Eimear Spain is a Professor of Health Law in a joint appointment between the Faculty of Education and Health Sciences and the School of Law. Eimear graduated with a BA in Law and Accounting and was awarded the University Medal for first place in interdisciplinary programmes upon graduation. Following completion of her PhD, Eimear took up a research position in Macquarie University in Sydney. She was subsequently appointed as a Senior Lecturer in the University of Northumbria in England before returning to take up a lecturing position in the School of Law in 2010. Prof. Spain was appointed to the Psychologist Registration Board (CORU) by the Minister for Health in 2017.

Research Interests

Eimear's research focuses on issues of vulnerability on the frontline in the healthcare and criminal justice systems. She has published in the areas of health, criminal, constitutional and administrative law both nationally and internationally. She worked with and secured funding from important stakeholders including the HSE, Cosc, The National Office for the Prevention of Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence, the Department of Justice, the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, An Garda Síochána, the Irish Prison Service, the Irish Research Council and the Council of Europe.

Much of her research is interdisciplinary and empirical in nature, interrogating the gap between theory and practice, with colleagues from a variety of disciplines including nursing, midwifery, medicine, allied health, psychology, policing, youth justice and prisons.

Peer Reviewed Journals

2023

"Factors Impacting On The Decision Of Graduate Entry Medical School Students To Pursue A Career In Obstetrics And Gynecology in Ireland"

Spain, E., Tumelty, ME., Hannigan, A., Cinnamond, K., Cheema, A., Cotter.A. (2023) "Factors Impacting On The Decision Of Graduate Entry Medical School Students To Pursue A Career In Obstetrics And Gynecology in Ireland". BMC medical education :449-

Read more
2022

"Compulsory vaccination against Covid 19; A concise novel legal and ethical perspective on arguments of public good versus personal reticence."

Dunne, C.P., Spain, E. (2022) "Compulsory vaccination against Covid 19; A concise novel legal and ethical perspective on arguments of public good versus personal reticence." . Irish Journal Of Medical Science :1-6

Read more
2021

‘Gross Negligence ‘Medical' Manslaughter in Ireland: Legal Context and Clinician Concerns'

Tumelty, M. and Spain, E. (2021) ‘Gross Negligence ‘Medical' Manslaughter in Ireland: Legal Context and Clinician Concerns' . Medical Law International :321-342

Read more
2021

'An Exploratory Study of the Impact of the Medico-Legal Environment on Surgical Practice in Ireland'

Tumelty, ME, Cinnamond, K, Hannigan, A, Tierney, S, and Spain, E. (2021) 'An Exploratory Study of the Impact of the Medico-Legal Environment on Surgical Practice in Ireland'. European Journal of Health Law :1-18

Read more
2021

'Doctors can't be doctors all of the time': a qualitative study of how general practitioners and medical students negotiate public- professional and private-personal realms using social media'

Marshall, M.,Niranjan, V., Spain, E., MacDonagh, J., O'Doherty, J., O'Connor, R., O'Regan, A. (2021) 'Doctors can't be doctors all of the time': a qualitative study of how general practitioners and medical students negotiate public- professional and private-personal realms using social media'. British Medical Journal

Read more
2020

Covid-19: Is it reasonable to ask retired doctors to return to 'duty'?

Colum Dunne and Eimear Spain (2020) Covid-19: Is it reasonable to ask retired doctors to return to 'duty'?. Bmj (Online)

Read more
2019

Study of the Attitudes and Knowledge of Irish General Practitioners to their potential role in crisis pregnancy following repeal of the 8th Amendment of the Irish Constitution

Raymond O'Connor, Jane O'Doherty, M O'Mahony,Eimear Spain (2019) Study of the Attitudes and Knowledge of Irish General Practitioners to their potential role in crisis pregnancy following repeal of the 8th Amendment of the Irish Constitution. Bjgp Open

Read more
2019

The psychiatric management of prisoners on hunger strike: developing a management algorithm using the Delphi technique

Gulati G., Kelly B., O Neill C,.O Connell P., Linehan S., Spain E., Meagher D., Dunne C. (2019) The psychiatric management of prisoners on hunger strike: developing a management algorithm using the Delphi technique. International Journal Of Prisoner Health

Read more
2018

GSOC, the legislative process, and the privacy rights of citizens

Shane Kilcommins and Eimear Spain (2018) GSOC, the legislative process, and the privacy rights of citizens. Irish Criminal Law Journal :1-15

Read more
2017

Exploring the impact of the Victims' Directive on service provision for victims of crime in Ireland

Susan Leahy and Eimear Spain (2017) Exploring the impact of the Victims' Directive on service provision for victims of crime in Ireland. Northern Ireland Legal Quarterly :519-538

Read more
2017

Social media and professional identity: Pitfalls and potential

Andrew O'Regan, W.H. Smithson and Eimear Spain (2017) Social media and professional identity: Pitfalls and potential. Medical teacher

Read more
2017

Hunger strikes in prison: a legal perspective for psychiatrists

Gulati G, Whelan D, Spain E, Meagher D and Dunne CP (2017) Hunger strikes in prison: a legal perspective for psychiatrists. Irish Journal Of Psychological Medicine

Read more
2015

Deaths in Prison Custody' Capstone Course: Engaging Final-Year Law Students In Service Learning and Public Value

Shane Kilcommins and Eimear Spain (2015) Deaths in Prison Custody' Capstone Course: Engaging Final-Year Law Students In Service Learning and Public Value. Journal of Criminal Justice Education :1-14

Read more
2014

Interpreting "Life" in the Protection of Life during Pregnancy Act 2013

Jennifer Schweppe and Eimear Spain (2014) Interpreting "Life" in the Protection of Life during Pregnancy Act 2013. Medico-Legal Journal of Ireland :93-97

Read more
2013

Love in Life and Death

Eimear Spain (2013) Love in Life and Death. Northern Ireland Legal Quarterly

Read more
2013

When is a Foetus not an Unborn? Fatal Foetal Abnormalities and Article 40.3.3

Jennifer Schweppe and Eimear Spain, (2013) When is a Foetus not an Unborn? Fatal Foetal Abnormalities and Article 40.3.3. Irish Journal of Legal Studies

Read more
2013

Article 40.3.3 and the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013: The Impetus for, and Process of, Legislative Change

Catherine O'Sullivan, Jennifer Schweppe and Eimear Spain (2013) Article 40.3.3 and the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013: The Impetus for, and Process of, Legislative Change. Irish Journal of Legal Studies

Read more
2008

Duress and Necessity in Ireland: Reform on the Horizon

Eimear Spain (2008) Duress and Necessity in Ireland: Reform on the Horizon. Irish Criminal Law Journal :70-76

Read more
2006

Vo v France: Reasonable Settlement or Missed Opportunity?

Eimear Spain (2006) Vo v France: Reasonable Settlement or Missed Opportunity? . Irish Journal Of Family Law :16-20

Read more

Books

2019

Core Statutes on Public and Human Rights Law 2019-2020

Rhona Smith, Eimear Spain and Richard Glancey (2019) Core Statutes on Public and Human Rights Law 2019-2020. Basingstoke : Palgrave Macmillan

Read more
2018

The Victim in the Irish Criminal Process

Shane Kilcommins, Susan Leahy, Kathleen Moore Walsh, Eimear Spain (2018) The Victim in the Irish Criminal Process. Manchester : Manchester University Press

Read more
2014

Constitutional and Administrative Law (Nutshells),

Richard Glancey, Eimear Spain and Rhona Smith (2014) Constitutional and Administrative Law (Nutshells), . London : Sweet & Maxwell

Read more
2011

The Role of Emotions in Criminal Law Defences; Duress, Necessity and Lesser Evils

Eimear Spain (2011) The Role of Emotions in Criminal Law Defences; Duress, Necessity and Lesser Evils . Cambridge : Cambridge University Press

Read more

Book Chapters

2019

Defining corporate, white–collar and regulatory crime: Offences, Defences and Procedure'

Shane Kilcommins and Eimear Spain (2019) Defining corporate, white–collar and regulatory crime: Offences, Defences and Procedure'. Dublin : Clarus White Collar Crime in Ireland.

Read more
2016

The Development of Victims Rights in Ireland

Shane Kilcommins, Susan Leahy, and Eimear Spain (2016) The Development of Victims Rights in Ireland. OUP : Oxford University Press Criminal Litigation

Read more
2016

Regulatory Crime

Shane Kilcommins and Eimear Spain (2016) Regulatory Crime. Oxford : Oxford University Press Criminal Litigation

Read more
2016

Engaging with Emotions in the Legal Profession

Eimear Spain and Timothy Ritchie (2016) Engaging with Emotions in the Legal Profession. Oxford : Hart The Emotional Dynamics of Law and Legal Discourse.

Read more
2016

Criminal Law Pedagogy in Ireland: the absence of the emotive, the regulatory and the gendered

Shane Kilcommins, Susan Leahy and Eimear Spain (2016) Criminal Law Pedagogy in Ireland: the absence of the emotive, the regulatory and the gendered. London : Routledge Criminal Law Pedagogy

Read more
2014

Regulatory Crime

Shane Kilcommins and Eimear Spain (2014) Regulatory Crime. Dublin : Law Society Criminal Litigation

Read more
2012

Teaching Legal Writing Using the Web: Possibilities and Practicalities

Ronán Kennedy, Jennifer Schweppe and Eimear Spain (2012) Teaching Legal Writing Using the Web: Possibilities and Practicalities . Limerick : NDLR Evaluating the Impact of Digital Resources in Higher Education

Read more
2008

Pregnancy and Unwanted Third Party Interference: A Woman's Rights.

Eimear Spain (2008) Pregnancy and Unwanted Third Party Interference: A Woman's Rights. . Dublin : Liffey Press The Unborn Child, Art 40.3.3, and Abortion in Ireland: 25 Years of Protection? :113-129

Read more

Edited Books

This author has not written any publications of this type yet.

Other Journals

2017

Pioneering Police Training

Eimear Spain, Lydia Bracken and Shane Kilcommins (2017) Pioneering Police Training. Garda Review :13-

Read more
2015

Pioneering Police Training

Shane Kilcommins and Eimear Spain (2015) Pioneering Police Training. Garda Review :4-5

Read more
2012

Miscarriages of Justice in Ireland; A University of Limerick Student Project

Jennifer Schweppe and Eimear Spain (2012) Miscarriages of Justice in Ireland; A University of Limerick Student Project. Education :28-29

Read more

Conference Publications

This author has not written any publications of this type yet.

Conference Contributions

This author has not written any publications of this type yet.

Published Reports

2016

Deaths in the Custody of the Irish Prison Service

Shane Kilcommins and Eimear Spain (2016) Deaths in the Custody of the Irish Prison Service . Limerick : IPS

Read more
2014

Analysis of Text for the Final Review of the National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence, 2010-2014

Eimear Spain, Sarah Gibbons and Shane Kilcommins (2014) Analysis of Text for the Final Review of the National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence, 2010-2014. Dublin : Cosc

Read more

Editorials

This author has not written any publications of this type yet.

Book Reviews

This author has not written any publications of this type yet.

Other Publications

2015

Clear and ambitious vision of Ireland's police training

Shane Kilcommins and Eimear Spain (2015) Clear and ambitious vision of Ireland's police training. Dublin Irish Times

Read more
2013

Column: Assisted suicide not permitted, but we still must find a humane path

Eimear Spain (2013) Column: Assisted suicide not permitted, but we still must find a humane path. Thejournal.ie

Read more
2013

Protection of Life in Pregnancy (Amendment) (Fatal Foetal Abnormalities) (No. 2) Bill 2013, Bill Number 122 of 2013

Fletcher, Schweppe, Spain (2013) Protection of Life in Pregnancy (Amendment) (Fatal Foetal Abnormalities) (No. 2) Bill 2013, Bill Number 122 of 2013. Dublin : The Stationary Office, Dublin

Read more
2013

Protection of Life in Pregnancy (Amendment) (Fatal Foetal Abnormalities) (No. 2) Bill 2013, Bill Number 115 of 2013 tabled in Dáil Éireann, 21st November 2013

Fletcher, Schweppe, Spain (2013) Protection of Life in Pregnancy (Amendment) (Fatal Foetal Abnormalities) (No. 2) Bill 2013, Bill Number 115 of 2013 tabled in Dáil Éireann, 21st November 2013 . Dublin : The Stationary Office, Government Publicaitons.

Read more
2013

Column: Families who assist their loved ones to die will continue to feel the full wrath of the law

Eimear Spain (2013) Column: Families who assist their loved ones to die will continue to feel the full wrath of the law .

Read more
2013

Column: Legal clarity needed after Marie Fleming ‘right to die' verdict

Eimear Spain (2013) Column: Legal clarity needed after Marie Fleming ‘right to die' verdict. The Journal, 16th January 2013.

Read more
2013

Analysis: Draft abortion law has gaps which require clarification

Jennifer Schweppe and Eimear Spain (2013) Analysis: Draft abortion law has gaps which require clarification. TheJournal 1st May 2013

Read more