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School of Social Work and Social Policy

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Current Research Students

There are currently 40 PhD students in the School. Profiles of some of the students are given below.

Mairead Finn ImageEavan Brady 

  1. Supervisor: Prof Robbie Gilligan
  2. Nationality: Irish
  3. Working title of PhD: 'Educational trajectories of children and youth in care: An exploratory study'.
  4. Brief description of my research: Considerable research points to the low educational attainment of children and youth who have spent time in care. In recent decades this issue has become of great concern internationally. Using qualitative, biographical methods, this research will explore the nature of educational trajectories of young adults who spent time in the care of the Irish state as children and youth. This research seeks to examine: 1) the progression of events in the lives of participants; and 2) connections and links between events and outcomes, in order to gain an understanding of participants’ educational pathways. Research objectives relate to identifying key experiences over the life course that have affected participant educational trajectories and exploring the existence of common or shared experiences among participants. It is expected that the findings of this research will inform policy and service provision with the intention of promoting the educational outcomes of children and youth in the care of the state. 

Ana Diaz-Ponce ImageLynne Cahill 

  1. Supervisor: Dr. Stephanie Holt
  2. Nationality: Irish
  3. Working title of PhD: 'Same sex intimate partner violence: The factors associated with domestic violence and abuse among lesbian women in Ireland'.
  4. Brief description of my research: The central aim of this mixed methods study is to document the scope and experience of domestic violence and abuse within female intimate partner same sex relationships.
  5. The following specific issues are regarded as central to the core research objective:
  6. to explore the incidence of domestic violence and abuse in same sex relationships via a nationwide community survey,   to increase knowledge and understanding of the particular experiences of those in abusive same sex relationships, and to identify the help seeking behaviours and service provision needs of those in abusive relationships.
  7. Funder of the research: School of Social Work and Social Policy Studentship, Trinity College Dublin.
  8. Details of related presentations/papers: 

Cahill, Lynne (2014) LGBT Intimate Partner Violence (IPV): Domestic and International Research Findings.  Presentation at the first conference in Ireland on LGBT IPV hosted by Dundalk Outcomers, Dundalk, May 30th 2014.

Cahill, Lynne (2014). LGBT Intimate Partner Violence (IPV): What does the research tell us? Presentation for the Gay Switch Board Volunteer Training, Dublin, 7th October 2014.

Conway, B., L. Cahill & M. Corcoran (2009).The ‘miracle’ of Fatima: Media framing and the regeneration of a Dublin housing estate’ Journalism July 2012 13: 551-571, first published on December 16, 2011. [PEER REVIEWED] 

Pending - L. Cahill (2013) Community Needs Analysis: Dublin’s South West Inner City (SWIC). [NON-PEER REVIEWED]

Jeffers, G., A., Mulkeen, C., Higgins & L., Cahill (2011) Centre for Global Development through Education,External Evaluation Report, Education Department, NUIM. [NON- PEER REVIEWED].

Sorcha Farrell

  1. Supervisor: Dr. Trish Walsh
  2. Nationality: Irish
  3. Working title of my PhD: "The lived experience of a brain tumour diagnosis".
  4. Description of the research: The literature supports the fact that the diagnosis of a primary malignant brain tumour can shatter ones understanding of, and meaning that they ascribe to life and the reality that they inhabit, as well as invoke with feelings of grief and loss. This can result in a multitude of challenges with adaptation, adjustment and coping. The objectives of this study will involve exploring the subjective lived experience of individuals with a primary malignant brain tumour diagnosis and the experiences of their primary caregivers, along with examining the processes related to adaptation and meaning-making that individuals undertake in order to cope throughout the illness journey. The study aims to discover if it is possible to generate a theory that describes the lived experience of a brain tumour diagnosis.

Mairead Finn ImageMairead Finn 

Mairéad is a PhD candidate in the School and is researching the social changes taking place in a local housing system following the wave of immigration to Ireland during the economic boom. Situated in a provincial town in Ireland, the research is a qualitative inquiry into immigrant's experiences, views and interpretations of their housing situations and an examination of the response of the town's housing system to the needs of this population. Entitled Immigration, Housing and Social Change: A Study of Immigrant's Pathways through the Private Rented Sector, the project is being supervised by Anthony McCashin and Dr. Paula Mayock and has been supported by funding from the Private Residential Tenancies Board.

Mairéad holds a B.A. in Sociology and Social Policy (TCD) and an M.Econ.Sc in European Economic and Public Affairs (UCD). Previously, she has worked on projects at the Economic and Social Research Institute, the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, Dublin, and the European Trade Union Institute for Research, Brussels.

Jeanne Forde

  1. Supervisor: Gloria Kirwan and Dr. Stephanie Holt 
  2. Nationality: Irish
  3. Working title of my PhD: "Exploring issues of consent regarding Teenage Children obtaining therapeutic support in a mental health setting".
  4. Description of the research: In this PhD study, I wish to explore the issue of consent procedures for teenage children accessing primary care level out-patient mental health support. I will consider the Irish experience of teenage children, their parents and professionals providing the service.  The research will identify the current practices for obtaining consent from young people attending mental health support services and explore how the issue of consent impacts on how young people engage in mental health support services.

Eva Garcia Albarran

  1. Supervisor: Dr. Edurne Garcia Iriarte and Dr. Michael Feely
  2. Nationality: Spanish
  3. Working title of my PhD: Self Esteem in children with special educational needs in mainstream schools and the influence on their educational engagement, progress and outcomes.
  4. Description of the research: A paramount aspect of the educational process is the assessment of educational outcomes, needed to assess the achievements and progress of all children, including children with special educational needs. The diversity of the concept of inclusion and the individual differences that children with special educational needs present, make difficult to draw firm conclusions from research to date. The aim of this project is to study the effect that factors such as standardised test, may have in the academic and social outcomes of children with mild to moderate special educational needs, in Irish primary mainstream schools at 1st and 2nd class level. It is looking to assess the effect of taking part in standardised test on; a) Children’ literacy and numeracy attainment, b) Teacher-Children relationship.

Paula Harrison

  1. Supervisor: Dr. Stephanie Holt
  2. Nationality: Irish
  3. Working title of my PhD: Autism and the Family: Parent-child relationships of typically developing children in this context
  4. Description of the research: When a child is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder it impacts every member of the family. For typically developing children, growing up with a disabled sibling will be stressful on a variety of practical, social and emotional levels as their needs may be overshadowed by the more pressing needs of their autistic sibling. While the experience of such siblings has been somewhat examined in international literature, their voices are noticeably sparse in dialogues around autism between researchers, parents, clinicians and educators. The central aim of this qualitative study is to explore the the lived experience of siblings in this context and how this experience informs parent child relationships.

Derina Johnson

  1. Supervisor: Prof Robbie Gilligan
  2. Nationality: Irish
  3. Working title of my PhD: In search of a better life: A qualitative case study exploring the strategies and pathways of separated and displaced young people from Burma living in north-west Thailand
  4. Description of the research: Decades of civil conflict and human rights abuses have displaced considerable numbers of young people from minority ethnic groups in eastern Burma across the border into Thailand. Unable to access citizenship documentation in their own country, they must subsequently negotiate lives as ‘illegal migrants’ on the margins of Thai society, facing social and economic isolation, poverty, and complex life choices. The aim of this qualitative case study is to explore the lived realities of a sample of separated young people from Burma living in informal residential care and other arrangements in north-west Thailand. The research seeks insight into their challenges and constraints, resources and strategies, in relation to their present and imagined pathways. The study hopes to further understanding of youth decision-making and adaptation in the face of displacement and social and economic marginalisation in the majority world. Members of the study community helped instigate and continue to advise on this research which builds upon the researcher’s three-year experience working within the community.

Susan Kent

  1. Supervisor: Prof Virpi Timonen
  2. Nationality: Irish
  3. Working title of my PhD: ‘Grandfathering in Ireland'. A Grounded Theory Study’
  4. Brief description of the research: The focus of the study will be on what grandfathering to grandchildren is, in an Irish context. The key research question will be what issues are of concern to grandfathers in Ireland. Because of the lacuna of literature on grandfathers nationally and internationally, a grounded theory methodology will be employed.

Melanie Labor 

  1. Supervisor: Prof Robbie Gilligan
  2. Nationality: German
  3. Working title of my PhD: Filling the Void: Young People's Narratives as a Gateway to a New  Understanding of Youth Suicides - A Case study in a Disadvantaged Community in Ireland
  4. Brief description of the research: Young people aged 15-29 represent the most populous age group worldwide and are universally most likely to take their own lives, especially those growing up in disadvantaged circumstances. Extensive literature, especially in psychology and psychiatry, focuses on suicide risk and prevention neglecting the understanding and meaning making of young people in relation to suicide. Young people are likely to experience the suicide of a peer most intensely as it involves dimensions of intention and planning. Coinciding with a sometimes uncertain and stressful transition from childhood to adulthood, such a critical moment is likely to be highly consequential for youth' conceptions of themselves, their relationships with each other and with their community, and for their life course shaped economic, cultural and social resources and personal qualities.

    This study aims to close a gap providing a new perspective on young people's understanding and experience of peer suicide in Ireland derived from youth narratives. Those personal stories have the potential to provide unique insights into a) how young people make sense of youth suicide and b) how youth suicide impacts on their lives within their community. This is done through in-depth interviews with 40 young people between the ages of 15-19 from a disadvantaged community in Dublin who have been directly or indirectly affected by a peer. Variations within the sample will include dimensions of gender, socio-economic circumstances and educational/professional background.

  5. Funder of the research: Irish Research Council

Karen Mahony ImageKaren Mahony (M.A.)

  1. Supervisor: Dr. Stephanie Holt
  2. Nationality: Irish
  3. Working title of my PhD Research: 'Understanding children’s participation in decision-making and governance in the primary school context: A case study of two Limerick City schools'
  4. Brief description of the research: This Article 28.1 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (United Nations, 1989) states that all children have a right to compulsory, free primary education, and that state parties shall ‘…assure to the child who is capable of forming his or her own views the right to express those views freely in all matters affecting the child’ (United Nations, 1989: Article 12.1). My PhD study examines multiple perspectives (including: primary school children, school management and staff (principals and teachers), and statutory and voluntary groups with a key role in primary education in the Irish Republic) and understandings of children’s participation in decision-making and school governance in the primary school context in the Irish Republic.
  5. Funder of the research: Ombudsman for Children’s Office.
  6. Details of related presentations/papers:
    Mahony, Karen (2011) Exploring the Methodological Challenges of Facilitating Children’s Right to Participate in their Primary Education.  Paper Presented at the Research Forum for Child Conference (Opportunities and Challenges: Implementing the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child), Queen’s University Belfast, June 1st - 2nd 2011.
    Mahony, Karen (2012) Multiple Perspectives and Understandings of Children’s Participation in Decision-Making and School Governance in the Primary School Context: A Case Study of Two Republic of Ireland Schools. Paper Presented at the BAPSCAN Congress 2012 (Keeping Children Safe in an Uncertain World: Learning from Evidence and Practice), Queen’s University Belfast, April 2012.

Clive Mc Cowen ImageClive Mc Cowen

  1. Supervisor: Dr. Eoin O’ Sullivan 
  2. Nationality: Irish
  3. Working title of my PhD: 'A Qualitative analysis of the experience of Mountjoy Prison from the 1970s to the present'
  4. Brief description of the research: I intend to explore the experiences of former inmates of Mountjoy. And in doing so gain an understanding of how the inmate understands the experience of imprisonment in Mountjoy. The study for focus on a number of key issues, such as the pains of imprisonment in Ireland, changes in the prison system since the 1970s and how these changes (The expansion of the system, the introduction of a drug culture ect.) impact on the experience of imprisonment, and the inmates perception of relationships between inmates, and between inmates and staff. 
  5. Funder of the research: Scholarship awarded by the school.

Vanessa Moore ImageVanessa Moore

  1. Supervisor: Prof Virpi Timonen
  2. Nationality: Swedish
  3. Working title of my PhD: 'A Study of Young Onset Dementia in Ireland and Sweden: the Individual's Perspective'
  4. Brief description of the research: The study will focus on persons with young onset dementia (persons under 65 years of age) in Ireland and in Sweden, on their experience of living with early onset dementia and their experience of accessing care and support structures within the health care system. Qualitative interviews will be carried out with persons with young onset dementia in Ireland and Sweden: the data from the interviews will be analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA)
  5. Funder of the research: Postgraduate Studentship from the School of Social Work and Social Policy.

Vanessa Moore ImageCatherine O'Dare

  1. Supervisor: Prof Virpi Timonen and Dr Catherine Conlon
  2. Nationality: Irish
  3. Working title of my PhD: ‘The experience, meaning and significance of intergenerational friendships to older people in Ireland'
  4. Brief description of the research: The importance and benefits of friendship in individuals lives are lauded in research and policy. Friendship provides individuals with a place to be themselves, to do the things they enjoy with like-minded people whose company they enjoy, and who have their trust and confidence. That these chosen good friends are of a different generation may provide valuable insights into ageing, age stereotyping and ageist assumptions. This study will seek to explore and understand intergenerational friendships from the perspective of the ‘older’ friend. Taking a qualitative approach using Constructivist Grounded Theory, rich data will be gathered through in-depth semi-structured interviews incorporating photo elicitation. The research is therefore intended to contribute valuable and substantive knowledge to ageing, friendship and generation literature.
  5. Funder of the research: Postgraduate Studentship from the School of Social Work and Social Policy.

Sarah SheridanSarah Sheridan

  1. Supervisor: Dr. Paula Mayock
  2. Nationality: Irish
  3. Working title of my PhD: ‘Women and Homelessness in Ireland: A Longitudinal, Qualitative Perspective’
  4. Brief description of the research: The central aim of this qualitative, longitudinal study is to explore women’s experiences as they movethrough, and, possibly out of, homelessness. Particular focus will be placed on the women's accommodation trajectories (or sleeping places); the extent and nature of their interaction with services; their daily lives and how they 'manage' their homelessness; exiting homelessness (where relevant); as well as questions of identity, subcultures, and gender roles. Differences between migrant and non-migrant homeless women will also be explored. The study builds upon a previous research study on homeless women in Ireland, conducted by Dr Paula Mayock during 2009-2011.
  5. Funder of the research: School of Social Work and Social Policy Studentship, Trinity College Dublin.
  6. Publications: 
    Sheridan, S. (2013) Book Review of Healing Home: Health and Homelessness in the Life Stories of Young Women, by Vanessa Oliver, European Journal of Homelessness 7 (2) pp.451-454.

    Mayock, P. and Sheridan, S. (2013) ‘At Home’ in Prison? Women and the Homelessness-Incarceration Nexus, Irish Probation Journal 10 pp.118-140.

    Mayock, P., Sheridan, S. & Parker, S. (2012) Migrant Women & Homelessness: The Role of Gender-Based Violence. European Journal of Homelessness 6 (1) pp.59-81.

    Mayock, P. and Sheridan, S. (2012) Women's Journeys to Homelessness: Key Findings from a Biographical Study of Homeless Women in Ireland. Women and Homelessness in Ireland, Research Paper 1. Dublin: School of Social Work and Social Policy and Children's Research Centre, Trinity College Dublin. 

    ​​Mayock, P. and Sheridan, S. (2012) Migrant Women and Homelessness: Key Findings from a Biographical Study of Homeless Women in Ireland. Women and Homelessness in Ireland, Research Paper 2. Dublin: School of Social Work and Social Policy and Children's Research Centre, Trinity College Dublin. 

    Mayock, P. & Sheridan, S. (2011) Homeless Women and Incarceration. Association for Criminal Justice Research and Development (ACJRD) Annual Conference Report. Dublin: ACJRD.

    Conferences/Papers: 
    Sheridan, S. (2014) ''Just Keep Doing What We're Supposed To Do': A Qualitative Longitudinal Perspective of Homeless Women's Pathways'. Paper presented at 'Homelessness in Times of Crisis', European Observatory of Homelessness FEANTSA Research Conference, Warsaw University, 19 September 2014. 

    Sheridan, S. (2014) 'Processes in Exiting Homelessness amongst a Subsample of Migrant Women'. Paper presented at 'Crisis, Mobility and New Forms of Migration', University College Cork, 3 September 2014. 

    Sheridan, S. (2014) 'The Unfolding Lives of Homeless Women in Ireland'. Paper presented at 'Changing Society', British Sociological Conference, Leeds University, 23 April 2014. 

    Sheridan, S. (2014) 'Migrant Women and Homelessness in Ireland'. Paper presented at Tempus Project Summer School, Trinity College Dublin, 10 July 2014. 

    Sheridan, S. (2014) 'Homeless Women in Ireland: Identity and Gender'. Paper presented at Sociological Association of Ireland Postgraduate Conference, National University of Ireland Galway, 8 March 2014.

Sarah SheridanGillian Smith

  1. Supervisor: Dr. Eoin O'Sullivan
  2. Nationality: Irish
  3. Working title of my PhD: 'Accelerated Ageing in Prison? Comparing health and wellbeing outcomes in older people in prison with older people in the community'
  4. Brief description of the research: The over fifty age group are the fastest growing cohort within committals to prison in Ireland. Little is known about the health of older prisoners in Ireland, and how their needs differ to younger prisoners or older people in the community. Existing international research suggest prisoners experience ‘accelerated ageing’, though evidence is mixed. This research will attempt to determine if there is evidence of ‘accelerated ageing’ in older prisoners in Ireland, by comparing self-reported health and wellbeing of older prisoners to older people living in the community. Findings from The Irish Longitudinal Study of Ageing (TILDA), a large scale study of over 8000 people aged over fifty, will be used as the control group.
  5. Funder of the research: School of Social Work and Social Policy Studentship, Trinity College Dublin.
  6. Publications: 

    Smith, G. (2014) ‘Older Prisoners in Ireland:  Policy Implications of a Growing Cohort’. Paper presented at the Irish Gerontological Society’s 62nd Annual and Scientific Meeting in Galway, 2014.  Irish Journal of Medical Science 183(Supplement 7): S302. Abstract available here

Leslie Sherlock

Leslie is a PhD student in TCD's Children's Research Centre under the supervision of Dr. Paula Mayock. Previously she worked as a researcher, authoring projects for the Crisis Pregnancy Agency as well as work for European Group on Gender and Employment. She holds an MA in Women's Studies from UCD (1:1) where she evaluated the Relationships and Sexuality Education programme (RSE). She also holds BA degrees in Business Administration and in Accounting with a minor concentration in Mathematics from Graceland University, Iowa, USA. Before coming to academia, Leslie held an eight year career in NGOs, having worked primarily in grants management and accounting for America's 'Head Start' preschool programme, also working in direct service provision with homeless people and volunteering extensively in rape crisis work. She has served on a number of NGO boards, including an upcoming position on the Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA) board and the committee for Transgender Equality Network Ireland (TENI) for the past year. She frequently facilitates workshops on gender, sexual health, sexuality and sexual empowerment. Leslie is funded by IRCHSS and her working thesis title is 'Reconceptualising Sexual Health Services for Dublin's 'at-risk' Adolescent Girls'. Her theoretical interests include queer and feminist theories. She combines theoretical knowledge with her career background, aiming to critically evaluate existing sexual health services. She uses qualitative ethnographic research methods to identify holistic models of best practice and formulate conclusions based on lived embodied experiences of a radically inclusive service user base.

Michelle Spirtos

  1. Supervisor: Prof Robbie Gilligan
  2. Nationality: Ireland
  3. Working title of my PhD: Moving towards adulthood – An exploration of the experiences of young adults with a diagnosis of hemiplegic cerebral palsy
  4. Brief description of the research: This study is exploring the transition to adulthood for young adults with hemiplegic cerebral palsy. It is a qualitative inquiry considering the life stories of young people. Through this we may better understand the individual resources and sociological and environmental characteristics that can contribute and impact on becoming an adult for young people with experience of disability.

Dovile Vildaite ImageDovile Vildaite

  1. Supervisor: Prof Robbie Gilligan
  2. Nationality: Lithuanian
  3. Working title of my PhD: 'Living ‘In-between’: Exploring Transnational Social Relations of the 1.5 Generation Lithuanian Migrants in Ireland'
  4. Brief description of the research: This study seeks to contribute to transnational migration research and children and youth studies by analysing the engagement of the “one-and-a-half” generation adolescent migrants from Lithuania in the field of transnational social relations. Drawing on a qualitative multi-sited, multiple methods approach, the proposed study investigates meaningful recurring patterns of transnational social relationships among young male and female migrants residing in Ireland and their extended family members and closest friends living in Lithuania.
  5. Funder of the research: The Irish Research Council Postgraduate Scholarship
  6. Conferences/Papers:

Vildaite, D. (2014) ‘Young Migrants’ Experiences of Intergenerational Relationships: the Case of Lithuanians in Ireland’. Paper presented at the international research conference 'Crisis, Mobility and New Forms of Migration', University College Cork, 2-4 September 2014.

Vildaite, D. (2014) ‘Methodological and Ethical Challenges in Research with Migrant Youth’. Paper presented at the VI European Congress of Methodology, Utrecht University, 23-25 July 2014.

Vildaite, D. (2014) ‘It’s like an Open Bleeding Wound in my Heart’: Perceived Emotional Costs of Migration among Lithuanian Grandmothers’. Paper presented at the international Summer School ‘Multiple Inequalities in the Age of Transnationalization: Implications for Concepts and Methods’, the Goethe University Frankfurt, 23-27 June 2014.

Vildaite, D. (2014) ‘Negotiating Notions of ‘Home’ and ‘Belonging’ among Young Lithuanian Migrants in Ireland’. Paper presented at the international graduate conference ’Child & Youth Migrants: Global and Interdisciplinary Perspectives’, University College London, 14 June, 2014.

Vildaite, D. (2014) ‘Methodological and Ethical Challenges in Research with Migrant Youth: Reflections from the Field’. Paper presented at ’Migration Researchers in the Field: A Graduate Student Conference on Method & Theory’, Sussex University, 8-9 August, 2014.

Vildaite, D. (2014) ‘Negotiating Notions of ‘Home’ among Young Lithuanian Migrants in Ireland’. Paper presented at Sociological Association of Ireland Postgraduate Conference, National University of Ireland Galway, 8 March 2014.

Dovile Vildaite ImageSadhbh Whelan

  1. Supervisor: Dr Helen Buckley
  2. Nationality: Irish
  3. Working title of my PhD: 'The changing context of child protection services in Ireland, an opportunity to improve outcomes for children and families'
  4. Brief description of the research: The overall aim of my research is to explore the evolution of child protection practice in Ireland in the context of recent legislative and policy developments and to examine how these changes are affecting the delivery of services to vulnerable children and families. The initial focus of the study will be on referrals to the social work intake service of the Child and Family Agency, with a later focus on referrals or cases that survive initial screening, become allocated cases and go through the various standard business processes which are now used in the Agency.
  5. Funder of the research: School of Social Work and Social Policy

Mairead Finn ImageLouise Yorke

  1. Supervisor: Prof Robbie Gilligan
  2. Nationality: Irish
  3. Working title of PhD: "The Migration of Rural Girls to Urban Areas for Secondary Education in Southern Ethiopia (SNNPR)"
  4. Brief description of my research: In many developing countries including Ethiopia, recent evidence suggests that poor rural children are migrating to urban areas for secondary education with the hope of fulfilling their educational aspirations and those of their families, and achieving better social outcomes, increased economic prospects and enhanced well-being.  The aim of this study is to provide an understanding of rural girls’ distinct migration experiences for secondary education. Specifically information concerning the process underlying the decision to migrate, girls’ experiences in urban settings, their different trajectories through education and the impact of migration both for girls’ future lives and in their sending communities will be sought. The results will contribute to the understanding and debate of critical issues related to girls’ education in the research, policy and NGO community.
  5. Funder of the research: Supported by the Irish Research Council with initial seed funding from the Oak Foundation and the Trinity Trust Foundation. 
  6. Conferences/Papers:

Yorke, L. (2014).  ‘The Migration of Rural Girls to Urban Areas for Secondary Education in Southern Ethiopia (SNNPR): Briefing and Consultation Session with Key Stakeholders’.  Presented at the Embassy of Ireland, Addis Ababa, 13 November 2014.