Foreword to the Tenth Edition

• Author: Dr. Vicky Conway
• Position: Co-Editor in Chief of the 1st Edition of COLR
• Pages: 6-6

[2011] COLR

vi

Forward To the Tenth Edition

It gives me great pleasure to write the foreword to the 10th edition of the Cork Online Law

Review. In 2002, I and a number of other students on the UCC Student Law Society committee

decided to act on an idea which had been floating about for a few years; to set up a student law

review. We had not the faintest idea how to go about this task, how to gather articles, how to edit

them, how to publish a law review. We had, however, been reading and consulting the finished

products of other Law Schools throughout our studies and knew that the students of UCC were

researching and writing at a level which deserved such a platform.

With purpose and enthusiasm but limited knowledge we turned where all discerning law students

turn – to the Faculty. They did not disappoint. Wonderful guidance, support and encouragement

came freely from the Law School. As Head of School, Prof Irene Lynch Fannon provided great

assistance and, indeed, if I remember correctly, it was Prof Maeve McDonagh who suggested the

online format, now a defining feature of the Review. I still remember the meeting where the

editorial board came together to discuss the pieces which had been submitted for consideration;

the diversity, originality and quality of the work was both exciting and relieving. We knew it

would be a strong publication. It was with immense pride that we gathered on 7 March 2002 to

hear the Chief Justice, Mr Justice Ronan Keane, launch the first edition of the Cork Online Law

Review.

Since then COLR has become a source of penetrating and critical analysis of highly topical

issues. From international humanitarian law in armed conflict (2009) to the statutory rape crisis

(2007) and from the governing of Irish financial institutions (2003) to victim impact statements

(2005) COLR has continually produced articles which identify and deconstruct legal

complexities, ones which continue to confound leading jurists. This edition is no exception and

in fact pushes the boundaries even further with articles in three languages (English, French and

Irish), relating to domestic, comparative and international law and with contributions from

students and faculty alike. The range of topics addressed in the current issue is equally

impressive: trade union law, sentencing, corruption in developing states, company passports, the

law of armed conflict, law and literature, the role of parliamentary inquiries as well as the French

debate on the wearing of the burqa. Each resonates with debates that are immediate and thorny,

displaying yet again COLR‘s immense relevance.

Student Law Reviews serve a great purpose in legal education. Giving students an opportunity to

publish their work, COLR enables the students of UCC to set themselves apart and it equally acts

as promotion of the quality and innovation of the School of Law‘s students. A quick survey of

the authors included in the ten editions produces a list of the emerging generation of academics

and lawyers.

COLR has matured over the last ten years into a valuable resource for all involved in the study of

law in Ireland. The editorial board of the 10th edition of COLR are to be congratulated and this

edition is to be commended to all.

Dr Vicky Conway

Co-Editor in Chief of the 1st Edition of COLR.