Offaly TY student takes top legal-essay prize
Rhea Schreiber from Sacred Heart Secondary School, Tullamore, Co Offaly has won the top prize in the Law Society national Gráinne O’Neill memorial legal essay competition 2026.
The winners were announced at a ceremony held at Blackhall Place in Dublin yesterday (6 May).
Transition-year students were asked to submit a 1,500-word essay examining the topic ‘Protecting Voices, Preventing Harm: Legal Challenges in Online Freedom of Speech’.
‘Outstanding’ essay
The judges described the winning essay as “outstanding”, with “excellent legal insight, originality, and clarity of argument”.
Rhea won a €1,000 prize and a cup for her school.
“Researching and writing the essay topic gave me a chance to learn more about Irish law and consider the different legal rights that are relevant when we share views online and on social media,” the winner said.
“One of the most valuable things I learned during this process was about Judge Gráinne O’Neill; it was fascinating to learn about her life, her experiences, how she was the youngest judge. I found her passion for the law inspiring,” she added.
Aisling Keaveney (Holy Rosary College, Mountbellew, Galway) took the second prize of €500, while Niamh Doyle (Our Lady's Bower, Athlone, Westmeath) came third, winning €250.
The judges also decided to award seven merit certificates to:
- Euan Stewart (Moville Community College, Co Donegal),
- Nathan Keane (St Gerald’s DLS College, Co Mayo),
- Louise Tynan (St Paul’s Secondary School, Greenhills, Dublin),
- Matias O Conaill (Christian Brothers College, Cork),
- Roiri Gately (Mercy College, Roscommon),
- Muhammad Ibrahim Tariq (Marist College, Athlone, Westmeath), and
- Primrose Scully (Árdscoil Na Tríonóide, Athy, Kildare).
The Law Society has hosted the national competition for the past four years, and this year’s edition attracted more than 500 entries.
The competition aims to inspire young people’s legal learning by encouraging students from a wide range of backgrounds to consider contemporary justice issues.
President of the Law Society Rosemarie Loftus described the competition as a highlight in the Law Society’s public legal-education events calendar each year.
“It was heartening to read so many considered essays, identify individual thinking, and to be enlightened by a younger person’s perspective and understanding of the legal challenges that online freedom of speech can bring,” she said.
About Judge Gráinne O’Neill
The competition honours the life and legacy of the late Judge Gráinne O’Neill, who became the youngest judge in Ireland when she was appointed to the District Court in 2014.
She died in 2018 following a period of illness. During her life and, especially, during her years as a judge, she worked diligently to apply the law in a fair, rigorous, and compassionate manner.
Members of her family were present at the ceremony – including Gráinne O’Neill’s father Terry, who addressed the students.
Speaking at the ceremony, Keith Walsh SC described the event as a “fit and appropriate tribute to her memory”.