2025-26 competition

This year’s essay title is: “Protecting Voices, Preventing Harm: Legal Challenges in Online Freedom of Speech." The school entry pack is available below:

1. Letter to TY Coordinators
2. Guidance note for TY Coordinators
3. Guidance note for students
4. Declaration Form
5. Marking Scheme for Schools

About Judge Gráinne O’Neill

The Gráinne O’Neill Memorial Legal Essay Competition honours the life and legacy of the late Judge Gráinne O’Neill. In 2014, Gráinne became the youngest judge in Ireland to be appointed. Gráinne died in 2018 following a period of illness but, during her life and especially during her years as a judge, Gráinne worked diligently to apply the law in a fair, rigorous and compassionate manner.

In four short years, she left a rich legacy of strong, compassionate justice with a profound, empathetic regard for those struggling to make ends meet and to make good in life. Gráinne infused spaces and places with her joyful gratitude for life and desire to make a difference to people and their lives.

She reflected greatly on all matters to do with the law and on best ways to build a fair, just society. She was courageous, creative and deeply committed to doing good work and work of a high standard.

About the Competition

The Gráinne O’Neill Memorial Legal Essay Competition enables TY students to explore a chosen essay title in a way that will help them be creative and innovative in their thinking and writing.

The judges will be looking especially at freshness of approach and your approach will be unique and different from another student’s approach. We hope that you enjoy the process also and that you will feel a great sense of achievement when you submit your essay. All finalists will be invited to an awards event at the Law Society of Ireland. For the overall winners, we have three cash prizes also and a special Memorial Trophy and medal. The trophy will remain with the prizewinning school for a period of one year.

Past winners

• 2024: Patrick Galvin, Abbey Community College, Waterford
• Saorla McDonagh Sharkey, St Vincent's Dundalk, Co Louth

In the videos below, Patrick and Saorla share their experiences of the competition.