NUI Maynooth Eprint Archive
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Relationality, recognition and reward at the margins: Teachers’ experiences of mature student access courses in Irish higher education
No full textThis is a study of higher education teachers’ experiences of teaching on mature student access courses (MSACs) in Irish higher education. This qualitative research is an exploratory case study and is based on semi-structured interviews carried out online with nine MSAC teachers in two higher education institutions in Ireland. MSACs are long-standing operational elements of Irish higher education equity of access strategy and teachers’ experiences of teaching on these courses has been largely absent from Irish research literature up to now. The aim of this study is to present these educators’ perspectives of their work in this contextualised teaching space and thus to offer insight into the personal and professional meaning and value of this teaching in higher education.
These teaching roles are analysed against a backdrop of neoliberal practices and dominant academic cultures in higher education and participants’ experiences are explored through the interconnecting conceptual lenses of relational pedagogy and recognition. The study is significant from the perspective that the MSACs are located on the periphery of higher education institutions’ organisational structures and academic cultures, yet these educators are responsible for supporting non-traditional students to prepare for and successfully progress to higher education under a national equity of access remit. This is a core higher education mission which is central to institutional strategy, as well as to evaluation of institutional and higher education system performance at national level.
My findings suggest that at the micro and meso levels MSAC teaching is highly rewarding, professionally developmental work for my participants when considered through a relational lens, however that my participants experience a lack of recognition of this work and of their own professional status as teachers in higher education at a more macro, institutional level. For some, this impacts on their self-esteem and on their capacity to commit on a long-term basis to critical equity of access work in higher education.
A key argument of this thesis is that engaging in relation-centred education is as important for teachers’ growth and development, and for their institutional sense of belonging, as it is for students, and that an access course is a key site within higher education that offers this kind of experience and opportunity. In these teaching contexts a pedagogy of relation is also a pedagogy of recognition and thus this thesis argues for the need to create and promote opportunities to prioritise relational teaching within the dominant teaching-research dualism of higher education and to explicitly recognise the value and place of relation-centred teaching spaces, practices and teachers
Performance and factor structure of green, grey and red securities in European Union countries
No full textElectrochemical behaviour and DNA intercalation studies of novel antimicrobial Bis - Cu(II) substituted Dipyridophenazine complexes
No full textThe public health threat caused by antimicrobial drug resistance has led to research towards alternatives to current chemotherapeutics, with metal-based complexes providing an excellent and promising avenue. Cu(II) species are of particular interest in this area due to their redox properties that could interfere with and inhibit bacterial growth. Here, we report the synthesis and characterisation of four novel bis-Cu(II) substituted Dipyridophenazine complexes. The dypyridophenazine ligands (DPPZ) where synthesized with different substituents at the 11 position (i.e. NO2, Br, CH3 and CN) to evaluate the effect of the functionality with respect the redox and biological behaviour. The DNA intercalation properties together with a detailed electrochemical study of the complexes and of the ligands is reported. The toxicity of the complexes against Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and the yeast Candida albicans was characterised and the promise of this family of complexes as novel anti-microbial drugs in a post-antibiotic age was demonstrated
Report: The ERC DANCING Final Conference
No full textThis report gives an account of the DANCING Final Conference, which was held on 19 and 20 June 2025. The conference presented the main findings and results of the European Research Council-funded project ‘Protecting the Right to Culture of Persons with Disabilities and Enhancing Cultural Diversity through European Union Law: Exploring New Paths – DANCING’, led by Professor Delia Ferri (Professor of Law at the School of Law and Criminology of Maynooth University). The DANCING Final Conference aimed to reflect on the key achievements of the project, but also to explore future directions for research, policy, and practice related to European Union (EU) disability law and the right to cultural participation of persons with disabilities.
The conference brought together academics, policymakers, persons with disabilities, artists, and other stakeholders. Over two days, participants engaged in thematic panels and roundtables. The DANCING project, running from 1 September 2020 to 31 August 2025, pursued three main objectives: to identify barriers and facilitators to cultural participation by persons with disabilities (experiential), to explore how EU law can promote disability rights and cultural diversity (normative), and to offer a new theorisation of cultural diversity in EU law (theoretical). All three objectives were discussed throughout the conference. The first day focused on the research findings and academic contributions of the project, while the second day turned to policy implications and ‘Tools for Change’, including the launch of a Policy Brief – comprising recommendations for European Union and national policymakers and a Toolkit for cultural stakeholders.
Notably, the conference was opened by a video message from Professor Adam Bodnar, Minister of Justice of Poland, on behalf of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union (1 Jan 2025 – 30 Jun 2025). Two keynote speeches – respectively from Professor Bruno De Witte (Emeritus Professor at Maastricht University and Member of the Advisory Board of the DANCING Project) and Ms Inmaculada Placencia Porrero (Member of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Senior Disability Expert at the European Commission) – marked the two days. A keynote dialogue led by Professor Mark Priestley (Emeritus Professor at Leeds University and Member of the Advisory Board of the DANCING Project) concluded the second day of the conference. The DANCING Final Conference also included two side events that marked the artistic collaborations deployed during the course of the project. The first was the unveiling of the artwork ‘Odisseo-Ulysses’ created by artist Tiziano Pantano. The second was the premiere of the documentary ‘Steps to Change: Following the DANCING Project 2020 – 2025’ produced by Feenish Production Ltd. and directed by James Kelly.
Besides discussing the conference content and its most significant moments, the report outlines key organisational aspects with a focus on how accessibility was planned and delivered throughout the event, in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and DANCING’s own accessibility strategy. Strategic planning was vital to ensure venues were accessible to wheelchair users, but also suitable for people with a range of disabilities. Accessibility measures further included provision of Irish Sign Language (ISL) interpretation throughout, alternative formats (Braille, large print, digital soft copy) of the programme and relevant documentation of the conference, as well as the embedding of accessibility features in the documentary and the artwork.
On the whole, the DANCING Final Conference showcased the cross-cutting nature of the interdisciplinary research conducted, but also highlighted the project’s commitment to bridging academic research with practice and to ensuring that persons with disabilities are active participants in shaping inclusive cultural spaces across Europe
The heart of the campus: How academic libraries in Ireland are supporting student well-being
No full textAcademic libraries are at the heart of campus life and are therefore in a unique position to provide mental health and well-being support to students. Despite many initiatives taking place on the island of Ireland very little literature has been published providing evidence of this. Academic librarians who were either library directors, or who had responsibility for student services in the library, enthusiastically responded to a survey which asked questions regarding the provision of mental health and well-being supports in their libraries, and the drivers and barriers in doing so. The study also investigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on service provision. The findings of this study and recommendations for academic libraries in Ireland will be discussed in this presentation
The VEGF‐Mediated Cytoprotective Ability of MIF‐Licensed Mesenchymal Stromal Cells in House Dust Mite‐Induced Epithelial Damage
No full textABSTRACT
Enhancing mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) therapeutic efficacy through licensing with proinflammatory cytokines is now well established. We have previously shown that macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF)‐licensed MSCs exerted significantly enhanced therapeutic efficacy in reducing inflammation in house dust mite (HDM)‐driven allergic asthma. Soluble mediators released into the MSC secretome boast cytoprotective properties equal to those associated with the cell itself. In asthma, epithelial barrier damage caused by the inhalation of allergens like HDM drives goblet cell hyperplasia. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays a pivotal role in the repair and maintenance of airway epithelial integrity. Human bone marrow‐derived MSCs expressed the MIF receptors CD74, CXCR2, and CXCR4. Endogenous MIF from high MIF expressing CATT 7 bone marrow‐derived macrophages increased MSC production of VEGF through the MIF CXCR4 chemokine receptor, where preincubation with CXCR4 inhibitor mitigated this effect. CATT 7 ‐MIF licensed MSC conditioned media containing increased levels of VEGF significantly enhanced bronchial epithelial wound healing via migration and proliferation in vitro. Blocking VEGFR2 or the use of mitomycin C abrogated this effect. Furthermore, CATT 7 ‐MIF MSC CM significantly decreased goblet cell hyperplasia after the HDM challenge in vivo. This was confirmed to be VEGF‐dependent, as the use of anti‐human VEGF neutralising antibody abrogated this effect. Overall, this study highlights that MIF‐licenced MSCs show enhanced production of VEGF, which has the capacity to repair the lung epithelium
Dismantling Barriers and Advancing the Right of Persons with Disabilities to Participate in Cultural Life: A Socio-Legal Analysis
No full textThe right to participate in cultural life is profoundly rooted in international human rights law, and, with regard to persons with disabilities, it is enunciated in Article 30 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD or the Convention). This provision requires States Parties to the Convention to ensure accessibility of cultural materials, services and activities, and cultural heritage, and to support the creative and artistic potential of persons with disabilities. However, people with disabilities continue to face barriers to cultural participation.
On foot of a pan-European empirical study and a socio-legal analysis, this book discusses the normative content of Article 30 CRPD and its implementation. It identifies and categorises barriers to cultural participation, highlighting new paths to operationalise Article 30 CRPD.
This book will be of interest to scholars and students working in disability law, socio-legal studies, international human rights law, as well as cultural studies, disability studies, and cultural policies
Housing Need and Demand Assessment Policy Report. Data Stories Working Paper 7.
No full textThis policy report examines the use of data to determine long-term housing tenure needs
and demands in Ireland through an in-depth case study of the Government of Ireland’s
Housing Need and Demand Assessment (HNDA) policy. The study draws from deskbased research of all 31 local authority’s local development plans, 11 interviews with
planners, policymakers and consultants involved in the rollout and present review of the
HNDA, two workshops with key stakeholders exploring the relationship between
evidence and policy and 13 post-workshop interviews. Beyond providing a synthesis of
how the HNDA process was understood by users and key stakeholders, the report
develops a critique of: 1) the methodology, 2) the capacity of local authorities to perform
an HNDA, 3) the rollout of the policy and 4) overarching governance issues
Employment motivations and values in the creative industries: Reorienting from creativity to well-being among-Generation Zs in Ireland
No full textThis study aims to better understand the experiences and motivations of creative industry workers who graduated degree programmes at a time of significant work and employment instability during the Covid-19 pandemic. Using a case study approach involving a qualitative questionnaire with 16 open- and closed-ended questions, we present responses from 20 graduates of media studies programmes at an Irish university. Findings show that young people who graduated at the time of the pandemic did experience career disruption and felt financially compelled to rethink their career ambitions. Pandemic-related economic uncertainties meant that many participants either did not enter creative industries or took up roles that did not utilise their creative degrees. However, many of these young people have found job satisfaction in ‘being mentally well’ at least as much as ‘being creative’, and prioritise good quality of life and achieving work-life balance. Good mental health and well-being are pronounced personal and career motivators, with new work regimes such as remote and hybrid working seen as important rewards and incentives
Reconhecimento em Dirty Works: A Gestão do Estigma no Trabalho Sexual Recognition in Dirty Works: Managing Stigma in Sex Work
No full textResumo
Reconhecimento em Dirty Works: A Gestão
do Estigma no Trabalho Sexual
Este artigo analisa a gestão do estigma no trabalho sexual, argumentando que
esse processo se baseia em anseios por reconhecimento e não somente em expectativas de validação e normalização do trabalho maculado. Ele se embasa nos
debates sociológicos contemporâneos sobre dirty works, que visam compreender
o impacto das máculas morais nos trabalhadores e as estratégias para gerenciamento de estigmas. A análise é realizada no universo do trabalho sexual no webcamming, um lócus central para compreender demandas por reconhecimento
devido à amplitude de sua mácula. O estudo se alicerça em etnografia digital
conduzida de 2016 a 2020 e 15 entrevistas em profundidade com trabalhadoras
sexuais. Conclui-se que as trabalhadoras buscam desenvolver uma autorrelação
positiva e conquistar estima social através do gerenciamento do estigma atribuído
a seu labor e a si mesmas, demonstrando narrativamente como o trabalho sexual
contribui para seu autodesenvolvimento e possui função social para além da
obtenção de renda.
Abstract
Recognition in Dirty Works: Managing Stigma in Sex Work
This paper analyzes the stigma managing in sex work, arguing that this process is
based on a longing for recognition and not merely on expectations to validate and
normalize the dirty work. It uses contemporary sociological debates about dirty
works, which aim to understand the impact of moral taints on workers and the
strategies for stigma management. The analysis is developed in webcamming sex
labor, a central locus to understand demands for recognition due to the breadth
of its taint. The study relies on digital ethnography conducted between 2016 and
2020 and on 15 in-depth interviews with sex workers. The paper concludes that
workers aim to develop a positive self-relation and acquire social esteem by
managing the stigma attributed to their work and to themselves, demonstrating
narratively how sex labor contributes to their self-development and has a social
role besides earning income