GEMME Ireland: ‘Mediation in Education'
Date: Thursday 25th June 2026
Start Time: 4.30pm - (Tea/coffee served 4.15pm - 4.30pm)
Finish Time: 6.00pm
Location: Gaffney Room, Distillery Building and Online Platform - Using Zoom
Chair: His Honour Judge Geoffrey Shannon SC
Topic: 'Mediation in education: The global and national legal context, and reflections on the voice of the child/young person in mediation’.
The specific focus of this event is on:
(i) raising awareness of mediation in education citing the international and national legal context for mediation with some examples;
(ii) the voice of the child/young person in mediation in education and some examples where mediation has been successfully used, and perhaps not so successfully (insights gained, learnings etc).
Event Format:
4.15pm: Tea/Coffee
4.30pm: Welcome and Introduction
- Speaker 1 Professor Shivaun Quinlivan
- Speaker 2 Dr Aisling Parkes
5.30pm: Q & A and discussion
5.55pm: Evaluations, Wrap-Up/Closing Words
6pm: Close of event
Specific Focus of Speaker Presentations on 25thJune 2026
Professor Shivaun Quinlivan will focus on the broad international and national legal context for mediation in education with some examples where mediation in education has worked particularly well, and perhaps less successfully (learnings arising etc).
Dr Aisling Parkes will focus on the voice of the child/young person in mediation in
education, rationale, and examples of where mediation in educational contexts involving an authentic voice for the child/young person has worked well/not so well (learnings arising etc).
Speaker Biographies
Professor Shivaun Quinlivan is a Professor in Law at the University of Galway, specialising in equality and education law. Her research focuses on the right to education for children and people with disabilities. She is the co-editor of the foundational volume, The Right to Inclusive Education in International Human Rights Law, published by Cambridge University Press. Committed to fostering accessible learning spaces, she has co-led major institutional initiatives that have successfully advanced inclusion for students, including students with disabilities, in higher education.
Dr. Aisling Parkes (BCL, LLM, PHD, MATHLE, BAP, MA (Coaching Psychology)) is a senior academic at the School of Law, University College Cork and an internationally
recognised expert in children’s rights. Aisling trained as a mediator in 2013, and has since undertaken specialised qualifications in child‑inclusive mediation and meeting with children. Aisling’s interdisciplinary expertise is in the areas of children’s rights and child law. Her research seeks to bridge the gap between law and practice, contributing to professional training and national and international initiatives aimed at embedding children’s voices in mediation processes. Aisling led UCC’s LLM (ADR) as Programme Director for the last number of years and, as part of that programme, has developed and taught modules in child-inclusive mediation and children’s rights. Dr Parkes was recently appointed by the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Norma Foley to the role of
Special Rapporteur on Child Protection for a 2-year term.
Next GEMME Event: Mediation in special education/disability context will be explored at a GEMME event in November.
Registration (for all attendees) will be required in advance. Attendees have the option of
attending in-person or joining online. Registration is managed by the Bar of Ireland. Event will be recorded.
Accessibility Requirements: At the Bar of Ireland we wish for our events to be as welcoming, accessible and inclusive for all. Please provide us if comfortable with any accessibility related considerations so that we can endeavour to ensure a barrier free experience during the event. Please note that The Gaffney Room is not accessible via wheelchair. Email events@lawlibrary.ie to discuss your needs.