Irish Perspective Research Articles

Exploring women’s lived experiences of substance use and social work to inform social work education and practice, an Irish perspective

ABSTRACT Mothers dealing with substance use face increased stigma when interacting with the health and social systems, putting them under pressure. Contemporary Irish social work policies emphasize Hidden Harm, which prioritizes the well-being of the child. Though this is necessary to an extent to protect children in social care situations, the needs of parents are often unconsidered. Likewise, their perspectives on social work are underrepresented within the field’s discourse. This study explores the perspectives of Irish women in substance use treatment on their experiences within the social work system. A semi-structured group discussion methodology was utilized. All women who were engaged with services at Agency One and Two, two women-only substance use treatment facilities, were invited to participate. Nine discussion groups were formed across the two services. A total of n = 47 women participated in the study. The participants reported a lack of support and transparency from social work professionals and overwhelmingly negative experiences in the care system. Experiences of intergenerational pathways to entering the care system were strongly present. The experiences of the participants were largely negative and contradicted Ireland’s social work policies. Continued perspectives from this population, along with social work professionals, are necessary.

Advancing Contouring Skills for Radiation Therapists through a structured teaching approach - An Irish Perspective

Advancing Contouring Skills for Radiation Therapists through a structured teaching approach - An Irish Perspective

Kicking Back: Negation of Enlightenment in Brian Dillon’s Objects in This Mirror

In this article I will examine aspects of the work of the Irish writer Brian Dillon which allow us to propose the continuing relevance, from an Irish perspective, of a strain of critical discourse which engages with the legacy of the Enlightenment. Specifically, I look primarily at Dillon’s 2014 essay collection Objects in This Mirror as well as his 2017 collection Essayism, with a view to establishing some key characteristics of his artistic project, while showing their compatibility with the cultural materialism of key scholars of the Frankfurt School, before finally making explicit the compatibility of Dillon’s work with the values which underpin the Irish Field Day project which has influenced Irish studies since the 1980s.

Reconceptualizing evaluation and assessment from a culturally responsive standpoint – An Irish perspective

AbstractThis article explores the impact that Professor Stafford Hood had on the development of culturally responsive evaluation and assessment (CRE/A) in Ireland. Starting with a brief outline of the demographic and cultural changes that have happened in Ireland since the mid‐1990s, the article discusses the initial encounters with Professor Hood and his introduction of the theories, practice and praxis of CRE/A to a group of Irish scholars. This engagement was formalized by the establishment of the CREA‐Dublin, hosted in Dublin City University. The article examines how CREA‐Dublin has used the culturally responsive lens to critique evaluation, assessment, and quality assurance practices within Ireland and across the European Union (EU). Outlining the impact of several major EU funded projects as well as locally initiated research, the article concludes by highlighting the centrality of Professor Hood as a scholar and an individual to the transformation of research and practice in the fields of evaluation and assessment on the island of Ireland and beyond.

An Exploration of Occupational Therapy Practices with Children and Adolescents Experiencing Complex Trauma: An Irish Perspective

Complex trauma has considerable impact on children and frequently results in the need for multidisciplinary intervention including occupational therapy. This study aimed to explore occupational therapy practice with children experiencing complex trauma in Ireland. Sixty occupational therapists participated in an anonymous online survey. School-based activities and sensory processing were identified as most frequently addressed in occupational therapy. Sensory-based therapy and parent-coaching are the most frequently used interventions in practice. There is an identified need for further trauma-specific training and resources to advance occupational therapy practice with this population. The results from this study are limited to therapists practicing in Ireland.

Mindfulness in Catholic Primary Schools: An Irish Perspective

Irish Catholic primary education operates within a context increasingly marked by detraditionalisation and secularisation. As religious belief and identity recedes in Ireland, Catholic schools face challenges in enabling the children they serve to develop a personal relationship with God and nurturing their faith formation and development, an important element of the mission of the Catholic school. At the same time, mindfulness practice has grown exponentially in popularity across many sectors of society, including in Irish education. A growing body of research supports mindfulness practice in schools, citing benefits such as improved academic performance and enhanced wellbeing. This review examines the development of mindfulness practice in Irish Catholic primary schools. Curricular reform in primary education regarding the growing role of wellbeing is explored. The review also addresses opportunities and challenges to mindfulness practice in these schools.

Health Services Research: an Irish perspective

Abstract Tapping into her rich experience of health services research in Argentina, Ireland and as a consultant for UNICEF, the World Bank and the Iberoamerican Fund Bank, Carla Perrota will provide an insightful perspective on the elements presented during the workshop. She will conclude by presenting her vision of the challenges and opportunities facing Health Services Research in Europe.

Automation, artificial intelligence and future skills needs: an Irish perspective

PurposeThis study explores insights from key stakeholders into the skills they believe will be necessary for the future of work as we become more reliant on artificial intelligence (AI) and technology. The study also seeks to understand what human resource policies and educational interventions are needed to support and take advantage of these changes.Design/methodology/approachThis is a qualitative study where a sample of highly experienced representatives from a range of small to large Irish organisations, both public and private, provide insights into this important topic.FindingsFindings indicate participants see a continued need for soft and hard skills as we evolve towards a more technologised workplace, with a need for employees to adopt a lifelong learning philosophy. As the knowledge economy in Ireland is well established, experts do not expect mass displacement to occur but differ with respect to the predicted rate of change. Novel HR interventions such as hiring for potential, pooling talent and establishing postgraduate supply contracts are seen as key. Current state interventions were mostly viewed positively but revamping of curricula is needed as well as stronger partnerships with tertiary institutions.Research limitations/implicationsThe interpretivist nature of the study limits the generalisability of the findings as they are based on a relatively small sample from one country. Also despite the significant expertise of the sample, it is not possible to predict whether their forecasts will manifest.Practical implicationsThis research highlights the need for Irish SMEs to embrace the impacts of automation and AI as many are seen to be slow in reacting to changes in technology. The study also reveals cutting edge talent management interventions for employers to adopt that will insulate them from the challenges technological change presents to recruitment and employee development.Originality/valueThe findings from this paper culminate in the development of a conceptual framework, which encapsulates the responsibilities of all parties so that future skills needs will be met. This highlights the interplay between employers, individuals/employees, the Irish Government and educational institutions, demonstrating how they are interdependent on one another as we move towards a more technologised future.

A critical review of intersectionality, social work education and sex work: an Irish perspective

Social work programmes offer a professional qualification with a primary objective of addressing issues of oppression in society. This furnishes a curriculum that prioritises practice-based social work education, alongside the very structural components that create the oppression of race, gender, age and ethnicity of its citizens. Intersectionality is rarely considered mainstream, with a preference for linear, one-dimensional theory, rather than a multilevel theoretical framework towards anti-oppressive practice. Using an adapted voice-centred relational model, the study examines the intersecting experiences of sex workers in the Republic of Ireland. The findings indicate that sex workers primarily work indoors, hold precarious legal status and are situated in Ireland as a response to global migration and economic necessity. The research argues for a revised (intersecting) critical framework for social work education that challenges current sex-work narratives and policies that reinforce ‘helping relationships’ of surveillance, regulation and the exclusion of sex workers.

Pilot of a person-centred, interdisciplinary approach to goal setting in Ireland’s National Rehabilitation Hospital: a study protocol

Background: Research has emphasized the value of a person-centered, interdisciplinary approach to structured goal setting in rehabilitation; yet these approaches are not consistently implemented in clinical practice, limiting the effect that goal setting can have on rehabilitation. The introduction of a new interdisciplinary, person-centered goal setting process to Ireland’s national rehabilitation hospital offers an opportunity to gain novel insight into barriers to implementing and normalising IDT goal setting in complex, specialist rehabilitation services. Methods: The goal setting process was collaboratively designed based on iterative rounds of patient and staff feedback. It will be piloted in three different units of the hospital. The outlined study was co-designed by embedded academic researchers and knowledge stakeholders (the quality improvement team responsible for introducing the new process; and two former patients). The aim is to use a mixed methods approach to capture patient and staff experiences and perspectives of the new process. Data will be collected by embedded researchers with a combination of self-report measures and qualitative interviews with both staff and patients. Self-report measures focus on capturing person centeredness of goals, shared decision making, interprofessional socialization and process normalization. Quantitative data will be represented using descriptive and inferential statistics; qualitative data will be analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Discussion & Conclusion: From this data the researchers aim to present a holistic view of the patient and staff experiences of the goal setting process. This may further illuminate challenges and potential solutions to implementing changes to goal setting within this context. Findings will be used to inform implementation within the hospital and will contribute to knowledge for rehabilitation practice around implementing IDT goal setting. This will add an Irish perspective to existing goal setting rehabilitation literature.

The Merits of Ambiguity: Provocation from the Irish Perspective

The old common law defence of provocation has been abolished in many jurisdictions, including England and Wales and Northern Ireland, but it is still part of the law south of the Irish border. Up to now the Irish law of provocation has been built up solely by the courts, and has developed a number of peculiarities, not least the apparent rejection of the objective test by the Court of Criminal Appeal in the 1978 case of MacEoin. However, it is not until recently that the defence has come to the attention to the Supreme Court, in the 2020 case of McNamara. In this case the court set out to clarify the law, but the case has been criticised by commentators for its failure to clear up some of the existing ambiguities; indeed, it has been said that it has even introduced further ambiguities into the law that did not exist before. Be that as it may, this paper argues that McNamara is to be welcomed, in so far as it promotes a flexible approach and one which recognises the essentially normative nature of the provocation defence.

Religious Education in the Early Years: An Irish Perspective

Ireland’s education system at primary level is renowned for its lack of diversity, with most schools falling under the patronage of the Catholic Church. This homogeneity of school type is problematic from a number of perspectives, not least the changed demographics in terms of religious affiliation in Ireland. There is a desire for change by all; however, the pace of change is slow. Whilst the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) determines the curriculum for all subject areas in primary schools, this body has no remit over the subject of religious education (RE). The responsibility for the provision of RE has rested with the patrons of schools since the inception of the national school system. This review focuses on the provision of early years’ Catholic RE in schools and pre-schools in the Republic of Ireland. In recent years, the importance afforded to the subject of RE and its status in schools has been eroded. The impact on early childhood religious education of this diminution is outlined. The review also addresses the training and support of teachers to work in the Catholic school sector and concurs with other writers in the field that current programmes of preparation require reform.

Teachers’ experiences of using Minecraft Education in primary school: An Irish perspective

ABSTRACT Minecraft Education is a popular digital game-based learning platform designed for use in educational settings. This study explores teachers’ experiences of using Minecraft Education as an educational tool to foster the development of key competencies and skills in students. Semi-structured interviews with Irish primary school teachers (N = 11) were conducted during a national project-based initiative involving Minecraft Education in primary schools called Ireland’s Future is MINE. Thematic analysis identified six major themes: encourages student collaboration, supports creativity, students as active participants in their learning, inclusive educational tool, supports curricular content, and barriers to use. Findings emphasise how the platform can be used in the classroom to support the development of skills and competencies students need to succeed in the future while simultaneously supporting curricular content. In addition, the platform can enable learning conditions that are more inclusive and equitable for all students. External technological barriers to use need to be addressed to realise the full potential of the platform in a classroom setting. The paper concludes with a series of recommendations and implications relating to the use of Minecraft Education in primary school classrooms.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the provision of endovascular thrombectomy for stroke: an Irish perspective

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic produced unprecedented challenges to healthcare systems. These challenges were amplified in the setting of endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) for large vessel occlusion strokes given the time-sensitive nature of the procedure.AimsTo assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on service provision at the primary endovascular stroke centre in Ireland.MethodsA retrospective review of the National Thrombectomy Service database was performed. All patients undergoing EVT from 1 January to 31 December inclusive of 2019 to 2021 were included. Patient demographics, functional outcomes and endovascular treatment time metrics were recorded.ResultsData from 2019, 2020 and 2021 were extracted. Three hundred seven thrombectomies were performed in 2019 and 2020; this number increased to 327 in 2021. Median time from arrival to groin puncture for thrombectomy was 64 min in 2019, increasing to 65 min in 2020. In 2021, this decreased to 52 min. Median time taken from groin puncture to first perfusion remained stable from 2019 to 2021 years at 20 min. Total duration of emergency thrombectomies reduced from 32 min in 2019 to 27 min in 2020. This increased to 29 min in 2021.ConclusionsDespite the myriad of challenges presented by the pandemic, service provision at the primary Irish ESC, and the referring hospitals, has proven to be robust. Procedural time metrics were maintained whilst the expected reduction in number of EVTs performed did not materialise, there actually being a significant increase in number of EVTs performed in the pandemic’s second year.

The Neglected Legacy and Harms of Epistemic Colonising: Linguicism, Epistemic Exploitation, and Ontic Burnout

Abstract This paper sets out to accomplish two goals. First, drawing on the Irish perspective, it reconceptualises one of the enduring legacy-based harms of epistemic colonisation, in this case, ‘linguicism’, in terms of ‘hermeneutical injustice’. Second, it argues that otherwise well-meaning attempts to combat epistemic colonisation through the inclusion of marginalised testimony can, in certain circumstances, lead to cases of ‘epistemic exploitation’, which, in turn, can result in ‘ontic burnout’. Both linguicism and epistemic exploitation, this paper theorises, have the potential to bring about ontic burnout. Here is the plan: to set the scene, section I briefly surveys some key arguments supporting the call for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to engage in epistemic decolonising, focusing on the importance of striking a balance between two extremes: (i) abandoning all forms of Eurocentric/colonial knowledge through the elimination of inherited thinking and conceptual schemes which result from colonisation, in particular, those which remain in our thinking “owing to inertia rather than to our own reflective choices”; (ii) the other – pursuing a more positive project where we seek to, “exploit as much as is judicious the resources of indigenous conceptual schemes”. From here, it moves to consider harms associated with a subset of ‘epistemicide’, that is, ‘linguicism’ – a phenomenon where the language and culture of the coloniser become part of the ‘civilising project’ and, in more extreme cases of linguicide, forcibly replaces indigenous languages. Section II then explores the subtleties of harmful by-products deriving from ‘inclusion’, namely that which scholars refer to as ‘epistemic exploitation’. Situations where marginalised scholars are finally ‘at the table but still on the menu’ arise when privileged persons, compel marginalised knowers to educate them [and others] about the nature of their oppression. Habitual requests to turn themselves inside out for emancipatory principles give rise to a phenomenon known as ontic burnout – “a form of dissociative explanatory fatigue culminating in oppressed persons engaging in a conscious or unconscious decoupling from their socially constructed identity, from the burdens and injustices associated with being a member of a certain social kind”. This harm is, I argue, rarely discussed in the literature and worthy of further analysis.

Ammonia Cycling and Emerging Secondary Aerosols from Arable Agriculture: A European and Irish Perspective

Ammonia (NH3) is a naturally occurring, highly reactive and soluble alkaline trace gas, originating from both natural and anthropogenic sources. It is present throughout the biosphere, yet plays a complicated role in atmospheric acid–base reactions resulting in the formation of inorganic secondary inorganic aerosols (SIAs). While the general mechanisms are recognised, factors controlling the reactions leading to SIA formation are less explored. This review summarises the current knowledge of NH3 sources, emission and deposition processes and atmospheric reactions leading to the formation of SIA. Brief summaries of NH3 and SIA long-range transport and trans-boundary pollution, a discussion of precursor species to SIAs (other than NH3), abiotic and biotic controls and state-of-the-art methods of measurement and modelling of pollutants are also included. In Ireland, NH3 concentrations remained below National and European Union limits, until 2016 when a rise in emissions was seen due to agricultural expansion. However, due to a lack of continuous monitoring, source and receptor relationships are difficult to establish, including the appointment of precursor gases and aerosols to source regions and industries. Additionally, the lack of continuous monitoring leads to over- and underestimations of precursor gases present, resulting in inaccuracies of the estimated importance of NH3 as a precursor gas for SIA. These gaps in data can hinder the accuracy and precision of forecasting models. Deposition measurements and the modelling of NH3 present another challenge. Direct source measurements are required for the parameterization of bi-directional fluxes; however, high-quality data inputs can be limited by local micrometeorological conditions, or the types of instrumentation used. Long-term measurements remain challenging for both aerosols and precursor gases over larger areas or arduous terrains.

Cost-benefit assessment of shore side electricity: An Irish perspective

This study, based on 2019 data, investigates the cost-effectiveness of Shore Side Electricity (SSE) adoption utilising the existing and future (2030) Irish energy mix, while considering different levels of adoption across six scenarios, incorporating both “port-side” and “ship-side” private costs alongside the benefits from reduced external costs and avoided Auxiliary Engine (AE) fuel costs. Passenger ships calling to the two most populated Irish port cities of Dublin and Belfast were selected as the case study, owing to the significance of such ports and ship types in the Irish maritime economy. For the existing Irish energy mix, the most optimal solution among the discussed scenarios was that of switching the top 10 most frequent passenger ship callers in Dublin and Belfast to SSE, as it reflected the highest Net Present Values (NPV) of €34.06 million and €15.44 million, respectively. The future (year 2030) SSE supply is expected to be “cleaner” due to an increase in the uptake of renewable energy sources, which will further boost the obtained NPVs by 50%. A combination of public funding (by 50%), increment in supplied electricity price by 8.62% (for Dublin) and 10.01% (for Belfast) and an annual ticket price supplement (per passenger seat) by €0.03 (for Dublin) and €0.04 (for Belfast), can create a business case for the identified optimal scenario.

Children's lives and rights under lockdown: A Northern Irish perspective by autistic young people

AbstractBy June 2021, children and young people had experienced two periods of lockdown and home learning in Northern Ireland. The detrimental impact of these periods of indefinite confinement is wider reaching than reported educational stagnation, with the fundamental rights of childhood: play; rest; and leisure; all adversely implicated. Autistic children's experiences of Covid‐19 have been largely absent from current crisis and recovery discourse. This is the first published study to directly and specifically involve autistic children both as research advisors and as research participants in a rights‐based participatory study relating to the pandemic. Drawing on concepts of ableist childism and epistemic injustice, this article presents, through Photovoice, the emotional, social and educational experiences of post‐ primary aged autistic young people in Northern Ireland during the first 2020 lockdown of the Covid‐19 pandemic. The project was grounded in a child rights‐based approach and was guided by a group of four autistic young advisors aged 11–15. The paper concludes by arguing that government responses to the pandemic, as experienced by autistic young people, act as forms of oppression that prioritises and further embeds normative non‐autistic structures and responses under the guise of public health necessity.

Elder abuse: responsibilities of staff when safeguarding nursing home residents in the Republic of Ireland.

Elder abuse is a growing concern for nurses who work with older people, and safeguarding incidents can be challenging and complex to manage. In the Republic of Ireland, safeguarding agencies claim there is a lack of reporting of abuse to the authorities, raising questions as to whether nurses know how, when and where to report safeguarding concerns. Despite varying strategies and laws concerning the reporting of elder abuse worldwide, the principles of recognising and responding to abuse are similar. However, to date, there is no specific legislation governing safeguarding for adults in Ireland. This article discusses elder abuse and safeguarding nursing home residents from an Irish perspective, explaining the process of managing concerns in practice using an analysis of a case study.

An Irish Perspective on Festival Making in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of St. Patrick’s Festival

In December 2021, Danielle Lynch interviewed interim director of St. Patrick’s Festival, Anna McGowan about the experiences and challenges faced by the festival in planning Ireland’s largest arts festival during a global pandemic. The discussion details immediate actions taken by festival organisers in the aftermath of the March 2020 cancellation. The interview also provides an insight into how the festival responded to ongoing public health constraints in planning the 2021 national St. Patrick’s Festival.