Friday, April 28th - Sunday, April 30th 2017

The outcome of the most recent general election, which has required a minority government - itself including several non-party Ministers to secure opposition support in order to govern - is frequently referred to as “new politics”. A year into the term of the new Dáil, we will explore how new politics is changing the nature of decision making, the process of legislating and challenging the legitimacy of the institutions of justice.

The emergence of “new politics” in Ireland might be seen as a harbinger (or mirror) of developments overseas – notably

• the fallout from the UK electorate’s decision on Brexit,

• increasing political volatility in many other EU member states and

• a markedly different form of politics following the recent presidential election in the United States.

For practicing lawyers, this is of great importance. Time and again “new politics” is challenging traditional assumptions about the rule of law and our understanding of the separation of powers. The 2017 Burren Law School will explore these issues with the stimulus of speakers from the worlds of politics, journalism and the law from both Ireland and overseas.