Assoc ProfessorMuireann Ní Raghallaigh

Muireann research interests are primarily focused on separated children seeking asylum / unaccompanied minors and issues related to asylum seekers, refugees, and migrants / migration more generally. Muireann's other interests include anti-racist and culturally conscious social work practice; international social work; self awareness and personal development amongst social work students and practitioners; coping strategies (including religious coping); faith / religion and social work; and solution focused techniques. 

Muireann is currently involved in three projects: She is PI of a Workpackage on Tackling Acute Housing Inequality amoung Refugees and Asylum Seekers as part of the Equal House Horizon Europe funded project on Inequality in Housing (led by Professor Michelle Norris, UCD); she is co-PI of a project on the experiences of separated children in state care who are seeking international protection (commissioned by EPIC and funded by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC); and she will shortly commence a project for the Irish Refugee Council (also funded by IHREC) on access to housing for beneficiaries of international protection. Muireann is also a member of the international advisory board for a Norwegian Research Council project on foster care for children with migrant backgrounds (HoMi project).  

Muireann's PhD research focused on the experiences of unaccompanied minors/separated children living in Ireland, with a focus on their coping strategies, including the use of religious coping. Building on that research and reflecting changes in the care arrangements for separated children in the Irish context, she then undertook a study, funded by Barnardos and the Health Service Execuritive, on foster care for separated asylum seeking children and young people.  She also collaborated with the Irish Refugee Council on a pan European project on Durable Solutions for separated children. She subsequently undertook research on social work perspectives on the direct provision system for asylum seekers in Ireland (in collaboration with Maeve Foreman of Trinity College Dublin). In 2015 she was funded by the Irish Research Council (New Foundations Engaging Civic Society funding stream) to undertake research in partnership with the Irish Refugee Council on the experiences of people transitioning out of the direct provision system. The research report which was co-authored with Maeve Foreman (TCD) and Maggie Feeley (UCD) was launched in June 2016 by the Minister for Integration David Stantan. Muireann was also involved in a European Project on foster care for Unaccompanied Minors (FORUM) and a was principal investigator (working with Dr. Karen Smith, Dr. Jennifer Scholtz and Azad Izzeddin) on a research project funded by the Children's Rights Alliance on the needs of refugee children who have arrived in Ireland via the Irish Refugee Protection Programme. She also undertook research, (with Dr. Karen Smith), on refugee family reunification, commissioned by Nasc and was co-PI of a project on refugee integration with Dr. Zoё O'Reilly (now at Maynooth University) and the University of Edinburgh as part of the Scottish Irish Migration Initiative. A key output of this collaboration was a briefing paper, co-produced with people of refugee background, on ethical considerations when conducting research with refugees (co-funded by the Irish Research Council). 

Outside of the field of forced migration, Muireann has undertaken research on gender based violence in Ethiopia (with Dr. Mary Allen), on learning introductory social work skills (with Rosemary Cunniffe) and on primary care social work (with Dr. Mary Allen, Professor Suzie Quin, and Rosemary Cunniffe).