My name is Sarah McDonnell and I interned with Mercy Law Resource Centre in July 2021.
As a recent law graduate of Trinity College Dublin, my studies sparked an interest in human rights, refugee and immigration law, as I learned how the lives of billions are shaped by public international law.
From that interest, I’ve decided to continue study in this area by pursuing an MA in Public International Law at the University of Amsterdam later this year. What’s more, I’ve made it my mission to become an informed and active citizen, volunteering for a number of organisations such as Suas Educational Development, CDETB Youth and Education Service for Refugees and Migrants, and Trinity Voluntary Tuition Programme.
Despite working remotely throughout the internship, I gained invaluable legal research experience at Mercy Law. Additionally, I had the opportunity to sit in on meetings, draft letters, a blog post, and complete communications tasks. While I was aware of the scale of the homeless crisis in Ireland before, it wasn’t until I interned with Mercy Law that I understood the tremendous legal obstacles facing the homeless. Learning at the ‘coalface’ of housing law and social welfare law, I began to appreciate the gravity of Ireland’s housing crisis in a profound way. I could not be more delighted to have been able to contribute to Mercy Law’s work and understand the invaluable service they provide.
