Since the early 2010s, an increasing number of European countries have passed laws that prohibit the wearing of various kinds of Islamic veil in particular circumstances. This insightful book considers the arguments used to justify such laws and analyses the legitimacy of these arguments both generally and in regards to whether such laws can be seen as justified interferences with the rights of women who wish to wear such garments. This timely book considers the most recently passed European laws that target Islamic veiling. The author situates the justifications for anti-veiling laws in the context of a careful analysis of the reasons why women wear veils, and considers these justifications by reference to emerging debates surrounding the relative value of liberalism and human rights, multiculturalism, and the need to protect 'traditional values'. The book concludes that these laws are best viewed as symbolic strikes at a recognizable symbol of an ideological opponent, theorising that their principal purpose is to enable particular countries to reaffirm traditional values in a context of increased domestic opposition to multiculturalism. This engaging work will be valuable reading for students and scholars of human rights law, Islamic law and those interested specifically in the laws and regulations surrounding Islamic veiling around the world.

Employment law is a rapidly expanding and increasingly important aspect of Irish legal practice. Significantly influenced and informed by developments at European Union level and by various Constitutional imperatives, it is composed not only of a complex body of legislation and case law, but also of determinations from specialist tribunals such as the Workplace Relations Commission and the Labour Court. This edition is fully updated with recent developments in case law and statutory developments including the Workplace Relations Act 2015, the Protection of Employees (Temporary Agency Work) Act 2012, the Protected Disclosures Act 2014, the Paternity Leave & Benefit Act 2016, the Equality Act (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2015, for example. This updated edition also includes a new chapter on protected disclosures i.e. whistle-blower protection and a new chapter on practice and procedure. In this book the authors draw together the various strands and sources of employment law as it applies in Ireland into a coherent framework. All aspects of employment law are considered, ranging from the legal concerns that apply before an employment contract is signed, to the various entitlements and obligations of employer and employee while the contract is ongoing, to the relevant legal framework governing the circumstances in which an employment relationship is terminated.

This second edition is fully revised, expanded and updated to include all recent developments in Irish defamation law. It contains analysis of all the elements of the tort of defamation, defences to a defamation action, damages and other reliefs, the application of human rights law in the context of defamation, the application of practice and procedure rules in defamation cases and a body of useful precedents. This new edition includes: * An in-depth analysis of the important recent developments in relation to damages in defamation cases both in the Irish courts and the European Court of Human Rights including the Supreme Court decision in McDonagh v Sunday Newspapers Ltd and the ECHR decision in Independent Newspapers (Ireland) Ltd v Ireland; * An examination of the statutory 'offer to make amends' defence and the approach and role of both the judge and jury including the Supreme Court decision in Higgins v Irish Aviation Authority ; * An examination of the application of defamation actions in relation to social media publications and other forms of internet communications; * An exploration of possible reforms of Irish defamation law, the pitfalls and challenges that lay ahead. Defamation: Law and Practice , Second Edition provides an in-depth analysis and comprehensive coverage of defamation law in Ireland including substantive and procedural law and is Ireland's leading text on defamation law having been cited several judgments in the superior courts in Ireland