Mayo student, Nathan Keane from St. Gerald’s DLS College, Castlebar  has secured  a merit award at The Law Society of Ireland’s national Gráinne O’Neill Memorial Legal Essay Competition 2026. The winners were announced at a special ceremony for finalists held at the Law Society in Dublin earlier this week.
Now in its fourth year, the annual competition invites TY students from across the country to submit a 1,500-word legal essay on a specific topic. This year, over 500 essays were submitted by students from 67 schools across 20 counties, each exploring the topic:Â Protecting Voices, Preventing Harm: Legal Challenges in Online Freedom of Speech.
Seven merit certificates were awarded.
