Róisín Áine Costello BL

Róisín is a practising barrister with a general, civil practice and a particular interest in data protection and privacy law. Róisín is regularly engaged by a range of State and public bodies, as well as private clients to provide contentious and advisory services.

In addition to her practice at the bar, Róisín is an Assistant Professor of EU and International Law at Trinity College Dublin where she teaches EU Law, as well as a range of advanced courses on privacy and data protection law. Róisín is the author of ‘Privacy Law in Ireland’ (Bloomsbury, 2023) and a co-author of the forthcoming volume ‘The Data Protection Acts: A Commentary’ also published by Bloomsbury.

Recent cases include:

Donegal County Council v Quinn 2022/586 SS

Whelan v O’Gorman H.P.2024.1191

Connors v Ireland 2023/1030JR

Róisín has also advised public and State bodies and Tribunals as well as private and commercial clients on data protection, freedom of information and associated compliance issues.

Róisín is the author of ‘Privacy Law in Ireland‘ (Bloomsbury, 2023). She is also the co-editor of edited collections ‘Critical Reflections on the EU’s Data Protection Regime’ (Hart, 2024) and ‘Data Protection After Brexit: Reflections from the UK and Ireland’ (Hart, 2023).

A full list of Róisín’s publications can be found on the Trinity College Dublin Law School website.

• “Unauthorised access to data∶ some recent developments” Irish Centre for European Law Annual Data Protection Conference, Dublin 2024
• “EU Accession to the ECtHR: Implications for Data Protection and Privacy” University of Liverpool School of Law & Justice, 2023
• “Recent Developments in the Data Protection Jurisprudence of the CJEU” Media, Internet and Data Protection Bar Association Annual Conference, Dublin, 2023
• “Mixed data and the GDPR” Irish Centre for European Law Annual Data Protection Conference, Dublin 2023
• “Symbolism and Substance: Irish Language Rights in the 1922 Constitution” The Centenary of the 1922 Constitution, Dublin, 2022
• “The Expanding Scope of Privacy in European Law: Relational, Social, Contextual” Common Market Law Review Annual Conference, Dublin, 2022
• “Data Protection and Audio-Visual Recording of Police Interviews under the Law Enforcement Directive” Irish Council for Civil Liberties, Dublin, 2022
• “The CJEU Decision in GD v Ireland: Consequences for National and EU Law’ Irish Centre for European Law Annual Data Protection Conference, Dublin, 2022
• “Digital Constitutionalism – Questions and Coherence” 21^st Century Constitutionalism, EUI Florence, 2021
• “Political Economy in European Law and Policy” Society of Legal Scholars, Durham, 2021
• “The Official Languages Act: More than Performative Allegiance in Public Spaces?” Trinity College Centre for Constitutional Law & Governance, Trinity College Dublin, 2021

Irish Council of Law Reporting, 2024 – present

Irish Supreme Court Review, 2024 – present

Consulting expert on Irish law for the World Bank, 2015 – 2022

Board member, Irish Centre for European Law, 2020 – 2023