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Lecturer in Criminology, University of Sheffield

Ciara’s work lies at the intersection of the criminological and the historical, and her research interests include (though are not limited to) the history of sexual violence, victimology, policing and youth subcultures.

She joined the School of Law in August 2023. Before coming to Sheffield, she worked as Service Coordinator for the Crime Victims Helpline, an independent charity in Ireland which provides information and emotional support for victims of crime. As part of her role with the Crime Victims Helpline she worked as lead researcher for the Republic of Ireland on the BeneVict project. Spearheaded by Victim Support Europe and co-funded by the EU, this project examined the implementation of the Victims’ Rights Directive throughout EU member states.

She completed her PhD in University College Dublin, where she held an Irish Research Council Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship and a Sutherland School of Law Doctoral Scholarship. She is currently working on a monograph based on her PhD research which examines representations of Irish youth subcultures from the 1950s to the present.

Alongside Dr Richard McMahon she is co-editor of the Studies in Irish Crime History book series published by Cork University Press. Since February 2022 she has also acted as the Social Media Coordinator for the British Society of Criminology Historical Criminology Network (#HCNet).

Experience

  • –present
    Lecturer in Criminology, University of Sheffield