I am from a small town called Banbridge, County Down, in Northern Ireland. I am in Washington, D.C., for eight weeks this summer as a member of the Washington Ireland Program (WIP) Class of 2018. WIP, now in its twenty-fourth year, aims to support young leaders committed to building a future of peace and prosperity for both Ireland and Northern Ireland. Alumni include the current Prime Minister (Taoiseach) of Ireland, the Lord Mayor of Belfast, and a Member of Parliament in Westminster.
What is your academic/professional history?
I have just finished my final year studying Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE) at Queen’s University, Belfast, and will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in December.
How would you describe your job (or research project) to other people?
I have been working in the Global Legal Research Directorate of the Law Library this summer. During this time, I have helped with research on a wide variety of topics, which can change every week. The topics have varied from UK immigration law to laws related to drug smuggling in Caribbean islands such as Barbados and Antigua and Barbuda.
Why did you want to work at the Law Library of Congress?
I wanted to work at the Law Library in order to challenge myself this summer. As my undergraduate degree covers a wide variety of topics and therefore produces a variety of skills, I wanted to work for an organization that would challenge me to use those skills in a different setting, and the Law Library is the perfect place to do that.
What is the most interesting fact that you’ve learned about the Law Library?
The most interesting fact I have learned about the Law Library is that the collection is so comprehensive, covering 260 current and former jurisdictions. Coming from a small town in Northern Ireland, I never expected to be going to work in Washington, D.C., and researching laws for somewhere such as St. Vincent and the Grenadines!
What’s something most of your co-workers do not know about you?
I have visited 42 out of the 50 states here in the U.S. My family has a joint bucket list goal to visit all 50 together – now we just have to get to the Midwest!