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Prof. Jennifer Schweppe (School of Law), Dr. Luke Danagher (School of Law), and Prof. Amanda Haynes (Department of Sociology) offer a timely, comparative analysis of Ireland’s Criminal Justice (Hate Offences) Act 2024, read alongside the Council of Europe’s Recommendation on combating hate crime and the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021. Bringing together expertise in criminal law, legislative design, and European standard-setting, the authors situate the Irish statute within its doctrinal and policy contexts, clarifying core principles while assessing how they are operationalised in practice. Their conclusion is measured but pointed: although the normative case for hate-crime legislation is compelling, the Irish implementation reflects a largely British legislative template “emblazoned with the harp." Ultimately, the paper argues that while the Criminal Justice (Hate Offences) Act 2024 represents well-intentioned law reform which seeks to address the very real problem of hate crime in Ireland, its practical implementation is likely to be fraught with challenges. This piece will be of particular interest to legislators, practitioners, and scholars engaged in the next phase of Ireland’s hate-crime reform. .