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Business & Economics

Dr Margaret O'Neill

BA, MA, PhD

Contact Details

Post Doctoral Researcher
School of Business and Economics
University of Galway
E: margaret.oneill@universityofgalway.ie
 
researcher
 

Biography

Dr Maggie O'Neill is a researcher in the J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics at the University of Galway. She plays a dual role as both a researcher and coordinator for the University's Tax Clinic, while also researching decent work and future trends.
Her unique research trajectory spans literature and social policy, developing into in her current focus on tax literacy and social citizenship, and the intersections of ageing and employment.
Maggie holds a PhD in English from Maynooth University, complemented by a Master's degree in English, Theology & Sociology, and a Bachelor's degree in English & Sociology from University College Dublin. She further enhanced her educational qualifications with a Specialist Diploma in Teaching, Learning & Scholarship in Higher Education from the University of Limerick.
Her research journey began with a focus on literature and cultural studies, as evidenced by her early publications on Irish writers and representations of ageing in literature. This foundation in critical analysis and cultural studies has informed her approach to social research.
Maggie's professional experience reflects a progression from teaching to interdisciplinary research. After teaching English at the secondary and tertiary levels, she transitioned to roles that bridged humanities and social sciences. As a Project Fellow in Digital Arts & Humanities in Maynooth University and later as the Gender Arc Project Coordinator at the University of Limerick, she developed her skills in interdisciplinary collaboration and research coordination.
Maggie's research experience spans multiple interdisciplinary projects. In the Irish Centre for Social Gerontology, as part of the Virtual EngAge project, she lead qualitative research on digital engagement for older people. Her work on the SILE (Service Involvement and Lived Experience in Health and Social Care Services) project contributed to advancing knowledge on service involvement strategies for marginalised groups. These experiences, along with her involvement in the DAISIE (Dynamics of Accumulated Inequalities in Employment), Restoring Ageing, and MascAge projects (exploring representations of gendered ageing), provided valuable insights into ageing, employment and social policy, laying the groundwork for her current research interests.
Since 2020, Maggie has played a key role in the launch and coordination of the University of Galway Tax Clinic, the first of its kind in Ireland. This role combines her research skills with practical application, as she investigates the intersections of tax literacy, social citizenship, and empowerment. Her recent and forthcoming publications on tax clinics and social citizenship reflect this new direction in her research. Currently, Maggie is also expanding her research into the area of decent work and future workplace trends. This allows her to explore emerging issues in labour markets, including new inequalities, precarious work, and the impact of technology.
Maggie's diverse academic background and research experience position her uniquely to address complex social issues through an interdisciplinary lens, combining insights from literature, sociology, and public policy to inform her work.

Research Interests

Maggie's research interests lie at the intersection of social policy, taxation, and decent work studies, with a particular focus on ageing populations. She is passionate about investigating how tax literacy and social citizenship impact marginalised communities, exploring the connections between domestic and economic abuse, and examining the role of tax clinics in empowering individuals. Her work encompasses emerging issues such as decent work, future employment trends, and the impact of technology. Drawing on her background in literature and cultural studies, Maggie brings a unique interdisciplinary perspective to her research, often incorporating representational analysis into social science methodologies. Through her research, Maggie aims to contribute to more inclusive and equitable social and economic policies that respond to the evolving needs of diverse populations.

Peer Reviewed Journals

  Year Publication
(2023) ''In a Hospital Bed or Out Doing Indiana Jones': Older Irish Men's Negotiations of Cultural Representations of Ageing'
Margaret O'Neill and Áine Ní Léime (2023) ''In a Hospital Bed or Out Doing Indiana Jones': Older Irish Men's Negotiations of Cultural Representations of Ageing'. Ageing And Society, [Details]
(2017) 'Transformative Tales for Recessionary Times: Emma Donoghue's 'Room' and Marian Keyes' 'The Brightest Star in the Sky''
Margaret O'Neill (2017) 'Transformative Tales for Recessionary Times: Emma Donoghue's 'Room' and Marian Keyes' 'The Brightest Star in the Sky''. Lit: Literature Interpretation Theory, [Details]
(2016) 'A Bionian Reading of the Mother in Anne Enright's 'The Green Road''
Margaret O'Neill (2016) 'A Bionian Reading of the Mother in Anne Enright's 'The Green Road''. Studies in Gender and Sexuality, [Details]
(2018) 'Introduction: Women and Ageing in Irish Writing, Drama and Film'
Margaret O'Neill & Michaela Schrage-Früh (2018) 'Introduction: Women and Ageing in Irish Writing, Drama and Film'. Nordic Irish Studies, [Details]
(2022) 'Wedded to the land? Representations of Rural Ageing Masculinities in Irish Culture and Society'
Áine Ní Léime, Margaret O'Neill, Michaela Schrage-Früh, Tony Tracy (2022) 'Wedded to the land? Representations of Rural Ageing Masculinities in Irish Culture and Society'. Journal Of Aging Studies, [Details]
(2021) 'The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Working Lives and Retirement Timing of Older Nurses in Ireland'
Áine Ní Léime & Margaret O'Neill (2021) 'The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Working Lives and Retirement Timing of Older Nurses in Ireland'. International Journal Of Environmental Research And Public Health, [Details]
(2018) 'Kate O'Brien: A Portrait of the Author in Older Age'
Margaret O'Neill (2018) 'Kate O'Brien: A Portrait of the Author in Older Age'. Nordic Irish Studies, [Details]
(2018) '`A Few Human Hearts in Catholic Breasts': Angina Pectoris, Emotions, and Kate O'Brien's Mary Lavelle'
Margaret O'Neill (2018) '`A Few Human Hearts in Catholic Breasts': Angina Pectoris, Emotions, and Kate O'Brien's Mary Lavelle'. Irish University Review, [Details]

Book Chapters

  Year Publication
(2024) 'Kate O'Brien 1897-1974'
Susan Vander Closter & Margaret O'Neill (2024) 'Kate O'Brien 1897-1974' In: Twentieth Century Literary Criticism. Michigan: Gale. [Details]
(2023) 'Novels of Ripening: The Maturation of the Bildungsroman'
Michaela Schrage-Früh & Margaret O'Neill (2023) 'Novels of Ripening: The Maturation of the Bildungsroman' In: The Bloomsbury Handbook to Ageing in Contemporary Literature and Film. London: Bloomsbury. [Details]
(2023) 'A Research Roadmap for Tax Clinics'
Emer Mulligan & Margaret O'Neill (2023) 'A Research Roadmap for Tax Clinics' In: International Handbook on Clinical Tax Education. London: University of London Press. [Details]
(2017) 'Introduction'
Margaret O'Neill & Michaela Schrage-Früh (2017) 'Introduction' In: Ageing Women in Literature and Visual Culture: Reflections, Refractions, Reimaginings. London: Palgrave. [Details]
(2014) 'The Caoineadh, Psychoanalytic Theory and Contemporary Irish Writing'
Margaret O'Neill (2014) 'The Caoineadh, Psychoanalytic Theory and Contemporary Irish Writing' In: Folklore and Irish Writing. Dublin: Irish Academic Press. [Details]
(2000) 'Marian Keyes'
Margaret O'Neill (2000) 'Marian Keyes' In: Twenty-First Century Irish Fiction Writers (a volume of the Dictionary of Literary Biography). Michigan: Gale. [Details]
(2022) 'Changing the Picture: Older Men's Responses to Media Representations of Ageing in an Irish Context'
Margaret O'Neill & Áine Ní Léime (2022) 'Changing the Picture: Older Men's Responses to Media Representations of Ageing in an Irish Context' In: Ageing Masculinities in Irish Literature and Visual Culture. London: Routledge. [Details]
(2022) 'Celtic Tiger Saga Fiction: Patricia Scanlan's City Girls and Marian Keyes' Walsh Family'
Margaret O'Neill (2022) 'Celtic Tiger Saga Fiction: Patricia Scanlan's City Girls and Marian Keyes' Walsh Family' In: Austerity and Irish Women's Writing and Culture, 1980-2020. London: Routledge. [Details]
(2021) 'Transformative Tales for Recessionary Times: Emma Donoghue's 'Room' and Marian Keyes' 'The Brightest Star in the Sky''
Margaret O'Neill (2021) 'Transformative Tales for Recessionary Times: Emma Donoghue's 'Room' and Marian Keyes' 'The Brightest Star in the Sky'' In: Post-Celtic Tiger Ireland and Contemporary Women's Writing. London: Routledge. [Details]
(2020) 'Surplus to Requirements? The Ageing Body in Contemporary Irish Writing'
Margaret O'Neill & Michaela Schrage-Früh (2020) 'Surplus to Requirements? The Ageing Body in Contemporary Irish Writing' In: Routledge International Handbook of Irish Studies. London: Routledge. [Details]
(2020) 'The Ageing Contemporary: Ageing Families and Generational Connections in Irish Writing'
Margaret O'Neill & Michaela Schrage-Früh (2020) 'The Ageing Contemporary: Ageing Families and Generational Connections in Irish Writing' In: The New Irish Studies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. [Details]
(2020) 'Introduction: Women and Ageing: Private Meaning, Social Lives'
Margaret O'Neill & Michaela Schrage-Früh (2020) 'Introduction: Women and Ageing: Private Meaning, Social Lives' In: Women and Ageing. London: Routledge. [Details]
(2018) 'That Limerick Lady: Exploring the Relationship Between Kate O'Brien and Her City'
Margaret O'Neill (2018) 'That Limerick Lady: Exploring the Relationship Between Kate O'Brien and Her City' In: Irish Urban Fictions. New York: Springer International Publishing. [Details]
(2017) ''This Is How Time Unfolds When You Are Old': Ageing, Subjectivity and Joseph O'Connor's 'Ghost Light''
Margaret O'Neill (2017) ''This Is How Time Unfolds When You Are Old': Ageing, Subjectivity and Joseph O'Connor's 'Ghost Light'' In: Ageing Women in Literature and Visual Culture: Reflections, Refractions, Reimaginings. New York: Springer. [Details]

Published Reports

  Year Publication
(2023) University of Galway Tax Clinic: Enabling Tax Literacy and Empowerment.
Emer Mulligan & Margaret O'Neill (2023) University of Galway Tax Clinic: Enabling Tax Literacy and Empowerment. University of Galway, Galway. [Details]
(2021) Extended Working Lives in Ireland: Workers' Perspectives.
Áine Ní Léime, Margaret O'Neill & Nata Duvvury (2021) Extended Working Lives in Ireland: Workers' Perspectives. Irish Centre for Social Gerontology, Galway. [Details]
(2021) Extending Working Life Policies in Financial, Healthcare and Transport Services in Ireland: Perspectives of Workers and Stakeholders.
Áine Ní Léime, Margaret O'Neill & Nata Duvvury (2021) Extending Working Life Policies in Financial, Healthcare and Transport Services in Ireland: Perspectives of Workers and Stakeholders. Irish Centre for Social Gerontology, Galway. [Details]

Edited Books

  Year Publication
(2017) Ageing Women in Literature and Visual Culture: Reflections, Refractions, Reimaginings.
Cathy McGlynn, Margaret O'Neill & Michaela Schrage-Früh (Ed.). (2017) Ageing Women in Literature and Visual Culture: Reflections, Refractions, Reimaginings Ageing Women in Literature and Visual Culture: Reflections, Refractions, Reimaginings. New York: Springer. [Details]

Other Journals

  Year Publication
(2019) 'Special Issue: Women and Ageing: Private Meaning, Social Lives'
Margaret O'Neill & Michaela Schrage-Früh (2019) 'Special Issue: Women and Ageing: Private Meaning, Social Lives' Life Writing, . [Details]
(2018) 'Special Issue: Women and Ageing in Irish Writing, Drama and Film'
Margaret O'Neill & Michaela Schrage-Früh (2018) 'Special Issue: Women and Ageing in Irish Writing, Drama and Film' Nordic Irish Studies, . [Details]

Honours and Awards

  Year Title Awarding Body
2018 Moore Institute Visiting Fellowship Moore Institute, University of Galway
2015 Irish Research Council New Foundations Award Irish Research Council
2008 Irish Research Council Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship Irish Research Council

Professional Associations

  Association Function From / To
Teaching Council of Ireland Member /
Women and Ageing Research Network Founding Member /
American Conference for Irish Studies Member /

Committees

  Committee Function From / To
Academic Council Member representing research staff in the J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics /
School Athena Swan Self Assessment Committee 2024 Member /

Consultancy

  Client Description
Museum of Literature Ireland (MOLI)
Academic Advisor, Kate O'Brien Exhibition

Community Engagement

  Title Type From / To
Outreach Public lecture on Irish author Kate O'Brien for the Limerick Literary Festival in Honour of Kate O'Brien (2023) /
Outreach Public Reading: 'In Her Own Words': Kate O'Brien, a reading from the author's unpublished works, Culture Night, Limerick (2019) /
Outreach Panelist: Mad, Bad and Dangerous: Online panel discussion on women and ageing, hosted by Sarah McInerney (2022) /
Other Public Lecture: `A Life in Writing: The New Archive of Kate O'Brien Letters', Limerick Literary Festival in Honour of Kate O'Brien (2016) /
Outreach Interview on Kate O'Brien, Sinéad Gleeson RTE Radio 1 Book Show, 11th March 2017 /

Other Activities

  Description

Pilot Participant: National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning Professional Development Programme; Teaching and Learning in Academic Writing in Higher Education (2018)

Teaching Interests

Maggie's teaching portfolio reflects her interdisciplinary expertise and spans both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. She has extensive experience teaching Irish literature, with a focus on contemporary and twentieth-century works, to both undergraduate and postgraduate students. More recently, Maggie's teaching has expanded to include lectures in Retirement Decision Making and on Discrimination on the Masters in Ageing and Public Policy, and on Ageing Populations and Policy as part of the Specific Populations sessions for the MA in Family Support Studies. She has also contributed lectures on Fiscal Citizenship and Reflective Practice to the innovative new undergraduate module in Clinical Taxation, drawing on her work with the University's Tax Clinic. This diverse teaching experience allows her to bridge the gap between her research and pedagogical practice, offering students insights into literature, social policy, taxation, and social gerontology from both theoretical and practical perspectives.