I am the Church of Ireland Bishop of Cork, having previously served in Lisburn, Belfast and Dublin. Law is my primary academic discipline and, as this has developed in line with my professional life, my primary interests are in the law of the State as it affects religious groups (Religion Law) and also the internal laws of those groups (religious law). These impinge on many areas of contemporary debate in Irish society. In that connection I am an Honorary Research Fellow at the School of Law and Politics at Cardiff University. Since 1990 I have been involved in the education sector, on and chairing school boards, as a patron of schools and in the national work of the Church of Ireland. Since the 1970s I have been involved in voluntary groups and charitable organisations and currently chair the boards of a number of charities including Saint Luke's Charity Cork (care for older people and people living with dementia) and a number of other charities for the relief of poverty and provision of social housing.