She is currently Professor of Sociolinguistics and Hispanic Studies at the University of Glasgow and is a specialist in the construction of difference through language and social inequalities.
Her research focuses on "neophones" or new speakers of minority languages such as Irish Gaelic and Galician.
She has also published and commented on the assumptions of monolinguism in Great Britain, particularly in the context of Brexit, public policy related to minority languages in Ireland, the UK, and Europe.
[1][2][3][4] O'Rourke has taught at the Universidade da Corunha, Dublin City University, NUI Galway and Heriot-Watt University where she has taught Spanish and Sociolinguisitcs.
In addition to expertise in Irish Gaelic and Galician, O'Rourke has also promoted the support of Gaelic education in Scotland.