Michael Gallagher
(BA, MSc, MSc, PhD, FTCD, MRIA)

Contact details

Department of Political Science
Trinity College Dublin
2–3 College Green
Dublin 2
D02 XH97
Ireland

Email: mgllgher (add @tcd.ie to username)

Emeritus Professor Trinity College, University of Dublin; Professor of Comparative Politics (2006–21), previously Head of Department (2005–08, 2010–13, 2015–18), Department of Political Science, Trinity College, University of Dublin.

• MRIA (Member of the Royal Irish Academy, member number 2732) 2013–
• Visiting Professor, Sciences-Po Lille, February 2007
• Visiting Professor, Department of Public and Social Administration, City University of Hong Kong, Jan–March 2001
• Visiting Professor, Center for European Studies and Glucksman Ireland House, New York University, Sept–Dec 1997
• Associate professor, Department of Political Science, Trinity College Dublin, 1998–2006
• President of Political Studies Association of Ireland 1994-96 (also joint holder, with Prof John Coakley, of PSAI 'fellowship' 2021–23)
• Fellow TCD since 1992
• Lecturer, Department of Political Science, Trinity College Dublin, 1979–98
• Research fellow, Institute of Irish Studies, Queen's University Belfast, 1977–79

• Author, co-author or co-editor of several books, including:
  • Politics in the Republic of Ireland, 7th ed (Abingdon, 2024), and of first 6 editions
  • How Ireland Voted 2020: the end of an era (Cham, June 2021)
  • How Ireland Voted 2016: the election that nobody won (Cham, 2016)
  • How Ireland Voted 2011: the full story of Ireland's earthquake election (Basingstoke, 2011)
  • Representative Government in Modern Europe, 5th ed (Maidenhead, 2011), and of first 4 editions
  • Irish Elections 1948–77: results and analysis (Routledge and PSAI Press, 2009)
  • The Politics of Electoral Systems, paperback edition (Oxford, 2008)
  • How Ireland Voted 2007 (Basingstoke, 2008); including chapter on betting and the election
  • How Ireland Voted 2002 (Basingstoke, 2003)
  • Days of Blue Loyalty (Dublin, 2002)
  • The Referendum Experience in Europe (Basingstoke, 1996)
  • Irish Elections 1922–44: results and analysis (PSAI Press, 1993) – since February 2023 this book has been free to download
  • How Ireland Voted 1992 (Dublin, 1993)
  • How Ireland Voted 1989 (Galway, 1990)
  • Candidate Selection in Comparative Perspective (London, 1988)
  • Political Parties in the Republic of Ireland (Manchester, 1985)
  • The Irish Labour Party in Transition, 1957-82 (Manchester, 1982)
• See books in pictures

• Around 70 book chapters and journal articles, including:
  • 'By-elections to Dáil Éireann' (Irish Political Studies 11, 1996)
  • Proportionality, disproportionality and electoral systems' (Electoral Studies 10, 1991)
  • 'Comparing proportional representation electoral systems' (British Journal of Political Science 22, 1992)
  • 'Do Ulster Unionists have a right to self-determination?' (Irish Political Studies 5, 1990)
  • 'How many nations are there in Ireland?' (Ethnic and Racial Studies 18, 1995)
  • 'The pact general election of 1922' (Irish Historical Studies 21:84, 1981)
  • 'The Japanese House of Councillors election 1998 in comparative perspective' (Leviathan, Japanese Journal of Political Science 29 (2001)
  • 'Politics in Laois-Offaly 1922-92' in Laois: History and Society (1999)
  • 'Politics in Mayo 1922 to 2013' in Mayo, History and Society (2014)
  • 'Politics in Roscommon, 1922 to 2018' in Roscommon: History and Society (2018)

• Irish politics ('should the Irish electoral system be changed?' page); also new 7th edition of Politics in the Republic of Ireland
• Ireland election 8 February 2020 page, with overview of How Ireland Voted 2020
• Ireland European Parliament election 24 May 2019 (results)
• How Ireland Voted 2016 page
• Least Squares index (LSq) page
• Ireland election 26 February 2016 page
• Eighth amendment (abortion) referendum 28 May 2018 analysis on politicalreform.ie
• Comparative electoral systems – see expanded and updated (2 February 2024) electoral systems page
• Ireland European Parliament election 23 May 2014 (results)
• Ireland election 25 February 2011 (page)
• Betting and politics / betting and elections (page)
• Political parties
• Backgrounds, attitudes and activism of party members
• click here for contributions to Irish political reform site
• Ireland election 24 May 2007 (results)
• Ireland European Parliament election 5 June 2009 (results)

• Irish politics (taught the same module at the same university in six different decades, from 1979 to 2021 inclusive)
• Political parties (final-year undergraduate module)
• Comparative political institutions (on PhD programme)
• West African politics (first-year undergraduate lectures 1986–95)
• Political behaviour (2nd year undergraduate module during 1980s)
• Supervision of 14 completed PhD theses (note that nearly all TCD PhD theses submitted from 2000 onwards are available as pdfs from Trinity's TARA (Trinity Access to Research Archive) system – see the links from individual thesis titles from the pre-1995 or post-1995 former PhD students pages) – but not in a position to accept any further students for PhD supervision:
  • Dr Gerard McElroy, The Catholic Church and the Northern Ireland crisis 1968–86 (1990)
  • Dr Yvonne Galligan, Women’s interest groups and politics in Ireland: challenge and consensus (1995)
  • Dr Frances Gardiner, Women's parliamentary representation in 27 western democracies: cultural, socio-economic and political obstacles to entry (2000) (abstract)
  • Dr Mary-Clare O'Sullivan, Messengers of the People? An analysis of representation and role orientations in the Irish parliament (2002) (abstract)
  • Dr Eoin O'Malley, Give them awkward choices: a theoretical and empirical investigation into the operation of prime ministerial influence on policy in 22 countries (thesis awarded inaugural PSAI prize 2006 for best politics thesis submitted to an Irish university in 2005) (abstract)
  • Dr Brighid Brooks Kelly, An exploration of the relationship between consociationalism and stability in plural societies throughout the world (thesis awarded PSAI prize 2008 for best politics thesis submitted to an Irish university in 2007) (abstract)
  • Dr Liam Weeks, We don't like (to) party: explaining the significance of independents in Irish political life (2008) (abstract)
  • Dr Shane MacGiollabhuí, The secret life of political parties: a comparative study of candidate selection in African democracies (2009) (abstract)
  • Dr Maria Laura Sudulich, Cyber-space oddity? An analysis of political parties’ websites and online campaigning (2010) (abstract)
  • Dr Séin Ó Muineacháin, Explaining the persistence of factionalism in parties (2012) (abstract)
  • Dr Michael Courtney, Social background and intra-party attitudes in Ireland (2014) (abstract)
  • Dr Mark Canavan, Party nationalization and the provision of public goods in democracies: a theoretical and empirical investigation (2015) (abstract)
  • Dr Shqipe Mjekiqi, The impact of electoral systems upon the behaviour of members of parliament (2015) (abstract)
  • Dr David Barrett, The effect of observable party cohesion on voter choice in liberal democracies (2018) (abstract)
• Supervision of MPhil dissertation: Ronan J Murphy, 'Public funding for Irish political parties: cartelisation or competition?' (2005)

• Has presented papers at around 30 conferences in Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Kosovo, Netherlands, Spain, Suomi / Finland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, the USA.
• Director of two workshops at Joint Sessions of European Consortium of Political Research (ECPR)

• Presentation to Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Constitution, November 2009, on whether the Irish electoral system causes TDs to focus on constituency work (presentation)
• Current or past member of Editorial Boards of the journals Austrian Journal of Political Science, Electoral Studies, European Journal of Political Research, Irish Political Studies, Party Politics, Representation
• See also Political Reform site.