Trinity College Dublin

The University of Dublin, Trinity College, founded in 1592, is the oldest university in Ireland. Trinity College is the sole constituent college of the University. At present there are over 12,000 students, almost one third of them research students, and 1,200 staff members working on the College campus.

The Department of Political Science at Trinity College, University of Dublin, is one of the top political science departments in Europe. It is a vibrant, outward-looking department that combines intensive research activity with the strongest commitment to high quality undergraduate and postgraduate teaching. A recent cross-national survey placed it 11th among the several hundred political science departments in Europe, and it rose to 3rd when the number of staff was taken into account. It is known worldwide for its work on comparative politics and comparative political institutions, with an emphasis on voting behaviour, political parties, legislatures, elections, and electoral systems and includes a number of EU specialists. Members have been central in several recent survey projects, including a major Irish Social and Political Survey, and the 2002-2007 Irish election studies. It is a member of the School of Social Sciences and Philosophy, one of around 25 schools within Trinity. International integration is the major research theme in the School, manifested by its close links with Trinity’s Institute for International Integration Studies, a multidisciplinary research institute. The School also includes a research administrator, highly experienced in coordinating and managing multi-disciplinary international research projects.

Role within the project

A faculty member at Trinity, Prof. Michael Marsh, is heading the work package on the legal and policy situation, and is responsible for the collecting and delivering Irish content to the various work packages.

Involved members

Michael Marsh is professor of comparative political behaviour and head of the School of Social Sciences and Philosophy. He has been involved in European election studies since 1992, and is currently responsible for assembling an integrated data set of the 1989-2004 studies. He is also principal investigator for the Irish election study 2007 and was one of two principal investigators for the 2002 study and maintains an online archive of Irish public opinion and electoral data. He has also served on committees planning and implementing the European Social Survey. He has published widely on political parties, public opinion and electoral behaviour both with respect to Ireland and Europe. He has worked with Wouter van der Brug on a number of projects, including European election studies and a paper on presidential elections in Ireland, published in the British Journal of Political Science.

Kevin Cunningham is a PhD candidate reading Political Science at Trinity College, Dublin. He holds a bachelors degree from Trinity College, Dublin and a Masters from Oxford University, both in mathematical fields. His current research relates to the absence of an established far-right political party in Ireland.