I'm Assistant Professor of History at the Catholic University of America, where I research, teach, and write about Ireland, Scotland, and colonial America.

In my research and writing, I'm committed to the idea that comparative and transnational history can help us understand the world in new ways. My work focuses on empire and diversity, comparing the experiences of Ireland and Scotland's Gaelic peoples to those of the Indigenous people of America. I'm particularly interested in how putting them at the center of the story changes how we see familiar events like the American Revolution. If you want to know how to get from Gaelic poetry to the American Revolution and its consequences for Indigenous people in just a few easy steps--and I promise, they're connected!--check out my articles and forthcoming book. Links and more information are on the Research page.

If you'd like to read some of that cool Gaelic poetry but have no idea where to begin and could use some expert commentary and high-quality translations, I am also co-editor and contributor to an absolutely massive anthology of Irish-language poetry in historical context, Bone and Marrow/Cnámh agus Smior, forthcoming from Wake Forest University Press in 2022.

I get up to plenty of comparative fun in my teaching too. More importantly, I focus on discussion and working through primary sources together. That's because I think good research and teaching are connected. More than the course content, what professors have to offer students are ways of looking at the world and navigating the complex relationship between the present and the past. We acquire those tools in research, offer them to students in the classroom, and emerge better researchers for having been forced to articulate not just what we know but how we know it and why it matters. For a list of courses I've taught and course descriptions, check out the Teaching page.

For much the same reason, I'm very interested in sharing my work with the widest possible audience. Feel free to be in touch: details are on the Contact page.