Colin Barr

Colin Barr is a Professor of Modern Irish History and Director of the Clingen Family Center for the Study of Modern Ireland and the Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies at the Keough School of Global Affairs, University of Notre Dame. He holds a BA from Stonehill College and a PhD from the University of Cambridge. His academic career includes appointments in Ireland, the US, and the UK, with visiting fellowships at Sidney Sussex College (Cambridge) and the University of Newcastle (Australia).

His research focuses on Modern Ireland, Catholicism, British political history, and migration history, contextualizing Ireland's history within broader frameworks like the UK, Europe, the Roman Catholic Church, and the global Irish Diaspora. Key publications include Ireland’s Empire (2020), Religion and Greater Ireland (2015), and Nation/Nazione (2014). An upcoming book, The Irish Pope: Paul Cullen (2023), explores the life of a pivotal Irish Catholic leader.

Barr is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. His future projects include studies on Irish Catholic democracy (O’Connell’s Heirs) and a global history of Irish women religious (Imperial Women). He teaches undergraduate courses on modern Irish history and the Northern Ireland Troubles.