Dr Adrian Kavanagh

    Geography

    Lecturer / Assistant Professor, Director of Student Success

    Rhetoric House
    2nd Floor
    6
    (01) 708 6014

    Biography

    A native of Co. Laois, Adrian Kavanagh is a lecturer at the Maynooth University Department of Geography. He currently administers/organises the Final Year (Double Honours) research project programme (the GY310B module).
    The modules that he currently teaches on (or has taught on in the past) include the GY347 Electoral Geography, GY305 Approaches to Human Geography GY227 Political Geography, GY613 Elections and Geography and GY327 Environmental Politics modules, as well as the GY609 (MA in Geography) Thesis Preparation module and the GY310B Geography Research (Workshops) module.  

    His main research interests focus on the geography of elections. In relation to this, he has a blog site/website (www.adriankavanaghelections.org) which offers some of his insights from his electoral geography researches. He also researches the Eurovision Song Contest (voting patterns, geopolitics) and some of this research has been published on his other research blog site/website (www.adriankavanagh.com). He can be followed on Twitter (@adriankavanagh), where he tends to disseminate some of his most recent research findings/work, amongst other things, to the wider public.      

    He was elected on to the University's Academic Council as a representative of the Faculty of Social Science in May 2016 and remained a member of Academic Council until the end of his term in Summer 2019. He has served on the University's Academic Programmes Committee (as representative of the Faculty of Social Science) for a nine year period between 2019 and 2025. 

    He was elected President of the Geographical Society of Ireland in May 2018 and held this position for the next two years (until May 2020). He then took up the position of Vice President of the Geographical Society of Ireland and held this position until May 2021. 

    Research Interests

    My research interests focus on the area of Political Geography, but particularly the geography of election contests/campaigning - with a specific focus on the geographies of voter turnout and of candidate selection and the processes shaping the (re)drawing of election boundaries and the impacts of changing electoral boundaries. I'm also interested in the geographical/geopolitical dimensions of the Eurovision Song Contest, with a specific focus here on the geography of that contest's voting patterns (public vote/televote and jury voting). 
    Areas that I currently do research on, or have researched in the past, include:
    Political Geography
    Geography of Elections
    Eurovision Song Contest: Geopolitics and Voting trends
    Political Geographies of Sporting/Cultural Events
    Geography of Political Conflict
    Census Geographies

    Research Projects

    Title Role Description Start date End date Amount
    GOI Scholarship for William Durkan: Electoral Participation in the Republic of Ireland: Political disengagement and Spaces of Neglect in the Current Political System. PI Political participation is widely viewed as a measure of the health or legitimacy of any given democratic state. (Lijphart, 1997). The final decades of the twentieth century saw a decline in political participation across much of the European Union, which has been identified as a potential cause for concern. The Republic of Ireland also saw much change in this period, with segments of a disenfranchised electorate being re-mobilised during the recent period of austerity. This change, however, is not uniform across space. This project seeks to analyse voter turnout trends at a range of scales, namely ED and SA level, in order to determine the driving factors which influence areas of change, and outline possible policy implications as a result of this. Political participation in the Irish context is a subject which is often under analysed, and as a result, often neglected, despite the potentially negative implications of unequal, or unfair, participation. Unequal participation can potentially lead to unequal representation, unequal service provision, and as a result of large portions of a disenfranchised and neglected population, the rise of political candidates with more extreme views. Current administrative policy, such as the national representation level and Constituency Commission practices are analysed in order to determine their impact on this trend in General and Local Elections from 2004-2016. This project uses a geographical lens to determine the extent to which socio-economic and demographic factors, identified in existing literature, influence participation trends. The correlation of this data at ED and SA scales allows for other factors, such as geographical location, service provision, and administrative policy to be taken into account. Exploratory data analysis has identified large portions of the population at ED and SA scales which are seen to abstain from voting, contrary to their relevant socio-economic and demographic status. 01/10/2018 30/09/2020 48000

    Post Doctoral Fellows / Research Team

    Researcher Name Project Funding Body
    William Peter Durkan Election Geography research
    Claire Frances Mc Ging Election Geography research
    Caoilfhionn Anne D'Arcy Election Geography research

    Book

    Year Publication
    2014 Dr Adrian P Kavanagh (2014) The Eurovision Handbook 2014. : Adrian Kavanagh/Lulu.com.
    2013 Kavanagh, Adrian and Fallon, Johnny (2013) The 2013 Eurovision Handbook.

    Book Chapter

    Year Publication
    2022 Adrian Kavanagh and Caoilfhionn D'Arcy (2022) 'Westmeath Elections 1918-1970' In: Westmeath: History and Society. Dublin : Geography Publications.
    2021 Adrian Kavanagh, William Durkan and Caoilfhionn D'Arcy (2021) 'Geographical Factors in Constituency Voting Patterns' In: How Ireland Voted 2020: The End of An Era. London : Palgrave MacMillan.
    2020 Durkan, William, Kavanagh, Adrian and D’Arcy, Caoilfhionn (2020) 'Electoral Cartography' In: International Encyclopedia of Human Geography: Second Edition (Volume 2). Oxford : Elsevier. [Link] [DOI]
    2018 Mark Boyle and Adrian Kavanagh (2018) 'The Irish Government's Diaspora Strategy: Towards a Care Agenda' In: Rethinking the Irish Diaspora: After The Gathering. London : Palgrave MacMillan. [Link] [DOI]
    2017 Adrian Kavanagh (2017) 'A century of elections in Monaghan' In: Monaghan History and Society: Interdisciplinary essays on the history of an Irish county. Dublin : Geography Publications. [Link]
    2014 Foley, Ronan and Kavanagh, Adrian (2014) 'Health and Spatial Justice' In: Kearns, Gerry, Meredith, David and Morrissey, John(Eds.). Spatial Justice and the Irish Crisis. Dublin : Royal Irish Academy.
    2009 Kavanagh, A. (2009) 'Electoral Cartography' In: International Encyclopedia of Human Geography (Volume 3). Oxford : Elsevier.
    2007 Kavanagh, A. (2007) 'Commentary on: ‘Transformation with a small ‘t’: candidates for the Dáil, 1948-82’ I' In: McGrath, Conor and O’Malley, Eoin(Eds.). Irish Political Studies Reader: Key Contributions. London and New York : Routledge.
    2007 Walsh, C., Kavanagh, A. and Walsh, J.A. (2007) 'Economic Structure: Industries and Occupations' In: Walsh, J.A(Eds.). People and Place: A Census Atlas of the Republic of Ireland. Maynooth : NIRSA.
    2007 Walsh, C., Walsh, J.A. and Kavanagh, A. (2007) 'Population and Structure' In: People and Place: A Census Atlas of the Republic of Ireland. Maynooth : NIRSA.
    2007 Kavanagh, A. (2007) 'Turnout, Political Support and Representation in Ireland' In: Hayward, K. and MacCárthaigh, M(Eds.). Recycling the State: The Politics of Adaptation in contemporary Ireland. Dublin : Irish Academic Press.
    2007 Kavanagh, A. (2007) 'Elections and Voting' In: Bartley, B. and Kitchin, R(Eds.). Understanding Contemporary Ireland. London/Dublin/Ann Arbor MI : Pluto Press.
    2007 Walsh, C., Walsh, J.A. and Kavanagh, A. (2007) 'Synthesis: Rural and Urban Typologies' In: Walsh, J.A(Eds.). People and Place: A Census Atlas of the Republic of Ireland. Maynooth : NIRSA.
    2007 Walsh, C., Kavanagh, A. and Walsh, J.A. (2007) 'Education, Socio-Economic Status & Social Classes' In: Walsh, J.A(Eds.). People and Place: A Census Atlas of the Republic of Ireland. Maynooth : NIRSA.

    Peer Reviewed Journal

    Year Publication
    2025 Adrian Kavanagh and Caoilfhionn D'Arcy (2025) 'The 2024 County and City Council elections in the Republic of Ireland'. Irish Political Studies, . [Link] [DOI]
    2021 Adrian Kavanagh (2021) 'A case for geography in a time of Covid - and beyond!'. Geographical Viewpoint, 44 :37-38.
    2015 Kavanagh, AP (2015) 'An end to Civil War politics? The radically reshaped political landscape of post-crash Ireland'. Electoral Studies, 38 :71-81. [DOI] [Full-Text]
    2015 Kavanagh A. (2015) 'THE MAY 2014 LOCAL AND EUROPEAN ELECTIONS IN THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: SECOND ORDER OR AUSTERITY VOTING?'. Representation, 51 (2):239-252. [DOI] [Full-Text]
    2015 Dr Adrian P Kavanagh (2015) 'An evolving political landscape: Political reform, boundary changes and the 2014 local elections'. Administration, 63 :59-77. [DOI] [Full-Text]
    2015 Dr Adrian P Kavanagh (2015) 'An end to “Civil War politics? The radically reshaped political landscape of post-crash Ireland'. Electoral Studies, 38 :71-81. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/02613794/38 [Full-Text]
    2014 Kavanagh, A (2014) 'All Changed, Changed Utterly? Irish General Election Boundary Amendments and the 2012 Constituency Commission Report'. Irish Political Studies, 29 :215-235. [DOI] [Full-Text]
    2013 Adrian Kavanagh (2013) 'Book Reviews: The Ashgate research companion to critical geopolitics'. Irish Geography, 46 (1-2):166-167.
    2009 Adrian Kavanagh (2009) 'Book Reviews: The Geographies of Garbage Governance - Interventions, Interactions and Outcomes'. Irish Geography, 42 (1):119-124.
    2006 Kavanagh, A. (2006) 'Turnout or turned off?  Electoral participation in Dublin in the early 21st Century'. 3 :1-24. [Full-Text]
    2006 Walsh, J., Foley, R., Kavanagh, A. and McElwain, A. (2006) 'Origins, Destinations & Catchments: Mapping Travel to Work in Ireland in 2002'. Journal of the Statistical and Social Inquiry Society of Ireland, XXXV :1-58. [Full-Text]
    2005 Kavanagh, A. (2005) 'The Meath and Kildare North by-elections'. Irish Political Studies, 20 :201-211. [Full-Text]
    2004 Kavanagh, A. (2004) 'The 2004 Local Elections in the Republic of Ireland'. Irish Political Studies, 19 :64-84. [Full-Text]
    2004 Kavanagh A.; Mills G.; Sinnott R. (2004) 'The geography of Irish voter turnout: A case study of the 2002 general election'. Irish Geography, 37 (2):177-186. [Full-Text]
    2003 Kavanagh, A. (2003) 'Religion as a factor in the conflicts in the Former Yugoslavia'. Geographical Viewpoint, 31 :40-45.
    2003 Kavanagh, A. (2003) 'The Constituency Commission'. Irish Political Studies, 18 :89-99. [Full-Text]
    1998 Kavanagh, A. (1998) 'Postmodernity, Globalisation and Nationalist Conflict in the Former Yugoslavia'. Geopolitics, 3 :34-52. [Full-Text]

    Conference Publication

    Year Publication
    2001 Adrian Kavanagh (2001) Proceedings of the Academy of Marketing Fourth International Political Marketing Conference . In: Shane Martin eds. Voter Turnout, Social Deprivation and Political Mobilisation Dublin City University Business School,
    2018 Boyle, M; Kavanagh, A (2018) RETHINKING THE IRISH DIASPORA: AFTER THE GATHERING The Irish Government's Diaspora Strategy: Towards a Care Agenda [DOI]

    Conference Contribution

    Year Publication
    2021 Adrian Kavanagh (2021) “Eurovision: Maps, Music and Memories” one-day (online) conference Eurovision – Maps and Music Maynooth University, 09/04/2021-09/04/2021.
    2021 Adrian Kavanagh (2021) Conference of Irish Geographers 2021 Nil Points...Douze Points…A Political Geography of Eurovision Song Contest Voting Patterns Geography Department, Trinity College Dublin, 19/05/2021-19/05/2021.
    2018 Adrian Kavanagh and Caoilfhionn D'Arcy (2018) #Eurovision Unplugged: The Eurovision Song Contest – The Geography, The History, The Votes and The Songs Voting patterns in the Eurovision Song Contest reflect three main factors, changes in musical trends and taste, changes to the countries eligible to take part in the contest, and changes to the voting system Maynooth University, 14/03/2018-14/03/2018.
    2018 Adrian Kavanagh, Caoilfhionn D'Arcy, William Durkan and Claire McGing (2018) A Century of Elections: Past, Place and Politics This one-day conference studied the significance of the 1918 election from a vantage point taken one hundred years later, but with a special focus on the geographical, place-based and or environmental dimensions of these electoral contests Maynooth University, 03/10/2018-03/10/2018.
    2019 Adrian Kavanagh (2019) The 2019 Local and European Elections – One Month On…: Greenamis, Falling Turnouts, Long Counts and the Role of Local Media This one-day conference offered an overview of the 2019 Local and European Elections, exactly one month after these election contests took place. The general trends in terms of changing support and turnout patterns at these contests were discussed, as well as the implications of these in terms of the upcoming general election and political life in the Republic of Ireland, as a whole Maynooth University, 27/06/2019-27/06/2019.
    2019 Adrian Kavanagh (2019) Geography in the News: Topical Geography for All From All Kinds of Everything to Boom Bang A Bang - Geographies of Voting at Elections and the Eurovision Song Contest Geography in the News: Topical Geography for All one-day seminar, St. Patrick’s Campus, Dublin City University, 21st November 2019 St Patrick's Campus, Dublin City University, 21/11/2019-21/11/2019.
    2019 Adrian Kavanagh (2019) The 2019 Local and European Elections – One Month On…: Greenamis, Falling Turnouts, Long Counts and the Role of Local Media A Geographical Overview of Party Support and Voter Turnout Trends at the 2019 Local and European elections The 2019 Local and European Elections – One Month On…: Greenamis, Falling Turnouts, Long Counts and the Role of Local Media, Maynooth University, 24th June 2019 Maynooth University, 24/06/2019-24/06/2019.
    2018 Adrian Kavanagh and William Durkan (2018) A Century of Elections: Past, Place and Politics Changing/unchanging party politics in the Republic of Ireland: “Civil War” politics, anti-establishment trends and the impact of changing voter turnout geographies A Century of Elections: Past, Place and Politics, Maynooth University, 3rd October 2018 Maynooth University, 03/10/2018-03/10/2018.
    2019 Adrian Kavanagh (2019) 7th EUGEO Congress in conjunction with the 51st Conference of Irish Geographers A Geography of Candidate Selection for the 2019 Local Elections in the Republic of Ireland 7th EUGEO Congress in conjunction with the 51st Conference of Irish Geographers, NUI Galway, 18th May 2019 NUI Galway, 18/05/2019-18/05/2019.
    2018 Adrian Kavanagh (2018) Conference of Irish Geographers 2018 What now for Civil War Politics?: Assessing the Impacts of Changing Urban Turnout Geographies Conference of Irish Geographers, Maynooth University, 10th May 2018 Maynooth University, 10/05/2018-10/05/2018.
    2018 Adrian Kavanagh and Caoilfhionn D'Arcy (2018) Uncovering Eurovision’s Voting Patterns #Eurovision Unplugged: The Eurovision Song Contest – The Geography, The History, The Votes and The Songs Maynooth University, 14/03/2018-14/03/2018.
    2017 Adrian Kavanagh (2017) The Eurovision Song Contest: Voting Patterns, Politics and Geography Conference of Irish Geographers 2017 University College Cork, 04/05/2017-06/05/2017.
    2017 Adrian Kavanagh (2017) Power To All Our Friends or Boom Bang-A-Bang?: Geography, Eurovision Voting Patterns and Eurovision Geopolitics The Eurovision Song Contest in a Changing World: Culture, Geography and Politics Maynooth University, 11/04/2017-.
    2016 Adrian Kavanagh (2016) 1927 again? The changing/unchanging geographies of elections in the Republic of Ireland Conference of Irish Geographers 2016 St. Patrick’s College, Drumcondra, 05/05/2016-05/05/2016.
    2016 Adrian Kavanagh (2016) A review of General Election 2016 candidate selection trends “Who to expect in the new Dáil? Candidate diversity in the 2016 General Election” seminar Maynooth University, 25/02/2016-25/02/2016.
    2016 Adrian Kavanagh (2016) 1927 again? The changing/unchanging geographies of elections in the Republic of Ireland “Ireland Votes 2016: Predictions, Predilections, and Partnerships”: Maynooth University Alumni Lecture Series Wood Quay venue, Dublin City Council, 24/02/2016-24/02/2016.
    2015 Adrian Kavanagh (2015) A Farewell to Civil War Politics?: Earthquake elections and electoral trends in post-Crash Ireland Reinventing Ireland after the Crash Joint Summer School Maynooth University, 01/07/2015-01/07/2015.
    2015 (2015) Local Elections 2014 – An analysis of how women fared “Voices and views from Local Elections 2014. How Women Fared one-day seminar Longford Women’s Link, Longford Town, .
    2015 (2015) An evolving political landscape “The Changing Nature of Local Government in Ireland” symposium University College Cork, .
    2015 (2015) Teaching politics through Geography: Roleplay, print media/social media and critical assignments “Teaching politics in our universities: inspiring, inciting and enlightening” one-day conference NUI Offices, Merrion Square, Dublin, .
    2015 (2015) A Farewell to Civil War Politics?: Earthquake elections and electoral trends in post-Crash Ireland Reinventing Ireland after the Crash Joint Summer School (York University/Maynooth University) National Institute for Regional and Spatial Analysis, Maynooth University, .
    2015 (2015) Perspectives on proposals to set up an Electoral Commission Dáil/Seanad Éireann Committee on Environment, Culture and Local Government Leinster House, .
    2014 (2014) Perspectives on the European Parliament elections European Movement Ireland European Parliament Information Office, Dublin City, .
    2014 (2014) Voting Rights of European Union Citizens Dáil/Seanad Éireann Committee on European Union Affairs Dáil/Seanad Éireann Committee on European Union Affairs, Leinster House, .
    2014 (2014) Earthquake elections or plus ca change? The new (?) electoral geographies of post-crash Ireland Maynooth University Department of Geography departmental seminar series Maynooth University Department of Geography, .
    2014 (2014) Reviewing candidate selection, turnout and support trends at the 2014 Local and European elections Marketing Society political event Doheny and Nesbitts, .
    2014 (2014) What New Politics? Candidate selection trends at the 2014 Local and European elections “Sovereignty Regained: Has the bailout changed the Irish State?” one-day conference University College Cork, .
    2014 (2014) The Political Landscape of the 2014 Local Elections Lifelong Learning Week lecture series, Ballyphelane/Togher CDC Ballyphelane/Togher CDC, Cork City, .
    2014 (2014) A Review of the Left Wing Vote in the European and Local Elections 2014 Local Resistance, Global Crisis one day conference NUI Maynooth, .
    2014 (2014) Ireland and the Political Reform agenda Young Fine Gael Garret Fitzgerald Summer School Clarion Hotel, Sligo, .
    2013 (2013) Reviewing local election candidate selection strategies ahead of the 2014 elections Political Studies Association of Ireland Conference 2013 Trinity College Dublin, .
    2012 (2012) Ireland in Eurovision 1997-2011: Politics and Geography Conference of Irish Geographers Trinity College Dublin, .
    2012 (2012) Assessing the impact of rising turnout levels in the 2011 General Election in Ireland Elections, Public Opinion and Parties annual conference University of Exeter, .
    2012 (2012) Voter turnout levels in Dublin City 1997-2011: In time and in place Conference of Irish Geographers Trinity College Dublin, .
    2011 (2011) No longer Jed and buried? Political perspectives on Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest Political Studies Association of Ireland Royal Irish Academy, Dawson Street, Dublin 2, .
    2011 (2011) JED in the water or onWARD to victory? A geographical analysis of Ireland's Eurovision Song Contest Conference of Irish Geographers 2011 Mary Immaculate College Limerick, .
    2011 Dr. Emer O'Leary (2011) Constituency work practices of Irish TDs Dail Eireann, Social Sciences , NIRSA/Geography and Sociology (MA Society and Space class), .
    2011 (2011) Burnt Earth Strategies, Swings and Roundabouts? Geographical Perspective on the 2011 General Electio Geographical Society of Ireland Geography Department, St. Patrick's College, Drumcondra, .
    2011 (2011) The Turnout Tangle: Impacts of changing electoral participations levels in 2011 General Election Conference of Irish Geographers 2011 Mary Immaculate College Limerick, .
    2011 (2011) Voting in Dun Laoghaire Claiming Our Future Public Meeting Dun Laoghaire, .
    2010 (2010) Electoral participation in the 2007 General Election: A Geographical Perspective Political Studies Association of Ireland annual conference Dublin Institute of Technology, Aungier Street, .
    2010 (2010) Politics, Ireland and the Eurovision Song Contest Political Studies Association of Ireland annual conference Dublin Institute of Technology, Aungier Street, .
    2010 (2010) The Participation Puzzle Conference of Irish Geographers 2010 Dept of Geography, NUI Maynooth, .
    2010 (2010) From 'Irlande Douze Points’ To 'Walking The Streets In The Rain: Has Geography Destroyed Ireland’s Geographical Society of Ireland evening lecture St. Patrick's College, Drumcondra, .
    2009 (2009) From 'What's Another Year' to Conference of Irish Geographers University College Cork, .
    2009 (2009) Geographic Voting Joint Committee on the Constitution University College Cork (Dept of Government), .
    2008 (2008) It stands to reason to vote local’ Political Studies Association of Ireland Conferenc NUI Galway, .

    Published Report

    Year Publication
    2006 Adrian Kavanagh (2006) Voter Turnout in Fingal in the 21st Century. Fingal Development Board, .
    2002 Adrian Kavanagh (2002) Unequal Participation, Unequal Influence: Voter Participation and Voter Education in Dublin's South West Inner City. South West Inner City Network, .

    Blog

    Year Publication
    2016 Adrian Kavanagh (2016) City and County Council Members – Co-options and Changes since the 2014 Local Elections. [Blog] [Link]
    2014 Adrian Kavanagh (2014) Whither Gerrymandering. [Blog] [Link]
    2016 Adrian Kavanagh (2016) US 2016 Presidential Election: National Polls say “Clear Clinton win”, State-level Polls say “Close Contest”. [Blog] [Link]
    2016 Adrian Kavanagh (2016) Little change heading into the Summer Recess…: Constituency-level analysis of Sunday Times-Behaviour & Attitudes opinion poll (26th June 2016). [Blog] [Link]
    2016 Adrian Kavanagh (2016) Good poll for largest parties, but a bad one for the independents: Constituency-level analysis of the Sunday Independent-Millward Brown opinion poll (3rd July 2016). [Blog] [Link]
    2014 Adrian Kavanagh (2014) Candidates for the 2016 General Election (by constituency). [Blog] [Link]
    2015 Adrian Kavanagh (2015) Introduction of the Gender Quota and Challenges for Political Parties. [Blog] [Link]
    2014 Adrian Kavanagh (2014) New Irish (Non-Irish/UK Nationals) Candidates Contesting the 2014 Local Irish Elections. [Blog] [Link]

    Gov. Report or Document

    Year Publication
    2013 Dr Adrian P Kavanagh and Noel Whelan (2013) Potential Outcomes for the 2007 and 2011 Irish elections under different electoral systems. [Gov. Report or Document] [Full-Text]

    Magazine Article

    Year Publication
    2018 Pells, Rachael and Kavanagh, Adrian (2018) Interview with Adrian Kavanagh. [Magazine Article] [Link]
    2014 Dr Adrian P Kavanagh (2014) Election 2014 – Will your vote count?. [Magazine Article]
    2012 Dr Adrian P Kavanagh (2012) Unfamiliar territory: Cutting the number of TDs to 158, not population changes, has defined the proposed constituency boundaries. [Magazine Article] [Full-Text]

    Newspaper Articles

    Year Publication
    2021 Adrian Kavanagh (2021) We’re a Eurovision flop – and we can’t blame the televoting. Here’s how Ireland can fight back”. [Newspaper Articles] [Link]
    2019 Adrian Kavanagh (2019) It's good History has been saved - But we must also put Geography on the map. [Newspaper Articles]
    2019 Adrian Kavanagh (2019) How standout candidates made such a big impact with the voters. [Newspaper Articles]
    2015 Dr Adrian P Kavanagh (2015) Based on these numbers, another Fine Gael-Labour coalition would fall far short. [Newspaper Articles] [Full-Text]
    2015 Dr Adrian P Kavanagh (2015) Adrian Kavanagh’s general election countdown: Part 1. [Newspaper Articles]
    2015 Dr Adrian P Kavanagh (2015) Adrian Kavanagh’s general election countdown: Part 3. [Newspaper Articles]
    2015 Dr Adrian P Kavanagh (2015) Young voters give wake-up call ahead of next election. [Newspaper Articles]
    2015 Dr Adrian P Kavanagh (2015) Independents’ support levels don’t always translate into seats. [Newspaper Articles]
    2015 Dr Adrian P Kavanagh (2015) Labour wont get vote transfers from the Left. [Newspaper Articles] [Full-Text]
    2015 Dr Adrian P Kavanagh (2015) Labour is facing a ‘perfect storm’ at coming election. [Newspaper Articles]
    2015 Dr Adrian P Kavanagh (2015) Adrian Kavanagh’s general election countdown: Part 2. [Newspaper Articles]
    2014 Dr Adrian P Kavanagh (2014) Independents Day: New groupings to thrive after election. [Newspaper Articles]
    2014 Dr Adrian P Kavanagh (2014) Independents and Left have most to gain. [Newspaper Articles]
    2014 Dr Adrian P Kavanagh (2014) Hold on to your seat, it’ll be a bumpy electoral ride. [Newspaper Articles]
    2014 Dr Adrian P Kavanagh (2014) The vital wards for election predictions. [Newspaper Articles]
    2014 Dr Adrian P Kavanagh (2014) Elections in Numbers. [Newspaper Articles]
    2014 Dr Adrian P Kavanagh (2014) Labour faces perfect storm. [Newspaper Articles]
    2014 Dr Adrian P Kavanagh (2014) What results tell us about Greens, gender and reform. [Newspaper Articles]
    2014 Dr Adrian P Kavanagh, Fiona Buckley, Claire McGing and Nóirín Clancy (2014) A small step in the right direction (Friday 30th May). [Newspaper Articles]
    2014 Dr Adrian P Kavanagh (2014) Predicting seat numbers. [Newspaper Articles]
    2014 Dr Adrian P Kavanagh (2014) Battlegrounds: Six constituencies that will determine the next government. [Newspaper Articles]
    2014 Dr Adrian P Kavanagh (2014) Independents day as major parties lose out. [Newspaper Articles] [Full-Text]
    2013 Dr Adrian P Kavanagh (2013) Picture of Ireland: How many Dubliners vote?. [Newspaper Articles] [Full-Text]
    2013 Dr Adrian P Kavanagh (2013) Signs of growing anti-government sentiment in key commuter belt areas. [Newspaper Articles]
    2012 Dr Adrian P Kavanagh (2012) Science of the Eurovision. [Newspaper Articles]
    2012 Dr Adrian P Kavanagh (2012) Changes may offer parties a quick fix to gender quotas. [Newspaper Articles] [Full-Text]
    2010 Kavanagh, A.P. (2010) Charting rise and rise of new kids on the bloc. [Newspaper Articles] [Full-Text]
    2024 Adrian Kavanagh (2024) 'All kinds of everything' contest turns up surprise winners. [Newspaper Articles]
    2024 Adrian Kavanagh (2024) In the general election FG TDs not standing will still be a big challenge. [Newspaper Articles]

    Presentation

    Year Publication
    2015 Adrian Kavanagh (2015) An evolving political landscape: The 2014 Local Elections. [Presentation]
    2015 Adrian Kavanagh (2015) Perspectives on proposals to set up an Electoral Commission. [Presentation] [Link]

    Reviews

    Year Publication
    2015 Kavanagh A. (2015) An evolving political landscape: Political reform, boundary changes and the 2014 local elections. [Reviews] [DOI]

    Thesis

    Year Publication
    2002 Dr Adrian P Kavanagh (2002) Social Deprivation, Political Alienation and Community Empowerment. NUI Maynooth: [Thesis]
    1995 Dr Adrian P Kavanagh (1995) The Health Effects of Nitrogen Dioxide and other Motor Vehicle generated pollutants. St. Patrick's College, Maynooth: [Thesis]
    1992 Dr Adrian P Kavanagh (1992) The Geography of the Irish Labour Party (Geography BA thesis). [Thesis]

    Working Paper

    Year Publication
    2008 Sinnott, Richard and Kavanagh, Adrian (2008) The use of eligible voting-age population data versus electoral register data in estimating and analysing voter turnout. [Working Paper]

    Other

    Year Publication
    2014 Dr Adrian P Kavanagh (2014) Irish Elections: Geography, Facts and Analyses commentary web-blog. [Other]
    2014 Dr Adrian P Kavanagh (2014) Adrian Kavanagh’s (non-Irish elections related) commentary web-blog. [Other]
    2009 Kavanagh, A.P. (2009) Geography and local elections. [Other]
    2009 Kavanagh, A.P. (2009) A Geographer's View of the 2009 Local Elections. [Other]
    2002 Kavanagh, A.P. (2002) Unequal Participation – Unequal Influence: Voter Participation and Voter Education in Dublin's South West Inner City.  . [Other]
    1999 Kavanagh, A.P. (1999) Building Communities: Housing as an instrument of social inclusion. [Other]

    Podcast

    Year Publication
    2014 Dr Adrian P Kavanagh (2014) Studio discussion relating to the Irish Times-Ipsos MRBI poll and the overall Irish political landscape in the run up to the May local and European elections. [Podcast]
    2014 Dr Adrian P Kavanagh (2014) Studio discussion relating to the political scene in the Republic of Ireland at the start of 2014 and looking ahead to the local and European elections in May 2014. [Podcast]

    Web Page

    Year Publication
    2018 Caoilfhionn D'Arcy and Adrian Kavanagh (2018) RTÉ Brainstorm: Douze points: the who, what & why of Eurovision voting. [Web Page] [Link]
    2021 Adrian Kavanagh and Caoilfhionn D'Arcy (2021) RTÉ Brainstorm: All you need to know about Eurovision voting patterns. [Web Page]
    2020 Adrian Kavanagh (2020) RTÉ Brainstorm: The 10 swing states that will decide the US presidential election. Dublin: [Web Page] [Link]
    2018 Adrian Kavanagh and William Durkan (2018) Getting out the vote: what influences voter turnout?. [Web Page] [Link]
    2018 Adrian Kavanagh and Caoilfhionn D'Arcy (2018) Douze points: the who, what & why of Eurovision voting. RTE, Dublin: [Web Page] [Link]

    Online Multimedia

    Year Publication
    2024 Adrian Kavanagh (2024) What are the main candidate trends in Ireland. [Online Multimedia] [Link]
    2024 Adrian Kavanagh (2024) We had record low turnout in these elections - what does it mean?. [Online Multimedia] [Link]
    2024 Adrian Kavanagh; Caoilfhionn D'Arcy (2024) What can we expect from the 2024 local elections?. [Online Multimedia] [Link]

    Other Journal

    Year Publication
    2024 Adrian Kavanagh; Caoilfhionn D'Arcy (2024) '5 constituencies to watch in the 2024 local elections' RTÉ Brainstorm, . [Link]

    Article

    Year Publication
    2024 Adrian Kavanagh (2024) Here are the most competitive constituencies in Election 24. [Article] [Link]
    2024 Adrian Kavanagh (2024) From 1977 to 2020 – a history of how Laois (and Laois-Offaly) voted in General Elections. [Article] [Link]
    2024 Adrian Kavanagh (2024) Looking at how Sinn Féin, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil tallied across Laois in the last General Election in 2020. [Article] [Link]
    2024 Adrian Kavanagh (2024) 5 things we already know about Election 24 candidate trends. [Article] [Link]
    2019 Adrian Kavanagh # (2019) Laois to kick-start 2019 as ‘Year of Geography’. [Article] [Link]
    Certain data included herein are derived from the © Web of Science (2025) of Clarivate. All rights reserved.

    Professional Associations

    Description Function From / To
    Geographical Society of Ireland Membership Secretary 01/04/2001 - 01/05/2013
    Political Studies Association of Ireland Committee Member 01/10/2011 - 01/10/2012
    Geographical Society of Ireland Vice President 16/05/2020 - 15/05/2021
    Geographical Society of Ireland Editor of GeoNews 01/11/2004 - 01/05/2009
    Specialist Group on Elections, Public Opinion and Parties Member 01/01/2003 -
    Royal Irish Academy Geosciences and Geographical Sciences Committee Committee Member 01/07/2014 - 29/06/2016
    Geographical Society of Ireland Secretary 01/04/2011 - 01/05/2013
    Geographical Society of Ireland Vice President 06/05/2017 - 05/05/2018
    Geographical Society of Ireland President 05/05/2018 - 15/05/2020

    Honors and Awards

    Date Title Awarding Body
    01/01/1999 Government of Ireland Ph.D. Research Scholarship (Irish Rese
    01/01/1990 First Arts Prize, St. Patrick’s College Maynooth,

    Committees

    Committee Function From / To
    University Exam Appeals Board Member (Alternate) 24/09/2018 - 23/09/2019
    Academic Council Faculty of Social Sciences representative 01/05/2016 - 13/03/2018
    Dublin and Cities Local Electoral Area Boundary Committee Member 01/01/2008 - 30/06/2008
    Geographical Society of Ireland Membership Secretary 01/04/2001 - 01/05/2013
    Royal Irish Academy: Geosciences and Geographical Sciences Committee Member 01/06/2014 - 13/03/2018
    Political Studies Association of Ireland Committee Member 01/10/2011 - 01/10/2012
    Geographical Society of Ireland Editor of GeoNews (Society Newsletter) 01/01/2004 - 01/04/2009
    Geographical Society of Ireland Vice President 14/05/2017 - 13/03/2018
    Academic Programmes Committee Member 01/09/2016 - 31/05/2025
    Geographical Society of Ireland Secretary 01/04/2011 - 01/05/2013

    Employment

    Employer Position From / To
    Maynooth University Lecturer 01/01/2003 -
    South West Inner City Network Research 01/05/2001 - 01/02/2002

    Education

    Start date Institution Qualification Subject
    St. Patrick’s College M.A. in Geographical Analysis
    St. Patrick’s College B.A.
    Department of Geography, NUI Maynooth PhD

    Other Activities

    Description
    Appointed as member of the Dublin and Cities Local Electoral Area Boundary Committee by Minister for the Environment, John Gormley, in January 2008. Served on Committee during first half of 2008, up until the presentation of recommendations of the Committee to the Minister in June 2008.
    Chief Organiser of the 2010 Conference of Irish Geographers, hosted by the Department of Geography, NUI Maynooth
    Organiser of “The Future of the Irish Midlands: Threats and Opportunities” one-day conference in the Heritage Hotel, Portlaoise, joint-hosted by the Geographical Society of Ireland/National Institute for Regional and Spatial Analysis (4 April 2008)
    Organiser of the “The Eurovision Song Contest in a Changing World: Culture, Geography and Politics” one-day conference, Maynooth University (11 April 2017).
    Breakfast (Newstalk): Discussion of the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest and Ireland’s prospects at this contest (9th May 2017).
    The Nicky Byrne Show with Jenny Greene (RTE 2FM Radio): Discussion of Ireland’s prospects at the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest (9th May 2017).
    Morning Ireland (RTE Radio 1): Discussing the one-day Eurovision conference at Maynooth University and commenting on geographical voting trends at the contest (11th April 2017).
    Breakfast (Newstalk): Discussion relating to proposal to hold a referendum on extending voting rights at presidential elections to the Irish Diaspora (17th March 2017).
    News At One (RTE Radio 1): Discussing Ireland’s Eurovision entry and Ireland’s prospects for the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest in Kyiv (10th March 2017).
    RTE News: Six One and Weather (RTE 1): Discussing Ireland’s entry for the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest, along with Ireland’s 2016 Junior Eurovision Song Contest act, Zena Donnelly (10th March 2017).
    Drivetime (RTE Radio 1): Discussing the potential for existing county boundary breaches to be as regards general election constituency boundaries to be addressed in the new Constituency Commission review process (3rd August 2016).
    A number of appearances on national and local media commentating/taking part in discussions on a number of topics related to my research areas. Further details on these media appearances (in addition to those listed on this page) may be viewed at: www.adriankavanaghelections.org/adrian-kavanagh-media-appearances/
    Chief Organiser of the “The 2019 Local and European Elections – One Month On…: Greenamis, Falling Turnouts, Long Counts and the Role of Local Media” one-day conference, Maynooth University (24 June 2019).
    Breakfast (Newstalk): Discussing the one-day Eurovision conference at Maynooth University and the ongoing controversy surrounding Russia’s participation in this year’s contest (11th April 2017).
    Organiser of the “#Eurovision Unplugged: The Eurovision Song Contest – The Geography, The History, The Votes and The Songs” one-day conference, Maynooth University (14 March 2018).
    Organiser of the “The Eurovision Song Contest in a Changing World: Culture, Geography and Politics” one-day conference, Maynooth University (11 April 2017).
    Colm O’Regan Wants A Word (RTE Radio 1): Offering insights about elections to complement the comedy sections on a show that was specifically devoted to elections (5th August 2019).
    Morning Ireland (RTE Radio 1): Discussing the main trends to emerge from the 2019 Local and European elections and the significance of these (27th May 2019).
    Elections 2019 Live Coverage (RTE1): One of the analysts studying/commenting on results in the 2019 Local and European elections on RTÉ 1 TV across Elections Weekend (25th and 26th May 2019).
    Organiser of the “A Century of Elections: Past, Place and Politics” one-day conference, Maynooth University (3 October 2018).

    Outreach Activities

    Organisation Type Description
    Media Engagements/Interviews Civic Society Interviews with national/local media organisations, generally relating to commentary on/analysis of elections/electoral geography, or the Eurovision Song Contest. [Link]

    Teaching Interests

    My main teaching interests focus on the field of Political Geography - my current/recent list of modules includes
    • a 2nd Year BA Political Geography module (GY227)
    • a 3rd Year BA Electoral Geography module (GY347)
    • a 3rd Year BA module on the History and Philosophy of Geography - Approaches to Human Geography (GY305)
    • a 3rd Year BA research workshop focused on the areas of Electoral Geography/Voting Patterns at the Eurovision Song Contest (GY310B)
    • a Masters in Geography module - Geography and Elections (GY613)
    • a 3rd Year BA Environmental Politics modules (GY327)
    • In 2015-16, I was also one of the field trip leaders on the 2nd Year Ireland Fieldtrip module (GY205)
    • In 2019-20 I am working on the GY609 (Thesis Preparation) module in Semester 1 with the MA in Geography/MA in Geography: Spatial Justice students

    Recent Students

    Graduation date Name Degree
    2008 Denise Margaret Kelly
    2008 Adrienne Mary Kendlin