Academic biography

Kevin Rafter is Full Professor of Political Communication at DCU's School of Communications. He has published extensively on Irish politics and media in leading academic journals and as the author/editor of over a dozen books.  He will be a Fulbright Professor at Boston College in 2024. 

Kevin’s contribution to Irish public life includes chairing national bodies and taskforces on civil service reform, and broadcast and legal regulation, as well as facilitating government formation negotiations as an independent rapporteur in 2016.  He is a qualified Chartered Director and was previously Chair of Compliance Committee of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (Media Commission), a board member of Dublin Bus, the Galway International Arts Festival and Oxfam Ireland as well as Chair of Culture Ireland, the state agency for promoting Irish art globally. Kevin has qualifications in economics [BA(Mod; MLitt], politics [MA; PhD] and in corporate law and governance from the Law Society of Ireland and the Institute of Directors. He was appointed Chair of the Arts Council of Ireland in June 2019 and doing his term the organisation's annual budget increased from €75m to €134m.

Kevin's research expertise in Irish politics includes a focus on political journalism, political advertising, the President of Ireland and media coverage of elections. He has written several political biographies and party histories.  His research has been published in over sixty book chapters and leading academic journals including Press/Politics, European Journal of Communication, Journalism, Journalism Studies, Media History and Irish Political Studies. He is a member of the editorial boards of Administration and Journalism Practice, and has edited special editions of both journals as well as The Irish Review.

Recent books include Taoisigh and the Arts (2022) and Resilient Reporting: Media Coverage of Irish Elections since 1969 (2022pb).  Taoisigh and the Arts