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Kenneth McDonagh

Dr

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Kenneth McDonagh is Associate Professor in International Relations in the School of Law and Government. He was Head of School from 2021-2024 and the Associate Dean for Teaching and Learning in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences from 2019-2021. His research is focused on EU Foreign Policy and Common Security and Defence Policy, the role of small states in CSDP, Ireland's security and defence policy, and the gendered impact of CSDP missions. He has published on the EU as a global actor, the gendered impact of CSDP missions and contributed to policy papers and training activities in the area of Women,  Peace and Security and CSDP. He was Principal Investigator of the H2020-MCSA-ITN Global India (www.globalindia.eu) which aimed to train a new generation of experts on EU-India relations and empower them with the skills and expertise to contribute to the EU’s engagement with India. Previously, he was PI of an Irish Research Council funded project on the Gendered impact of CSDP missions in the Western Balkans which produced training material and policy reports aimed at the European External Action Service and other stakeholders. Dr McDonagh has over a decade of teaching experience in EU and International Relations at Undergraduate and Postgraduate levels.

Peer Reviewed Journal

Year Publication
2024 Ken McDonagh (2024) 'Ireland's Foreign Relations in 2023'. IRISH STUDIES IN INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS (PRINT), 35 (1):259-280. https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/isia.2024.a956693
2023 McDonagh, K. (2023) 'Ireland’s Foreign Relations in 2022'. Irish Studies in International Affairs, 34 . [Link] [DOI]
2022 McDonagh, K. (2022) 'Ireland’s Foreign Relations in 2021'. Irish Studies in International Affairs, 33 . [Link] [DOI]
2021 McDonagh, K. (2021) 'Ireland’s Foreign Relations in 2020'. Irish Studies in International Affairs, 32 . [Link] [DOI]
2018 Deiana, M.A.; McDonagh, K. (2018) 'Translating the women, peace and security agenda into EU common security and defence policy: Reflections from eu peacebuilding'. Global Society, 32 . [Link] [DOI]
2018 McDonagh, Kenneth, Deiana, Maria-Adriana (2018) '‘It is important, but…’: Translating the Women Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda into the Planning of EU peacekeeping Missions'. Peacebuilding, 6 (1):34-48. https://doi.org/10.1080/21647259.2017.1303870
2016 McDonagh, K. (2016) 'CSDP missions and the security and defence committee of the european parliament'. Irish Studies in International Affairs, 27 . [Link] [DOI]
2015 McDonagh, K.; Heng, Y.K. (2015) 'Managing risk, the state and political economy in historical perspective'. International Politics, 52 . [Link] [DOI]
2015 McDonagh, Kenneth (2015) ''Talking the Talk or Walking the Walk': Understanding the EU's Security Identity'. Jcms-Journal Of Common Market Studies, 53 (3). [DOI]
2014 Heng, Yee-Kuang; McDonagh, Kenneth (2014) 'Financial Action Task Force'. Handbook Of Governance And Security, .
2011 Heng, Y.K.; McDonagh, K. (2011) 'After the 'war on terror': Regulatory states, risk bureaucracies and the risk-based governance of terror'. International Relations, 25 . [Link] [DOI]
2008 Heng, Yee-Kuang; McDonagh, Ken (2008) 'The other War on Terror revealed: global governmentality and the Financial Action Task Force's campaign against terrorist financing'. Review of International Studies, 34 (3). [DOI]

Book

Year Publication
2009 Heng, Y.K.; McDonagh, K. (2009) Risk, global governance and security: The other war on terror. [Link] [DOI]

Online Database

Year Publication
2021 Ostermann, Falk (Justus Liebig University Giessen) Baciu, Cornelia (Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy at the Univesity of Hamburg) Böller, Florian (Technical University Kaiserslautern) Čepo, Dario (University of Zagreb) Christiansen, Flemming J. (Roskilde University) Coticchia, Fabrizio (University of Genoa) Fonck, Daan Herranz-Surrallés, Anna (Maastricht University) Kaarbo, Juliet (University of Edinburgh) Kim, Joo Hee (Pukyo National University, Buzan) Kučmáš, Kryštof (Charles University, Peace Research Center Prague) Lagassé, Philippe (Carleton University) Martill, Benjamin (University of Edinburgh) McDonagh, Kenneth (Dublin City University) Onderco, Michal (Erasmus University Rotterdam) Pedersen, Rasmus B. (Aarhus University) Raunio, Tapio (Tampere University) Reykers, Yf (Maastricht University) Sonneveld, Richard Smetana, Michal (Charles University, Peace Research Center Prague) Tago, Atsushi (Waseda University) Terzi, Özlem (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) Trainauskiene, Sigita (Lithuanian Government, Strategic Analysis Center) Vignoli, Valerio (University of Milan) Wagner, Wolfgang (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) (2021) Parliamentary Deployment Votes Database Version 3. ONDB https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/LHYQFM

Book Chapter

Year Publication
2025 Ken McDonagh (2025) 'AI and Assessment in an MA Level Module on International Relations Theory' In: Teaching Humanities and Social Sciences in the Era of GenerativeAI. Dublin : UCD. [Link]

Other Journal

Year Publication
2017 Kenneth McDonagh & Liridona Veliu (2017) 'Europe’s New Balkan Problem or the Balkan’s New 93 Europe Problem: Terrorism and Radicalisation in the EU’s South Eastern Borderlands' :93-102.
2011 Kenneth McDonagh , Yee-Kuang Heng (2011) 'Risk, human rights and the bureacratisation of counter-terrorism' .
2010 Yee-Kuang Heng , Kenneth McDonagh (2010) 'After the 'War on Terror': regulatory states, risk bureaucracies and the risk-based governance of terror' .
2008 Kenneth McDonagh (2008) 'Governing Global Security in the Departure Lounge' 1 . http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~gdga/JGCG/archive/Summer08/MCDONAGH.pdf

Editorial

Year Publication
2018 McDonagh, Kenneth (2018) The Next European Century? Preface. ED [DOI]
2018 McDonagh, Kenneth; Fabbrini, Federico (2018) European Law in the 21st Century: A Conversation with Professor Federico Fabbrini. ED [DOI]
2018 McDonagh, Kenneth; Tocci, Nathalie (2018) European Security in the 21st Century: A Conversation with Dr Nathalie Tocci. ED [DOI]

Conference Contribution

Year Publication
2019 Ken McDonagh (2019) UACES 49th Annual Conference Ireland and EU Security: From neutrality to a meso-strategic approach Lisbon, .
2017 McDonagh, Kenneth (2017) ISA Annual Conventon The Story of Peacekeeping: A narrative approach to identity and practice in EU peace missions Baltimore, MD, 22/02/2017-25/02/2017.
2016 McDonagh, Kenneth (2016) UACES Annual Conference ‘CSDP Missions and the Securtiy and Defence Committee of the European Parliament’ London, .
2016 McDonagh, Kenneth (2016) A society of free nations? Identity and Values in 21st Century Foreign Policy ‘Reframing the state: negotiating national identity through security practice in the EU’ Royal Irish Academy, Dublin, 30/05/2016-30/01/2017.
2016 McDonagh, Kenneth (2016) BISA Annual Conference 'CSDP Missions and the Securtiy and Defence Committee of the European Parliament’ Edinburgh, .
2016 McDonagh, Kenneth (2016) ECPR General Conference ‘Resetting the Neighbourhood Policy or can the EU learn geopolitics before it’s too late’ Prague, .
2014 Ken McDonagh (2014) ISA Annual Convention, Toronto Identity and security practices: evidence from the frontlines Toronto, 24/03/2014-30/03/2014.
2014 Kenneth McDonagh (2014) The EU in International Affairs EU Security Identity: Evidence from the Frontlines Brussels, 22/05/2014-24/05/2014.
2012 Ken McDonagh and Yee Kuang Heng (2012) ISA Annual Convention, Power, Principles and Participation in the Global Information Age ‘To Feign control over the uncontrollable’: The discourse of risk and the politics of catastrophe San Diego, 01/04/2012-04/04/2012.
2011 Ken McDonagh and Yee Kuang Heng (2011) ISA Annual Convention, Global Governance: Political Authority in Transition Risk, Human Rights and the Bureacratisation of Counter-terrorism Montreal, 11/03/2011-16/03/2011.
2011 Ken McDonagh and Maura Conway (2011) “14th Civil-Military Relations Seminar: Radicalization – Extremism – Terrorism”, Institute for Human and Social Sciences, National Defence Academy Radicalisation and Counter-Terrorism Vienna, 15/11/2011-18/11/2011.
2011 Ken McDonagh (2011) ISA Annual Convention, Global Governance: Political Authority in Transition Pirates, Failed states and the EU - Security practice and European Identity Montreal, 11/03/2011-16/03/2011.
2011 Ken McDonagh (2011) “The ‘dark’ side of normative argumentation in counter-terrorism: issues-actors-consequences” Workshop, IFSH After the ‘War on Terror’: Rethinking the exception and the norm in the Discourses of Counter-terrorism Hamburg, 18/11/2011-19/11/2011.
2010 Ken McDonagh (2010) International Intervention in Ethnic Conflict Workshop Identity and Intervention in the International System Institute for International and Integration Studies, TCD, Dublin, 30/04/2010-30/04/2010.
2010 Ken McDonagh (2010) ISA Annual Convention After the ‘War on Terror’: Overseas Contingency Operations and the Risk-based Governance of Terror New Orleans, 16/02/2010-21/02/2010.
2010 Ken McDonagh (2010) Criminal Justice in the 21st Century: The impact of security Exceptional practices: Security in a time of Terror Brunel University, London, 26/03/2010-26/03/2010.
2009 Ken McDonagh (2009) ISA Annual Convention Just War or just war? Thrasymachus and the US interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq New York, 15/02/2009-18/02/2009.
2008 Ken McDonagh (2008) Eighth International CISS Millennium Conference Global Conflict, Cooperation and Integration Global Security Governance and the Departure Lounge: Multi-Level Cooperation in the Fight against Terrorism Paris, 14/06/2008-15/06/2008.
2008 Ken McDonagh (2008) ISA Annual Convention Governing Global Security in the Departure Lounge San Francisco, 26/03/2008-29/03/2008.
2007 Ken McDonagh (2007) 'Making Sense of a Pluralist World: 6th Pan-European Conference on International Relations' 'Fighting Words: Discourses of war and terror after 9/11' University of Turin, Turin, Italy, 12/09/2007-15/09/2007.
2006 Ken McDonagh (2006) 1st ECPR Graduate Student Conference 'Enemy at the Gates': Wendt, American Constructivism and IR Theory' Essex, England, 07/09/2006-09/09/2006.
2006 Ken McDonagh (2006) ISA Annual Convention 'Reading Foreign Policy Analysis' San Diego, California, USA, 22/03/2006-25/03/2006.
2005 Ken McDonagh (2005) Workshop 8: FPA: Theory & Practice, ECPR Joint Sessions 'Reading Foreign Policy Analysis: Beyond Agency and Structure in the War on Terror' Granada, Spain, 01/04/2005-03/04/2005.
2005 Ken McDonagh (2005) ISA Annual Convention 'Unknown unknowns' Defining the Other after 9/11 Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, 01/03/2005-05/03/2005.

Discussion Paper

Year Publication
2014 McDonagh, Kenneth (2014) ‘Ukraine, EU and NATO: Prospects for Defence Cooperation’. Bratislava: DP
2014 McDonagh, Kenneth (2014) ‘Defence Cooperation between Ukraine, the EU and NATO’. Kyiv: DP

Working Paper

Year Publication
2011 Kenneth McDonagh (2011) Pirates, Failed States and the EU - Security practice and European Identity. WP

Other Publication

Year Publication
2012 Kenneth McDonagh (2012) Review of States, Citizens and the Privatization of Security Elke Krahmann Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010. pp. 305.
2009 Kenneth McDonagh (2009) Exceptional Wars: How were the US military interventions in the ‘War on Terror’ possible?. Trinity College Dublin:
Certain data included herein are derived from the © Web of Science (2025) of Clarivate. All rights reserved.

Committees

Committee Function From / To
Faculty Teaching and Learning Committee 01/09/2015 - 31/08/2018

Education

Start date Institution Qualification Subject
University of Limerick B.A. History, Politics and Social Studies
Trinity College Dublin Ph.D. Political Science
Trinity College Dublin Graduate Diploma - Statistics Statistics

Research Interests

Security studies; Counter-terrorism; EU Security CSDP International relations theory; Gender; Discourse theory; US Foreign Policy; Nationalism

Research Projects

Title Role Description Start date End date
Add women and hope? Assessing the gender impact of EU Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions Principal Investigator 01/11/2015 31/01/2017
Practical Discourse - Developing Mediation Tools for Conflict Resolution DCU PI 08/08/2016 07/05/2017

Current Postgraduate Students

Student Name Degree Supervision
Keohane ,Daniel PhD-track Supervisor
Fazio ,Federica PhD-track Supervisor

Modules Coordinated

Term Title Subject
2022 EU Foreign and Security Policy LG5037