Focusing upon Irish politics and history, his undergraduate education included studies at both Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin. He received his PhD in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin Madison in 2001. His dissertation focused upon transnational dimensions of the civil rights movement in Northern Ireland. Much of his current research explores the dynamics of ethno-nationalist contention and strategies for sustaining peace processes. Articles pertaining to the Troubles that he has either sole authored or co-authored have appeared in leading peer reviewed journals, including the International Journal of Conflict Management; Journal of Peace Research; Research in Social Movements, Conflict and Change; and Social Problems. He has directed Hofstra's Summer in Ireland Program. He is also an active member of the Irish American Society of Nassau, Suffolk, and Queens County.