Barry Cannon

Barry Cannon is an Irish academic specialising development and democratisation who is from County Donegal, Ireland. Focusing on politics in Latin America, democracy and far-right politics, he currently serves as a senior lecturer and associate professor at Maynooth University. He has been featured in multiple media outlets, including BBC World Service, The Irish Times and RTÉ.

Education In 1985, Cannon earned his Bachelor of Arts in English and history from the University College Dublin. For the next 15 years, Cannon travelled to England, Spain and Peru, working in local government, English teaching and development. In 1995, while in London, Cannon obtained his Master of Science in sociology. In 2000, he returned to Ireland to earn his PhD from the Dublin City University, studying Latin American populism under Peadar Kirby. While spending eight months in Peru and Venezuela studying for his PhD, Cannon witnessed the 2002 Venezuelan coup d'état attempt and in 2004, he completed his PhD at Dublin City University.

In 2013, Cannon began work as a lecturer and assistant professor for Maynooth University. During the 2022–23 Irish anti-immigration protests, he consulted BreakingNews.ie, saying that the far-right were attempting to capitalise on social conflict to achieve increased support. From 2022 to 2023, his research turned towards a focus on global citizenship. In 2012, Cannon along with co-author Peadar Kirby presented the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, their book Civil Society and the State in Left-Led Latin America. His book The Right in Latin America: Elite Power, Hegemony and the Struggle for the State was listed in the Selection of 2016 Publications selected by the Irish Research Council in their annual review.

Publications

Books

Journals

Cannon, Barry (2014). "El poder de la derecha y la influencía permanente de la élite en Centroamérica." 35 (56): 78–105.