Brian Girvin is Professor of Comparative Politics at the Department of Politics, University of Glasgow. His main research interests lie in American politics, nationalism and the comparative analysis of the contemporary world. He has a special interest in Irish politics, both north and south and has written extensively on modern Ireland.

Gary Murphy is Associate Professor of Government at the School of Law and Government, Dublin City University. His main research interests are based around interest groups and lobbying. He has published widely on modern Irish politics most notably in the area of interest group behaviour. His major reinterpretation of postwar Ireland, In Search of the Promised Land is published in 2009. He comments extensively on Irish politics in the media.