Brennan MacDonald

Biography

Brennan MacDonald is a second-year Ph.D. student, Graduate School Dean’s Fellowship Recipient, O’Brien International Security Center Graduate Fellow, and the 2026-2027 President of the Association of Graduate Historians at the University of Notre Dame. Originally from Bangor, Maine, he holds a B.A. in History from the Virginia Military Institute and an M.A. in Irish and Irish-American Studies from New York University.

Brennan's research interests focus on United States transnational and military history, primarily during the nineteenth century. His M.A. thesis investigated how Irish immigrants translated their experiences in the American Civil War for the cause of revolutionary Irish nationalism. He is interested in examining the ways in which military veterans disseminate revolutionary ideology through foreign ventures.

Outside of his academic career, Brennan served for four years on Active Duty in the United States Army as an Air Defense Artillery Officer. He continues to serve part-time as a Logistics Officer in the United States Army Reserve.