I was born in Rathkyle, which is near Castlecomer in County Kilkenny, Ireland. I went to secondary school at Rockwell College, near Cashel in County Tipperary, finishing my studies there in 1966. I took a BA and then an MA in History in University College Dublin in 1970 and 1972 respectively, followed by a Ph.D from the University of Cambridge in 1977. I lectured in St Patrick's College, Maynooth, Ireland from 1976 to 1978, when I moved to the University of Manchester, where I have taught since and where I have been a full professor since 1996. My field of study is early modern European history (Renaissance to the French Revolution), with a special focus on 17th century France, on which I have written six books and numerous essays and articles. I have lived in France at various times, as both a student and as an academic on sabbatical leave, and I once played rugby (as outside-half) for the Paris rugby club, Stade Francais, which proved an unusually interesting entree into many things French. My wife, Sylvia, is French (and Armenian), and we have two adult children who are fully bi-lingual. I spent a year in Berlin in 2006-07, and was captivated by the city with its troubled and ever-changing history. My most recent book, Church, Society and Religious Change in France 1580-1730 (Yale UP, 2009), was largely written in Berlin, which provided ideal conditions for the job. I imagined as I arrived there that I would be fluent in German, but alas it did not quite happen - too many years of neglect are probably to blame for that!