David Wilson is Professor of Celtic Studies and History at the University of Toronto and General Editor of the Dictionary of Canadian Biography. He is the author or editor of twelve books, including a prize-winning two-volume biography of Thomas D’Arcy McGee. His most recent work, Canadian Spy Story: Irish Revolutionaries and the Secret Police, has won multiple awards. He was interviewed for his previous book The History of the Future here.

Born in Islandmagee, County Antrim, Ireland, in a cottage without electricity or running water, David later moved with his family to England. After a colourful youth that included being fired as a bus conductor, living in a Cardiff commune, and hitchhiking through Europe, he found his way to academia. He earned a BA from the University of York, followed by an MA and PhD from Queen’s University in Canada.

David’s early academic path took him through sessional roles at several universities and a position at Queen’s University Belfast’s Institute of Irish Studies. Returning to Canada, he produced radio documentaries for CBC’s Ideas while teaching at the University of Toronto’s History Department. In 2013, he became, to his surprise, General Editor of the Dictionary of Canadian Biography, a role he continues to hold.

Whiffers enjoyed an evening with a great raconteur, Professor David Wilson, as he uncovered the gripping story of the key characters acting as Irish revolutionaries and Canadian secret police while engaging in espionage in the Canadas and the US — a fascinating journey through a less known piece of Canadian history from the award-winning author of Canadian Spy Story.