John O' Brennan is an Irish political scientist. He lectures in European Politics at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth (NUIM) and is known for his research on the politics of EU enlargement policy, EU external Relations and Ireland's relationship with the European Union. He is also the Director of the Centre for the Study of Wider Europe at NUI Maynooth, an inter-disciplinary research centre dedicated to analysis of Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe and their position within Europe.