Patrick Kavanagh was born at St. John's, Newfoundland. Based mainly in Ottawa, he has spent long periods abroad. While living in Beijing during 1992 to 1995 he acted as research assistant to the Chinese translators of James Joyce’s Ulysses, and at the same time he completed his own first novel, Gaff Topsails.
In recent years he has focused on projects related to travel, international development, and human rights. From 2006 to 2012 he was a staff writer with Canada's International Development Research Centre.
He has been a supporter of Amnesty International, PEN Canada, the Ottawa International Writers’ Festival, and the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference in Vermont.