The Letter from Ireland Podcast

In this week's episode we look at the way that unmarried mothers - and other "social undesirables" were treated in Ireland, especially in the period from the 1940s to the 1960s. Carina reads out two letters - one on the Magdalene Laundries and the other shares the story of one mother who never gave up on searching for her adopted son. This is quite a sombre episode - but I think you will find the...

In today's episode, we explore the different sort of Irish music that was coming onto the scene from the mid-1970s. We first look at the story of that great London-Irish band - The Pogues - and then onto the more subtle music of Paul Brady. In both cases, lots of background stories, music and craic. We do hope you enjoy!

In this episode we take a musical trip around the nine counties of Ulster: Derry (Londonderry), Antrim, Down, Armagh, Tyrone, Fermanagh, Cavan, Donegal and Monaghan. Alongside the immortal "Danny Boy", we feature at least one tune or song from each of the counties. I refer to a map while talking - and you can see the map in the shownotes at aletterfromireland.com/732 . This episode of the Letter f...

In this episode we look at the many ways the Great Irish Famine was reported outside of Ireland - and the reaction from some of the groups that were exposed to that reporting. In one case, Mike's own ancestors were included in a report that went out in English newspapers in the 1840s. One of the letters covered looks at the way the famine was depicted through paintings - and the power such paintin...

We look at the stories of two different Irish pioneers in early north America - in what is now the country of Canada. The first is the story of Denis O'Donovan - who had the opportunity to choose his final resting place - and the second is Tadhg O'Brennan who may have been the first "Irish-Canadian" . All accompanied by music from The Chieftains and local Canadian folk singers and musicians. Enjoy...

In this episode we look at the story of two men born seventy years apart on the west coast of Ireland - who went on to make a substantial mark on naval history. William Brown was born into poverty in County Mayo but went on to become the father of the Argentinian Navy while John Philip Holland from County Clare designed the first submarines used by both the British and US Navies. Two fascinating s...

Did you know that Ireland was an uninhabited, ice-covered piece of ground up to about 10,000 years ago? Since then, many waves of immigrants have arrived in Ireland and made it more of a "melting Pot" than many of us might imagine. In this episode we look at the arrival in Ireland of two of these groups - one to County Limerick in the late 1700s and the other to County Fermanagh in 1600s and 1700s...

In this very special episode we take a trip around Inishmore - the largest of the Aran Islands - in the company of Cyril O'Flaherty. Cyril is a well known local historian and artist and gives a special insight into many old Irish culture and traditions as we travel around - many of which are still alive in this most beautiful of settings. Along the way, Carina and Mike have plenty of chat, craic a...

What have all these words got in common? Have a listen to today's show and find out. We look at two of Ireland's minority religions - the Methodists and the Quakers. We tell stories, share music and make a surprising connection from a village in county Cork to the first Quaker colonies in Pennsylvania. We do hope you enjoy!

The 12th of July is a holiday across the 6 counties of Northern Ireland. It is the day that many celebrate by participating in marching bands, having barbecues and enjoying the holiday with their families in different ways. In this episode we look at the arrival of the Scots in the counties of Ulster - and the subsequent "first migration" in the 18th century to the colonies of north America where...

In today's episode we chat about all things Irish - the Irish language that is! The first letter looks at Irish sayings and proverbs in their original Irish, how to pronounce them and what they mean in English. We then go on to examine how local Irish accents changed how one Irish surname was anglicised in different parts of the island. We also feature three very beautiful Irish songs in their ori...

In this episode, Carina and Mike chat about Irish Spirits - Irish Whiskey and other fine Irish concoctions that is! They look at the the story of Irish whiskey - share some Irish drinking songs along the way - and then travel to the Green Fields of France for an unexpected link to a little village in the north of County Cork and the great Cognac houses of France. With lots of Irish history, surnam...

In todays extended musical episode - called "The Evolution of Irish Music in 12 Tracks" - we bring you a very personal selection of Irish music from Mike. As he works (enjoys!) his way through a very personal selection of music, he chats about Irish history, culture and just why he selected each track for inclusion in this show. Enjoy!

Have you ever wondered how the Irish surnames in your family tree came about? Understanding just HOW your Irish surnames developed is KEY to understanding more about your Irish origins and likely locations in Ireland. In this episode we take two very different Irish surnames and use them to illustrate the sometimes simple - and sometimes unlikely - evolution of the surnames into their present form...

In this episode we take a trip inside the "Hedge Schools" of Ireland - places of learning that were dotted around Ireland right up to the mid-1800s. We also look at the prevalence of so many biblical/latin first names in Ireland - names such as Jeremiah or Cornelius - and explain just why they were so popular. And lots of great music to enjoy along the way!

What do Laurel & Hardy, Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Mary Black and Carina Collins all have in common? They all feature in this episode of the Letter from Ireland podcast where we focus on two recent movies and look at some of their surprising Irish connections. Enjoy!

Welcome to Series 7, Episode 20 of The Letter from Ireland Show. In this episode, Carina talks with a very unique individual that we discovered in the wilds of West Cork! Cormac Lally originally comes from Tullamore in County Offaly - but now resides in Skibbereen in County Cork where he makes a living as a modern Irish Bard. We worked with Cormac recently on putting one of our Green Room member's...

Today we tell the story of two Irish men who ended up fighting on the opposite sides of the American Civil War. One was Patrick Cleburne - also known as "Stonewall of the West" - who was born in the same village as Carina. The other was Thomas Francis Meagher - who came from Waterford - who escaped from his open prison in Tasmania to America where he was involved in leading the "Fighting 69th" bef...

In this episode of the Letter from Ireland podcast we take a literary turn! First off we have a look at that literary masterpiece of Jane Austen - Pride and Prejudice - having fun with some of the Irish versions of the character's surnames. Then, we trace our way from County Down to Yorkshire in England to visit one of the outstanding literary families of modern times - and share more on their sur...

Do you have ancestors who originated in the counties of Ulster? In this episode we interview Janet Hancock who is the Deputy Head of Public Services at PRONI (The Public Records Office of Northern Ireland). We chat about: Janet's role at PRONI and her own background. How and why was PRONI set up? How useful is PRONI online to family history researchers? What sorts of resources can be found at PRON...

We start this episode by hitting the high seas in the company of Saint Brendan the Navigator - a man who roamed the known (and unknown) world using the simple boats of his day. We then come back onto dry land and embark on a pilgrim trail towards Mount Brandon (named after the earlier mentioned Brendan) in County Kerry and reflect on how these trails mirror so much of our journey in life. All this...

As we approach Easter here in Ireland, the thoughts of many Irish people turn to the historic events around the Easter Rising of 1916. In this episode we talk about that time as well as another Irish leader who was killed 100 years ago this year. We also feature Irish rebel songs commemorating many of the rebellions and individuals who gave their lives down through the centuries.

In today's episode of the Letter from Ireland podcast, we take a trip up along the St. Lawrence River in Canada with two stories linked to that part of the world. First, we stop off at Grosse Île just outside Quebec City and then we hear the story of two musical sisters and their Irish-descended family who were brought up not too far from the city of Montrèal in Quebec. Along with lots of chat and...

Here in Ireland we are getting ready to fill in the population census for 2022. We use this opportunity to chat about the census down through the years and it's usefulness to genealogists and family historians. Carina also reads a letter all about an unusual question that the population were asked before the 1911 census and we dig a little deeper into the census records for her own homeplace at th...

This is a musical episode (with a running commentary) of the Letter from Ireland show. Over 10 tracks, Mike takes you through an Irish musical journey that shaped his growing awareness and appreciation of the Irish music that surrounded him. As he plays the tracks, he chats about Irish history, surname, culture and much more. You will hear references to the Green Room members as this episode was p...