Three Castles Burning

At a packed Oak Room in the Mansion House, a celebration of the life of the journalist Con Houlihan last Saturday brought the audience on a journey into the work and passions of one of Ireland's most beloved scribes. Born in Castle Island (two words, he insisted) in 1925, Con became the heart of the Evening Press newspaper on Dublin's Burgh Quay. His love for his native Kerry, sport, literature, t...

Shaffrey Architects was established in 1967 by Patrick and Maura Shaffrey. Based on Ormond Quay,the practice has made a real and meaningful contribution to Dublin and beyond, with projects including 14 Henrietta Street and Wicklow Head Lighthouse. Fifty years on from Patrick Shaffrey producing The Irish Town: An Approach to Survival, Grainne Shaffrey joins me to talk about the journey since. This...

Brian Kerr's voice is instantly familiar as a broadcaster, and his contribution to Irish football is extraordinary. Born in 1953, his first coaching role came while barely a teenager. In the 1980s he would come to manage the team he had supported since his childhood, St Patrick's Athletic, before going on to historic victories with Ireland's youth teams in the 1990s. In this discussion, we touch o...

Padraic X. Scanlan is the author of Rot: A History of the Irish Famine. Framing the crisis in Ireland within the broader picture of Empire, this book brings much to how we understood the events that reshaped Ireland. While the crisis recalls rural Ireland, Dublin was central to the story, as the location of the Castle Administration and a bustling port. In this episode we touch on the peculiar sto...

In 1860, a blaze in the Kildare Street Club led to the death of three workers and the destruction of an institution. Together with other fires of the era, this provided the imperative for a municipal fire service. While Captain James Robert Ingram's name is associated with the 'Whiskey Fire' of 1875, there were many other significant fires, including the destruction of Dublin's Theatre Royal. This...

Niamh Hassett and Sean Nugent join me in this special edition of the podcast, exploring a wonderful Tipperary tradition on Dublin's Talbot Street. When the Premier County reach an All Ireland Final, hundreds gather to remember Seán Treacy on the morning of the game. What began this tradition, and why is it growing in popularity?

This month brings the fiftieth anniversary of the tragic murders of members of The Miami Showband. This band, drawing its members from both sides of the border, was a defining part of the showband scene that withstood the changing musical tastes of the country from one decade into the next. Where did the Showband Scene come from, and what were its lasting impacts on music in Dublin and beyond?

The Donnybrook Fair is recalled in ballad and memoir as a notorious and chaotic annual event, but what really went on there? Over centuries, the annual fair drew revellers from near and far to Donnybrook, but a combination of social reformers successfully brought about its demise in the 1850s. In this story, we meet characters as diverse as prize fighter Dan Donnelly, and civic reformer James Haug...

Christina Wade's new history of Irish beer is a masterclass in social and economic history. In the context of Dublin, it tells us a lot, especially about the challenges that faced breweries in turbulent times. In this episode, we look at her chapter 'Porter Wars', and how unfair trade laws and domestic and international politics all shaped the producing and selling of beer in Dublin. Filthy Queens...

The first ever Kilkenny Law Fest took place last weekend. On its bill, a discussion with Superintendent Paul Maher of the Garda Historical Society. Paul did so much in the Decade of Centenaries to involve the force, and it was great to talk to him about the 1925 merging of the Dublin Metropolitan Police and AGS. This discussion takes in early Irish policing, as well as looking at what made Dublin...

A nice mention for the podcast recently on Crime World inspired me to go back to the subject of the Animal Gang. Seperating fact from folklore, just who made up the so-called Animal Gang of 1930s and 1940s Dublin. Was there one gang, or does the term mean something much broader? What was the relationship between the Animal Gang and the turbulent politics of the time.   For more on the Animal Gang,...

Tony Gregory remains one of the most beloved TD's in the history of the city. Lately, talk of the Molly Malone monument has reminded me of the story of Gregory's activism on behalf of Dublin's largely female street traders, and his comments on the statue of Molly in the late 1980s. Is it time to move her to a more fitting location, where Jeanne Rynhart's monument might finally be respected?

Historian Pádraig Óg Ó Ruairc has just produced Burn Them Out, a history of the Irish far-right. One of its most intriguing chapters studies the Blueshirt movement, tracing its development from an association of veterans into something much broader. Studying intelligence files and reports, Ó Ruairc demonstrates the surprising level of violence associated with this movement around the country. So,...

Both Patrick Leo Burdock and Ivan Beshoff were revolutionaries, though in very different circumstances. These two names remain stalwarts of the Dublin chipper landscape, but did you know a branch of Leo Burdock's was raided in 1941, or that Ivan Beshoff lived to be over 100? From the Battleship Potemkin to a tramway strike in Dublin, this is the story of two remarkable men.

This edition of the podcast contains adult language and themes and is not suitable for younger listeners. This special live edition of the podcast was part of Abair, an annual programme within the Saint Patrick's Festival. Joining me is Caroline West (author of a recent best selling history about Monto and a sex educator and columnist), Terry Fagan (oral historian and Monto expert), MacDara Yeates...

In Dublin, just a handful of public houses now open at seven o'clock in the morning. Where did these early houses come from, and what has influenced their decline? On this journey across the city, we visit a pub financed by the Beamish & Crawford Brewery, as well as the historic fruit and vegetable market. Thanks to Brand New Retro for scanning SLATE Magazine!

Bob Dylan's 1966 visit to the Adelphi Cinema is a concert on which there is very little agreement. Torn apart by one Dublin reviewer, many who were there describe the gig in different terms entirely. For many in attendance, it was an extraordinary experience. Visiting Dublin in a year when The Clancy Brothers were putting Dublin's story on the international map, the Dylan concert survives. Support...

Described by The Irish Times as 'raucous, bawdy, reflective and wistful in turn', Traditional Singing from Dublin is more than just an album of songs. Inspired by figures as diverse as Liam Weldon and Seosamh Ó hÉanaí, this work has a strong sense of history throughout. Macdara Yeates joins me. You can stream Traditional Singing from Dublin now. Tickets for TradFest are available at www.tradfest.c...

In Glasnevin Cemetery, James Clarence Mangan's grave lists him as 'Ireland's National Poet.' Today, he is a curiously overlooked character. His influence on figures as diverse as Philip Lynott and Shane MacGowan is explored in this podcast, where Mangan's biographer Bridget Hourican explores his life, and historian Warren Farrell discusses his resting place and memory. 'Finding Mangan' and 'So Onc...

In 1898, tens of thousands of people paraded in Dublin for the unveiling of a foundation stone to a Wolfe Tone statue. So why did it not happen? Only in 1967 did Edward Delaney's tribute to Tone appear on St Stephen's Green. In this podcast, celebrating the fact the Tone monument is part of Dublin City Council's Dublin Winter Lights, Delaney's son and biographer joins me at the memorial to talk ab...

These are exciting times at the Collins Barracks branch of the National Museum of Ireland. This week, the first Harry Clarke display at the museum opens, showcasing six works by Ireland's most beloved stained glass artist. The Museum is also taking part in the Dublin City Council 'Dublin Winter Lights' for the first time. Dónal Maguire, Keeper of Art & Industry at the National Museum of Ireland, g...

The story of Michael Healy is one that tells us much about the Dublin of his time. Born into a working class inner-city family in 1873, Healy was shaped by the artistic and cultural movements of the time, becoming a central figure in the stained glass studio An Túr Gloine. The work of that studio is still to be found across Dublin today. His biographer David Caron joined me in Dublin's Hugh Lane G...

In the heart of Dublin's north inner-city, the SFX was one of the defining venues of Dublin's music scene. U2, The Smiths, New Order, Siouxsie and the Banshees and The Pogues are just some of the acts to have taken to the stage in the Jesuit hall that enjoyed a remarkable second life. I'm joined by David Bell (who experienced the venue as a fan, reporter, merchman and band manager) and Paul Page (...

Bram Stoker's life and career was shaped by the strong women around him. Charlotte Stoker, his mother, raised him on folklore and stories of her own youth, while Speranza (Lady Jane Wilde, the mother of Oscar) was a key influence in expanding his knowledge of Ireland's folklore and mythology.  I'm joined by Marion McGarry, author of the acclaimed book Irish Customs and Rituals and an authority on...

Irish Food History: A Companion  is an extraordinary thing - a moment in Irish publishing history. Coming in around 800 pages, it covers everything from archaeology and food to the pub grub of today. Full of archival images, poetry, recipes and more besides, the book captures the best of what is happening in Irish food research. On this episode, editors Dorothy Cashman and Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire...