The Irish Passport

In this third instalment in our Oscar Wilde series, we take a closer look at how definitions and understandings of sexuality changed during Wilde's lifetime, and how same-sex relationships fit into the Victorian worldview. We also delve into Wilde's toxic relationship with Bosie, a.k.a Lord Alfred Douglas, and how his infatuation with this cruel and exacting figure fed into his ultimate downfall....

Naomi and Tim report on the recent unrest in France, and explain the grievances that have led to historic demonstrations and, in some cases, scenes of violence and arson that have shocked the world. A video version of this episode is available for Patreon subscribers at the Citizen tier and above. Sign up to support the podcast at www.patreon.com/theirishpassport

Naomi and Tim explain the Drumcree conflict and why the current aspirations of the Orange Order to march through the Catholic neighbourhood of the Garvaghy Road are so laden with history. Patreon supporters can watch this episode in video format on https://www.patreon.com/theirishpassport

It's been a spicy few weeks in politics: Ireland was blindsided by an unexpected endorsement of Irish unity by United States President Donald Trump while on a visit to the country. Meanwhile the pro-independence parties of Scotland and Wales signed a cooperation agreement with Sinn Féin, agreeing common interests and to share strategy, including regarding the European Union. Regarding which - is C...

In the latest installment of our Oscar Wilde series, Naomi and Tim discuss Oscar Wilde's move to Oxford, ascent as a star student, and launch in London to become one of the most famous figures of his day -- a kind of Victorian-era influencer. This is a period in which Wilde begins to emerge is a writer: of beautiful fables to be read to children, and of his book Dorian Gray, which would cause a sc...

Before the world knew Oscar Wilde, Ireland knew Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde: the son of a famous nationalist poet mother and a pioneering surgeon who grew up at the heart of Ireland's cultural renaissance of the 19th century, between Dublin and famine-ravaged County Mayo. We discuss how Ireland shaped the budding writer and how Irish politics and the context of the time are key to unders...

Last week footage of a shocking stabbing in Belfast went viral. After it emerged that the perpetrator was an asylum seeker originally from Sudan, protests were called that soon devolved into a racist pogrom. Gangs of young men created checkpoints, burnt out cars, and set fire to the homes of people suspected to be migrants. An old friend of the podcast, Matthew O'Toole, got a frontline view to the...

A proposal for the smallest statue in the world to be built in Cork, in honour of the local mosquito that reputedly bit Oliver Cromwell ultimately causing his death, recently went viral. The idea inspired this episode discussing the diverging historical memory of Cromwell in Ireland, where he is remembered as a genocidal murderer, and in Britain, where he retains many admirers. We speak to Green p...

Granuaile or Grace O'Malley: a woman chieftain in 16th century Ireland who ruled the seas with a fleet of ships and was both respected and deeply feared. Daughter of the seafaring Ó Máille Gaelic clan, Gráinne carved out a position of power for herself at a time when there was little recent precedent for doing so. She found herself contending with the encroachment of English invaders, and ended up...

For the past week Ireland has been blockaded by protests that have been described as among the largest seen since independence. It's one ripple effect from the US-Israeli attack on Iran, which sent the price of fuel used by farmers, truckers and fishermen soaring. In response protesters blocked motorways, ports, Ireland's only oil refinery, and much of the capital Dublin, demanding the government...

Lá Fhéile Pádraig sona daoibh! On this most turbulent of St Patrick’s Day, we cover some of the major events that are dominating news headlines: Gerry Adams in court in London, Mícheál Martin on the Taoiseach’s annual pilgrimage to the White House, and the how Ireland and Europe are reacting to the fallout of the US war with Iran. We’ll be releasing a halfpint with further discussion exclusively f...

This month marks the official start of spring in Ireland and to mark it Naomi and Tim discuss the figure of Bridget, Brigid or Bríd. A goddess in Gaelic times who became Christianised into Saint Bridget, the stories about this figure reveal fascinating details about the society that produced them. A bonus Halfpint debrief episode is available here for Patreon supporters: https://www.patreon.com/po...

A strategically-located island in the Atlantic circled by Russian ships and with few of its own defences... Greenland has caught the avaricious eye of the president of the United States and the result is destroying the assumptions that defined the post-WW2 era. As world leaders meet in Davos amid a crumbling world order, Naomi and Tim consider the tumultuous events of recent weeks and what it mean...

In this listener questions episode, Naomi and Tim take questions from listeners on everything from Gaelic Ulster, to nomadic patterns of land use, and the quirks of Ireland's postal system. We discuss the long effect of an old law that forced women to quit their jobs once they married. Tim tells the story of the supermarket workers who refused to handle goods from apartheid South Africa, and how t...

Naomi and Tim dig into the history of Ireland's Economic War, a challenging period for the early Irish state which ended up transforming the country as it shaped its new independence. We hear from someone who lived through that difficult period of the 1930s, when Britain slapped high tariffs on Ireland and the Irish state retaliated in turn. "The English were starving the Irish people that time,"...

The famous 'pint of plain' has become one of the most recognisable commercial brands in the world, and is inextricably linked to the Irish pub. In light of a new Netflix series on the Guinness family, this episode dives into the real history of the 'Black stuff', and explores how the brand has reinvented itself time and time again through the miracle of marketing. An extra-content debrief on this...

Naomi and Tim take a look at the candidates who have put themselves forward for the highest office in the land and consider what the Irish presidency means in the 21st century. We look at the odd nature of presidential office in Ireland, how the role has changed significantly over recent mandates, and why that could potentially lead to a constitutional crisis in the future. Bonus episodes are avai...

An Irish language rap group has improbably enough become the focus of global media attention and political debate. Why? For describing Israel's actions in Gaza as a genocide and accusing the United States of complicity before an approving crowd at the music festival Coachella. In this episode, Naomi and Tim explain the origins of Kneecap in the movement for Irish language rights, the controversies...

In the grand finale of our Conquest series, Naomi and Tim dig into one of the most notorious episodes of Irish history, starring none other than Oliver Cromwell. We explore his rise to power as a major player in the puritan faction of England's civil war, and how he came to view the task of "pacifying" Ireland both as a way to solidify his support, and as a kind of holy war. Cromwell's actions in...

Naomi spent months investigating a rogue landlord who built up an empire of rental properties in Ireland backed by family wealth in Luxembourg. In this episode, we tell the story of Marc Godart: his back story, the controversial evictions that brought him to prominence, and the unusual ways he runs his businesses. This is based on reporting by Naomi and her colleagues at the Irish Times that was r...

In the last 24 hours the global economic order may have transformed forever, as Donald Trump declares crushing tariffs for countries all over the world, not least the European Union. In this hot-off-the-press episode, Naomi explains what this might mean for Ireland and the EU, how the figures add up (or how they don't) and why the reasoning behind these new tariffs has experts all over the world s...

A very different cultural and political model dominated Irish society prior to the British conquest: Gaelic Ireland. This was a system that prevailed for thousands of years, right back into prehistory, protected by Ireland's geographic isolation. What norms did this society have? What laws, what economic system, in what buildings did people live? Naomi and Tim paint a picture of life in Ireland be...

Did you know that the United States' border policy and power to deport people was invented to get rid of famine-era immigrants from Ireland? It's a little-known chapter of history that challenges many current day stereotypes in anti-immigrant discourse. Naomi and Tim break it down in this new episode, featuring historian Hidetaka Hirota, whose book on the subject upended much of what was previousl...

Why did chaos disrupt the formation of a new Irish government? What has the government promised to do, and who's in it? We break it down in this new episode. We also a look back on some of our prior reporting on the Healy Raes: rural political dynasty from County Kerry who have chosen to go into government for the first time - with Michael Healy Rae even set for a ministerial position. What will t...

Nollaig shona daoibh go léir! During this festive season please enjoy this short holiday episode which we originally recorded last year. Every year the Irish government and national media lend their full attention to the arrival of Santa Claus on the island of Ireland, and discuss the various logistics of his visit to every child in the country. In this mini bonus episode, we bring you this most i...