Irish Left Archive Podcast

In this episode we talk to Eugene McCartan. Originally from Co. Down, Eugene has been an activist with the Communist Party of Ireland since joining in Dublin in 1974. He served as the party’s Chairperson from 1989 to 2001 and then General Secretary until his retirement from that role in 2023. We discuss Eugene’s background and joining the Communist Party of Ireland (CPI); the short-lived Left Alli...

In this episode we’re joined again by Charles Tuba for a discussion of Jack Holland and Henry McDonald’s book, INLA: Deadly Divisions, which tells the story of the origins and development of the INLA. Charles has joined us previously to discuss Seán Swan’s Official Irish Republicanism in episode 25 and Robert White’s biography of Ruairí Ó Brádaigh in episode 38 . The writing of Seamus Costello is...

This episode is a round up of the Irish Left Archive project in 2025 and answers to some listener questions. Thanks as always to everyone who has supported and engaged with the archive by sending documents, speaking on the podcast, emailing, commenting, and using the site. Thanks also to the editorial team of Saothar, the journal of the Irish Labour History Society, for including an article on the...

In this episode we talk to Madeleine Johansson of Red Network. Madeleine moved from Sweden to Ireland in the 2000s where she became active with the Socialist Workers’ Party (SWP) and People Before Profit (PBP). She was a party organiser and director of elections for the 2016 General Election campaign in Dublin Mid-West, subsequently co-opted on to South Dublin County Council in 2016, and returned...

In this episode we talk to Stan Erraught about his book, Rebel Notes: Popular Music and Conflict in Ireland . We discuss Stan’s own political background and work leading to his research for the book; the different facets of Irish popular music since the mid-20th Century; the particular cases of the Wolfe Tones and Kneecap and perceptions of their political and Irish cultural expression; and the ch...

In this episode we talk to Maurice Casey about his book, Hotel Lux: An Intimate History of Communism’s Forgotten Radicals . Hotel Lux tells the story of May O’Callaghan and her social circle in the Comintern’s Moscow accommodation for international communists. We discuss Maurice’s PhD research, its transformation into the book, and the lives and interactions of May and other communists with whom s...

In this episode we talk to Aidan Beatty about his book, The Party is Always Right: The Untold Story of Gerry Healy and British Trotskyism . We discuss the history of the Socialist Labour League and Workers’ Revolutionary Party in the UK; the role of the party and their Galway-born leader, Gerry Healy, in Trotskyism; the implosion of the party in 1985 with allegations of sexual abuse against Healy...

In this episode we talk to Gearóid Ó Faoleán about his research into support for the Provisional IRA in the Republic of Ireland during the Troubles. Gearóid is the author of A Broad Church: The Provisional IRA in the Republic of Ireland, 1969–1980 and A Broad Church Vol. 2: The Provisional IRA in the Republic of Ireland, 1980-1989 , published by Merrion Press in 2019 and 2023, respectively. He is...

In this episode we talk to Niall McGuirk about the Hope Collective. Hope Collective originated in the early 1980s when Niall started putting on gigs to encourage bands to play in Dublin and developed into the Hope Collective in 1994. Hope facilitated dozens of bands playing gigs in Ireland and latterly has produced books recording the history and recollections of that music scene. We discuss Niall...

In this episode we talk to Professor Helena Sheehan about her recent book, Until We Fall: Long Distance Life on the Left . We discuss the lead up to and impact of the break up of the Soviet Union, Helena’s experience of post-apartheid South Africa and the changing role of the University in the contemporary period. Helena is Emeritus Professor at Dublin City University (DCU) and has published and t...

In this episode we talk to Dr. Marisa McGlinchey about her book, Unfinished Business: the politics of ‘dissident’ Irish republicanism (Manchester University Press, 2019). Based on a series of interviews with radical Republicans from several organisations, the book discusses the development of ‘dissident’ Irish republicanism and considers its impact on politics throughout Ireland since the 1980s. I...

In this episode we speak to Sinéad Mercier. Sinéad is a lecturer in Environmental Law & Policy and PhD Researcher in the Sutherland School of Law in UCD with the PROPERTY [IN]JUSTICE project led by Amy Strecker and Amanda Byer. We discuss Sinéad’s political background, her engagement with Trade Unionism and work with ICTU; environmental campaigning, how environmentalism has developed in Irelan...

Spirit of revolution In this episode we discuss the recently published book, Spirit of Revolution: Ireland from below, 1917–1923 . This edited volume looks at regional and local case studies during the revolutionary period, highlighting the widespread radicalism – beyond the national independence movement – that flourished around Ireland at the time in land and housing action, labour mobilisation...

In this episode we speak to activist and academic Camilla Fitzsimons. Camilla’s academic work focuses in particular on education and social movements, and she is an Associate Professor in Maynooth University School of Education. Her publications include two books – Community education and neoliberalism: Philosophies, practices and policies in Ireland (2017) and Repealed: Ireland’s Unfinished Fight...

In this episode we talk to Jim Monaghan. Jim first became politically active as a student in the late 1960s in Dublin. We discuss the increasing politicisation in Ireland at that time, and Jim’s political activity, initially with Labour and Students for Democratic Action, the League for A Workers’ Republic, and briefly the LWR-breakaway, the League for a Workers Vanguard. Jim then describes his mo...

Throughout 2023 we have asked podcast guests if there are any cultural artefacts or events that they consider particularly influential on their politics. This episode brings together responses from historian Mary Muldowney, anarchist activist Gregor Kerr, Republican activist Des Dalton, author Michael Flavin, historian Brian Hanley, and Irish Anarchist Network activists Nestor and Saornil. Below,...

In this episode we’re joined by David Costelloe. Dave writes on history and politics on his website Never Felt Better , and in particular has written an extensive series of articles on Irish military history from the earliest records almost to the contemporary, Ireland’s Wars . We spoke to Dave previously in 2021, on episode 20 of the podcast , about his background and work on earlier military his...

An introduction to our next series of episodes and discussion of the Irish Left Archive project and changes we’ve made in the past year. The discussion includes mention of trying to keep all aspects of the project open. As such, we’ve made the website and podcast statistics publicly accessible, as well as any source code used in the project. Website statistics: https://u.leftarchive.ie/share/6wv4M...

In this episode we talk to Des Dalton. Des is a long-term Republican activist who joined Republican Sinn Féin in the late 1980s and has served on the party’s Ard Comhairle and as party President from 2009 to 2018. Since leaving the party in 2021, Des has been an independent Republican activist. We discuss Des’s political background and his Republicanism, which led him to joining Republican Sinn Fé...

In this episode we talk to historian Brian Hanley about the new five-part documentary podcast, Dirty War in Dublin , written by Brian and produced by Kevin Brannigan. We discuss how the podcast came about and was developed, and look at the history of the Irish Civil War it covers and its wider context. Listeners will be familiar with Brian’s work from previous episodes of our podcast. If you haven...

In this episode we talk to Emma Campbell. Emma is an artist, activist and researcher based in Belfast. She is a co-convenor of Alliance for Choice and has particularly focused both her activism and solo art work on abortion rights, with projects including When they put their hands out like scales , which included ‘Journeys’ – photographing people’s journeys to abortion clinics in England – and ‘Wo...

In this episode we talk to anarchist activist Gregor Kerr about the Dublin Anarchist Bookfair. The bookfair was first held in 2006 and organised by the Workers Solidarity Movement (WSM) and continued for a number of years. After a hiatus of a few years, the Irish Anarchist Network (IAN) and independent anarchists have come together to organise the fair for 2023, which will take place in the Teache...

In this episode we talk to Dublin City Council historian-in-residence Mary Muldowney about left approaches to history. Mary discusses her research and public dissemination of history; her advocacy of oral history and its particular utility in bringing out working class histories and history ‘from below’; attitudes to history in Irish academia and how they have changed; and some of the events of th...

In this episode we speak to two members of the Irish Anarchist Network , Nestor and Saornil. The Irish Anarchist Network was formed in 2022 by a number of independent anarchists. We discuss the formation and growth of the network and how they went about organising and structuring it; their orientation towards direct action and the balance between practical activism and theoretical discussion; thei...

In this episode we talk to Mickey Moran. Mickey is a member of Éirígí and is the party’s representative for the midlands. He has been politically involved since his late teens, initially in activism in Limerick and Cork with animal rights, anti-war, anti-fascist and anti-globalisation campaigns. Moving to London in 2008, he was involved with the anti-fascist movement and then joined the Revolution...