Irish History Podcast

Until recently few people had heard of Gortnacranagh in Co Roscommon. Then, in early August, archaeologists announced they had made startling discoveries during an excavation of what appears to have been a prehistoric sacred bog in the area.  These included a large wooden pagan idol, human bones and animal depositions. While post excavation analysis has yet to be completed, Dr Eve Campbe...

Ireland has literally thousands of amazing historic and archaeological sites that stretch back thousands of years. Many of the best of these are off the beaten track and do not feature on tourist trails. A few weeks ago archaeologist Neil Jackman took me to one of these - the vast sprawling ruins of Athassel priory in South Tipperary. In a wide ranging interview, Neil explained the history of this...

Do beaches have a history? They very rarely feature in history books, however some of the most important chapters in our past began on beaches. This episode was recorded at Passage East in Co Waterford. This beach is arguably one of the most important historic landscapes on the island. The Norman Invasion began here as both Strongbow and Henry II made landfall at Passage East. In this episode I lo...

You've probably heard of the Knights but did you know they had a long history in Ireland lasting nearly two centuries? In this podcast I interview Maeve Callan, an expert on the history of the Templars in Ireland. Maeve details this intriguing story from their first arrival in the early 12th century through to their dramatic and sensational downfall in the early 14th century. This is part of a muc...

In this episode you will step back a century to experience life in a Victorian mansion. Kylemore Abbey is a stunning mansion located in the wilds of Connemara in the West of Ireland. While it hugs the shoreline of the remote Pollacappul lake, this stately home could rival any great house in Ireland. With over seventy rooms including a ballroom, the house frequently entertained high profile visitor...

What was it like to it live in a castle? Were they luxurious? How similar were they to modern houses?  Last week I visited Clara Castle and recorded an episode inside this 500 year old building. From toilets to secret chambers - castle living is not what we often think it was.  Tune in to find out more... Copies of my book Life in Medieval Ireland are available here https://irishhis...

673 years ago in Kilkenny, a Franciscan Friar John Clyn wrote one of the most famous accounts of the Black Death in Ireland. In this episode I am joined by D.J. Walsh and Eoin Tabb, the hosts of the podcast Snugcast , to see how this account shapes up against our experiences of the Black Death.  While the Black Death was far more deadly, some of our reactions to Covid-19 are surprisingly simi...

I have writers block again, so I went on a hunt for inspiration in historic locations around Kilkenny. I ended up at a tomb that's over 5,000 years old where our ancestors did very very strange things.... Become a supporter & access dozens of exclusive podcasts Patreon www.patreon.com/irishpodcast Acast https://plus.acast.com/s/irishhistory 📢June 2023 Update - New Walking Tour 📢 I am thrille...

Through 1920 Terence MacSwiney became the most well known Irish republican across the world. Elected as Lord Mayor of Cork in March, he was arrested in August and began the longest hunger-strike in Irish history at the time. The story of this battle of wills between MacSwiney and the British Authorities proved a crucial moment in the war and is an extraordinary story. Additional research was...

Cork is known as the rebel county. From late 1919 it earned this adage as some of the most bitter fighting in the War of Independence took place in Cork city and county. This episode begins with the story of Eilis MacCurtain whose husband Tomas was Cork's first republican Lord Mayor and the Commander of the Cork No.1 Brigade of the IRA.  In the second part of the show we head to West Cor...

The story of the War of Independence in the North of Ireland is often overlooked. This obscures the fact that Belfast was the most violent place in Ireland during the conflict. However it was a very different war when compared to the experience of other parts of the island.  This podcast explains the war in the north and why, contrary to popular misconceptions, the IRA were not the force they...

In the latest installment of the War of Independence series I am joined by historian Liz Gills to talk about women and the Irish revolution. While numerous Irish women from revolutionaries to unionists have been covered in the series to date, in this fascinating interview, Liz provides wider context to their involvement in the conflict. She explains how women were pivotal in establishing Ireland’s...

As Easter approached in 1920 many politicians in Britain feared a major uprising in Ireland along the lines of the 1916 Rising. While the IRA had a major operation planned it was one that took the authorities off guard. Indeed the Spring of 1920 saw a surge in republican activity as prisoners across Ireland and Britain went on hunger strike which in turn lead to a general strike. Meanwhile the sca...

To date the War of Independence series has focused largely on the republican movement. This episode however looks at how the British government and their representatives in Ireland viewed the conflict.  While the show follows those in the highest office in the land, this is not stuffy office politics. By December 1919 the IRA were preparing an attack on the most powerful British figure o...

In this episode we move south to the Cork town of Fermoy. While most clashes in the war to date have seen the IRA pitted against police constables, this episode will see British Army soldiers enter the fray. These battle hardened veterans from the First World War pose a very different threat to Royal Irish Constabulary. The show also introduces some famous figures including Liam Lynch arguabl...

This episode returns to the story of Seumus Robinson, Dan Breen, Sean Hogan and Sean Treacy. Known as the Big Four, these IRA volunteers had come to prominence after playing a leading role in the Soloheadbeg Ambush often considered the opening shots of the war. After five months on the run, the police captured Sean Hogan. Given the eighteen year old almost certainly faced a death sentence, Ro...

There was no episode this week and here's why.... Become a supporter & access dozens of exclusive podcasts Patreon www.patreon.com/irishpodcast Acast https://plus.acast.com/s/irishhistory 📢June 2023 Update - New Walking Tour 📢 I am thrilled to announce my brand new walking tour in Ireland's oldest city, Waterford. Join me and explore 1,000 years of history from the Vikings to Cromwell &...

*There was an audio issue on an early version of this episode. This was resolved and a new issue was uploaded on Monday 15 March at 21:00 - Fin*. In April 1919 the focus of the War of Independence shifted to the city of Limerick. In response to an IRA raid, the British Army effectively besieged the city for over a week leading trade unions to launch a general strike. These events would become know...

Last weeks episode looked at the story of the Soloheadbeg Ambush, often considered the opening shots of the war. A few weeks later one of the most audacious IRA operations of the entire war took place in England. This saw three high profile republican prisoners attempt a daring escape from Lincoln Jail . Following on from the Soloheadbeg ambush if successful it would serve as a stunning propa...

In the latest installment of the War of Independence series we look at the famous 1918 election from the perspective of a forgotten Sligo woman Sarah Garvey who started a riot on election day!  The results of this election lead to the historic meeting of the first independent Irish parliament - the Dáil.  Then to conclude the episode we travel to rural Tipperary, and a place called Soloh...

An ambush at Soloheadbeg, Tipperary in January 1919 is often cited as the opening shots of the War of Independence. However as early as 1917 political tensions were leading to violence across Ireland. Several people were killed in 1917 and 1918. This podcast looks at this descent into war.  The episode is based around the story of Edward Murray, a young Dubliner who played a key role in these...

The story of the War of Independence continues with the 1916 Rising. The episode begins by looking at the how the revolt unfolded and explains why it was limited to Dublin. It then follows the rebels into captivity in the famous prison camp of Frongach in Wales. The second half of the show turns to the legacy of the Rising. The dramatic transformation of attitudes towards militant republicani...

This is the first episode in a 24 part series on the War of Independence. Today's show focuses on the First World War and how it destablised Irish society, following the lives of several people in one Irish town - Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny (where I grew up). It includes never before published letters from soldiers at the Front and accounts from life back in Ireland at the time. The episode also rev...

The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire of 1911 was pivotal moment in US history. The deadly workplace disaster in the heart of Manhattan detailed in the last two episodes, exposed the way many poor immigrants were exploited in the city. This podcast, the third and final installment in the series, looks at the profound legacy of the fire. Following the later lives of the two immigrants featured in the series...

This is the second episode in the miniseries on the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire of 1911. Its worth checking out episode 1 before listening to this show. In the first installment of this series, we chronicled the lives of Annie Doherty & Celia Walker and the often grueling experience of emigrants to the USA at the turn of the 20th Century. This podcast follows these two women into one of...