Irish History Podcast

Ireland remained neutral in the Second World War. However by the summer of 1940 a German invasion seemed increasingly likely. Having conquered Western Europe the Nazis prepared Operation Sea Lion, an invasion of Britain which would inevitably have led to an invasion of Ireland.  While preparations were made for a defence of the country, Ireland's intelligence community increased their surveil...

The diet of the rural poor in Ireland prior to the Famine is one of the most unusual in modern history. Adult males consumed as much as 14lb (6.35kg) of potatoes per day. Last week I tried this diet and in this podcast you find out what happened. The results make this the most unusual podcast I've made.  Regina Sexton, a food historian in University College Cork also explains how people ate t...

This show look at a story related to the series Partisans. Its about the life of a Basque family briefly mentioned in that series - the Gallastegis - who moved to Ireland in the aftermath of the bombing of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War.  This show was produced and researched by Ignacio Irigoien and Steward Reddin. I was delighted to be asked to narrate it and I am very grateful to be...

Through the 18th and 19th century, large numbers of Irishmen served in the British Army. However there were also many Irishwomen whose lives were interwoven with the military. While not soldiers they became part of the army through marriage to members of the regiments stationed in Ireland. This lead to unusual and captivating lives. In this episode I interview historian Dr Aoife Bhreatnach about a...

This is the final episode in the series Partisans. While the Spanish Civil War came to an end in 1939 and the Irish returned home for many Spaniards, Basques and Catalans the conflict would not end for decades. To conclude the series I interview the expert Nick Lloyd for his insights into what happened after Franco took power. Nick explains what the Franco's regime was like, who were the winners a...

This podcast, the second last in Partisans, looks at the battle of the Ebro - the last major showdown in the Spanish Civil War. While the show looks at how the war ended for the Irish fighters, it also tackles one of the great mysteries of the Spanish Civil War - what happened to Frank Ryan. This intriguing story continues to perplex and divide historians today. Research - Stewart Reddin Additiona...

The enduring images of the Spanish Civil War depict armed fighters of one kind or another. This podcast, however, follows the story of a different Irish experience - that of Hannah Ormsby, an Irish nurse who arrived in Spain in the summer of 1937. The savagery of the war ensured she would be treated no different than other antifascists. Hannah had to work in appaling conditions often under fire fr...

The most notorious incident of the Spanish Civil War was the bombing of Guernica by the Nazi Condor Legion. Immortalised by Pablo Picasso's painting it was the first time in world history carpet bombing was deployed against a civilian population. It was part of an overall campaign called 'The War in the North'. This saw General Franco turn his forces agains the antifascist zone along the north coa...

This episode continues Partisans - Irish Stories from the Spanish Civil War. In this podcast we follow the Irish in Spain into battle. The show begins with campaigns in Andalusia and takes you through one of the most famous battles of entire war - Jarama. We will see how the Blueshirts and the Antifascist International Brigaders fared when they faced the realities of war. This includes numerous fi...

This episode returns to the series Partisans - Irish stories from the Spanish Civil War. This show looks at the two groups of Irish fighters who traveled to Spain - the Irish Brigade better known as the Blueshirts and the antifascist International Brigades. Over the last eight decades they have been among the most controversial figures of 20th century Irish history. The podcast seperates the fact...

St Peter’s Church in Drogheda Co Louth contains what has to be one of the most unsettling religious relics on display anywhere in the world. This is the head of an Irish man - Oliver Plunkett - who was hanged drawn and quartered in London in 1681. For religious catholics, the head of Plunkett, who was later declared a saint, is believed to have supernatural powers and can cure illnesses. The story...

The Deaf community are rarely mentioned in general histories of Ireland. Prior to making this episode I knew almost nothing about their rich history. In this podcast I interview the historian Cormac Leonard from Trinity College Dublin. Cormac reveals the fascinating history of the Deaf Community in Ireland. He provides vivid accounts of deaf people struggling against authorities in workhouses and...

How well do you know your Irish history? Nows the time to find out! In this podcast, I read out 63 history questions. As I read each question you select the correct answer from five options in the online answer sheet here www.irishhistorypodcast.ie/quiz. Once you submit your answers you will get your score and the correct answers automatically sent your email! The top score so far is 52/63. Can yo...

This show is 40 minutes of escapism from Covid-19. In the podcast I explore some of the history and historic places within two kilometres of my home in Kilkenny. This journey starts in the 19th century and takes you back 1,000 years. You will hear stories from a 19th century mental asylum, visit a medieval hospital, walk down a medieval street, hear the strange story of a dog whose death symbolise...

Recently I discovered that my great great grandmother Catherine Murphy lost her sister and her daughter within two days of each other in February 1919 during the Great Flu pandemic. This highlighted how disease has long been part of our history. For this episode I decided to catch up with the historian John Dorney who recently published an article on the history of epidemics in Ireland. You can fi...

The Great Famine, the Sitcom Friends and Prohibition campaigners in 19th century Belfast all have one thing in common – in some way shape or form influenced the popularity of coffee in Ireland. This podcast which continues the story of coffee in Ireland revealing how modern Irish coffee culture is nothing new. Indeed your great grandparents may well have enjoyed take away coffee as much...

Calling Irish History Fans! Test your knowledge against listeners from across the world on April 11th. I will be hosting an online history table quiz on YouTube. Listeners from the US, Canada, the UK & Irleand have already signed up so global bragging rights are on offer! Registration is free but essential at historyquiz.eventbrite.com While the quiz is free but I am urging participants to don...

The Irish coffee industry generates hundreds of million of euros every year. This is a pretty recent development - when I was growing up in the 1980s and 1990s the only coffee available was instant coffee.  However Ireland's relationship with coffee did not begin in the last 20 years. If anything this is the second or even third wave of coffee culture to hit this country. In this show I Iook...

We are all taking precautionary measures to avoid Covid-19, but this is not the first time humans have faced such threats. This short episode looks at the story of the humorous but frantic preparations that took place in 1900 when Ireland faced an potential outbreak of bubonic plague. Its will sound strangely familiar! The next episode of the podcast is part I of the Irish history of coffee. Becom...

Between 1898 and 1902, the Irish playwright John Millington Synge spent several summers on the Aran Islands. Shaped by the harsh environment of the North Atlantic Ocean the islanders lived in a unique society. Old customs and traditions that had died in many parts of Ireland still survived on the islands.  Synge left a mesmerising account of island life and this podcast transports you back to...

In the last episode (A Land to Die For Part I) we followed the story of William Sheehan. Raised in a community obsessed with land he had become involved in a violent dispute over his family farm after his eviction in 1882. By late 1883 Sheehan, wanting a fresh start, had emigrated to New Zealand. However he could not escape his violent past. Within months of his arrival news reached New Zealand he...

Land has been the cause of some of the most vicious feuds and brutal murders in modern irish history. Often portrayed as the poor tenant farmer against powerful landlords, the real stories were often more complex. In a society where people developed what was an unhealthy obsession with land there were all too many willing to kill friends family and neighbours over it.  The sentiments which fu...

The year 1916 is known for one event in Irish history – the Easter Rising. However as that fateful weekend approached most Dubliners were oblivious to the fact that their city stood on the threshold of history. This podcast focuses on three of those Dubliners, and takes look around their city on the eve of the rising, revealing what the city looked like, sounded like and even smelled like! Th...

This podcast transports you back to Ireland during the summer of 1963. This was a fascinating time; JFK visited Ireland, 1% of the population were priests or nuns and instead of downloading Tinder you found love in the classifieds of a newspaper! Rumours of hidden Nazi treausre from World War II was headline news while a Third World War with the Soviet Union seemed imminent. Become a supporter &am...

First built in 1582, the Hole in the Wall pub in Kilkenny was the perfect location to record this episode. I was joined by DJ Walsh of the podcast Snugcast and we looked at the history of drinking in Ireland.  Starting in the late Middle Ages, this podcast is a whistlestop tour through Irish drinking habits over 800 years. Myself and DJ talk about what Irish people drink and how this has chan...