Irish History Podcast

The Mater Hospital in Dublin first opened its doors in 1861. It has a fascinating although often forgotten history. From using cocaine as pain relief in the 19th century to treating the wounded of the 1916 Rising, the hospital has always been a fascinating place. Strange as it sounds, it is also where I first came up with the idea to start podcasting. In 2010 having been diagnosed with Crohn's dis...

Muriel McSwiney is a fascinating if tragic and forgotten figure in Irish history. Born in 1892 into one of Cork's wealthiest families, she rejected the privilege this life offered her. She first became a radical republican playing a key role in the War of Independence before becoming a communist in the 1920s. This podcast tells her story. -----------------------------------------------------------...

'Winners & Losers' looks at the how the Great Famine came to an end. It's set to the backdrop of a News Year's Eve Ball held in Kilkenny Castle on December 31st 1850. The castle was home to the Marquis & Marchioness of Ormonde, who had invited what was considered the elite of Kilkenny to the ball.  However behind the finery and wealth on display we will see how the Great Famine contin...

Jack the Ripper brutally murdered five women in the Whitechapel area of London in the Autumn of 1888. While his identity remains a mystery, these murders have haunted our imaginations ever since. The case has spawned an entire industry with countless books, films and podcasts along with a disturbing and crass tourist industry in London. In spite of all this coverage, most of us know very little hi...

Divorce and sex magic are not things we associate with medieval Ireland. However for over one thousand years Irish society was governed by a unique and radically different legal system called Brehon Law. In this podcast I interview Dr Gillian Kenny (twitter.com/medievalgill) who explains what Brehon Law was and how it worked. She challenges widely held misconceptions and explains how divorce exist...

This subject needs little by way of an introduction. It is one of the most controversial debates in Irish history. It continues to overshadow relations with our nearest neighbour - Great Britain. In the 1840s one million Irish people died and another million famine refugees fled the island. The Irish population fell by 25% in less than a decade. Over the past 25 years calls for the Great Famine to...

(I am currently researching the final episodes in the Great Famine series. The next show on the Great Hunger is still two weeks away but in the meantime I have this pretty special bonus podcast.) ----- One of the things that makes medieval history so interesting is that the very basics of life are astounding and fascinating in equal measure. We are endlessly intrigued by What did people ate? Life...

During the Great Hunger over 250,000 people were evicted by their landlords. Most of these people were left destitute with little hope in an Ireland decimated by the Great Famine. In this podcast I look at the struggle that took place between tenants and landlords in the final phase of the Great Hunger. The show tries to understand why landlords and their agents acted in such a ruthless manner and...

In August 1849 Queen Victoria arrived in a famine ravaged Ireland. Contrary to what we might expect there were no protests and in many places the Queen received a rapturous welcome. However this only tells part of the story. This podcast takes you on a journey deep into one of Dublin's most notorious slums - St Michan's. There we follow the lives of a poor couple George and Bridget Shea. Thei...

This podcast (the second show on the town of Clogheen) introduces Richard Burke, a man who had a very unusual experience of the Great Famine. Between 1845 and 1848 he was the clerk of Clogheen Workhouse and Richard's life provide us with unique insights into this institution which was central to how the Great Hunger affected this community. The workhouse was where stories of kindness and cruelty p...

This episode is a return of the Great Famine Series. Focusing on the town of Clogheen in South Tipperary, this two part episode follows the lives of three individuals Robert Davis, David Keane and Richard Burke. Their stories delve into the fascinating yet often violent struggle for survival in Ireland during the Great Famine. While the show focuses on Clogheen the accounts are reflective of wider...

The Hellfire club is an 18th century ruin in the foothills of the Dublin Mountains. The building has a scandalous history and is considered by some to be one of Ireland's most haunted locations. A few years ago Neil Jackman of Abarta Heritage led an archaeological excavation on the site. This podcast is an interview with Neil. He reveals the history behind this building, where the folklore and myt...

When we think of Irish Emigrants in the USA, images of New York or Boston spring to mind. However on a recent trip to the US I visited friends in Nebraska where I found a very different Irish American history. Located in the midwest - the landcape and climate in Nebraska are pretty extreme - its very different from the large cities on the Eastern Coast. In this podcast I look at how Irish emigrant...

In 1892 Peig Sayers married & moved from Dunquin in West Kerry to the Great Blasket Island. Her life provides us with fascinating insights into what marriage was like in the late 19th century (a combination of a first date and moving in with your in laws!). Peig's later life also details how events like the 1916 Rising, the Great War and the War of Independence played out on this remote island...

When Peig Sayers died in 1958, she as regarded as one of Ireland's greatest storytellers and folklorists. Born in Dunquin in 1873 Co Kerry she grew up in the aftermath of the Great Famine in extreme poverty. However life in this remote corner of Ireland is both fascinating and at times unbelievable from a 21st century standpoint. Later in her life Peig would recall the intriguing details of what i...

In April 1894 Cincinnati's Irish Amercian community was rocked by a shocking and brutal murder. It was so scandalous that many newspapers in Ireland refused to even mention it, even though both the victim and the perpetrator were both Irish. In this podcast you will hear the extraordinary story of Mollie Gilmartin unearthed for the first time in over a century... Thanks to Muireann Hogan for her n...

The city of Kilkenny was rocked by the notorious witchcraft trial of 1324 (covered in the last two episodes). These events took place seven centuries ago in the long distant past. To conclude the series on the trial embarked on my own witch hunt in the 21st century. I wanted to find if anything remained of the supposed witch Alice Kyteler who disappeared in 1324. I took a recorder and soon found m...

The series on the Great Hunger of the 1840s will finish in the summer of 2019, but I have been busy planning something new. Find out what it is in this major announcement.  I am visiting New York for the first time and speaking at the American Irish Historical Society on February 28th. You can get tickets at aihs.org Become a supporter & access dozens of exclusive podcasts Patreon www.pat...

This podcast continues the fascinating tale of one of the first witchcraft trials in European history. It took place in Kilkenny in 1324. This show picks up the story as the trial and surrounding scandal began in March 1324. This would see the Bishop Ossory clash with Alice Kyteler and her powerful but dangerous allies. The consequences would be devastating for those caught in the middle. Become a...

Growing up in Kilkenny I was surrounded by medieval history - its what drew me to study the past in the first place. One of the most famous or perhaps notorious incidents in Kilkenny's medieval history took place in 1324 when the Bishop of Ossory accused Alice Kyteler, a powerful merchant in the city, of heresy and witchraft. This sparked a lethal struggle in the town that would end in shocking br...

1848 was a year of revolt & rebellion across Europe and Ireland was no different. However unique to Ireland, the 1848 uprising took place to the back drop of one of the worst famine’s in modern history – the Great Hunger. While it has been overshadowed by the much larger 1798 rebellion and the 1916 Rising, the story of the Famine rebellion is a fascinating if forgotten history. In this podcast...

The history of the Great Hunger is rooted in stories of greed, racism and senseless suffering. This episode however sheds light on some of the amazing stories of compassion and solidarity that saved thousands of lives. While it can be difficult not to focus on the disastrous actions of the British Government, it is also important to remember the forgotten heroes of the Great Famine – the Victorian...

This bonus episode contains the first two shows in my podcast series 'This Week in Irish history'. These shows look at the life of Ireland's most famous highwayman and Cromwell's Siege of Wexford in 1649. 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...

Many histories of the Great Hunger refer to the famine ending in 1847. It is true that the famine did start to ease in some parts of the island in the following years. However in the west the catastrophe was far from over - some of the darkest chapters lay ahead as 1847 drew to a close. This episode focuses in on one area – Clifden in Co Galway where the famine in 1848 was arguably even worse than...

On October 1st my new free weekly podcast series 'This Week in Irish History' begins. This short episode tells you want you can expect, what's in the first four shows and the simple step you need to take to make sure you dont miss out on Ireland's newest podcast.   Become a supporter & access dozens of exclusive podcasts Patreon www.patreon.com/irishpodcast Acast https://plus.acast.com/s/...