Irish History Podcast

Portal Tombs are scattered across the Irish countryside. These monuments, around 5,000 years old, have been sites of ritual for millennia. Generation after generation, while spiritual beliefs changed, these ancient sites often remained sacred. In this podcast, I explore two of these tombs to understand how and why these mysterious tombs were built, and why humans return to particular landscapes ov...

Guinness is the most iconic Irish brand of all time. A large part of its success is based on a history the company has carefully crafted around the beer. However like all histories, the actual history of Guinness is complicated. In this episode, I am joined by Eoin Tabb and DJ Walsh to explore some of the more controversial aspects of the history of Guinness. So tune in to uncover the untold stori...

Brehon Law, the ancient legal system that ruled Ireland during the Middle Ages, is often romanticised as egalitarian and even feminist. But, in this riveting episode, Dr. Gillian Kenny shatters these myths. Join us as we delve deep into a world where sex magic and slavery were prevalent, and discover how Brehon Law actually reinforced a patriarchal society. Tune in to this classic episode, origina...

Step back to 1324 and listen to the chilling story of Ireland’s first Witchcraft Trial in my latest episode. In 1324, the Bishop of Ossory, Richard Ledrede, accused Alice Kyteler, a wealthy and influential woman, of witchcraft and heresy. Alongside Alice's story, we explore the tragic fate of Petronilla de Meath, the first person in Ireland to be executed for witchcraft. Marking the 700th annivers...

What does mythology teach us about the past? Where do these stories come from? In this podcast, I am joined by Blindboy to explore the origins of mythology and what it can reveal about history. Was there a Great Flood? Are these and other myths actually distant memories of ancient events? Our conversation takes us back thousands of years, from Ancient Greece to Medieval Ireland. We conclude by dis...

In the early 1970s, the British Army engaged in psychological operations (psy-ops) and black propaganda to cover up their actions during the Falls Curfew. This episode reveals the shadowy tactics used to manipulate public perception and obscure the truth. In this third and final part of Three Days in July , I uncover how the security forces manipulated Zbigniew Uglik's memory and histroy. They als...

On July 3rd 1970, months of rising tensions in Belfast erupted as the British Army laid siege to thousands of homes in the Lower Falls, a large working-class community. This event, known as the Battle of the Falls, became a key moment in the Troubles. While this is a well-known episode in the conflict, this podcast focuses on the forgotten story of Zbigniew Uglik. In last week's episode, I explore...

In the summer of 1970, Belfast stood on the precipice of war. By June, months of rising tensions burst into violence, setting the stage for one of the most controversial British military operations of the Troubles – the Falls Curfew. This three-day siege of a large nationalist working-class community marked a point of no return for many. During the Curfew, four people were murdered. Among the vict...

Throughout history, bread has consistently been one of the most popular foods across the world. For two centuries, Ireland was an exception. Indeed, by the early 19th century, some communities in the west of Ireland had lost all knowledge of how to bake bread. This was down to the remarkable history of the potato in Ireland. Our ancestors had an insatiable appetite for spuds. In this podcast, I ex...

William Joyce aka Lord Haw Haw was Ireland's most notorious Nazi. Raised in the west of Ireland he was an unlikely spokesman for Hitler's Third Reich. Nevertheless millions tuned in to his sinister broadcasts on behalf of the Nazi regime during the Second World War. This podcast follows his journey from Galway to Hitler’s Third Reich. In his teenage years, he acted as a scout for the Black and Tan...

In this episode I delve into the lasting impact of the Great Hunger on Ireland. Its often said that the Famine was a taboo subject and a 'Great Silence' surrounded the 1840s. In this podcast I challenge this myth and explore how grief, guilt, and trauma were expressed and processed by the survivors. Join me as I uncover the untold stories and voices that defy the myth of an unspoken past. I also a...

Within the space of a few years following the Great Hunger, hundreds of thousands of Irish emigrants settled in New York quickly becoming one of the largest communities in the city. These Irish emigrants are synonymous with slums, starvation, and misery; however, groundbreaking new research challenges this one dimensional stereotype. While poverty was central to the lives of many Irish immigrants...

In 1879 Vere Goold was a celebrity in Ireland. After winning Ireland’s first tennis championship, he reached the prestigious Wimbledon final later in the year. Exactly 30 years later he would die in the most notorious prison in the world – Devil’s Island. Known as the 'dry guillotine' the conditions in the French penal colony were horrendous. However few had sympathy for the Irish aristocrat....

Arthur Henri Poole was one of the most celebrated photographers in early 20th-century Ireland. An Englishman by birth, he was also most well-known figures in the city of Waterford where he lived for over four decades. In 1928 Poole disappeared almost without trace.  Even though he was well known in Waterford, it would be almost three years before many people in the city realised he was missin...

How difficult was life in the Middle Ages? This is something archaeologists and historians have debated for decades. In recent years, new techniques, including genetic analysis, have given us new insights into the lives of our distant ancestors in the Medieval Era. Their findings are unsettling. Life in the Middle Ages was far more difficult than we imagine. My guest in this episode is Prof. Eilee...

The camera never lies or does it? In this episode, I take a trip to the National Photographic Archive in Temple Bar, Dublin. Joining me is the archivist, Nora Thornton. Nora not only leads you through the history of photography from its earliest days but also delves into the murky history of image manipulation. It's much older than modern photoshopping. From your great-grandmother, who was eager t...

In 1170, the Norman Lord Strongbow landed an army in Ireland. The following day, he launched a deadly assault on the nearby city of Waterford. Before the day was out, Strongbow had not only conquered Waterford in a brutal assault but also made time for his wedding. This marriage changed Ireland forever. Discover how the marriage of Aoife, a seventeen-year-old, and Strongbow, a man in his mid-forti...

The 1930s stood out as one of the most dramatic decades in modern history. Fascism was on the rise, and Europe was hurtling towards the Second World War. However, it was a peculiar time in Ireland. The Revolutionary Era was firmly in the rearview, and the optimism and hope it once inspired had long faded. Irish society was increasingly dominated by the Catholic Church and conservative political fo...

In 1851 there were nearly 90,000 orphans in Irish Workhouses. Many of these children had lost their parents to hunger and disease. Others had been abandoned. This podcast explores the lives of these resilient children as they turned into young adults and rebelled against a world that had forsaken them... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Telling the time in hours and minutes seems so natural that we don’t even question where it came from. However it is a pretty recent development. For most of history our ancestors didn’t have clocks and understood time itself in a very different way. In this podcast we will journey back through the centuries to explore how our ancestors measured time. Its an intriguing story. In the medieval world...

On April 13th, 1922, three IRA volunteers chased a man through Central Park in New York. In front of dozens of witnesses, they shot him four times before escaping. This event marked the culmination of an international manhunt as the IRA tracked an informer across the world. In this episode, I am joined by New York Times Senior Editor Mark Bulik. During the interview, Mark shares the intriguing sto...

During the Great Hunger of the 1840s, vast sums of money were sent to Ireland by people across the world. One of the most remarkable stories is that of the First African Baptist Church in Richmond, Virginia. Even though many of the congregants were slaves, they still sent a donation. In this podcast, I interview Anelise Shrout, who shares this and other stories of remarkable generosity. Anelise al...

Through most of the 20th century, authorities in Ireland operated a strict censorship regime when it came to film. At its height, around one in every three films was censored in Ireland. The reasons for this are often hard to fathom today. Scenes that showed a dancer's legs or even a long kiss were often edited out. Allusions to sex were considered far too racy. And this was all before they even g...

In the late 1960s, Northern Ireland erupted into major violence, marking the opening phase of The Troubles. Over three decades, this conflict would claim thousands of lives and continues to dominate life in Ireland today. In my new exclusive supporters series, I am joined by Dr. Brian Hanley to explore how and why The Troubles began. This fascinating history begins in the 1920s when Northern Irela...

In the mid 19th century Mormonism was one of the fastest growing religions in the world. However when Mormon missionaries arrived in Ireland in 1840 they failed to establish a foothold. Over time Ireland gained a reputation as the most hostile country on earth for Mormons. This podcast explores why this was the case. The answer is the complexities of Irish identity, our relationship with Cath...