Irish History Podcast

Tom Crean was born outside Anascaul, Co. Kerry in 1877. One of eleven children from a small farming family, Crean grew up in a world where Antarctica was still a largely unknown continent. Although overlooked by history, Crean went on to become one of the most distinguished Antarctic explorers of his age. Over the course of his life he would play a key role in several attempts to reach the South P...

Imagine radio had existed during the Great Famine. What would it sound like if you could go to an archive and listen to news reports from 1847? To mark the 150th Anniversary of the Great Hunger in 1997, BBC Merseyside created news reports as if their journalists were reporting live from 1847. With the permission of BBC Merseyside I am delighted to share some of these reports with you in this speci...

The life of Nicholas Boran was extraordinary. Known as 'Nixie', he was born outside Castlecomer in Co Kilkenny in 1904. At the age of 18 he fought in the Civil War alongside Dan Breen in Tipperary. The harrowing violence he witnessed in the conflict permanently scarred him and challenges the romanticised myths that often surround the life of Dan Breen. While this had an enduring legacy, Nixie woul...

One of the most important buildings in terms of Irish history or archaeology is located in North County Dublin. Strange as it may sound, this building is not very old. It actually only dates from the later 20th century and it was originally an electronics factory.  However it is now owned by the National Museum of Ireland and houses millions of artifacts amassed over the decades. This fa...

The Mary Celeste is one of the great mysteries of modern times. The ship was found abandoned in the Atlantic in 1872 and the ten people who had been onboard the vessel were missing. However everything else appeared normal. It has never been satisfactorily explained what provoked the crew to abandon the ship in mid winter far from any coast. This episode is recorded in a very Irish unusual castle w...

The Irish women Eleanor Butler and Sarah Ponsonby are known to history as the Ladies of Llangollen. In 1780 the two aristocrats caused controversy when they rang away together. They would spend the rest of their lives in Llangollen, a town in north Wales. For nearly 250 years their relationship has been the source of intense speculation. Some claim they were Ireland’s first openly lesbian cou...

Last month I recorded a show at the Liverpool Irish Festival with Teresa Hill. Teresa is really passionate about her fascinating family history. Her father from was from Freetown in Sierra Leone while her mother's family were from Ireland.  In this interview Teresa spoke candidly about her life. She grew up in a Liverpool where racism was common and many Irish families ostracised mixed race f...

Following on from the collapse of the Clune Peace talks in December 1920, the British Government adopted an even more aggressive attitude to the war.  However as they prepared to escalate the conflict in 1921 some leading figures in the British military and political establishment suggested extreme measures. This episode reveals what were deeply alarming debates taking place about how the war...

Over the last three episodes of the War of Independence Series, we saw the Republican movement demonstrate an ability and willingness to fight on despite recent setbacks. This episode looks at how the British authorities reacted to these developments. While the immediate reaction was to declare martial law across the South West, there was also murmurings of peace. While indirect talks between repu...

The Irish History Summit returns! Taking place on Saturday January 15th 2022 we have a great line up of historians and educational experts to prepare students for the Leaving Cert history exams. Headlining this year is the journalist and historian Leo Enright. He will be joined by Dr Sarah Anne Buckley, Dr Brian Hanley and Liz Gillis. We are also delighted to welcome our first international guest...

Kilmichael is remembered as one of the most important and controversial battles in the War of Independence. This episodes explains what actually happened in this remote valley in Cork in late November 1920.  The podcast also continues the wider story of the war through one of the most turbulent periods of the conflict. Beginning with dramatic attacks in Liverpool, the shows carries the story...

November 21st, 1920 was one of the most violent days in the War of Independence. It has gone down in history as 'Bloody Sunday'. While this episode explains the days events, it also introduces the man who was arguably the most important republican in the conflict - the IRA director of Intelligence, Michael Collins. Get your tickets for my live show in Kikenny November 6th https://www.eventbrite.co...

This is the first of three back-to-back episodes that will take us through one of the most critical periods of the war. The Autumn of 1920 witnessed an intensification of the conflict as British Crown forces began to get the upper hand on the IRA. This lead to two key events in Dublin - the Fernside Raid & the Execution of Kevin Barry. While these set the stage for the pivotal events...

Although frequently overlooked, the IRA and the wider republican movement in Britain played an important role during the War of Independence. While they were actively involved in gun running and several high profile jail breaks, their operations included some of the most controversial IRA actions during the war. In this episode I interview Sam McGrath on the IRA campaign in Britain. Sam, who has b...

This episode introduces two forgotten but remarkable revolutionaries - Margaret and Rose Quinn. These two sisters operated a secret IRA prison from their home in a Dublin suburb. This was part of wider attempts to solve the problem of growing lawlessness in Ireland by the summer of 1920. As British authority disintegrated in rural areas someone had to maintain law and order. This would see a...

After a break of three months, the War of Independence Series finally returns! This episode takes you back to Ireland in the grip of war in 1920. Given it has been a while since the last War of Independence episode, this show eases you back into the story.  Rather than recap previously covered material, the show looks at what wider life was like for those not directly involved in the conflict...

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...