Irish History Podcast

Stephen’s Green is one of Dublin’s well known areas. Located in the heart of the city centre, the Green is home to several prestigous instiutions and businesses including the Royal College of Surgeons, the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Shelbourne Hotel.  It's history however is very different. Originally a swampy marshland, it was home to numerous brothels and the city gallows. In thi...

Irland Redaktion was a Nazi radio station established during the Second World War. It's sole purpose was to shape and influence Irish public opinion in favour of the Nazis. In this episode I am joined by William Quinlan, the winner of the Irish History Summit RSR competition. William, a stuident in St Jospeph's College Borrisoleigh, wrote his R.S.R. (Research Study Report) on Irland Redaktion. In...

What did Dublin look like before the authorities demolished the medieval city?  How did Irish people address Queen Victoria during the Famine? The answers to these questions lie in documents stored in Dublin City Library's archives which chronicles 800 years of life in the city. Until now the only way to access the archive and it's fascinating stories was to go in person to Pearse Street Libr...

Its National Tree Week! In this special episode brought to you by Wolfgang Reforest , I investigate the history of Ireland's woodlands and forests. The show begins by looking what an actual native Irish woodland because woodlands and forests looked very different in the past. Then we embark on a journery through 12,500 years of our history. From the distant past when 80% of the island was covered...

In 1888 Ireland's most unusual railway, the Lartigue monorail, opened for business. Although largely forgotten, the story of this unique train is intriguing. Operating between the 1880s and the 1920s, it carried everything from tourists to livestock. This show (recorded in Listowel, Co Kerry) explains how this train inspired by camels in the Sahara went onto support an early form of mass tourism i...

Grace O'Malley or Granuaile is an iconic name in Irish history. Born in 1530, she emerged as a powerful leader in the West of Ireland in ruthless and violent era as the Tudor reconquest of the Island was in full swing. Grace is often called a pirate queen, a chieftain or even in some tellings a queen of the west. In this episode I interview her biographer Anne Chambers about the real woman an...

We've made it! This is the final episode in the War of Independence series. The episode begins as Michael Collins and an Irish negotiating team lock horns with Lloyd George and Winston Churchill in London. When a controversial treaty is agreed we return to Dublin to see how it is received. The show also includes extensive recreations of the famous Treaty debates from Aidan and Therese. I hope you...

This is the second last episode in the War of Independence series. In this podcast we travel to Belfast in the summer of 1921. Despite major violence, the city was preparing for what was only its third visit from a reigning monarch since 1690. With George V due to arrive on June 22nd over 10,000 troops were drafted into Belfast in a massive security operation. What unfolded was unquestionably...

This is the first of three episodes which will be released over the next 8 days to conclude the War of Independence Series. Endgame I is a fast moving show that takes you back to Cork in the opening weeks of 1921. The war develops a new ferocity with the declaration of martial law. The episode is based around one of the enduring controversies of the war - the kidnapping of the widow Maria Lindsay....

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...