The Hipstorians

Huw Bennett reaches deep into the archives on a journey that took 8 years to produce this piece of historical importance in the understanding of the period. Rich in detail offering the reader a birdseye view of the political machinations and the knock on affect of actions taken that in hindsight may seem foolhardy and disastrous but given the information the armed forces had at the time seemed log...

Mairia Cahill has released her book ‘Rough Beast” speaking about her traumatic experience of sexual abuse by a member of the IRA and how the organisation handled it internally and offered her no protection against her abuser, ultimately staying quiet whilst a case was built with the PSNI after Mairia courageously made a complaint to a police force not recognised by the Republican movement that ess...

Tom Petch uncovers the true origins of this maverick unit introducing a whole cast of unique individuals who showed huge courage to change the face of modern warfare and risked their lives deep behind enemy lines. The U.K Official Secrets Act has kept the identity of main man Dudley Clarke from the public realm until now. Tom’s experience as an SAS Commander shines through in his writing clearly e...

Fr. Patrick Ryan a Pallotine Father returns from missionary work in East Africa to East London in the late 1960’s just as ‘The Troubles’ so called begin in Northern Ireland. Discover how this complex character came to take off the collar to buy arms form Col. Ghadaffi in Libya and ultimately use his engineering mind to join the dots and see how a simple parking timer could solve one of the IRA’s b...

In this episode Gretchen untangles the complexities of life in Ireland as a nation emerged from its colonial bind. We discuss the characters involved and Gretchen an Australian by birth is a master of the subject matter. We enjoy a fantastic history lesson that puts some context on previous episodes giving us more to think about how the war in the Northern Ireland evolved and how this country is n...

We conclude our intensely absorbing tale of IRA Prisoner 1082 Donal Donnelly’s daring escape from Crumlin Road Gaol. We also discuss the current peace process and the prospects of a unites Ireland and some of what needs to change within Northern Ireland before that can happen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donal born in 1939 Omagh County Tyrone eloquently describes life in Northern Ireland after partition offering a balanced opinion albeit from a Nationalist perspective. This is Part 1 of what is a beautifully described story told as if it happened yesterday, Donal is a delight to speak with, enjoy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Journalist Michael Thomsen’s new book Caged Kings takes us through the beginnings of what might have been called a hobby project that seemed to capture a Zeitgeist in American culture just at the right time when cable television began experimenting with pay per view. We discuss some of the characters that shaped our view of what is now the sport of Mixed Martial Arts and try and grasp what it is t...

Anne having covered the stories on the ground in Northern Ireland left journalism to work with the Pat Finucane Centre to help families seek justice for loved ones who died as a result of collusion of British State and loyalist paramilitaries. We have an honest conversation about a conflict that no longer takes up space in the press but the story is not yet complete. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com...

We’re back! Welcome to Season 6. Myself and our new addition to the Hipstorians team Yvonne Mulligan kick it off with Antony Loewenstein who has written ‘The Palestine Laboratory” and leads us on a journey through the creation of the state of Israel and it’s evolution, it’s role in the world and of course the question of Palestine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kregg Jorgensen tells his story in epic detail of how he ended up in the Army Ranger Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol, his CBS televised being shot in the leg and more lot’s more. Myself and Yvonne had a terrific time, Kregg is quite a character. Hope you enjoy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Russia expert Dr. Ian Garner having lived in St Petersburg sets out his views on the Russian state and war machine and the youth who have grown up under Putin’s reign and how the propaganda apparatus has managed to indoctrinate a demographic aspiring to Russian greatness. Another thriller which unfortunately will play a part in all our lives. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informa...

Ethan draws our attention to a seemingly small event in human history that illuminates how petty bickering between political parties can affect the lives of millions of people thousands of miles away in whose countries U.S foreign policy is enacted. We also learn how intelligence can only be stretched so far with limited budgets. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Patrick introduces us to the world as it is. Beyond the gaze of the average punter large sums of money change hands between governments and private enterprise, the economics of our resources the things we in the west rely on and consider ourselves entitled to. This episode opened my eyes to a whole new view of the world we live in. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fascinating interview with the learned Jonathan M Katz who takes us through the rise of American Empire and influence and the effect of this policy on the world at large and how capitalist enterprise is present throughout. We talk about “January 6th” and the earthquake in Haiti. This episode was recorded when the weather was flipping freezing so hope it helps to cool you down in this current heatw...

We sweep a reflective searchlight on what it means to be from Northern Ireland from the perspective of those seeking a bright future beyond ‘The Troubles” and a sobering look at what lies ahead. Aaron, a native Belfast historian has written extensively although not exclusively on the period known as ‘The Troubles” and has fostered relationships with key figures through many years of research and o...

Author of history of United States of America titled 'Fantasyland' brings us on a fascinating journey through America's eclectic mix of persecuted religions that made the move firstly across the water from Europe and then further pressed to make the journey west. Kurt Anderson is also a novelist and lives in rural Kentucky. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Irish journalist and writer, Sally Hayden, says she "stumbled on a human rights disaster of epic proportions" when she wrote about the ongoing migrant crisis in Europe in her award-winning book ' My Fourth Time, We Drowned' (Orwell Prize & Irish Book of the Year). A foreign correspondent, she has reported from Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda and Rwanda. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more...

Baltimorean journalist Justin Fenton joins us to talk about his book on police corruption ‘We Own This City’ that was made into a HBO Series of the same name. He reveals the scale of scandalous police corruption in a city with a declining population and is yet one of the murder capitals in the US and is ravaged with drug related deaths. We discuss the failing war on drugs and Justin’s ride al...

Hope you're not squeamish! In his first book, the author of 'Spare Parts', Paul Craddock, explored transplant surgery, from the sixteenth century to the present day. Paul guides us through some of the extraordinary advances through medical science over the centuries. Gory, gritty, and endlessly fascinating! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In his book 'Russia's War on Everybody: And What it Means for You' author Giles Keir lifted the lid on how Russia has been waging a clandestine war against the West for decades. But here, he reveals why the 2022 attack on Ukraine is a threat to us all, regardless of where we live. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The American author Gwen Strauss tells the story of how her great aunt Hélène Podliasky led a band of nine female resistance fighters as they escaped a German forced labour camp and made a ten-day journey across the front lines of WWII from Germany back to Paris Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Blake, the author 'Us And Them: The Authorised Story Of Hipgnosis' - the history of record sleeve designers, who created some of the most iconic album covers of all time, including Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side Of The Moon and Led Zeppelin’s Houses Of The Holy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sean D Naylor spent 20 years writing for Army Times and, being embedded with frontline troops, he was well placed to record the story of the rise of JSOC, Joint Special Operations Command. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Derek and Neil get schooled in unexpected ways after some chit chat and musings on their childhood fears of nuclear Armageddon. Alex Wellerstein reorients our long held views of nuclear history. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.