The History of Ireland: Rebellion, Empire, and Independence — Fexingo History

Everyone knows An Gorta Mór, but few have heard of the famine that struck Ireland a century earlier — the forgotten hunger of 1740-41. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the 'Year of Slaughter' (Bliain an Áir), when a deep freeze across Europe killed crops and livestock, triggering a mortality crisis that may have been proportionally worse than the Great Famine. They discuss the brutal winter...

In this episode of the History of Ireland, Lucas and Luna explore the vital role of Cumann na mBan, the Irish women's paramilitary organization founded in 1914. From their founding at a meeting in Dublin's Wynn's Hotel, where they stood alongside the Irish Volunteers, to their active participation in the 1916 Easter Rising—including the occupation of the GPO and the Four Courts—we uncover the stor...

In the aftermath of the Great Hunger and the failed Young Irelander Rebellion, a new revolutionary movement emerged on both sides of the Atlantic. This episode explores the Fenian Brotherhood and its Irish counterpart, the Irish Republican Brotherhood, from their founding in the 1850s to their dramatic 1867 uprising. We follow the key figures — James Stephens, John O'Mahony, Thomas J. Kelly, and t...

In 1598, at a ford on the River Blackwater in County Armagh, Gaelic Ireland achieved its most stunning military victory of the Nine Years' War. Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, together with his ally Red Hugh O'Donnell, ambushed an English army under Sir Henry Bagenal, killing over 800 soldiers and wounding the English commander himself. This episode walks through the battle's planning, the key figur...

Before the Flight of the Earls or the plantations, there was Grace O'Malley — Gráinne Ní Mháille — a powerful Gaelic chieftain and seafarer who commanded a fleet of galleys and castles along Ireland's west coast in the 16th century. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how she navigated the shifting politics of Elizabethan Ireland, balancing piracy, diplomacy, and family legacy. They discuss he...

In 1014, on the shores of Dublin Bay, two armies met in a battle that would become the stuff of Irish legend. But what really happened at Clontarf? Lucas and Luna peel back the layers of myth to explore the complex political landscape of pre-Norman Ireland: the ambitions of High King Brian Boru, the Viking-Gael alliances, the role of the Norse kingdom of Dublin, and the disputed aftermath. They ex...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the story of the Irish Brigade, the Wild Geese who fought for France against the British at the Battle of Fontenoy in 1745. They delve into the origins of the brigade after the Treaty of Limerick in 1691, when Patrick Sarsfield led thousands of Irish soldiers into exile. Lucas paints a vivid picture of the battle itself, focusing on the crucial moment when t...

In 1366, the Irish Parliament met in Kilkenny and passed a set of laws that would shape Ireland for centuries: the Statutes of Kilkenny. These statutes forbade English settlers from speaking Irish, wearing Irish clothes, or intermarrying with the Gaelic Irish. They also banned Irish musicians and poets from English areas. But why did Edward III's government feel the need to legislate culture? And...

In the early 1600s, after the Flight of the Earls left Ulster leaderless, England's King James I saw an opportunity to remake the province. This episode follows the ambitious scheme known as the Plantation of Ulster — a plan to strip Gaelic chieftains of their lands and replace them with loyal Protestant settlers from Scotland and England. We explore the legalities of 'escheated' land, the role of...

Before the Normans, before the Tudors, before Cromwell — there was the Táin. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore Ireland's great native epic, the Táin Bó Cúailnge, a tale of a cattle raid, a teenage warrior, and a goddess at war. They trace its origins in pre-Christian oral tradition, its first written forms in early medieval monasteries, and the central figures: Cú Chulainn, Queen Medb, and t...

Long before the Viking raids, before the Normans, before the Tudor conquests, Ireland was known as the 'Island of Saints and Scholars'—and for good reason. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the golden age of Irish monasticism, from the foundation of Ardmore by St. Declan to the legendary scriptoria where monks created masterpieces like the Book of Kells. They delve into the daily life of scr...

In 1690, two rival kings fought for control of Ireland on the banks of the River Boyne. William III, the Protestant Dutch prince, faced off against James II, the deposed Catholic monarch. This episode unpacks the battle itself: the armies, the river crossing at Oldbridge, the deaths on both sides, and the long shadow it cast over Irish history. We explore the Williamite War in Ireland, the role of...

In this episode of The History of Ireland, Lucas and Luna explore the clandestine world of hedge schools, the informal Catholic education network that thrived under the Penal Laws. Discover how 'poor scholars' traveled from family to family, how the Irish language and classical learning survived in muddy fields and hidden cabins, and why the hedge schools became a symbol of defiance. We'll meet fa...

In August 1913, Dublin erupted in the most bitter industrial conflict in Irish history. The Dublin Lockout pitted 20,000 workers against 400 employers led by William Martin Murphy, lasting five months and reducing families to starvation. Lucas and Luna explore the key figures: James Larkin, founder of the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union, and James Connolly, who led the Irish Citizen Arm...

For decades, scholars portrayed the Whiteboys as a primitive rural riot. In fact, they were an elaborate secret society with oaths, codes, and a campaign of direct action that terrified landlords across Munster and Leinster. This episode explores the origins of the Whiteboy movement in County Tipperary around 1761, their network of nocturnal raids—leveling fences, maiming cattle, and delivering th...

After the Treaty of Limerick in 1691, Ireland's Catholic majority faced a legal onslaught designed to strip them of land, power, and faith. This episode dives into the Penal Laws — not as a dry list of statutes, but as a lived nightmare. Lucas and Luna explore the 1695 Banishment Act that exiled Catholic bishops, the 1704 Popery Act that broke up landed estates, and the infamous 'prize' clauses th...

In the wake of the Great Famine, a new kind of war erupted in the Irish countryside—one fought with boycotts, evictions, and a remarkable alliance between tenant farmers and aristocratic women. Episode 61 of The History of Ireland turns to the Land War of 1879–1882, when Michael Davitt and Charles Stewart Parnell founded the Irish National Land League to smash landlord power. But the real surprise...

In 1601, the fate of Gaelic Ireland was decided not in Ulster but in a small port town in County Cork. This episode covers the Battle of Kinsale, where Hugh O'Neill and his Spanish allies faced Lord Mountjoy's English army. We explore the desperate march south, the siege, the failed surprise attack, and the devastating defeat that led to the Flight of the Earls. Along the way, we discuss the role...

In April 1689, thirteen apprentice boys slammed the gates of Derry shut against James II's Jacobite army, beginning a 105-day siege that would become a defining myth of Ulster Protestant identity. This episode follows the siege from its first standoff at the Ferryquay Gate through the starving summer when rats sold for a shilling and the defenders held on chanting 'No Surrender.' We examine the ro...

In 1607, Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, and Rory O'Donnell, Earl of Tyrconnell, fled Ireland for mainland Europe, taking with them the last hope of independent Gaelic lordship. This episode traces the events that led to their departure—the crumbling Treaty of Mellifont, the erosion of their authority under Lord Deputy Chichester, and the relentless pressure of English law and plantation. We follow...

In December 1920, the city of Cork was engulfed in flames as British forces retaliated against the Irish Republican Army's ambush of an auxiliary patrol. This episode tells the story of the Burning of Cork — a key event in the Irish War of Independence that saw Black and Tans and Auxiliaries torch over forty buildings, including the City Hall and Carnegie Library. We explore the context of the IRA...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the dramatic months leading up to and following the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty in December 1921. They trace the negotiations in London, the key figures like Michael Collins, Arthur Griffith, and the British delegation led by Lloyd George. They discuss the treaty's terms—the creation of the Irish Free State, the oath of allegiance to the crown, and the...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the story of the Irish Brigades in French service and their legendary yet tragic role at the Battle of Fontenoy in 1745. They discuss how Irish soldiers, exiled after the Flight of the Wild Geese, fought for France against the British and Dutch, the famous charge of the Irish regiments, and the ambiguous legacy of fighting for a foreign king while Ireland re...

In this episode of The History of Ireland, Lucas and Luna delve into the Great Famine (An Gorta Mór) of 1845–1852, exploring its causes, course, and catastrophic consequences. They discuss the potato blight, British government relief efforts led by Sir Charles Trevelyan, the ideology of laissez-faire that worsened the tragedy, evictions, emigration, and the long-term demographic and cultural impac...

In 1691, after the Battle of the Boyne and the Williamite War in Ireland, the final Jacobite stronghold at Limerick held out for months. This episode tells the story of the Siege of Limerick, the ensuing Treaty of Limerick that promised religious toleration, and how its betrayal by the Protestant Ascendancy laid the groundwork for the Penal Laws. We examine the terms of the treaty, the role of Pat...