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

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the crucial but often overlooked role of the Ladies' Land League in Ireland's Land War of the early 1880s. While Michael Davitt and Charles Stewart Parnell are household names, the women who ran the organisation after the male leaders were imprisoned—led by Anna Parnell, Charles's formidable sister—were the ones who kept the rent strike and boycott movement...

In 1848, as the Great Famine ravaged Ireland, a group of intellectuals known as Young Irelanders attempted a rebellion that fizzled out almost as soon as it began. This episode zooms in on their leader, William Smith O'Brien — a Protestant landlord who turned to armed insurrection. We trace his journey from Westminster to the cabbage patch of Ballingarry, where the 'Battle of Widow McCormack's Cab...

Before the Great Famine of the 1840s, there was another catastrophe that killed a similar proportion of Ireland's population but is barely remembered today: the famine of 1740-41. Unlike the potato blight that struck a century later, this one was triggered by extreme weather—a sustained deep freeze that destroyed crops across Europe. In Ireland, the cold snap lasted months, followed by drought, fa...

In 1895, in the village of Ballyvadlea, County Tipperary, a young woman named Bridget Cleary was burned to death by her own husband and relatives. The case became a sensation, blending ancient fairy beliefs with the tensions of a modernizing Ireland. Lucas and Luna explore the world of Irish folk magic, the clash between the Catholic Church and pagan traditions, and the trial that forced Ireland t...

In this episode of The History of Ireland: Rebellion, Empire, and Independence, Lucas and Luna explore the life and legend of Biddy Early, the 19th-century 'wise woman' of County Clare. Biddy was a folk healer and cunning woman who drew on a blend of herbal knowledge, Catholic prayer, and Irish folk magic. She was accused of witchcraft multiple times but never convicted, partly because of her clev...

In 1826, Carrickshock, County Kilkenny, saw one of the bloodiest faction fights in Irish history when the O'Learys and the Lawlors clashed. This episode tells the story of Catherine O'Leary, a legendary leader of the O'Leary faction, and the culture of rural violence that shaped Irish communities before the Famine. We explore the roots of faction fighting in ancient clan rivalries, the role of pat...

In Episode 21 of The History of Ireland, Lucas and Luna explore Ireland's controversial neutrality during World War II, known as 'The Emergency.' They discuss how Eamon de Valera's government navigated pressures from Winston Churchill and Hitler, the secret German legation in Dublin, the bombing of Dublin's North Strand by the Luftwaffe, and the thousands of Irish volunteers who fought for the All...

In Episode 20 of The History of Ireland, Lucas and Luna explore the creation of Bunreacht na hÉireann, the 1937 Constitution of Ireland. They delve into the political and social context of the 1930s, including the bitter legacy of the Civil War, de Valera's vision for a sovereign, Catholic, and Gaelic nation, and the key debates around articles on the role of women, the special position of the Cat...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the complex legacy of Eamon de Valera, a towering figure in 20th-century Irish history. From his leadership during the Easter Rising and his role in the War of Independence, to his controversial decision to enter the Civil War on the anti-Treaty side and his long tenure as Taoiseach and President, de Valera shaped modern Ireland like few others. We discuss h...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna dive into the bitter Irish Civil War that followed the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921. They explore the split between pro-Treaty and anti-Treaty forces, the leadership of Michael Collins and Éamon de Valera, and the brutal guerrilla conflict that tore the country apart. Key events include the occupation of the Four Courts, the death of Arthur Griffith, the assassination...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the bitter Irish Civil War that erupted after the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921. They trace the split in the Dáil over the Oath of Allegiance and the Boundary Commission, the occupation of the Four Courts by anti-Treaty forces, and the Free State's bombardment that ignited open warfare. Lucas recounts key figures like Michael Collins, Arthur Griffith, and Éamon...

In Episode 16 of The History of Ireland: Rebellion, Empire, and Independence, Lucas and Luna pick up after the Easter Rising of 1916. They explore the War of Independence (1919-1921), focusing on Michael Collins' guerrilla tactics, the role of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), and the brutal counterinsurgency by the British paramilitary forces known as the Black and Tans. The conversation covers th...

In this episode of The History of Ireland: Rebellion, Empire, and Independence, Lucas and Luna explore the Easter Rising of 1916, a pivotal event that reshaped Ireland's path to independence. They discuss the political and cultural context of early 20th-century Ireland, including the Home Rule crisis, the formation of the Irish Volunteers and the Irish Citizen Army, and the influence of the Gaelic...

In this episode of The History of Ireland, Lucas and Luna explore the Gaelic Revival, a cultural and nationalist movement that swept Ireland in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They delve into the founding of the Gaelic League in 1893 by Douglas Hyde and Eoin MacNeill, the push to revive the Irish language, and the impact of the Irish Literary Revival featuring figures like W.B. Yeats, Lady...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the meteoric rise and devastating fall of Charles Stewart Parnell, the 'Uncrowned King of Ireland.' They trace his leadership of the Irish Parliamentary Party, his alliance with Michael Davitt and the Land League, his use of obstructionism and the 'Boycott' tactic, and his role in bringing land reform and Home Rule to the brink of reality. The conversation d...

In the decades after the Great Famine, Ireland's rural poor faced a new catastrophe: rack-renting, evictions, and absentee landlords. Enter Michael Davitt, a former Fenian prisoner with a vision for land reform. This episode of The History of Ireland examines the Land War of 1879–1882, the founding of the Irish National Land League, and the campaign of ‘boycotting’ named after Captain Charles Boyc...

In 1845, a mysterious blight struck Ireland's potato crop, setting off a chain of events that would devastate the island and reshape its future. This episode explores the Great Famine, or An Gorta Mór, focusing on the years 1845 to 1852. Lucas and Luna discuss the underlying causes: British laissez-faire policies, absentee landlordism, and the monoculture of the potato. They examine key figures li...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the life and legacy of Daniel O'Connell, the Liberator, who led the Catholic Association in a mass peaceful campaign for Catholic Emancipation in early 19th-century Ireland. They discuss the role of the Catholic Rent, a penny-a-month subscription that mobilized ordinary Irish people, and the pivotal 1828 by-election in County Clare, where O'Connell's victory...

In 1798, as revolution swept America and France, Ireland faced its own seismic upheaval. This episode explores the founding of the Society of United Irishmen by Theobald Wolfe Tone, a Dublin Protestant who dreamed of uniting Catholic, Protestant, and Dissenter under the common name of Irishman. We trace the secret oath-taking, the arrest of the leadership, the French invasion attempts at Bantry Ba...

Episode 8 of The History of Ireland moves beyond the Penal Laws to the late 18th-century campaign for legislative independence. Lucas and Luna explore the rise of the Patriot Party led by Henry Grattan, the Volunteer movement that armed thousands of Protestants to demand free trade and an independent Irish parliament, and the dramatic 1782 moment when Grattan's Parliament achieved legislative auto...

In the decades after the Williamite War, Ireland became a laboratory for Protestant supremacy. Lucas and Luna explore the Penal Laws—a system of statutes that stripped Irish Catholics of land, education, political power, and even the right to own a horse worth more than five pounds. They trace the acts from their origins in the 1690s through their brutal enforcement and eventual erosion in the lat...

In 1690, two kings fought for the future of Ireland at the River Boyne. This episode dives into the Battle of the Boyne, where the Catholic James II and the Protestant William III clashed in a conflict that shaped Irish history for centuries. We explore the political backdrop of the Glorious Revolution, the composition of the armies—including French allies for James and Dutch, Danish, and English...

In 1649, Oliver Cromwell landed in Ireland with a New Model Army, determined to crush the Royalist alliance and punish the Irish Confederacy for the 1641 rebellion. This episode focuses on the infamous Siege of Drogheda, where Cromwell's forces breached the walls and massacred nearly 3,500 people—soldiers, clergy, and civilians alike. We examine the military tactics, the legal justifications Cromw...

In 1607, the chieftains of Ulster — Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, and Rory O'Donnell, Earl of Tyrconnell — boarded a ship at Rathmullan and sailed into exile, never to return. It was the Flight of the Earls, a moment that shattered the old Gaelic order and paved the way for the Plantation of Ulster. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the Nine Years' War (1594–1603), the decisive Battle of Kin...

In 1366, the Anglo-Irish parliament gathered in Kilkenny and passed a set of laws that would shape Ireland for centuries. The Statutes of Kilkenny banned intermarriage between English settlers and the native Irish, outlawed Irish language, dress, and customs among the colonists, and even prohibited them from playing hurling. Lucas and Luna explore the context behind these laws: the decline of the...