The Irish Passport

A brutal mass shooting shocks the world. In its wake, leaders vow to find those responsible and bring them to justice. But instead, the investigation goes nowhere. Evidence mysteriously goes missing or is destroyed. Suspects are tipped off before they are questioned. Leads are allowed to go cold. This episode delves into the murky history of collusion in Northern Ireland. Naomi O'Leary and Tim Mc...

Who are Irish Travellers? The answer is Ireland's most hidden history: mistaught or not taught in schools, often invisible or misrepresented in the media, and abused by some for political gain. In this episode, three Irish Travellers explain who they are and what it means to be a Traveller. Naomi O'Leary and Tim Mc Inerney hear from John Connors, the actor, screenwriter, and activist, who welcomes...

In this first episode of Season 3, Naomi O'Leary and Tim Mc Inerney explore the fascinating story of Irish women in politics from 1916 to the present day. We ask why women -  integral to the foundation of the state - almost disappeared from the country's political landscape until relatively recently, and why 2019 could represent a new era of revolutionary change. Historians Mary McAuliffe and Emma...

This St Patrick’s Day weekend we’re bringing you a bonus live show! Tim Mc Inerney comes to you from the Museum London, where he speaks to journalist Séamas O’Reilly and historian Danielle Thom about the London-Irish Diaspora, past and present. We’ll also hear about how London's historic Irish community was formed, with a few words from the Museum of London’s Director of Content, Finbarr Whooley....

The Irish Passport’s first live show takes on the issues of race, politics and history between Ireland and the United States. We hear the backstage gossip from St. Patrick’s Day at the White house from RTÉ broadcaster Caitríona Perry, author of In America: Tales from Trump Country. We find out how strong the Irish-American lobby really is in Washington, and what that could...

A sneak preview of a bonus episode published to thank our Patreon supporters. Hear the full episode at patreon.com/theirishpassport . How has Brexit transformed the debate on Irish unification? Naomi O'Leary and Tim Mc Inerney hear from locals in Northern Ireland on why a referendum on unity some thought they'd never see in their lifetime suddenly seems closer than ever. Naomi describes the mood o...

It's the Season 2 finale of the Irish Passport Podcast, and we're taking on Irish Nationalism. Naomi O'Leary interviews Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald about her concept of progressive Irish nationalism, and why she believes its anti-colonial roots distinguishes it from counterparts in continental Europe. Tim Mc Inerney speaks to historians Richard English and Aidan Beatty to find out why ra...

Strange things are happening in Co. Roscommon, where a controversial eviction has set the internet on fire. Who were the unidentified men who ejected an elderly family from their farm house last week? Why do ex-British soldiers appear to be involved?  And where do the rumours stop and facts begin? Naomi O'Leary and Tim Mc Inerney uncover the dramatic story of this eviction and its deep historical...

Ireland's main political parties are not split on a traditional left-right model, but instead represent different sides of a bloody civil war in the 1920s. But why is this war spoken about so little today? Could it be that its memory is too painful? Or is it because it still so strangely dominant in modern Irish politics? In this episode, Tim Mc Inerney traces the history of Ireland's Civil War fr...

A hundred years since the end of the First World War, the remembrance poppy remains a controversial symbol in Ireland. Why? Writer Kylie Noble explains what the poppy meant to her as a child growing up in Fermanagh in Northern Ireland, and how she reconciles it with her British and Irish identity today. Naomi O'Leary traces the roots of Ireland's complex relationship with the poppy and how it inte...

Ireland's housing crisis is at boiling point, with homelessness at record levels and even well-paid people struggling to afford soaring rents and house prices. It's the political issue everyone is talking about -- but it's one with a long and dramatic history. Tim Mc Inerney and Naomi O'Leary trace the backstory to how an agrarian revolt turned Ireland into a kind of property-based welfare state....

Tim Mc Inerney and Naomi O'Leary travel to Belfast for the peak of Northern Ireland's marching season: the 11th and 12th of July, when unionists and British-identifying communities light enormous bonfires and parade through the streets to commemorate Protestant military victories of the 17th century. We speak to experts including Donald MacRaild and Dominic Bryan of Queens University Belfast who e...

Pope Francis visits Ireland in the wake of the abortion referendum, as Church infighting over the legacy of abuse in Catholic institutions threatens to derail the trip. We hear from people who protested the papal visit, and feature a special guest who decided he wanted to hear what the pope had to say for himself. Naomi O’Leary and Tim Mc Inerney discuss what the low turnout tells us about h...

Derry: ground zero for the outbreak of conflict in Northern Ireland. Is it once again being threatened with instability as Brexit causes deep uncertainty over the border? Naomi O'Leary and Tim Mc Inerney travel north just as unrest breaks out in the ancient city as Protestants and unionists prepare to mark the 12th of July: a yearly celebration of their culture. We chat to a man who lost his fathe...

The British government has locked itself in a country mansion to debate Brexit, like a demented Agatha Christie novel. In Brussels, Irish and European leaders grimly start planning for a cliff-edge, no-deal outcome. What's going on and what does it all mean? Naomi O'Leary and Tim Mc Inerney untangle the latest developments and discuss the implications for Ireland and the border. We speak to UK opp...

The most popular sports in Ireland are the Gaelic games: uniquely Irish sports with an ancient history and a dramatic political backstory that are finding increasing international success. Tim Mc Inerney visits the Paris Gaels to hear why players who have never set foot in Ireland have taken to Gaelic football, while Naomi O'Leary explores the importance of the intensely local amateur sports to co...

Ireland has voted by a landslide to end its near-total abortion ban. We hear the voices of victorious campaigners in Dublin Castle in the moments when the result was announced. Naomi O'Leary and Tim Mc Inerney discuss the historic moment in a Dublin pub. We ask what this means for Ireland, what it means for the world, and whether Northern Ireland is next. For bonus episodes, support us on Patreon...

Ireland is fighting it out on whether or not to remove its constitutional abortion ban in a referendum on May 25. We investigate how tactics seen in the Trump and Brexit campaigns have come to Ireland, turning it into a battleground for progressive and conservative forces in a global culture war. Naomi O'Leary's deep dive into Facebook advertising with journalist and transparency campaigner Gavin...

The rebellion of a raggedy band of teachers, nurses and poets sent shock waves around the world and changed Ireland forever. But why does the Easter Rising of 1916 still cause controversy? Naomi O'Leary and Tim Mc Inerney introduce the countess, the grocer's daughter, the carpenter and the ex-cobbler who all picked up guns on the morning of April 24 1916 and marched out to declare an independent I...

A tale of powerful matriarchs, fearsome warriors, and supernaturally potent bullocks from Ireland's ancient past. What's not to love? Naomi O'Leary and Tim Mc Inerney take on the Táin Bó Cúailnge, a tale of cattle-raiding derring-do from before Christianity made it to Ireland. The first episode of our Halfpints mini-series, available to our Patreon subscribers only. Follow us on Twitter and Facebo...

A bonus special episode in honour of our national day! We discuss the annual pilgrimage of Irish politicians to the White House that inevitably results in scandal. Tim Mc Inerney tells us the surprising origins of the St. Patrick's Day festival and the murky history of the leprechaun mascot. Naomi O'Leary investigates the global empire behind the viral spread of Irish Pubs from Hong Kong to Panama...

A United Ireland: the idea has been a political force in Irish and British politics for centuries, and it has been given fresh momentum by Brexit. Tim Mc Inerney explains how the concept long pre-dates the partition of the island and was once championed by Protestant elites. Naomi O'Leary visits a public meeting about unification in central Dublin, and asks why it matters to people -- and when the...

It's the grand finale to the first season! Tim Mc Inerney and Naomi O'Leary examine how a standoff over the Irish border in the Brexit negotiations brought ignorance about Ireland among politicians and media to the surface. We review the biggest embarrassing moments on air from the past few weeks, quiz ordinary English people about what they know about Ireland, and give a quick and dirty roundup o...

Just below the surface of modern Ireland, a parallel world exists with its roots in pre-Christian belief. Irish fairies aren't like Tinkerbell - they're more like a supernatural mafia. So be careful what you say, because as the story goes, they're probably listening. Tim Mc Inerney talks to one of Ireland's last seanchaí or story-teller historians, who once managed to get a highway diverted to pre...

Ireland has one of the strictest abortion laws in Europe. Banned unless the woman's life is in serious danger, it carries a 14-year prison sentence. Rumblings of change are beginning, but some a campaign could open up ugly political fault lines. Why is Ireland like this? Tim Mc Inerney and Naomi O'Leary explore the strange and surprising backstory to Ireland's constitutional abortion ban. Tim hear...