Irish History Podcast
From the Norman Invasion to the War of Independence, the Irish History Podcast brings you on a journey through the most fascinating stories in Ireland's past. Whether it’s the siege of Dublin in 1171 or gun battles in the 1920s, the podcast vividly recreates a sense of time and place. Each episode is meticulously researched creating character driven narratives that are engaging and accessible for all. Since the first episode was released back in 2010, the podcast has covered scores of fascinating stories. Major multipart series have covered the Great Hunger, the Norman Invasion and Irish involvement in the Spanish Civil War. If you are looking for stand alone shows there are also hundreds of podcasts covering topics from medieval sex magic to Irish connections in the Jack the Ripper murders! Why not start with 'A Very Irish Murder in Cincinnati' an episode from February 2019. Its an enthralling story - you wont be disappointed! Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/irishhistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
How difficult was life in the Middle Ages? This is something archaeologists and historians have debated for decades. In recent years, new techniques, including genetic analysis, have given us new insights into the lives of our distant ancestors in the Medieval Era. Their findings are unsettling. Life in the Middle Ages was far more difficult than we imagine.
My guest in this episode is Prof. Eileen Murphy from Queen's University...
The camera never lies or does it?
In this episode, I take a trip to the National Photographic Archive in Temple Bar, Dublin. Joining me is the archivist, Nora Thornton. Nora not only leads you through the history of photography from its earliest days but also delves into the murky history of image manipulation. It's much older than modern photoshopping. From your great-grandmother, who was eager to alter her figure, to more sig...
In 1170, the Norman Lord Strongbow landed an army in Ireland. The following day, he launched a deadly assault on the nearby city of Waterford. Before the day was out, Strongbow had not only conquered Waterford in a brutal assault but also made time for his wedding.
This marriage changed Ireland forever.
Discover how the marriage of Aoife, a seventeen-year-old, and Strongbow, a man in his mid-forties, altered the course of Irish h...
The 1930s stood out as one of the most dramatic decades in modern history. Fascism was on the rise, and Europe was hurtling towards the Second World War.
However, it was a peculiar time in Ireland. The Revolutionary Era was firmly in the rearview, and the optimism and hope it once inspired had long faded. Irish society was increasingly dominated by the Catholic Church and conservative political forces. This podcast delves into l...
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Telling the time in hours and minutes seems so natural that we don’t even question where it came from. However it is a pretty recent development. For most of history our ancestors didn’t have clocks and understood time itself in a very different way.
In this podcast we will journey back through the centuries to explore how our ancestors measured time. Its an intriguing story. In the medieval world the length of an hour changed ...
On April 13th, 1922, three IRA volunteers chased a man through Central Park in New York. In front of dozens of witnesses, they shot him four times before escaping. This event marked the culmination of an international manhunt as the IRA tracked an informer across the world.
In this episode, I am joined by New York Times Senior Editor Mark Bulik. During the interview, Mark shares the intriguing story of Patrick 'Cruxie' O'Connor and ...
During the Great Hunger of the 1840s, vast sums of money were sent to Ireland by people across the world. One of the most remarkable stories is that of the First African Baptist Church in Richmond, Virginia. Even though many of the congregants were slaves, they still sent a donation.
In this podcast, I interview Anelise Shrout, who shares this and other stories of remarkable generosity. Anelise also reveals why people chose to g...
Through most of the 20th century, authorities in Ireland operated a strict censorship regime when it came to film. At its height, around one in every three films was censored in Ireland. The reasons for this are often hard to fathom today. Scenes that showed a dancer's legs or even a long kiss were often edited out. Allusions to sex were considered far too racy. And this was all before they even got into the films that strayed into...
In the late 1960s, Northern Ireland erupted into major violence, marking the opening phase of The Troubles. Over three decades, this conflict would claim thousands of lives and continues to dominate life in Ireland today.
In my new exclusive supporters series, I am joined by Dr. Brian Hanley to explore how and why The Troubles began. This fascinating history begins in the 1920s when Northern Ireland was forged amid intense viole...
In the mid 19th century Mormonism was one of the fastest growing religions in the world. However when Mormon missionaries arrived in Ireland in 1840 they failed to establish a foothold. Over time Ireland gained a reputation as the most hostile country on earth for Mormons.
This podcast explores why this was the case. The answer is the complexities of Irish identity, our relationship with Catholicism and scandals surrounding...
The story of the Samson is one most bizarre shipwrecks in Irish history.
When this enormous sea crane ship crashed into the Irish coast, it's owners got more than they bargained for.
While an RAF helicopter rescued the crew, a local man battled mountainous seas to climb aboard and claim the ship as his own!
This began a 40 day saga…
Check out pictures of wreck the Samson on new channels
In the 1780s work began on a new city in Ireland. Called New Geneva it was designed to provide a new home for exiled revolutionaries from Switzerland.
Today there are few traces of this now lost city. This masks a fascinating and dark history. When New Geneva failed, life there descended into barbarism and brutality.
I have posted images of New Geneva to my new WhatsApp and Telegram channels
We've been on an extraordinary journey since the show launched 14 years ago. From medieval battlefields to revolutions we've shared ringside seats to some of the greatest moments in history. My plan for 2024 is to embark on an even more ambitious journey with you. All is explained in this short episode...
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New York, Boston, and Chicago dominate the history of Irish migration to the United States. However by 1900 one of the most Irish cities in the US was Butte Montana. Situated high in the Rocky mountains, Butte was just one of hundreds of Irish communities dotted across the American West.
Beginning back in the California Goldrush of the 1850s, tens of thousands of Irish immigrants ventured into the American West. Seeki...
In the past decade, podcasting has taken the world by storm. The advent of smartphones and the ground-breaking podcast 'Serial' would see podcasting surge in popularity.
In 2020 alone over a million new shows were launched. But does it have a future? Some are not convinced.
In the second and final part of my series on the history of podcasting I look at how podcasting became so popular and where it’s heading. The show features Bl...
‘You might not be a revolutionary, but you are living through a revolution.’
Podcasting is much older than you might imagine. A decade before the true crime show Serial took the world by storm, creators were making some of the earliest shows.
This podcast is a nostalgic trip through the early days of the internet in Ireland when podcasting emerged. Brian Greene who was making shows in the mid 200...
It’s a dark evening in early November 1847.
A carriage makes it's way through lawless starving countryside in North Roscommon.
A gun shot rings out, a man falls dead.
A family mourns but a community rejoices.
While the Great Hunger of the 1840s resulted in one million deaths, this one murder encapsulated the stark choices facing that generation of Irish people in a one gripping story. It is retold in this episode.
As...
In the mid 1860s, Andersonville became one of the most feared places in America.
This sleepy corner of Georgia gained notoriety in the later stages of the US Civil War when the Confederacy opened a prison camp there. Nearly one third of all prisoners who entered Andersonville never left.
Among their number were hundreds of Irish men. This podcast tells their stories.
I am joined by historian Damian Shiels who runs th...
Writing histories of people who led secret lives is difficult because they leave few records. Yet that is precisely what my guest in today’s show has done. In this podcast, Dr Maurice Casey, shares the fascinating history of Rose McKenna and Sydney Arnold and how he uncovered their secret lives.
In the early 20th century, this Latvian-Irish couple participated in two revolutions in Ireland and Russia. While Rose tried to arms fo...
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