Podcast Episodes

Celebrating Conquest? Ireland’s Culture War over William the Conqueror

William the Conqueror has been dead for nearly a thousand years, and he never set foot in Ireland—so how did he end up at the centre of a modern Irish culture war?

With Normandy gearing up for “The Y…

Published on 10 hours ago

The Secret Life of May O’Callaghan: The Kremlin’s Irish Insider

In 1973, just two people attended the lonely funeral of May O’Callaghan, an Irish emigrant in North London. Few could have imagined that this quiet woman from Wexford had once stood at the very heart…

Published on 1 week ago

Ireland's Liberator - The Life of Daniel O'Connell

This special episode of the Irish History Podcast, in partnership with An Post, marks the 250th anniversary of Daniel O’Connell’s birth.

In this podcast, I explore the life and legacy of one of Irelan…

Published on 3 weeks, 6 days ago

Who Will History Remember?

How do we decide who the most significant people in our history are? Whose story is worth telling? In this episode, I’m joined by Eoin Kinsella, managing editor of the Dictionary of Irish Biography, …

Published on 1 month ago

Yola: A History of Ireland’s Lost Language

When we think of Ireland’s past, we usually envisage an island shaped by two languages: Irish and English. But hidden in the history of South Wexford is Yola, a unique dialect that survived for centu…

Published on 1 month, 1 week ago

Irish Americans & The Troubles: Unwelcome Outsiders or Allies?

This episode continues the story of NORAID - the Irish American organisation who were the voice of the IRA in the US. Jamie Goldrick and I delve into the complicated history of wider Irish American i…

Published on 1 month, 2 weeks ago

NORAID: Did Irish Americans Fund the Provisional IRA?

In this episode, we explore the fascinating and controversial story of NORAID, the Irish American organisation at the heart of the new documentary NORAID: Irish America & the IRA. Joined by the film’…

Published on 1 month, 2 weeks ago

Irish Asylums: A Dark History We Don’t Talk About. Why?

In the 1950s, more than 20,000 people—over one percent of the adult population of Ireland—were locked away in mental asylums. This was the highest rate in the world, with more people confined in asyl…

Published on 1 month, 3 weeks ago

Banned: The Hidden History of Contraception in Ireland (Listener Favourite)

While we’re on the last week of our summer break, we’re bringing you one of our most popular episodes from the back catalogue.

For over four decades, contraception was not just taboo in Ireland—it was…

Published on 2 months ago

[Classic Replay] A Criminal Conversation: Affairs & Divorce in 1920s Ireland

A story from the 1920s that will reshape the way you view our great grandparents lives!

Unfortunately, there’s no new show this week, but I wanted to re-share an episode I really enjoyed making two ye…

Published on 2 months, 2 weeks ago