Irish History Podcast
From the Norman Invasion to the War of Independence, the Great Famine to the Troubles, the Irish History Podcast takes 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 captivating stories. Major multi-part series have explored the Great Famine, the Norman Invasion, and Irish involvement in the Spanish Civil War. If you are looking for standalone episodes, there are lots of great interviews with leading Irish historians covering topics from medieval sex magic to Irish connections in the Jack the Ripper murders!
Why not start with 'Three Days in July', an acclaimed mini-series from the summer of 2024. It explores the early years of the Troubles and the forgotten story of a young Londoner who was shot dead by the British Army in Belfast in 1970.
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- Update frequency
- every 6 days
- Average duration
- 28 minutes
- Episodes
- 427
- Years Active
- 2010 - 2025
Daily Life in the Middle Ages. Worse than you imagine...
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 ins…
Manipulating the Past - A History of Photography in Ireland
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 throug…
Strongbow & Aoife: The wedding that changed Ireland
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…
Exiled: Irish Writers in the 1930s
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. Th…
Ireland's Lost Generation - The Orphans of the Great Hunger
Time's Untold Tales: Life before clocks & Dublin's two time zones in the 1870s
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 …
The IRA ambush in Central Park, New York
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 o…
The Slaves who helped Ireland during the Great Hunger
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, V…
Saving Ireland from Sin & Sex - Film Censorship in Ireland
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 …
What started The Troubles?
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 …
Polygamy, the Pope or Politics. Why was 19th century Ireland so hostile to Mormonism?
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 Ire…
Shipwrecked: The Story of the Samson
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 helic…
New Geneva: Ireland's Lost City
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…
Plan 2024: It's ambitious but you can make it possible
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 …
Forgotten: The Irish in the American West
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 mounta…
Taking the world by storm – a history of podcasting 2/2
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 n…
Are you in a cult? A history of podcasting 1/2
‘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, creat…
Assassinated: A Story of Vengeance & Murder in the Great Hunger
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 rej…
The Irish in Andersonville 'the deadliest place in America'
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 pr…
Rose McKenna & Sydney Arnold – Rebels With A Secret History
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 t…