Irish History Podcast

As we prepare to celebrate Halloween, this episode is a timely exploration of the history of the supernatural in Ireland.

Ghosts have long played an important role in Irish history and culture. In thi…

I have come down with a cold so rather than subject you to me coughing and spluttering through a show I have selected a classic from the archives. 

As I explain, I recently listened back to this episo…

In the 1920s and 30s Irish emigrants in Britain faced widespread racism and discrimination. Labelled drunks, subversives, and a threat to society, right wing politicians whipped up fear and hatred ag…

In 1923 as the Irish revolution came to an end, large parts of the North Roscommon town of Arigna lay in ruins. While war and revolution had swept across Ireland over the previous years few places sh…

At the turn of the 20th century alcoholism was a major problem in Irish society. The island had 17,300 pubs while around 40% of all prison sentences were alcohol related. There was a general sense al…

Every book has an origin story. My new book ‘A Lethal Legacy – A History of Ireland in 18 Murders’ is no different. While the book goes on sale today, the origin story goes back to 2015 when I found …

This podcast looks at forgotten story of the tsunami that hit Cork in 1755, the volcanic winter of 1816 and a meteor that was way to close for comfort in 1908. Although they dont feature prominently …

In 1821 George IV was the first British monarch to visit Ireland in modern times. It was a historic occasion for multiple reasons. Not only was he the first king to set foot on Irish soil since the 1…

The Great Hunger left deep scars on the Irish society. Many of those who survived the 1840s never fully survived the harrowing ordeal they had endured. They were traumatised in body and spirit. For t…

In 1984, the Conservative Party, lead by the British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, gathered in the seaside town of Brighton for their annual conference. In the early hours of October 12th a bomb …

Bunmahon is an idyllic seaside town in Co Waterford but it has a deep dark history. It's a story that begins in an abandoned mine and ends in a search for a lost town...

Need I say more?

You can find o…

This episode was originally released in 2019. Over the past week I was recording the audio version of 'A Lethal Legacy - A History of Ireland in 18 Murders' so I didnt have time to prepare a new epis…

As I mention in the episode I am recording the audio version of A Lethal Legacy - A History of Ireland in 18 Murders this week! Don't forget to pre-order at Easons and use the code FD10 to get 10% of…

'The Road to War' is the first episode in a five part Irish History Podcast production on the Irish Civil War. The full series, exclusively available for supporters, features the leading Irish histor…

**This is the second of two episodes on the story of Irish people who fought in the French Resistance. Part I was released last week.**

Few Irish people recognise the names Sr Katherine Anne McCarthy …

The struggle of the French Resistance against the Nazi Occupation of France remains one of the most famous chapters in World War II history. It has been immortalized in numerous film and books. Howev…

This episode needs a bit of an introduction. While the term Rotten Prod, short for Rotten Protestant, sounds like a sectarian slur, the phrase has a very different and fascinating history.

It actuall…

This episode is short, but has a big reveal! For nearly two years I have been working on a new book and I can finally tell you all about it. Published by Harper Collins, it's called 'A Lethal Legacy …

The 1916 Rising is one of the most famous events in Irish history but it’s easy to forget it took place in a city that 300,000 people called home. In this podcast (originally released over three year…

The Cromwellian Conquest of Ireland took place over 370 years ago. Despite the passage of time the man who led that conquest remains one of the most reviled figures in Irish history. In this podcast …