Irish History Podcast

In 1397 Ramón de Perellós left the city of Avignon in the Kingdom of France, setting out on a 2,000 km journey to Ireland. His ultimate destination was a fabled gateway to the afterlife on Station Is…

The history of Belfast has been dominated by the Troubles of the late 20th century and the longer history of sectarian conflict in the city. However Belfast holds a lesser-known yet significant chapt…

In the 1880s Charles Stewart Parnell was the most famous Irish politician of his generation. Dubbed 'the uncrowned king of Ireland' he was respected and admired across the political spectrum.

However …

Disert is a remote townland in the Bluestack Mountains in Co Donegal. For reasons that are not entirely clear, our ancestors have been drawn here for thousands of years. There is no question it is a …

In this episode Neil Jackman and myself continue our journey down the Lingaun Valley, one of Ireland’s oldest frontiers. As we move closer to the present day we explore an 800 year old church, a cast…

The Lingaun Valley is a little known valley that forms the border between Co Kilkenny and Co Tipperary. However for thousands of years this small river formed one of the most important frontiers in I…

Have you ever wondered about your ancestors and who they were were? Were they on the right side of history? Maybe you’re curious to find out if your family have dark secrets? 

In this podcast genealog…

Emigration has been one of the defining features of Irish life since the Great Hunger. Generations have been drawn to the United States in the hope of finding a better life across the Atlantic. Many …

In 1895 Bridget Cleary was a confident independent woman in a rapidly changing Ireland. This brought her into conflict with dark and sinister figures in her own community. 

After being labelled a 'cha…

Until 1981 a woman was considered the property of her husband under Irish law. A husband could even sue another man for damaging his property if he had an affair with his wife. Referred to as 'crimin…

On June 22nd 1922, the British Field Marshall, Henry Wilson was shot dead in London. The assassination sparked a major political crisis in Ireland. The British government blamed the killing on a fact…

Spike Island in Cork Harbour is often referred to as 'Ireland’s Alcatraz'. While this famous island prison began life as a monastery it was transformed into a fortress during the American Revolutiona…

Between 1840 and 1860 the population of New York almost trebled growing from 300,000 to 800,000. This influx of migrants from Europe gave birth to modern Manhattan. At the heart of this story were th…

This episode continues the story of emigration and Irish Coffin Ships during the Great Famine. Dr Cian T. McMahon, the author of The Coffin Ship - Life and Death at Sea during the Great Famine discus…

Between 1845 - 1855 over two million people left Ireland to escape hunger, poverty and disease during the Great Hunger. The experience of these emigrants was often harrowing. The term Coffin Ship has…

Are we living through historic times? The Russian Invasion of Ukraine, the Queen's death, Liz Truss and Elon Musk have all dominated the headlines in 2022. However headlines don't always make history…

Life in Dublin at the turn of the 20th century was difficult to say the least. Working Class Dubliners were lucky if they reached 50. In those five or so decades, they worked dangerous jobs and lived…

Castlekevin was once a thriving settlement deep in the Wicklow Mountains. However in the 14th century after decades of warfare the historical record fell silent. 

Over the past year the Roundwood & Di…

The Black Death changed Europe and Ireland forever. This disease which swept across the continent through 1348 carried off around 40% of the population. Its aftermath was no less sensational as socia…

Believe it or not, it was a crime to sell contraception in Ireland between 1935 and 1979. The Irish government also banned all literature on family planning for decades as well. This had a profound i…