Irish History Podcast

This podcast (the second show on the town of Clogheen) introduces Richard Burke, a man who had a very unusual experience of the Great Famine. Between 1845 and 1848 he was the clerk of Clogheen Workhouse and Richard's life provide us with unique insights into this institution which was central to how the Great Hunger affected this community. The workhouse was where stories of kindness and cruelty played out side by side. The show includes an testimony from Michael Doody, an inmate in Clogheen Workhouse in 1848 which is a fascinating first hand account of life inside this building. Overall workhouses had a huge impact in every community across Ireland during the late 1840s. The shocking statistic that one in three people who perished in the Famine (over 300,000 people) died in workhouses highlights their importance in the story of the Great Hunger. Richard Burke's experiences in Clogheen give us a greater understanding of why they were so important not only in this town but across ireland. The next patrons-only podcast will focus on a fascinating murder mystery that relates to todays show. This will be exclusively available on www.patreon.com/irishpodcast. For Further reading I recommend Edmund O'Riordain's book The Famine in the Valley which is available for free online.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This episode is a return of the Great Famine Series. Focusing on the town of Clogheen in South Tipperary, this two part episode follows the lives of three individuals Robert Davis, David Keane and Richard Burke. Their stories delve into the fascinating yet often violent struggle for survival in Ireland during the Great Famine. While the show focuses on Clogheen the accounts are reflective of wider experiences. The podcasts also examines controversial topics such as the export of food and the violent resistence to those exports. I also reveal stories of those who profited during the famine and try to answer why many Irish people who seemed like decent people continued to export food in the midst of the famine.  The show includes dozens of primary sources including two previously unpublished letters written from Clogheen and Boston giving a first hand perspective of what life for Irish people was like in the 1840s. I would like to thank Ted Reilly and Martin Nutty for their help in New York without whom this episode would not have been possible.  Credits: Aidan Crowe read David Keane's Letters  Maurcie Casery narrated Robert Davis's report  Mark O'Dwyer voiced the words of James Fraser and Ferguson the pawnbroker Further Reading: O'Riordain, E. The Famine in the Valley Available for free here  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Hellfire club is an 18th century ruin in the foothills of the Dublin Mountains. The building has a scandalous history and is considered by some to be one of Ireland's most haunted locations. A few years ago Neil Jackman of Abarta Heritage led an archaeological excavation on the site. This podcast is an interview with Neil. He reveals the history behind this building, where the folklore and mythology originates and what he uncovered in the course of his excavations. You can read the full report of Neil's excavation here www.patreon.com/irishpodcast Picture: Abartaheritage.ie  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

When we think of Irish Emigrants in the USA, images of New York or Boston spring to mind. However on a recent trip to the US I visited friends in Nebraska where I found a very different Irish American history. Located in the midwest - the landcape and climate in Nebraska are pretty extreme - its very different from the large cities on the Eastern Coast. In this podcast I look at how Irish emigrants survived on the Great Plains in the 1870s and 1880s. Their accounts are fascinating - from sleeping in tents in brutal winters to an Irish American man who sold something called 'The Great Remedy' that could cure anything! Support the podcast at www.patreon.com/irishpodcast  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In 1892 Peig Sayers married & moved from Dunquin in West Kerry to the Great Blasket Island. Her life provides us with fascinating insights into what marriage was like in the late 19th century (a combination of a first date and moving in with your in laws!). Peig's later life also details how events like the 1916 Rising, the Great War and the War of Independence played out on this remote island. The podcast concludes with the story of how and why the Great Blasket was abandoned in the mid 20th century... Thanks to Niamh Ní Riain of the NLI, Ciaraíoch & Sean Sheehy for their narrations. www.patreon.com/irishpodcast This podcast is supported by Irishnewspaperarchives.com. the gateway to Ireland's great historical past. The archive contains dozens of Irish newspapers which cover nearly three centuries of Irish history. Subscribe today at www.irishnewspaperarchives.com/podcast and use the coupon code history30 to get 30% off monthly and yearly packages.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

When Peig Sayers died in 1958, she as regarded as one of Ireland's greatest storytellers and folklorists. Born in Dunquin in 1873 Co Kerry she grew up in the aftermath of the Great Famine in extreme poverty. However life in this remote corner of Ireland is both fascinating and at times unbelievable from a 21st century standpoint. Later in her life Peig would recall the intriguing details of what is now a lost world. Her life story is full of details which today leave us pondering how our ancestors survived. She also recorded vivide accounts of major events in Irish history - The Land War, the Great War, the 1916 Rising and the sweeping change that transformed Ireland in the 20th century. This, the first of two podcasts on Peig, looks at her life in Dunquin Co Kerry in the late 19th century a time when the Great Famine still haunted Irish Society. The second show will look at her life on the Great Blasket Island after she married. Narrations - Niamh Ní Riain of the National Library of Ireland & Sean Sheehy  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In April 1894 Cincinnati's Irish Amercian community was rocked by a shocking and brutal murder. It was so scandalous that many newspapers in Ireland refused to even mention it, even though both the victim and the perpetrator were both Irish. In this podcast you will hear the extraordinary story of Mollie Gilmartin unearthed for the first time in over a century... Thanks to Muireann Hogan for her narration. Book tickets for my upcoming New York Event at AIHS.org Support the show and the new upcoming series at patreon.com/irishhistory  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The city of Kilkenny was rocked by the notorious witchcraft trial of 1324 (covered in the last two episodes). These events took place seven centuries ago in the long distant past. To conclude the series on the trial embarked on my own witch hunt in the 21st century. I wanted to find if anything remained of the supposed witch Alice Kyteler who disappeared in 1324. I took a recorder and soon found myself in buildings Alice herself used to frequent. Over the course of a few days I was able to unearth numerous places and artefacts associated with Alice Kyteler giving you a unique insight into her notorious trial and the events surrounding it. Thanks to Grace Fegan, Elizabeth Keyes & Peter Kenny for their time and interviews. There is still four three tickets available for the Witchcraft Tour which visits all the locations assocaited with the trial. Tickets and more details are available at https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/medieval-witchcraft-tour-tickets-53808830661 This podcast is brought to you by listeners to the show on www.patreon.com/irishpodcast  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The series on the Great Hunger of the 1840s will finish in the summer of 2019, but I have been busy planning something new. Find out what it is in this major announcement.  I am visiting New York for the first time and speaking at the American Irish Historical Society on February 28th. You can get tickets at aihs.org Support the show at patreon.com/irishpodcast  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This podcast continues the fascinating tale of one of the first witchcraft trials in European history. It took place in Kilkenny in 1324. The previous episode (available here History-1-2 – Kilkenny-witchcraft-trial-part-i) explained the background to the trial. This show picks up the story as the trial and surrounding scandal began in March 1324. This would see the Bishop Ossory clash with Alice Kyteler and her powerful but dangerous allies. The consequences would be devastating for those caught in the middle. To accompany these podcasts I am organising a once off day long tour on April 20th 2019 to Kilkenny to visit the spectalar remains of the medieval city. This will be an interactive experience enhanced by listening devices so you will hear the sounds of the 14th century while standing in the places where this trial took place. Tickets which include private coach, entry into three paying sites, a walking tour of Kells priory and medieval Kilkenny cost €100. This also includes a meal.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Growing up in Kilkenny I was surrounded by medieval history - its what drew me to study the past in the first place. One of the most famous or perhaps notorious incidents in Kilkenny's medieval history took place in 1324 when the Bishop of Ossory accused Alice Kyteler, a powerful merchant in the city, of heresy and witchraft. This sparked a lethal struggle in the town that would end in shocking brutality. This is the first of two podcasts on the trial. This show sets the scene by painting a picture of life in Kilkenny in the 1320s and introducing the main characters the next episode will follow the trial itself. To accompany these podcasts I am organising a once off day long tour on April 20th 2019 to Kilkenny to visit the spectalar remains of the medieval city. This will be an interactive experience enhanced by listening devices so you will hear the sounds of the 14th century while standing in the places where this trial took place. Tickets which include private coach, entry into three paying sites, a walking tour of Kells priory and medieval Kilkenny cost €100. This also includes a meal.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

1848 was a year of revolt & rebellion across Europe and Ireland was no different. However unique to Ireland, the 1848 uprising took place to the back drop of one of the worst famine’s in modern history – the Great Hunger. While it has been overshadowed by the much larger 1798 rebellion and the 1916 Rising, the story of the Famine rebellion is a fascinating if forgotten history. In this podcast we take a journey through radical politics in Ireland tracing the origins of the famine revolt in the extreme violence of the 1798 rebellion to the pacifism of Daniel O’Connell’s Repeal Movement. Along the way you will encounter some of 19th century Ireland’s most controversial revolutionaries from John Mitchel to William Smith O’Brien in what is a fascinating story haunted by the spectre of the Great Famine. This also gives us a chance to take a proper look at how Ireland’s political leaders reacted to the Great Famine which reveals a story of machiavellian deals and betrayal. This is all told by focusing on the story of a very ordinary rebel, the Tipperary native Martin Ryan.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The history of the Great Hunger is rooted in stories of greed, racism and senseless suffering. This episode however sheds light on some of the amazing stories of compassion and solidarity that saved thousands of lives. While it can be difficult not to focus on the disastrous actions of the British Government, it is also important to remember the forgotten heroes of the Great Famine – the Victorian equivalent of aid workers. This podcast brings you the story some of these unlikely heroes from a Polish Count Pawel Strelecki to the Evangelical Protestant from Vermont Asenath Nicholson. Their stories of sacrifice in the 1840s are remarkable. The podcast also looks at the stories of generosity among slaves, native americans and prisoners who donated money to the famine relief despite facing extreme hardships themsleves. Thanks to Olga Jazienicka for the help with the polish pronouniations (which are still pretty terrible - apologies!) This show is sponsored by www.irishNewspaperArchives.com/podcast As a listener to the show you can get 30% off monthly or yearly subscriptions by using the Coupon Code Pod30 at www.irishNewspaperArchives.com/podcast   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This bonus episode contains the first two shows in my podcast series 'This Week in Irish history'. These shows look at the life of Ireland's most famous highwayman and Cromwell's Siege of Wexford in 1649. There is a third episode already available once you subscribe to THis Week in Irish History in iTunes www.patreon.com/irishpodcast  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Many histories of the Great Hunger refer to the famine ending in 1847. It is true that the famine did start to ease in some parts of the island in the following years. However in the west the catastrophe was far from over - some of the darkest chapters lay ahead as 1847 drew to a close. This episode focuses in on one area – Clifden in Co Galway where the famine in 1848 was arguably even worse than it had been during Black ’47. This show also looks at who was responsible, how the British Government created the illusion (that persists to the present day) that the famine was nearing an end in 1847 and why they did this. We also look at the brutal struggle for survival in Clifden. This saw people pushed to the extremes and break the greatest of human taboos – cannibalism. Thanks to Aidan Crowe, Josh Clarke, Tara Lonij, Janet Johnson, Danny Burke, Caitlin White, Wayne O'Brien, Mark Laherty, Conor Lenehan, John Brennan, Sean Comiskey, Denis O'Donnell & Christopher Devine for their help in making the show.    See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.