Irish History Podcast

This episode marks a return to the Great Famine Series. Coming podcasts will detail the later phase of the Famine including emigration and the bitter struggle that broke out between lanldords & tenants. This show sets the stage by focusing on the life of the most famous Irish person of the 19th century - Daniel O’Connell. Known as 'King Dan' the final years of his life provide a great opportunity to recap on what has happened so far and tie up loose ends before we continue our story.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Isabella Cadel, Grace O Toole, Fynyna O Toohig. These are all women forgotten by history who lived intriguing and fascinating lives. The three had one thing in common - they were all rebels in medieval Ireland. In this podcast I look at their forgotten stories which took place in an Ireland ravaged by deadly conflict. These medieval female warriors played an overlooked role in the brutal and deadly war that broke out between Norman settlers and Gaelic Rebels in the late Middle Ages. The next installment of the Great Famine Series is currently in production and will be available in two weeks. It will be released early on patreon.com/irishpodcast.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The last podcast looked at the arrival of the one time Nazi Commando Otto Skorzeny in Ireland in 1957 and the welcome he received from some of the most influential people in Dublin. This podcast continues this bizarre story using recently released files from Ireland's intelligence agency G2. These files contain serious allegations about Skorzeny in Ireland.  - Was he using Cork Harbour to smuggle arms to North Africa? - Was he guilty of testing a gas gun on concentration camp inmates? - Why did he reportedly meet with IRA leader Ruairi O'Bradaigh in Spain in 1971 with a view to import weapons to Ireland? - Did Ireland's future prime minister Charles Haughey turn a blind eye to some of these activities? Support the podcast www.patreon.com/irishpodcast Get unique rish history pins badges at irishhistorypodcast.ie/shop  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is the first of two podcasts which looks at the story of Otto Skorzeny, a notorious Nazi with a long but forgotten connection to Ireland. It is set in the aftermath of World War II to the intriguing backdrop of the hunt for Nazi war criminals after the war. Once labelled the most dangerous man in Europe the focus of the podcast, Otto Skorzeny, was a man plagued with rumours of war crimes, gun running and Neo-Nazi activities all his life. His arrival in Ireland in 1957 started a dark chapter in our history one steeped in controversy mystery and unsettling revelations about some of Irelands most prominent figures. Outsiders is a short mini series I am making over Christmas - I will be returning to the story of the Great Famine in mid January 2018.   Support the podcast www.patreon.com/irishpodcast Get unique rish history pins badges at irishhistorypodcast.ie/shop  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Believe it or not the first Irish person to visit China left Europe in 1318 arriving. His fascinating journey would take several years. Known only as 'James of Ireland' this a story embroiled in the rise of the Mongols, medieval papal diplomacy and the tediously slow world of medieval travel.  Hear his story in this podcast... Outsiders is a short mini series I am making over Christmas - I will be returning to the story of the Great Famine in mid January 2018.  This podcast is brought to you by Irishnewspaperarchives.com/podcast the gateway to Ireland's great historical past.  With over 70 titles some of which stretch back to the 18th century a subscription will make the ideal Christmas gift for the history buff in your family.   You can get 30% of monthly and yearly packages today at Irishnewspaperarchives.com/podcast and use the coupon code Pod30.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Over the coming weeks I am taking a break from the Great Famine Series to make a mini series entitled 'Outsiders'. These podcasts will focus on people who for one reason or another lived at the peripherary of Irish society.  First up is Ireland's last executioners. These were members of a family who included one of the most prolific hangmen of all time. This is the story of the Pierrepoints who between them probably executed over 1,000 people in the mid 20th century.  Find out their story in this show. This podcast is brought to you by Irishnewspaperarchives.com/podcast, the gateway to Ireland's great historical past. Withover 70 titles some of which stretch back to the 18th century a subscription will make the ideal Christmas gift for the history buff in your family. You can get 30% of monthly and yearly packages today by going to Irishnewspaperarchives.com/podcast and use the coupon code Pod30  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The crumbling ruins of workhouses are one of the last visible reminders of the horrors of the Great Hunger in the Irish landscape. During the Great Famine they became home to the unwanted in Irish society. Ultimately over 300,000 people Irish people died in these institutions during the Great Hunger.  While they may have been unwanted by the late 1840s very few of the so called 'inmates' of workhouses were born unwanted. The show begins by looking at how people found themsleves in such a position by following the journey of one 14 year old boy, Patrick Duignan from Co Leitrim.  This is his story.  I also look at an often forgotten aspect of workhouses: the bitter and sometimes violent struggles for control of the running of these institutions which explains why so many died.  This episode is brought to you by www.irishNewspaperArchives.com/podcast  As a listener to the show you can get 40% off monthly or yearly subscriptions by using the Coupon Code Pod40 at www.irishNewspaperArchives.com/podcast   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This show opens with the fascinating story of communities in Mayo who resorted to piracy to survive in 1847. This is only a prelude however before we look at two pivotal events later in the year.  After two years of starvation, the only election held during the Great Famine took place in August 1847. In some constituencies this poll was more like a blood sport than modern elections.  That summer was also decisive because no sooner were the ballots counted than the island became fixated on an even more important test – the harvest. If this failed the future was bleak but many had reason to be hopeful... This episode is brought to you by www.irishNewspaperArchives.com/podcast  As a listener to the show you can get 40% off monthly or yearly subscriptions by using the Coupon Code Pod40 at www.irishNewspaperArchives.com/podcast   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This podcast continues our journey through the summer of 1847 as we reach one of the pivotal moments in the history of the Great Famine. The British government finally realise a new policy is needed in Ireland but will it help or hinder? Decisions taken in this podcast overshadow life Ireland for years to come.  Tune in to find out more.  This episode is brought to you by www.irishNewspaperArchives.com/podcast  As a listener to the show you can get 40% off monthly or yearly subscriptions by using the Coupon Code Pod40 at www.irishNewspaperArchives.com/podcast   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Transportation was a particularity cruel punishment. For centuries those condemned to this fate were shipped to penal colonies on the far side of the globe to serve out their sentences. It has become synonymous with injustice during the famine when many caught stealing food suffered this fate.   For this podcast I dug deep into the archives and found the story of the Nangle family whose lives were ripped apart after they were caught stealing sheep. Their story also gives us an insight into life in Dublin prisons during the famine. The second part of the show is somewhat different focusing on the bizarre and perverse chapters in the entire famine - the arrival of the french celebrity chef Alexis Soyer to Dublin in 1847 to help famine victims. This episode is brought to you by www.irishnewspaperarchives.com/podcast - the world’s largest and oldest online database of Irish newspapers. Containing nearly 300 years of Irish newspapers, Irish Newspaper Archives.com is an essential tool for anyone interested Irish history or genealogy.Listeners of the Irish history podcast can get 40% off monthly and yearly subscriptions by using the coupon code Pod40 at www.irishnewspaperarchives.com/podcast  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dublin is often forgotten in the story of the Great Famine. While death rates in the capital were not as severe as the west of Ireland, the city suffered nevertheless. The show follows the story of the Mulherins, a family who fled famine in their home in Co Leitrim and settled in the Smithfield - Stoneybatter area of Dublin. They quickly found life in the capital city was very different but not necessarily easier... The show also looks at life in one of the city workhouses and how prostitution increased dramatically during the late 1840s. ****Become a patron of the show today and get the 78 minute audiobook of An Emigrants Narrative. This is the first time this fascinating personal account written by William Smith in 1850 has been released on audio. Smith crossed the Atlantic with Irish emigrants in the winter of 1847 and his account is an amazing insight into what our ancestors endured. You can get this today at www.patreon.com/irishpodcast  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

From January 1847 Irish people desperately trying to flee the famine began to leave the island in huge numbers.  220,000 left in that year alone and by 1853 more than one in six people who had lived in Ireland in 1845 had emigrated. While we know a lot about where they went and the horrendous conditions they faced, we know less about the lives they left behind. This show tells that story through the words of these Irish emigrants. Research for this show took me into the archives of the National Library of Ireland. After sifting through what hundreds of letters from Famine emigrants this podcast publishes several for the first time since the 1840s. These never before heard accounts give a unique insight into the lives of Irish people in 1847 as they prepared to leave Ireland forever. Their stories are far more complex and all too often more tragic than we imagine.  This is only possible through the support of patrons - previously I would not have been able to devote the necessary time to one episode. If you want to become a patron today and get bonus content check out patreon.com/irishpodcast. Thanks to Clare Ryan, Jamie Goldrick, Thom McDermott and Dave Lordan who narrate the letters.     See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This series continues the story of the Great Famine into the notorious year of Black '47 by returning to the town of Skibbereen. Looking at how life in the town changed it details the horrifying lives many had to endure. However starvation was not the only way the famine changed Ireland and the show begins by looking at the unusual story of James Dillon, a coroner in Co Offaly who was tasked with investigating two suspicious deaths in December 1846.  You can get bonus content by supporting the show at patreon.com/Irishpodcast  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As the situation deteriorated in Ireland in late 1846, the two Cork towns of Youghal and Skibbereen experienced the unfolding horrors in very different ways. The people of Youghal, due to local dynamics, were in a position to rise up against some of the causes of famine. Through the Autumn of 1846 they launched an insurrection in a desperate bid to stop food being exported. However at Skibbereen in west Cork the people found themselves in a far worse situation. Ravaged by severe starvation from as early as October, the town became notorious for the horrific conditions its inhabitants faced. You can support the show and get lots of bonus content on patreon at www.patreon.com/irishpodcast.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Many travellers who visited the west of Ireland in the 19th century considered it as a frontier of sorts. They were more often than not deeply racist, yet we still rely heavily on their accounts to reconstruct a picture of life at the time. In this show I question how reliable their accounts are. In an effort to create a more vivid picture of life in the 1840s I have interviewed with two archaeologists - Franc Myles and Eve Campbell for this show.  You can support the show at patreon.com/irishpodcast You can contact me at info@irishhistorypodcast.ie www.facebook.com/irishhistorypodcast www.twitter.com/irishhistory  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.