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History Ireland magazine has now been in production for over 27 years.  The History Ireland Podcast covers a wide variety of topics, from the earliest times to the present day, in an effort to give the listener a sense of the distant past but also to offer a contemporary edge.

History Ireland


    • May 23, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 1h 10m AVG DURATION
    • 124 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from History Ireland

    A Future For Our Past — Museums in the 21st Century

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2025 75:43


    What is the purpose of museums? How have museums in Ireland evolved over the past 30 years or so? Are there too many or too few? North of the border, how do they operate in a divided society? How should they be funded? To address these and related questions, listen to History Ireland editor Tommy Graham in discussion with Tony Canavan (former History Ireland museums reviewer), Lar Joye (Irish Museum Association) and Heather McGuicken (Northern Ireland Museums Council). This Hedge School is supported by Tipperary County Council, Tipperary Museum of Hidden History and ICOM Ireland. Recorded live on Sat 17 May 2025, @ Tipperary Museum of Hidden History, Mick Delahunty Square, Clonmel

    Making sense of the 2020 and 2024 general elections

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 31, 2024 83:32


    We broadcast again editor Tommy Graham's interview (55 mins) with Brian Hanley (TCD) following the February 2020 general election, with an update (28 mins) on the November 2024 general election. What do they tell us about the current shape of Irish party politics?

    ‘Our man in Moscow'—50 years of Irish/Russian diplomatic relations

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 7, 2024 63:09


    (Recorded live on Wed 02 October, @ The Cobblestone, King St N, Smithfield, Dublin, D07 TP22) History Ireland editor, Tommy Graham, chats to Irish diplomat, Jim Sharkey, who opened the Irish embassy in Moscow in 1974 and returned to live in the city as Ambassador in 2001. This Hedge School is part of the Dublin Festival of History.

    Is Irish History ‘sea-blind'?

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 4, 2024 78:44


    (Recorded live on Sunday 29 September 2024, @ The Substation, Alexandra Road, Dublin, D01 H4C6) In 1986, the maritime historian, John de Courcey Ireland, wrote: ‘The lives of island peoples like Ireland's [have] been dominated by the seas encircling them. Yet this fact has been largely ignored by Irish historians'. Is Irish history still ‘sea blind'? To address this question join History Ireland editor, Tommy Graham, in discussion with Angela Byrne (Dictionary of Irish Biography), Lar Joye (Heritage Officer, Dublin Port) and Captain Michael McKenna (Dublin Port Harbour Master). This Hedge School is supported by Dublin Port in association with the Dublin Festival of History

    How many died—and how—in the Irish Civil War?

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 23, 2024 59:53


    (Recorded live on Sat 17 Aug '24 @ the Electric Picnic) Thanks to UCC's Irish Civil War Fatalities project we now have a definite figure—1,485. But in this discussion, chaired by History Ireland editor Tommy Graham, with John Dorney, Pádraig Óg Ó Ruairc, Michael Kennedy and Caitlin White, we find out a lot more—not only who was killed but also when, where, in what circumstances, and how they were commemorated.

    ‘Garrison games'—Niall Quinn tackles Oscar Traynor

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 23, 2024 63:55


    (Recorded live on Fri 16 Aug '24 @ the Electric Picnic) History Ireland editor Tommy Graham chats to former international footballer, administrator, businessman and TV pundit Niall Quinn about his recently completed MA thesis, ‘Oscar Traynor—a re-evaluation of a footballer, rebel, politician and football administrator'. Not only was Traynor an IRA commander in the War of Independence who took the anti-Treaty side in the Civil War and served as minister in several Fianna Fáil administrations but he was also an advocate of the ‘garrison game', a vocal opponent of the GAA's ban on ‘foreign games' and the FAI's longest-serving president (1948–63).

    The Life and Times of Brendan O'Regan

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 19, 2024 90:56


    Born in 1917 in Sixmilebridge, Co. Clare, Brendan O'Regan's background was in hotel management and catering, working in the family hotel in Ennis, the St Stephen's Green Club in Dublin and the world's first duty-free shop in Shannon Airport, where he is credited with inventing Irish coffee. In 1959 he was appointed by Seán Lemass as the first head of the Shannon Airport Development Association (later known as the Shannon Free Airport Development Company), which stimulated the establishment not only of an industrial base in rural County Clare but also of a whole new town, Shannon. Retiring in 1977, he remained active, founding Co-operation North. Despite these achievements, since his death in 2008 he has remained a somewhat obscure figure. To rectify this lacuna, join History Ireland editor Tommy Graham in discussion with Frank Barry, Úna Ní Bhroiméil, Seán Donlon, Brian O'Connell and Brendan's son, Andrew O'Regan. (Recorded live on Sat 13 April '24, @ Shannon College of Hotel Management, Co. Clare) This Hedge School is supported by Sixmilebridge Historical Society.

    St Brigit 1500—who was she?

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 9, 2024 76:02


    Recorded on the  1 Feb  2024, at the National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street. Join History Ireland editor, Tommy Graham, to mark the 1500th anniversary of the passing of St Brigit, Ireland's most notable female saint. But who was she?—a figure of history or of myth and legend?—a goddess and/or a feminist icon? With Edel Breathnach, Elva Johnston, Bairbre Ní Fhloinn and Niamh Wycherley. This Hedge School is supported by the National Library of Ireland (Image: Saint Bride by John Duncan, 1913. (National Galleries of Scotland)

    ‘Taking her place amongst the nations of the earth'?—Ireland and the League of Nations

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 17, 2023 66:06


    To what extent did the Irish Free State's joining the League of Nations a century ago realise Robert Emmet's ambition? Join History Ireland editor Tommy Graham in discussion with John Gibney, Michael Kennedy and Zoë Reid. The Hedge School series of podcasts is produced by History Ireland and the Wordwell Group. For more information or to subscribe, visit historyireland.com This Hedge School is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Decade of Centenaries 2012–2023 initiative.

    Iníon Dubh and Red Hugh O'Donnell

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 3, 2023 70:27


    (Recorded at Maggie's Tavern, St Johnston, Co. Donegal, on Saturday 28 October '23) Join History Ireland editor, Tommy Graham, to mark the 421st anniversary of the passing of Red Hugh O'Donnell, the ‘Fighting Prince of Donegal'. But no discussion of Red Hugh would be complete without consideration of the real ‘mover and shaker' in these events, the power behind the throne, his mother Iníon Dubh—with Billy Kelly, Matthew McGinty, Tomás Ó Brógáin and Éamonn Ó Ciardha. This Hedge School is supported by the Red Hugh O'Donnell Society and Donegal County Council.

    tavern donegal dubh billy kelly donegal county council
    The Irish Civil War on film

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 13, 2023 62:57


    (Recorded at the Irish Film Institute on Wed 11 Oct '23 as part of the Dublin Festival of History) Listen to History Ireland editor Tommy Graham for a lively and interactive discussion on how the Irish Civil War was depicted on film, both at the time (newsreels) and subsequently (Michael Collins, The Wind that Shakes the Barley and other films), and how this has affected our understanding of the period—with Ciara Chambers, Dennis Condon, Brian Hanley and Kevin Rockett. The Hedge School series of podcasts is produced by History Ireland and the Wordwell Group. For more information or to subscribe, visit historyireland.com This Hedge School is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Decade of Centenaries 2012–2023 initiative.

    The life and legacy of Theobald Wolfe Tone

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 15, 2023 57:21


    This Hedge School, recorded at the Electric Picnic, September 2023, was preceded by a performance of Paddy Cullivan's The Two Murders of Wolfe Tone, which can be viewed at paddycullivan.com. ‘He landed in France with one hundred guineas in his pocket and had come near to altering the destiny of Europe'—so said Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, of Theobald Wolfe Tone, who died 225 years ago. To discuss Tone's life and legacy, join History Ireland editor Tommy Graham in discussion with Paddy Cullivan, Sylvie Kleinman, Tim Murtagh and Fergus Whelan. The Hedge School series of podcasts is produced by History Ireland and the Wordwell Group.  For more information or to subscribe, visit historyireland.com

    Belfast: The story of a city and its people

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 18, 2023 35:41


    Belfast: The story of a city and its people is a lively and inviting history of Belfast—exploring the highs and lows of a resilient city. Join Tommy Graham, editor of History Ireland, in conversation with the author, Fergal Cochrane. Belfast: The story of a city and its people is published by Yale University Press. Further details: https://yalebooks.co.uk/book/9780300264449/belfast/ History Ireland podcasts are produced by History Ireland and the Wordwell Group. For more information or to subscribe, visit historyireland.com

    The post-Civil War economy of the Irish Free State

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 11, 2023 62:38


    What were the economic challenges faced by the new state? How did it perform? How did it compare with other newly independent states in Europe? Join History Ireland editor Tommy Graham in discussion with Frank Barry, Mary Daly, Seán Kenny and Mícheál Ó Fathartaigh. The Hedge School series of podcasts is produced by History Ireland and the Wordwell Group. For more information or to subscribe, visit historyireland.com This Hedge School is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Decade of Centenaries 2012–2023 initiative. Image: The Shannon Scheme under construction at Ardnacrusha in the late 1920s.

    Change and continuity—the general elections of 1922 and 1923

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 21, 2023 72:55


    What do these two elections tell us about Ireland's political landscape before and after the Civil War? Join History Ireland editor Tommy Graham in discussion with Elaine Callinan, Mel Farrell, Michael Laffan and Martin O'Donoghue.    The Hedge School series of podcasts is produced by History Ireland and the Wordwell Group. For more information or to subscribe, visit historyireland.com This Hedge School is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Decade of Centenaries 2012–2023 initiative.

    Labour and the Civil War

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 9, 2023 69:26


    Organised labour had played a leading role (strikes, boycotts etc.) in the Irish revolution, and that was reflected in a substantial vote in the June 1922 general election. Yet a year later that vote had almost halved. Why? Join History Ireland editor Tommy Graham in discussion with Adrian Grant, Brian Hanley, Theresa Moriarty and Emmet O'Connor. The Hedge School series of podcasts is produced by History Ireland and the Wordwell Group. For more information or to subscribe, visit historyireland.com This Hedge School is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Decade of Centenaries 2012–2023 initiative.

    Photographs as historical sources

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 2, 2023 71:00


    (Recorded at the National Photographic Archive, Temple Bar on the 31 May 2023) Are historians visually illiterate? Does colourisation bring old photographs to life or is it just a passing fad? ‘Coffee-table' history books—good or bad? In conjunction with the ongoing People & Places: Ireland in the 19th & 20th centuries exhibition at the National Photographic Archive, these are some of the questions that will be posed by editor, Tommy Graham, to Donal Fallon (historian, writer and broadcaster), Emily Mark Fitzgerald (UCD), and Sara Smyth (exhibition curator, National Library of Ireland). The Hedge School series of podcasts is produced by History Ireland and the Wordwell Group. For more information or to subscribe, visit historyireland.com This Hedge School is supported by the National Library of Ireland

    Memorialising the Civil War

    Play Episode Listen Later May 19, 2023 70:46


    How was the Civil War memorialized—by both sides? Who won the ‘memory war'? To address these and other questions listen to History Ireland editor, Tommy Graham, in discussion with Conor Dodd, John Dorney, Mary McAuliffe and Caitlin White. The Hedge School series of podcasts is produced by History Ireland and the Wordwell Group. For more information or to subscribe, visit historyireland.com This Hedge School is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Decade of Centenaries 2012-2023 initiative and by Phibsborough Community Arts Festival (Phizzfest).

    Archbishop John Charles McQuaid—a reassessment

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 7, 2023 67:20


    John Charles McQuaid, archbishop of Dublin from 1940 to 1972, was a colossus of the Catholic Church in his day, famous (or infamous) for his opposition to health minister Noel Browne's Mother and Child Scheme. Less well known is his pioneering work on Irish emigrant welfare in Britain and his influence on the architecture and planning of Dublin. Join editor Tommy Graham in discussion with Brian Harvey (social researcher), Mary Kenny (The way we were: Catholic Ireland since 1922), David McCullagh (biographer of Eamon de Valera) and Ellen Rowley (architectural historian). This Hedge School is supported by the National Library of Ireland

    A century on—how do we view the Irish Civil War?

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 10, 2023 81:19


    History Ireland editor, Tommy Graham, and the Hedge School panel—John Dorney, Brian Hanley, Colum Kenny and Mary McAuliffe—field questions from Leaving Cert students in Coulson Theatre, Gonzaga College, Dublin (recorded on 2 March 2023). The Hedge School series of podcasts is produced by History Ireland and the Wordwell Group. For more information or to subscribe, visit historyireland.com This podcast is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Decade of Centenaries 2012-2023 Initiative.

    The Civil War in Kerry

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2023 77:42


    The violence and divisions caused by the Irish Civil War were more vicious, bitter and protracted in County Kerry than anywhere else in Ireland. Why? Join History Ireland editor Tommy Graham in discussion with John Dorney, Mary McAuliffe, Owen O'Shea and John Regan. The Hedge School series of podcasts is produced by History Ireland and the Wordwell Group. For more information or to subscribe, visit historyireland.com This podcast is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Decade of Centenaries 2012-2023 Initiative.

    Reflections on the Decade of Centenaries

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 3, 2023 79:59


    What is the relationship between commemoration and historical scholarship? How has this worked out in practice in the Decade of Centenaries? What were the opportunities taken? What were missed? Join History Ireland editor Tommy Graham in discussion with John Gibney, Brian Hanley, Heather Jones and Fearghal McGarry. The Hedge School series of podcasts is produced by History Ireland and the Wordwell Group. For more information or to subscribe, visit historyireland.com This podcast is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Decade of Centenaries 2012-2023 Initiative.

    W.B. Yeats and the Irish Free State

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 9, 2022 63:49


    A century ago, in December 1922, at the height of the Civil War, poet W.B. Yeats was nominated to the Senate of the newly established Irish Free State. In January of that year he had participated in the cultural programme of the Irish Race Congress in Paris. In 1923 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, a major boost to the prestige of a nation after the trauma of civil war. He was to serve for six years in the Senate. In the 1930s he briefly flirted with Eoin O'Duffy's Blueshirts. How are we to assess Yeats's relationship to the Irish Free State? To address this and other questions, join History Ireland editor Tommy Graham in discussion with Lucy Collins, Theo Dorgan, Darragh Gannon and Katherine McSharry. The Hedge School series of podcasts is produced by History Ireland and the Wordwell Group. For more information or to subscribe, visit historyireland.com This Hedge School supported by the National Library of Ireland.

    Marú in Íarthar Chorcaí (Murder in West Cork)

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 2, 2022 54:58


    Marú in Íarthar Chorcaí (Murder in West Cork) TG4, 9.30pm, Wednesday 7 December 2022 Over two nights in April 1922, thirteen Protestant men were shot dead in West Cork. According to Peter Hart's 1998 book The IRA and its enemies, they were shot because they were Protestants—sectarian killings carried out by members of the IRA—and ‘the nationalist revolution had also been a sectarian one'. Hart's controversial conclusions sparked a ‘history war' that has raged ever since. Join History Ireland editor Tommy Graham to discuss the documentary with Brian Hanley, Simon Kingston, Eve Morrison and Jerry O'Callaghan. (A link to the programme will be added here after it has been broadcast on 7 Dec.) The Hedge School series of podcasts is produced by History Ireland and the Wordwell Group. For more information or to subscribe, visit historyireland.com This Hedge School is supported by TG4.

    Donegal in the Civil War

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 11, 2022 70:46


    While not in the vanguard of the War of Independence, Donegal became the scene of the last stand-up fight between the IRA (pro- and anti-Treaty) and British military (in the ‘Pettigo triangle'), with the latter using heavy artillery for the first time in Ireland since 1916. On the outbreak of the Civil War some of these IRA men, originally mobilised for the now-aborted ‘Northern offensive', were caught up in the hostilities that followed. Four of them were subsequently executed, the only four executions to take place in the county. To discuss these and related questions join History Ireland editor Tommy Graham in conversation with Adrian Grant, Breandán MacSuibhne and Pauric Travers.   (Recorded at the Allingham Festival, Ballyshannon, 5 November 2022) The Hedge School series of podcasts is produced by History Ireland and the Wordwell Group. For more information or to subscribe, visit historyireland.com This podcast is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Decade of Centenaries 2012-2023 Initiative.

    Irish Travellers and the State, 1922-2022—activism, advocacy and allyship

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 21, 2022 78:06


    How have Irish Travellers fared since the foundation of the state a century ago, and in particular since the 1963 Report of the Commission on Itinerancy? What are the challenges facing the current generation of Traveller activists? How can non-Travellers be effective allies? To address these and related questions, join History Ireland editor, Tommy Graham, in discussion with Martin Collins, Rose Marie Maughan, and Patrick Nevin. The Hedge School series of podcasts is produced by History Ireland and the Wordwell Group. For more information or to subscribe, visit historyireland.com This podcast is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

    The Irish Civil War—a military analysis

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 14, 2022 75:37


    At the outbreak of the Irish Civil War in June 1922 the anti-Treaty IRA numbered some 15,000, holding key positions in Dublin and throughout the country, in particular behind a defensive line running from Limerick to Waterford (the so-called ‘Munster Republic'). Their pro-Treaty opponents in the newly-formed National Army numbered less than half that. Why then did the pro-Treaty side win? To address this and related questions join History Ireland editor, Tommy Graham, in discussion with Bill Kissane, John Dorney, Mary McAuliffe and Gareth Prendergast. The Hedge School series of podcasts is produced by History Ireland and the Wordwell Group. For more information or to subscribe, visit historyireland.com This podcast is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Decade of Centenaries 2012-2023 Initiative. 

    What if Michael Collins had survived the Civil War?

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 16, 2022 54:48


    This Hege School was recorded at the Electric Picnic 2022 immediately after Paddy Cullivan's historical entertainment, 'The Murder of Michael Collins'. Details here www.paddycullivan.com. On 22 August 1922, Michael Collins was killed at Béal na Bláth, Co. Cork. But what if he had survived? Would he have become a military dictator? (Was he one already?) Would he have been more or less ruthless than his successors in prosecuting the Civil War? Would he have torn up the Treaty and launched an invasion of the North? What if he and not Eoin O'Duffy had later become leader of the Blueshirts? And if he, rather than Dev, had become Ireland's dominant statesman, would his economic or social policies have been any different? Join History Ireland editor, Tommy Graham, in discussion with Paddy Cullivan, Brian Hanley, David McCullagh, Fearghal McGarry and Margaret O'Callaghan. The Hedge School series of podcasts is produced by History Ireland and the Wordwell Group. For more information or to subscribe, visit historyireland.com

    Unmanageable Revolutionaries—women in the ‘decade of centenaries'

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 13, 2022 60:30


    It is nearly 40 years since Margaret Ward's pioneering Unmanageable Revolutionaries: Women and Irish Nationalism, 1880-1980 (1983) first appeared. How has women's history, and history written by women, fared in the meantime, particularly in this ‘decade of centenaries'? Join History Ireland editor, Tommy Graham, in discussion with Síobhra Aiken, Leeann Lane, Sarah-Anne Buckley and Margaret Ward. The Hedge School series of podcasts is produced by History Ireland and the Wordwell Group. For more information or to subscribe, visit historyireland.com

    Michael Collins—man and myth

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 22, 2022 72:07


    Born in West Cork in 1890, Michael Collins joined the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) as a teenager while working as a clerk in London. He fought in the GPO in 1916, and rose to prominence by the War of Independence, combining the positions of Dáil minister for finance and IRA director of intelligence. How can his meteoric rise be explained? Why did he sign the Treaty? Did he intend to tear it up and invade the North? Was he by the outbreak of the Civil War effectively a military dictator? Why are the circumstances of his death at Béal na Bláth, exactly a century ago, still disputed? To address these and related questions, listen to History Ireland editor, Tommy Graham, in discussion with John Borgonovo, Gemma Clark, Dominic Price and John Regan. The Hedge School series of podcasts is produced by History Ireland and the Wordwell Group. For more information or to subscribe, visit historyireland.com This podcast is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Decade of Centenaries 2012-2023 Initiative.

    Arthur Griffith, ‘father of us all'

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 12, 2022 80:18


    So said Michael Collins, yet despite his central role in the development of the Irish nationalism from which the Irish State would emerge, Arthur Griffith has had to settle for a side-line role in the national historical memory. How fair or accurate are accusations of anti-Semitism, misogyny or ‘selling the pass' at the Treaty negotiations? How stands his reputation today a century on from his untimely death, aged 51, on 12 August 1922? To address these and related questions listen to History Ireland editor, Tommy Graham, in discussion with Frank Barry, Brian Hanley, Colum Kenny and Margaret Ward. The Hedge School series of podcasts is produced by History Ireland and the Wordwell Group. For more information or to subscribe, visit historyireland.com This podcast is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Decade of Centenaries 2012-2023 Initiative.

    The life and times of Harry Boland

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 5, 2022 71:08


    One of the most engaging figures of the revolutionary period, Harry Boland, along with his brother Gerry, joined the IRB in 1904 and participated in the 1916 Rising. He was centrally involved in the subsequent reorganization of Sinn Féin and the Volunteers and was uniquely close to the two dominant figures of the period, Eamon de Valera and Michael Collins. Having taken the anti-Treaty side, he was killed in controversial circumstances exactly a century ago on 1 August 1922. To discuss his life and times join History Ireland editor, Tommy Graham, in conversation with Tim Crowley, Donnacha DeLong, Liz Gillis and Éamon Ó Cuiv. (Recorded at Glasnevin Cemetery Museum on Mon 1 August 2022) This Hedge School is supported by the Harry Boland Centenary Committee. The Hedge School series of podcasts is produced by History Ireland and the Wordwell Group. For more information or to subscribe, visit historyireland.com

    The assassination of Sir Henry Wilson and the Irish Civil War

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 22, 2022 73:31


    On 22 June 1922 Field Marshall Sir Henry Wilson, former Chief of the Imperial General Staff, and Unionist MP for North Down, was assassinated outside his London home in Eaton Square. The anti-Treaty IRA were blamed and six days later, under pressure from the British, Michael Collins ordered the bombardment of the Four Courts, the opening salvos of the Irish Civil War. But who was Henry Wilson? Was he, as was alleged, the mastermind behind the anti-Catholic pogroms in Belfast 1920-22? And who ordered the hit? To address these and other questions listen to History Ireland editor, Tommy Graham, in discussion with John Dorney, Caoimhe Nic Dhaibhéid, Padraig Óg Ó Ruairc, John Regan. (Recorded at St Peter's, North Main Street, Cork, as part of the National Civil War Conference, UCC, on Saturday 18 June 2022) The Hedge School series of podcasts is produced by History Ireland and the Wordwell Group. For more information or to subscribe, visit historyireland.com This podcast is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Decade of Centenaries 2012-2023 Initiative. Image: Field Marshall Sir Henry Wilson (1922) by Sir Oswald Birley. (Belfast City Council)

    The ‘Belleek/Pettigo triangle', May/June 1922

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 3, 2022 55:34


    As part of the so-called ‘Northern Offensive', on 27 May 1922, a combined force of pro-Treaty National Army and anti-Treaty IRA occupied the ‘Belleek/Pettigo triangle', an enclave of Fermanagh/Northern Ireland only accessible over-land through Free State territory. Less than two weeks later they had been ejected by regular British Army troops; the ‘Northern Offensive' was over. But how serious was it in the first place? Or was it just a ruse to keep the anti-Treaty IRA on-side? To address these and other questions join History Ireland editor, Tommy Graham, in discussion with Edward Burke, Margaret O'Callaghan and Éamon Phoenix. This Hedge School is supported by Donegal County Council, Fermanagh & Omagh District Council and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Decade of Centenaries 2012-2023 initiative. Image: British troops reoccupying Belleek, Co. Fermanagh, after 8 June 1922, following its temporary ‘liberation' by the National Army and IRA.

    Sister against sister—women, the Treaty split and the Civil War

    Play Episode Listen Later May 20, 2022 89:08


    (Recorded @ Phizzfest [Phibsborough Community Arts Festival], Sun 15 May 2022, Glasnevin Cemetery Museum) Given their activism in the revolutionary period, now widely acknowledged by historians, why were Irish women and their organizations on the margins of deliberations on the Treaty? Why were Irish women under 30 denied the vote in the June 1922 general election? To what extent were they the victims of gendered violence (by either side) during the Civil War? Join History Ireland editor, Tommy Graham, in discussion with Síobhra Aiken, Leeann Lane, Mary McAuliffe and Margaret Ward. The Hedge School series of podcasts is produced by History Ireland and the Wordwell Group. For more information or to subscribe, visit historyireland.com This podcast is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Decade of Centenaries 2012-2023 Initiative. Image: Kate O'Callaghan (left) and Mary McSwiney (centre) on their way to the Treaty debates in Earlsfort Terrace. Both TDs made passionate speeches against acceptance of the Treaty. (NLI)

    Ulysses in history—history in Ulysses

    Play Episode Listen Later May 6, 2022 77:30


     In this centenary year of its publication, the History Ireland Hedge School considers James Joyce's Ulysses, set in Dublin on a single day, 16 June 1904. What was the history of the book? What is the history in the book? Join Tommy Graham in discussion with Sylvie Kleinman, Felix Larkin, Katherine McSharry and Dan Mulhall. The Hedge School series of podcasts is produced by History Ireland and the Wordwell Group. For more information or to subscribe, visit historyireland.com This Hedge School supported by the National Library of Ireland. Image: Nora Barnacle and James Joyce in London on their wedding day, 4 July 1931, 27 years after they left Ireland together. (NLI)

    Burning the Big House—the story of the Irish country house in a time of war and revolution (Yale University Press)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 29, 2022 37:37


    Over the course of the Irish War of Independence and Civil War, nearly 300 ‘Big Houses' (those belonging to aristocrats with in excess of 2,000 acres), 20% of a total of c. 1,500, were burned to the ground. Why? Author Terence Dooley, Professor of History at Maynooth University and Director of the Centre for the Study of Historic Irish Houses and Estates, in conversation with History Ireland editor Tommy Graham, provides some answers. Burning the Big House—the story of the Irish country house in a time of war and revolution is published by Yale University Press. Further information: https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300260748/burning-the-big-house/ The Hedge School series of podcasts is produced by History Ireland and the Wordwell Group. For more information or to subscribe, visit historyireland.com

    The internal politics of the IRA before the Civil War

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 8, 2022 69:52


    The Anglo-Irish Treaty sparked turmoil within the IRA. Some accepted it and joined the ranks of the Provisional Government's new ‘National Army'; some remained neutral; the majority opposed it, but with the added twist that on the eve of the Civil War there were two anti-Treaty factions of the IRA, not one. Two Army Conventions, on 26 March and 18 June 1922, failed to resolve these differences. To make sense of these complexities, join History Ireland editor Tommy Graham in discussion with Síobhra Aiken, John Borgonovo, John Dorney and Brian Hanley. The Hedge School series of podcasts is produced by History Ireland and the Wordwell Group. For more information or to subscribe, visit historyireland.com This podcast is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Decade of Centenaries 2012-2023 Initiative. Image: Anti-Treaty IRA on Dublin's Grafton Street in spring 1922. (Mercier Archive)

    Northern Ireland in 1922

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 24, 2022 77:04


    While an uneasy peace prevailed in the South following the Truce of July 1921, in Northern Ireland communal violence continued to rage, exemplified most notoriously on 24 March 1922 by the killings of a ‘respectable' Catholic family, the McMahons, by an RIC ‘murder gang'. Was this a ‘one-off' by a ‘rogue' element or part of a wider policy of intimidation? And as the Treaty split drifted towards civil war in the South, how did events in the North and along the border affect the situation? To discuss these and related questions, join History Ireland editor Tommy Graham in discussion with Kieran Glennon, Paddy Mulroe, Seán Bernard Newman and Margaret O'Callaghan. The Hedge School series of podcasts is produced by History Ireland and the Wordwell Group. For more information or to subscribe, visit historyireland.com This podcast is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Decade of Centenaries 2012-2023 Initiative. Image: The funerals of the victims of the McMahon murders in Belfast on 26 March 1922..

    ‘We English protest'—anti-colonial solidarity in the metropole

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 11, 2022 55:43


    So said the long white apron of suffragette and socialist Margaret Buckmaster at a protest in July 1921 organised by the Peace with Ireland Council (PIC). How significant were such anti-colonial solidarity movements in Britain in the revolutionary period? How effective were they? To address these and related questions, join History Ireland editor Tommy Graham in discussion with Darragh Gannon, Angus Mitchell and Mo Moulton. The Hedge School series of podcasts is produced by History Ireland and the Wordwell Group. For more information or to subscribe, visit historyireland.com This Hedge School is supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs' Reconciliation Fund. Image: Margaret Buckmaster at the demonstration in Trafalgar Square organised by the Peace with Ireland Council and 'Women's Freedom League'  on 2 July 1921. (Bibliothèque nationale de France)

    A Century of An Garda Síochána

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 25, 2022 77:32


    When the Civic Guard—later renamed An Garda Síochána—was founded in February 1922, the force it replaced, the Royal Irish Constabulary, was itself barely a century old. How much of the culture of the latter passed over to the former? What was the law-and-order situation in 1921/22? Why and how was it possible to set up an unarmed police force during a civil war? To address these and related questions, join History Ireland editor Tommy Graham in discussion with Elizabeth Malcolm, Fearghal McGarry and Liam McNiffe. The Hedge School series of podcasts is produced by History Ireland and the Wordwell Group. For more information or to subscribe, visit historyireland.com This podcast is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Decade of Centenaries 2012-2023 Initiative.   Image: Eoin O'Duffy, second Commissioner of An Garda Síochána, following the May/June 1922 mutiny and the subsequent resignation of Michael Staines.

    Centenary of the Irish Race Congress, Paris, 21-28 January 1922

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 21, 2022 54:02


    Within weeks of the ratification of the Treaty by Dáil Éireann an ‘Irish Race Congress' assembled in Paris representing Irish organizations from twenty-two countries. Inevitably the Treaty split overshadowed its proceedings. Did global Irish experiences moderate or radicalise expectations of Irish independence? What legacy did Irish sovereignty bequeath to the historical memory of the Irish diaspora? To address these and related questions join History Ireland editor, Tommy Graham, in discussion with David Brundage, Darragh Gannon, Donal McCracken, and Anne Marie O'Brien. The Hedge School series of podcasts is produced by History Ireland and the Wordwell Group. For more information or to subscribe, visit historyireland.com This podcast is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Decade of Centenaries 2012-2023 Initiative. Image: Irish delegates enjoying Parisian hospitality at the Palais d'Orsey, including (L-R) Seán T. O'Kelly, Mary MacSwiney, Eamon de Valera, Countess Markievicz and Lord Ashbourne. (NLI)

    ‘Dublin Castle has fallen!'—the handover, 16 January 1922

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 16, 2022 73:46


    Under the terms of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, a Provisional Government, led by Michael Collins, was to oversee the transition of power until the Irish Free State formally came into being in December 1922. What was involved in the ‘handover' that took place on 16 January 1922? Who was involved and what were their roles? To address these and related questions join Tommy Graham in discussion with John Gibney, Kate O'Malley, Edward Madigan, and Padraig Óg Ó Ruairc. The Hedge School series of podcasts is produced by History Ireland and the Wordwell Group. For more information or to subscribe, visit historyireland.com This Hedge School is supported by the Office of Public Works. The Handover: Dublin Castle and the British withdrawal from Ireland, 1922 by  John Gibney and Kate O'Malley is published by the Royal Irish Academy. Further details: https://www.ria.ie/handover-dublin-castle-and-british-withdrawal-ireland-1922

    Robert Barton—forgotten man of the Irish revolution?

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 31, 2021 66:51


    Of the five plenipotentiaries who signed the Anglo-Irish Treaty on 6 December 1921 most attention has been focused on the motivations and actions of Michael Collins and Arthur Griffith—and on ‘the plenipotentiary who wasn't', Eamon de Valera. But what about the other three—Eamon Duggan, George Gavan Duffy and Robert Barton, particularly the latter, the only one who later took an anti-Treaty position. To find out more about this republican Protestant landlord from Wicklow join History Ireland editor, Tommy Graham, in discussion with John Dorney, Joan Kavanagh, Chris Lawlor, and Catherine Wright. The Hedge School series of podcasts is produced by History Ireland and the Wordwell Group. For more information or to subscribe, visit historyireland.com This Hedge School is supported by Wicklow County Council's Archives Service and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Decade of Centenaries 2012-2023 initiative. Image: Robert Barton with Arthur Griffith (right) and George Gavan Duffy (left) in transit from London following the signing of the Treaty on 6 December 1921. (NLI)

    Dev and the Banner 1917–1926

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 17, 2021 63:26


    On 10 July 1917 Eamon de Valera won a by-election in East Clare, one of a series of victories for Sinn Féin in the run-up to their landslide victory in the general election of December 1918. He would continue to represent the county in the Dáil until his election to the presidency in 1959. What was his relationship with the ‘Banner County' in the early tumultuous years of his career—War of Independence, Treaty negotiations, Civil War—up to the founding of Fianna Fáil in 1926? To discuss this and related questions, join History Ireland editor Tommy Graham in discussion with Tomás Mac Conmara, Martin Mansergh, Padraig Óg Ó Ruairc and Joe Power. The Hedge School series of podcasts is produced by History Ireland and the Wordwell Group. For more information or to subscribe, visit historyireland.com This Hedge School is supported by Clare County Council and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Decade of Centenaries Programme. Image: Eamon de Valera, in Irish Volunteer uniform, on the steps of Ennis Court House in July 1917, campaigning in the East Clare by-election. (NLI)

    Pandemics then and now—a reassessment of the 1918 flu in the light of Covid

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 14, 2021 55:21


    As we enter the third year of the Covid crisis, people the world over are now familiar with the concept and the reality of a ‘pandemic'. But how does it compare and with the previous pandemic—the ‘Spanish flu' of 1918-19? What are the similarities? What are the differences? To address these and other questions join History Ireland editor, Tommy Graham, in discussion with Patricia Marsh, Ida Milne, Grace Mulcahy, and Luke O'Neill. The Hedge School series of podcasts is produced by History Ireland and the Wordwell Group. For more information or to subscribe, visit historyireland.com This podcast is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Decade of Centenaries 2012-2023 Initiative. Image: Emergency influenza hospital at Camp Funston, Kansas, USA, in 1918. (National Museum of Health and Medicine, USA)

    The Treaty—good deal or bad deal?

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 6, 2021 61:06


    Was the Treaty ‘Home Rule for slow learners'? Why was Eamon de Valera not part of the Irish delegation? Was the subsequent Civil War inevitable? Was it a good deal or a bad deal? To address these and other questions join History Ireland editor, Tommy Graham, in discussion with John Gibney, Brian Hanley, Mary McAuliffe, and David McCullagh. The Hedge School series of podcasts is produced by History Ireland and the Wordwell Group. For more information or to subscribe, visit historyireland.com This podcast is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Decade of Centenaries 2012-2023 Initiative.

    Colmcille 1500—man, myth and memory

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 12, 2021 61:14


    Columba or Colmcille was born 1500 years ago in Gartan, Co. Donegal, and claimed descent from the legendary High King of Ireland, Niall of the Nine Hostages. He entered the church, became a missionary evangelist, and is credited with spreading Christianity to Scotland. In particular, he founded the abbey on Iona, which became the dominant religious and political institution in the region for centuries. He died there, aged 75, in 597. But what do we know about Columba the man? How much of what we know is based on subsequent myth and legend? And how has he been remembered over the centuries? To address these and related questions listen to History Ireland editor, Tommy Graham, in conversation with Revd. David Houlton, Brian Lacey, and Helen Meehan. The Hedge School series of podcasts is produced by History Ireland and the Wordwell Group. For more information or to subscribe, visit historyireland.com This Hedge School is part-funded by Donegal County Council as part of the implementation of the County Donegal Heritage Plan

    Ireland and the ‘Greater War' in Europe—compare and contrast

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 5, 2021 70:12


    While there were optimistic hopes that the First World War or ‘Great War' would be ‘the war to end all wars', post-1918 Europe, including Ireland, instead experienced a ‘Greater War'—a series of civil, border and ethnic conflicts—that lasted at least until 1923. How did Ireland fit into that paradigm? Was it typical or atypical of the period? Join History Ireland editor, Tommy Graham, in discussion with Niamh Gallagher, Robert Gerwarth, John Horne, and Bill Kissane. The Hedge School series of podcasts is produced by History Ireland and the Wordwell Group. For more information or to subscribe, visit historyireland.com This podcast is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Decade of Centenaries 2012-2023 Initiative.

    ‘Grand and Royal'—a history of Irish canals

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 29, 2021 58:00


    One of the unsung successes of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement was the establishment of the all-island body, Waterways Ireland, with responsibility for canals and waterways. But what drove the construction of the former in the first place? How important were they to the Irish economy at their height? How and why did they decline? And what are the prospects for their renaissance under the new dispensation? To address these and related questions join History Ireland editor, Tommy Graham, in discussion with Eugene Coyle, David Dickson, Nuala Reilly and Alexander Ó Fháilghigh. The Hedge School series of podcasts is produced by History Ireland and the Wordwell Group. For more information or to subscribe, visit historyireland.com This Hedge School is supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs' Reconciliation Fund.

    Crowd-funding the revolution—the underground administration

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 24, 2021 71:16


    Dáil Éireann sought not only to take back the political control lost in the 1800 Act of Union, but also the fiscal and monetary powers lost with the merger of the Irish and British exchequers in 1817. It also established a parallel legal system, the ‘Dáil Courts', and, especially after the local elections of 1920, sought to control local government. To assess the success of these efforts join History Ireland editor, Tommy Graham, in discussion with John Borgonovo, Caoimhe Nic Dháibhéid, Patrick O'Sullivan Greene, and Brian Hughes. The Hedge School series of podcasts is produced by History Ireland and the Wordwell Group. For more information or to subscribe, visit historyireland.com This podcast is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Decade of Centenaries 2012-2023 Initiative.

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