Podcasts about great hunger

San Francisco – A Ballymurphy Man/A Work in ProgressIf you live in the San Francisco area go along to the Vogue Theatre on 1st June to see a sneak preview of Trisha Ziff's film – A Ballymurphy Man.It's me telling my story, talking about the influences in my life and of our efforts to build the peace process. Trisha is still working on the final cut and The World Premier of her documentary film will take place in the Galway Film Festival on 12 July. But this is an opportunity for people in San Francisco to see the current work in progress.Tickets are available through the San Francisco Documentary Film Festival at sfdocfest2025.eventive.org/schedule or you can pay in person.The film begins at 7.30 pm and Trisha Ziff, the Director will be there for a Question and Answer.Verbal DisorderWhen I was younger I used to have a stammer. I don't know what age I was. Somewhere between seven and ten perhaps. A youngster! I grew out of my speech impediment, and I have very little recollection of my stammering phase but I was reminded of it when I was on the phone to a friend in Ard Oifig in Dublin last week.The Floodgates of HorrorUachtarán na hÉireann, Michael D Higgins does not mince his words when it comes to Israel's genocidal war against the Palestinian people. Last weekend he addressed the annual commemoration of Ireland's An Gorta Mór – The Great Hunger - of the 1840s. The commemoration is a reminder of our colonial experience and of a potato plight which became a genocide because of the policies of the British government. Over a million died and millions more fled. The Catastrophe – NakbaLast week Palestinians across the world commemorated the Nakba – The Catastrophe. In 1948 almost a million Palestinians fled as refugees from their homes as the Israeli state was forcibly carved out of Palestine. 

The history of the Great Hunger is often recounted through statistics and impersonal narratives. There are many reasons for this, but one significant factor is that many survivors were reluctant to share their stories of survival. In this episode, based on letters from the 1840s, I uncover a challenging chapter in our history. Among the stories recounted is that of widow Elisa Kelly, who was exploited by her neighbors, and John Molloy, who was left with no option but to beg for help. Their stories may be inglorious, but they reveal the harsh realities of life during the Famine.Additional Narrations: Aidan Crowe & Therese MurraySound by Kate Dunlea Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/irishhistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Clare Museum's Lecture Series continues Wednesday, April 9th at 7.30pm. The talk by Dr Karol Mullaney-Dignam is entitled ‘Morals, manners and customs: observations from the pre-Famine era in County Clare'. The observations of selected visitors to County Clare in the decades before the Great Hunger (1845-52), focusing on the morals, manners, and customs of the people at the time will be discussed at the talk. To find out more about this, Alan Morrissey was joined by curator of Clare Museum, John Rattigan. Photo (c): https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1159208002674518&set=gm.2196155070837225

By 1855, over two million Irish people had fled Ireland to escape the devastation of the Great Hunger. The journeys of these emigrants were often harrowing, and the term "Coffin Ship" has become synonymous with their perilous crossings of the Atlantic.While the term evokes images of misery, what was the actual experience like? This episode, originally released over two years ago, reveals the reality of life at sea in the late 1840s and 1850s.It is centered around a conversation with historian Dr. Cian T. McMahon, author of the excellent book "The Coffin Ship."You can get a copy of The Coffin Ship - Life and Death at Sea here. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/irishhistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Irish Potato Famine, which began in 1845, looms large not only in the imagination of that country, but also here in the United States, where so many Irish migrants arrived in desperation. Phytophthora infestans caused blight across Europe—but only in Ireland did crop failures result in devastation so vast that the period is known in that country simply as the “Great Hunger.” Why did the blight strike Ireland, newly part of the United Kingdom, so much harder than it did elsewhere in Europe? In Rot: An Imperial History of the Irish Famine, historian Padraic X. Scanlan identifies the policies of the British Empire as the primary reason for the deaths of roughly a million people and the exodus of two million more. But Britain didn't perpetuate a genocide, Scanlan argues—its choices reflected deep political beliefs in market forces that would reveal themselves to be anything but natural.Go beyond the episode:Padraic X. Scanlan's Rot: An Imperial History of the Irish FamineFor more on the famines that struck the rest of the British Empire, check out Mike Davis's Late Victorian Holocausts: El Niño Famines and the Making of the Third WorldCATU Ireland organizes around housing and community issues across the islandIt's true: Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad series is all about the Irish housing marketTune in every (other) week to catch interviews with the liveliest voices from literature, the arts, sciences, history, and public affairs; reports on cutting-edge works in progress; long-form narratives; and compelling excerpts from new books. Hosted by Stephanie Bastek and sponsored by the Phi Beta Kappa Society.Subscribe: iTunes/Apple • Amazon • Google • Acast • Pandora • RSS FeedHave suggestions for projects you'd like us to catch up on, or writers you want to hear from? Send us a note: podcast [at] theamericanscholar [dot] org. And rate us on iTunes! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the mid-19th century, British-occupied Ireland lost roughly one-third of its population during a years-long catastrophe known as “The Great Hunger” or, “The Irish Potato Famine.” In the years that followed, some have wondered if the tragedy wasn't the result of a natural disaster, but the intentional efforts of the British government to annihilate Irish people and their culture. The idea that the British pulled off a secret genocide has taken root in the Irish identity– but is it true? Keep up with us on Instagram @serialkillerspodcast! Have a story to share? Email us at serialkillerstories@spotify.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How did the memory of the Great Famine shape Irish identity? Could it have been prevented? From 1845 to 1852, a disease decimated potato crops across Ireland. Farmers of small plots who relied entirely on this monoculture were launched into complete destitution. Desperate families were evicted from their homes and suffered through starvation. British public policy offered limited assistance, such as workhouses and public works schemes. But people who were used to hunkering down inside during winter had no warm clothes now suddenly had to work outside in freezing conditions to earn their way. Charles Trevelyan, was put in charge of handling the famine and repeatedly promoted “self-reliance”, describing the catastrophe as a “judgement of God sent to teach the Irish a lesson”. Approximately 1 million people died of disease or starvation, and around 2 million people emigrated, causing huge societal shifts that changed Ireland forever. Listen as Anita and William are joined by writer and historian Colm Tóibín, author of Brooklyn and Long Island, and co-author of The Irish Famine, to discuss the impact of the Great Hunger on Ireland.  _____________ Empire UK Live Tour: The podcast is going on a UK tour! William and Anita will be live on stage in Glasgow, Birmingham, York and Bristol, discussing how the British Empire continues to shape our everyday lives. Tickets are on sale NOW, to buy yours head to empirepoduk.com. Empire Club: Become a member of the Empire Club to receive early access to miniseries, ad-free listening, early access to live show tickets, bonus episodes, book discounts, and a weekly newsletter! Head to empirepoduk.com to sign up. Email: empire@goalhanger.com Instagram: @empirepoduk  Blue Sky: @empirepoduk  X: @empirepoduk goalhanger.com Assistant Producer: Becki Hills Producer: Anouska Lewis Senior Producer: Callum Hill Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this St. Patrick's Day episode of Diversity Dialogues, we chat with Shane O'Donoghue, the child of Irish immigrants who discusses the centuries long ethnic and religious persecution of his ancestors in Ireland, and the discrimination and hatred the Irish endured in America. Shane, a management analyst in the Court System's Division of E-filing, covers the Cromwell reign of terror, the Great Hunger and, in this country, the nativist Know Nothing Party, which accused Irish and German immigrants of destroying the country by “poisoning the blood” of the nation, committing crimes and taking jobs that rightfully belonged to native born Americans. Diversity Dialogues is a production of the NYS Unified Court System's Office of Diversity & Inclusion. We live in a nation of immigrants, and our Diversity Dialogue segment is designed to highlight people in the court system who bring unique experiences and different perspectives to everything we do behind the scenes and in the courtroom. "[Diversity] is incredibly important," Shane said. "It creates an atmosphere of empathy. Once you see that diversity and you can see what other people's socio and economical challenges are or what their cultural problems that they faced, what their stories are, you kind of have a sense of empathy for them, and you want to give them a helping hand. You understand why things are the way they are and how things can get better." Transcript: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/files/2025-03/Shane%20O%27Donoghue.pdf #StPatricksDay #DiversityDialogues #IrishImmigrants #HistoryLesson #CulturalHeritage #ImmigrationHistory #CourtSystem #DiversityAndInclusion #EmpathyInAction

Studying the poetry of Patrick Kavanagh for the Leaving Cert? This podcast is for you! Listen to expert teacher Peter Tobin, as he joins us to give you ideas and in-depth analysis you can use in your poetry essays. Peter looks at the themes and style of Kavanagh's poetry in this podcast and examines each of his poems on the syllabus in detail.  Leaving Cert English students will be doing a select number of poems so there are timecodes below for each section so you can skip to the ones you're studying.  0:00 Intro, Themes & Style 16:23 Inniskeen Road: July Evening 19:28 Shancoduff 21:42 The Great Hunger, Section 1 26:38 Advent 30:05 A Christmas Childhood 32:00 On Raglan Road 34:30 Epic 36:40 The Hospital 38:35 Canal Bank Walk 41:48 Lines Written on a Seat on the Grand Canal Dublin  ___________________________ For more excellent (and free) Leaving Cert English content to help you excel in your exams, we highly recommend checking out Peter's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC92KBWQhZ6bpEZe9x62Et3Q As always, we love to hear from you. If you have any questions, comments or feedback, please get in touch by email at info@studyclix.ie. Alternatively, you can contact us via the chatbox on Studyclix.ie. You can also reach us through any of our social media channels. ——— Follow Studyclix on social media for updates, study tips, competitions, memes and more! Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram: @studyclix TikTok: @studyclix.ie Snapchat: study_clix

Over the past three decades, the Catholic Church has been engulfed by numerous sexual abuse scandals and accusations of power abuse. This has prompted many to question how it initially gained such influence in Ireland. In this podcast, I delve into the history of the Catholic Church within modern Irish society. While its influence is often linked to the post-Irish Independence era of the 1920s, the foundations of Catholic power extend much further back. This episode charts the Church's dramatic rise since the 1780s, when it emerged from the Penal Laws and decades of repression. I reveal how it skillfully navigated through rebellions, the Great Hunger, and the struggle for independence, growing stronger with each crisis. Additionally, I explore the complex relationship between the Church and the British Empire, where bitter enmity in the 1700s transformed into a strategic partnership—a marriage of convenience that reshaped Irish history.Support the show at Patreon.com/irishpodcast Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/irishhistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

During the Great Hunger of the 1840s, one million Irish perished from starvation and hunger-related diseases. However, Ireland is surrounded by some of the best fishing grounds in Europe. This begs the question: why didn't the Irish turn to the sea to survive?Some have argued that our ancestors didn't know how to fish or that they didn't like fish. The answer is, unsurprisingly, a little more complicated.This podcast delves into the complex historical, economic, and social factors that contributed to the tragic paradox of people starving in a sea of plenty.All 23 chapters of my book Life in Medieval Ireland is available for show supporters on Patreon here https://www.patreon.com/posts/life-in-medieval-116757407. (If you support the show on Acast+ I will post the book tomorrow. Its a little tricky to post 23 chapters without clogging up your feed!) Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/irishhistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Life expectancy in Ireland has doubled over the past 200 years, but why was it so low for so long? In this podcast, I delve into the factors that kept life expectancy down in Ireland's history and what those numbers truly mean. Did people really only live to 40 in the past? During the Great Hunger, life expectancy plummeted to just 20 years—what does this reveal about society at the time? Join me as I explore these questions and discuss what I believe to be one of humanity's greatest achievements: the remarkable doubling of life expectancy in recent times. Support the show at https://patreon.com/irishpodcast Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/irishhistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, I explore the ruins of a Temple and the intriguing concept of societal collapse and its relevance to Irish history. Often depicted as dramatic and apocalyptic, societal collapse is a topic that has captured the imagination of historians and the public alike. But how accurate is this narrative especially when applied to Ireland's past? Join me as I explore if events like the Great Hunger can be considered a societal collapse!Check out my new podcast 'Transatlantic: An Irish American History Podcast' with Damian Shiels https://linktr.ee/transatlanticpod Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/irishhistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ireland's history is rich and complex, with the Great Famine being one of the most significant events. The Irish Famine, known as an Gorta Mór, the Great Hunger, in Ireland, changed not only Irish history but, arguably, the history and future of countries across the globe as over one million people died from hunger and other... The post The National Famine Museum at Strokestown Park and the National Famine Way appeared first on Ireland Family Vacations.

In this episode, we explore the early years of the Irish Potato Famine, a devastating event that reshaped Ireland's history. Known as The Great Hunger (an Gorta Mór), this crisis led to the deaths of over a million people and forced millions more to flee their homeland. But this was no mere natural disaster—it was a crisis made worse by the actions, and inactions, of those in power. We'll examine the role of Charles Trevelyan, a British civil servant whose policies worsened the famine's impact, turning a natural blight into a human-made catastrophe. We'll also meet Asenath Nicholson, an American humanitarian who travelled across Ireland, documenting the suffering and offering aid. Her accounts give us a glimpse into the lives of those who endured unimaginable hardships. As we unravel these early years, we'll see how British colonial policies and mismanagement turned a crop failure into a national tragedy.  Help support the show on Patreon! Sources and Attributions on our website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode I delve into the lasting impact of the Great Hunger on Ireland. Its often said that the Famine was a taboo subject and a 'Great Silence' surrounded the 1840s. In this podcast I challenge this myth and explore how grief, guilt, and trauma were expressed and processed by the survivors. Join me as I uncover the untold stories and voices that defy the myth of an unspoken past. I also argue that it was revisionist historians and official Ireland who shut down debate on this crucial topic. As always the history is structured around a story so the show begins with an unlikely person - the descendant of an Irish rebel living in India.If you want to hear my thoughts on whether the Great Famine was an act of genocide, check out this episode: Was the Great Famine Genocide? - Irish History Podcast Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/irishhistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Within the space of a few years following the Great Hunger, hundreds of thousands of Irish emigrants settled in New York quickly becoming one of the largest communities in the city.These Irish emigrants are synonymous with slums, starvation, and misery; however, groundbreaking new research challenges this one dimensional stereotype.While poverty was central to the lives of many Irish immigrants in the 19th century, it did not define their experience of New York. In this episode, Prof. Tyler Anbinder from George Washington University shares stories from his research that reveals a very different history than we often imagine.Based on his latest book, Plentiful Country, this interview will change your understanding of what New York was like for Irish emigrants in the later 19th century.Check out Tyler's new book Plentiful Country Plentiful Country to buy here There is an excellent audio version available as well Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/irishhistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Send us a Text Message.An Gorta Mor, the great hunger of 1845-1852.  All over Ireland's landscape there are ruins and grave yards that bear testimony to this horrific period in the World's history.  Mass graves and heaps of moss-covered stones that use to be thriving villages dot the countryside.  Historians cannot agree to the number that died but estimates range between 1-3 million.  The debate continues about what Britain's intent was when they exasperated the situation.  In this episode I bring to you information you probably didn't know.Slaves in America sent helpThe Choctaw Indians who suffered on the Trail or Tears sent helpBritain's navy tried to block aid with their shipsQueen Victoria discouraged donationsEngland exported 100s of 1000s of tons of food that could have prevented the deathsEnglish landlords were evicting starving people when they couldn't pay their taxesLeading up to the famine, England weakened and impoverished the country so much it was ripe for a disaster of magnitude of the Great Hunger Karen Matheson - Crucán Na bPáistehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6focZusWAgArracht Trailerhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfsxOtX4QIcBlack 47 trailerhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pSGZt-mhSYThe Fields of Athernryhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NlrsmEvv1Q Support the Show.Irish Mythology - Mythical Cycle - Book of Invasions

Send us a Text Message.An Gorta Mor, the great hunger of 1845-1852.  All over Ireland's landscape there are ruins and grave yards that bear testimony to this horrific period in the World's history.  Mass graves and heaps of moss-covered stones that use to be thriving villages dot the countryside.  Historians cannot agree to the number that died but estimates range between 1-3 million.  The debate continues about what Britain's intent was when they exasperated the situation.  In this episode I bring to you information you probably didn't know.Slaves in America sent helpThe Choctaw Indians who suffered on the Trail or Tears sent helpBritain's navy tried to block aid with their shipsQueen Victoria discouraged donationsEngland exported 100s of 1000s of tons of food that could have prevented the deathsEnglish landlords were evicting starving people when they couldn't pay their taxesLeading up to the famine, England weakened and impoverished the country so much it was ripe for a disaster of magnitude of the Great Hunger Karen Matheson - Crucán Na bPáistehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6focZusWAgArracht Trailerhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfsxOtX4QIcBlack 47 trailerhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pSGZt-mhSYThe Fields of Athernryhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NlrsmEvv1QSupport the Show.Irish Mythology - Mythical Cycle - Book of Invasions

In the shadow of one of history's most devastating events, the Irish Famine, lies the story of Richard Burke, a workhouse clerk from the quaint village of Clogheen, Co. Tipperary. At a time when despair and desperation gripped the nation, Burke's life unfolded amidst the backdrop of historical turmoil, leaving a legacy that would etch his name into the annals of Irish lore.This podcast series delves deep into the annals of the past, exploring the twists and turns of Burke's life. From his role within the somber walls of the workhouse during the Great Hunger to the complex circumstances that led to him being accused of a crime, we unravel the intricate details of his story. Richard Burke's journey from a clerk to a figure at the center of a controversial case sheds light on the shadows of human nature and the extremes of survival in times of crisis.The climactic moment of Burke's story leads us to a grim milestone in Irish history - his public execution. This event marked the end of an era, closing the chapter on public hangings in the country and leaving a complex legacy that continues to provoke thought and discussion today.Through meticulous research and a narrative that bridges the past with the present, "Gallows End, Richard Burkes Story" invites its audience to explore a story that, while firmly rooted in a specific time and place, resonates with timeless themes of justice, morality, and the human capacity to endure in the face of unimaginable challenges.Step into a story not only about a man and his fate but also about a country grappling with its identity amidst adversity. This is not just history; it's Richard Burke's story - a narrative that transcends time, inviting us to reflect on the echoes of our shared past.If you are a fellow podcaster, I highly recommend Podpage. Podpage automatically creates a beautiful, listener-friendly podcast site. Customize the design to create a professional look. Its the one i use all the time. Follow this link to find out more.https://www.podpage.com/?via=nulesBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/ireland-crimes-and-mysteries--5973961/support.

In 1851 there were nearly 90,000 orphans in Irish Workhouses. Many of these children had lost their parents to hunger and disease. Others had been abandoned. This podcast explores the lives of these resilient children as they turned into young adults and rebelled against a world that had forsaken them... Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/irishhistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Between the years 1845-1852 the Irish lost 1/8 of its population to starvation and related illness, while an equal amount emigrated away from the country. These horrific conditions caused lasting effects on the Irish that have lasted into the present. Join Dave and Greg as they discuss The Irish Potato famine. Support the showFollow The Unconventional Therapist's Guide to Nothing on social media:Instagram: @unconventionaltherapistsguidetonothingTwitter: @UTGN_PodcastIntro and Outro music by 13th Ward Social ClubFollow on Instagram at @13thwardsocialclub and visit https://www.13thwardsocialclub.com/

Send us a Text Message.In this episode, I discuss the centuries long toxic relationship between Ireland and England that led up to the devastation of the potato famine in 1845. During the 7 year period of "The Great Hunger," one million Irish people died and two million left Ireland. But while the blight that caused the potatoes to rot may be considered a natural disaster, there was nothing natural about the circumstances leading up to the famine and the choices made during it. Sources: Trinity College Dublin "Invasion of 1169"britishempire.co.uk "Ireland"History.com "After 168 Years, Potato Famine Mystery Solved" Digital History "The Irish Potato Famine"UK Parliament "The Great Famine"Mises Institute "What Caused the Irish Potato Famine?"History.com "When America Despised the Irish"Iowa State Historical Society "Irish Immigration: Beyond the Potato Famine"New York Times "Irish Return an Old Favor, Helping Native Americans Battling the Virus"Stuff You Missed in History Class podcast "An Unnatural Disaster"Support the show! Buy Me a CoffeeVenmo @Shea-LaFountaine

During the Great Hunger of the 1840s, vast sums of money were sent to Ireland by people across the world. One of the most remarkable stories is that of the First African Baptist Church in Richmond, Virginia. Even though many of the congregants were slaves, they still sent a donation.In this podcast, I interview Anelise Shrout, who shares this and other stories of remarkable generosity. Anelise also reveals why people chose to give money to Ireland above other causes and crises. We also discuss the motivation behind what was arguably the most controversial of all donations during the Great Hunger - that of the Charleston Hibernian Society, whose members were supporters of slavery and enslaves themselves. Get Anelise's book "Aiding Ireland - The Great Famine and the Rise of Transnational Philanthropy" at https://nyupress.org/9781479824601/aiding-ireland/.Follow Anelise on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/dr.a.h.shrout/ and check out her website at https://www.anelisehshrout.com/.Become a supporter and get the next episode of my exclusive series on the Troubles at https://www.patreon.com/irishpodcast Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/irishhistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's a dark evening in early November 1847.A carriage makes it's way through lawless starving countryside in North Roscommon.A gun shot rings out, a man falls dead.A family mourns but a community rejoices.While the Great Hunger of the 1840s resulted in one million deaths, this one murder encapsulated the stark choices facing that generation of Irish people in a one gripping story. It is retold in this episode.Assassinated: A Story of Vengeance & Murder in the Great Hunger is the studio recording of chapter 4 of my new book ‘A Lethal Legacy - A History of Ireland in 18 Murders'.You can get the full audiobook hereThe hardback is available here  Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/irishhistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the mid 1860s, Andersonville became one of the most feared places in America.This sleepy corner of Georgia gained notoriety in the later stages of the US Civil War when the Confederacy opened a prison camp there. Nearly one third of all prisoners who entered Andersonville never left. Among their number were hundreds of Irish men. This podcast tells their stories.I am joined by historian Damian Shiels who runs the Andersonville Irish project. An expert on Irish involvement in the US Civil War, Damian explains what Andersonville was and why conditions were so bad. He also shares his latest research including stories of prisoners who had fled the Great Hunger at home.You can find out more about the Andersonville Irish at https://irishamericancivilwar.com/andersonville-irish/Listen to my 2018 episode with Damian where we discuss broader Irish involvement in the US Civil War. https://play.acast.com/s/irishhistory/the-us-civil-war-and-the-great-famineSupport the show and get exclusive content today!Acast+ https://plus.acast.com/s/irishhistoryPatreonb https://www.patreon.com/irishpodcast Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/irishhistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we look at a very difficult time in Ireland - one that triggered a time of death across the population of the island as well as emigration for many generations afterwards. I'm talking, of course, about "An Gorta Mór" - also known as "The Great Hunger" or "The Great Famine" of the mid 1800s.The first letter looks at a particular landless class in Ireland - who formed a sizeable percentage of our population - but who were, more or less, wiped out during the Famine.I wrote the second letter when I came across an account from 1847 which profiled particular families in a townland in West Cork. That account was all about my own O'Regan ancestors of that townland. It certainly stopped me in my tracks!We also have Irish songs of emigration (and one on optimism for the future) to help us focus on this time.Music featured in this episode:"Spancil Hill" performed by The Wolfe Tones."The Emigrants Farewell" performed by Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh."The West's Awake" performed by Lumiere and Damien Dempsey.Support the Letter from Ireland Show:Thank you for listening to the Letter from Ireland show. To support the podcast, get lots of member-only features and follow Mike and Carina behind the scenes as they travel around Ireland go to ALetterfromIreland.com/plus .

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 the rest of their lives, they carried the physical and psychological injuries the Great Hunger inflicted on them.This podcast follows the life one of the last survivors in Dublin - Catherine Mulhern.This podcast was included in an early draft of my upcoming book A Lethal Legacy – A History of Ireland in 18 Murders. While it didn't make the final edit for reasons explained in the show, it is a fascinating story.A Lethal Legacy - A History of Ireland in 18 Murders is currently available for pre-order today. If you buy your copy at Easons.com & use the coupon code FD10 you will get 10% off. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/irishhistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Frederick Douglass takes pride of place in BelfastA great crowd turned out on Monday morning in Lombard St. in Belfast City Centre for the unveiling by Belfast City Ard Mheara Ryan Murphy of a very fine statue of Frederick Douglass, escaped slave and human rights campaigner. It is a striking image of Douglass who is an iconic figure for his work on campaigning for an end to slavery and for equality and justice for African Americans and for women. He visited Ireland in 1845-46 just before the worst years of The Great Hunger. National Hunger Strike March for CorkFor the first time the annual National Hunger Strike Commemoration will be held in Cork City on Sunday 27 August to remember the ten 1981 hunger strikers and Michael Gaughan and Frank Stagg. First Minister designate Michelle O'Neill will be the main speaker.Gino and the Pen Behind The Wire.  Prisoners Day is an important date in the Féile an Phobail calendar. The event on August 11 in the Felon's Club is an opportunity to look at exhibitions, hear talks on issues affecting former POWs, including this year an up-to-date on the CR Gas campaign.A few weeks ago I noted the upcoming launch at Prisoners Day of a wonderful book of poetry, The Pen Behind The Wire, by Eoghan ‘Gino' MacCormaic. At the back of the book there is a list of family and friends and comrades who recorded some of Gino's poems with QR codes for readers to listen to the spoken word. Among the many contributors are his wife and other family members, Christy Moore, Lucilita Bhreatnach, Rosie McCorley, Gerry Kelly, mé féin and many more.

I always wondered why monks put fasting so high on the list of things to do, and St. Benedict, who saved civilization from returning to complete debauchery, had specific rules for his monastery about food. It was known that the monk who could not be disciplined on food would fall to pieces on virtue. I can confirm this. Having grown up on Kool-Aid and Little Debbie (and loving every Nutty Buddy minute of it), the era of cheap food has created a constant feast. The elderly people who grew up in the Depression understood food far better than their baby boomer children and grandchildren. They certainly understood it better than those of us who, in our post-Kool-Aid college era, could pound cheap cases of Natty Light beer and wash it down with a Nacho Bell Grande at 4 AM. (Lest anyone feel I lean too far right, let me remind you I live caught somewhere between hippy and redneck, and the hippies and tree-huggers were right about fast food and fertilizer. But, they missed the second part. While pointing a finger at food and greed, they accepted sin and the overall moral decay as “progressive.”) Here's my theory on Genesis as a mirror of the Green Revolution and the Sexual Revolution: No-fault divorce was caused by refrigeration. Nitrogen fertilizer led to mass-scale abortion. The combine harvester led to the current transgender fad. In short: just as food led to The Fall in the Garden, so did the food security of the last seventy years lead to the rejection of God all over again. In Iowa, a man named Norman Borlaug is praised for feeding a billion people with his scientific agricultural management principles, but in producing massive yields and cheap food, we ate from the tree of knowledge once again and made the same mistake. There is a reason that The Fall starts with food. Taking food for granted leads to sin, lots of it. Food and sex are intertwined. Notice, please, if you will, that the story in Genesis 3 of eating is followed by an obvious sexual fall where they know their nakedness. …the serpent said to the woman, “…when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, and he ate.Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked…” (Gen 3:4-7)Stop. Do you hear how the food was eaten in this secure food paradise? It was eaten without God. Adam and Eve rejected God. Neither of them paused to say “Grace” before eating the fig (or the apple, if you prefer). No, they ate just like we do today, like we do at Culver's or Applebee's, we just dive right in because the food is taken for granted. Occasionally you see some weird family praying in public, but it's rare. And right after Adam and Eve pig out on the fruit, they are naked, porning up the whole world. They are George Costanza. How we think about food matters immensely in the moral life, and it's no wonder that the mass rejection of God parallels the obvious fact that few people pause to say a prayer before eating today. As I fell away, I fell into free beer and fast food and the Age of Costanza swallowed me like the sea beast did Jonah, except I was in the belly for far more than three days. I was barfed out about fifteen years later.Notice, if you would, that the Lord's Prayer hinges in the center on the phrase: “Give us this day our daily bread,” signaling that food is important. In fact, food is so important in centering our lives around God, that the whole Lord's Prayer links this line about food between the beginning heavenly things to the latter earthly things. Food is a gift from God and we should be acknowledging that simple fact as a blessing. But we think the food came from our own ingenuity and cleverness.We assume that the Chipotle and the mutant-sized fruits at Costco all came from us, forgetting that the soil and water itself came from God. This is like someone entering a beautiful home, hanging their own 3x5 picture on a wall, and declaring, “I built this house.” The fact that we have mucked with some genes, figured out refrigeration, and spread NPK fertilizer around the earth in no way diminishes the reality that this created world is the foundation, the gift from God, from which every calorie we eat springs forth. In other words, we are foodless without God. The Great Hunger in 1800s Ireland was not that long ago, and for goodness sakes, Band-Aid and “We are the World” was a mere forty years ago when Ethiopia suffered from famine. The illusion of food security is strong because anyone alive in America today who remembers the Great Depression is now very likely in a nursing home, and those people tend to say a prayer before they eat. A culture flush with food and wealth quickly falls into sin. I don't know how, but the short and seemingly simple book of Genesis always has another layer to it. But then so does Exodus. In the prelude to the Golden Calf, what happens? A giant Texas barbecue, that's what. “…the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.” (Ex 32:6)Food and booze are followed shortly thereafter by the most famous orgy in history, the scandal known as the Golden Calf incident. It makes Watergate or the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal look like a game of Go Fish. Furthermore, in Exodus, whenever the Israelites start complaining, they want to return to the “fleshpots” of Egypt where they were slaves, but you can see how strong food is, such that it goes hand in hand with the rejection of God. What they pine for is when they were slaves and “sat by the fleshpots and ate bread to the full.” Surely there were some hieroglyphic nudes involved as well, the ancient Egyptian version of Playboy or Penthouse. We've all seen the art - they had their porn on stone and papyrus instead of screens. The more I read the Bible, the more I see how much food and sex come up, and why the seemingly odd acts of sacrifice in the Pentateuch make increasing sense, because it was aligning the people's food toward God, and this is exactly what the Eucharist does in our lives at the Catholic Holy Mass. (Once again, two excellent books to help understand sacrifice and food in the Bible are Welcoming Gifts: Sacrifice in the Bible and Christian Life and Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist.) Somehow, a kind of knowledge lies within our food, and it goes specifically with taking food for granted. There is something about being full, and having plenty of food, that leads to pride and the rejection of God. I think this is why Jesus says that it will be harder for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get to heaven. Why? Because the rich man has plenty of food. He feels fully secure and therefore thinks he can live without God. He assumes he has no weakness because his belly is full and he cannot imagine missing a meal because his bank account is also full. All of this illuminates to me why so many of the saints fasted, and why the beatitudes elevate the poor, and why Jesus calls so many of his sheep from places where food security is unlike the American buffet. Those who appreciate food tend to appreciate God, because they know that God is the giver of food. “Give us this day our daily bread” is not a demand; it's a supplication to God and a request made with gratitude. Even today, wealth means food security, but we have so much food that even those in poverty are overweight, and statistics bear this out. Thus we have reached an odd point, where poverty does not mean hunger in many places. That's great that we have food, except when it leads to the rejection of God. So knowledge of good and evil, and the idea that we can be like God, comes after food abundance. It should come as no surprise that the modern “all-you-can-eat-buffet” started in Vegas in the 1940s in order to keep gamblers at the tables, as food and vice were married in true Vegas style. When we feel full, we assume a strength and power that we don't truly possess, and feeling strong, pride blooms and humility is trampled. Fertilizer brought the modern fruit in the garden but the fruit was Fast Food and cheap food, and we have eaten, and eaten, and eaten, like the Hungry Little Caterpillar. The only problem is, we're not caterpillars, so we don't turn into butterflies, we just become full and look for other things to do, like sinning. Sex is the most obvious one. Without food abundance, there would have been no Woodstock, because there would not have been a large population of idle college students of prime working age who could while away their youthful years on drugs and alcohol. Without food abundance and a sense of security in wealth, the Prodigal Son never leaves home and squanders his money on vice. I speak from experience, despite coming of age long after Woodstock, and millennia after the Prodigal Son. Once we are full, knowledge is the great, tantalizing dessert that we desire, always calling to us. It is like the pie in the old diners that sat in the revolving glass case, spinning around, on display like some kind of jewelry near the cash register. The pie sat behind glass like forbidden fruit, and we only order after being already full. But the appetite continues, wanting the pie. I remember looking at the pie and cake in those well-lit spinning cases and wondering, “What might the pie taste like? Will it fulfill me and finish off my meal? What if I could just have a bite?” I don't recall a serpent being there at all, but if serpent actually means “Shiny one” as I have read, then I know what the sacred writer of Genesis was referring to. St. Benedict knew something important. He knew that we cannot reach the wisdom through the mouth and stomach. The kind of knowledge that will satisfy our souls does not come through food, which is why Jesus tells the devil, “Man cannot live by bread alone.” It's not through pie or Kool-Aid or the constipation that accompanies 200 grams of protein a day that we will find the peace and rest we seek.. In a bizarre twist, we must pursue a different kind of knowing, sometimes called the Cloud of Unknowing, and it comes not through food, but through self-denial and prayer. The cloud of ecstasy, we're told by the culture today, must come by a different kind of relationship, usually sexual or experiential, and we completely forget about food. If we haven't fallen for the marketing of the sugar mafia, particularly Coca Cola, then we may fall for the fitness syndicate's promises. If we are not overeating, we then go to the other side of food insanity, where we must know the caloric content and nutrients of every morsel that passes over our teeth. But in both cases, gross abundance of food is present. The foodies and the gluttons have one thing in common: a food obsession with the abandonment of God. Hence, our current world of sexual immorality is a symptom of a prior fall, just as we really don't see the sexual fall in Genesis until chapter 6, with the infamous Nephilim, which come after the eating in the Garden. But one thing is certain. Wealth and abundance lead to the other sins of the body, the “warm sins” as they are sometimes called. And in my own lifetime, you could watch and observe this mood change about what is and what is not a sin, which almost coincided with the increased portions of food. The organic phenomenon is trying to correct the problem seeing food as the God, when food is in fact the gift from God, and so every crossfit and intermittent faster who is not measuring out their food-prep with God at the forefront has missed the point. Both the obese and the buff miss the purpose. It's no wonder we don't understand Leviticus, because it's almost entirely about food and getting into the right relationship to God via food. But we have moved on, thinking that the food abundance will last forever, and thus we've moved on to ever greater sins, knocking down walls and fences of morality and calling them old-fashioned. Why? Because we think this Garden was of our doing, and not God's. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit whydidpetersink.substack.com

The history of the Great Famine naturally and understandably focuses on the death toll. However most people survived but in all too many cases their lives were changed by the horrors they had in endured. This episode focuses tells the previously untold story of one woman's struggle during the Great Hunger. I first came across Jane Cullen buried in the records of a 19th century hospital and she immediately intrigued me. After further research I was able to find a surprisingly large amount of detail about her life in other institutional records. Jane's story will give you a unique insight into survival during the Famine and how individual people's circumstances shaped their experiences during the Great Hunger.Become a supporter & access dozens of exclusive podcastsPatreon www.patreon.com/irishpodcastAcast https://plus.acast.com/s/irishhistory

In this episode we cover two infamous real life murder cases in the west of Ireland during the 1800s. The first murder was as a result of mass evictions from an Irish estate during the famine - and the second involved a travesty of justice where the accused were tried in a language they did not understand. We've selected three pieces of music to accompany these letters:We do hope you enjoy!Music featured in this episode:"The Great Hunger" - performed by The Wolfe Tones."The Fields of Athenry" - performed by Paddy Reilly. "The West's Awake" - performed by Lumiére and Damien Dempsey.Support the Letter from Ireland Show:Thank you for listening to the Letter from Ireland show. To support the podcast, get lots of member-only features and follow Mike and Carina behind the scenes as they travel around Ireland go to ALetterfromIreland.com/plus .

Heirs of Slavery, a British lobbying group of descendants of the country's wealthiest slave owners, has also atoned for the behaviour of Sir Charles Trevelyan during the Irish Famine. The Indo Daily finds out more. Host: Siobhán Maguire Guest: John Downing See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One year after the Civil War ended, a group of delusional and mostly incompetent commanders sponsored by bitterly competing groups riddled with spies, led tiny armies against the combined forces of the British, Canadian, and American governments. They were leaders of America's feuding Irish émigré groups who thought they could conquer Canada and blackmail Great Britain (then the world's military superpower) into granting Ireland its independence.The story behind the infamous 1866 Fenian Raids seems implausible (and whiskey-fueled), but ultimately is an inspiring tale of heroic patriotism. Inspired by a fervent love for Ireland and a burning desire to free her from British rule, members of the Fenian Brotherhood – a semi-secret band of Irish-American revolutionaries – made plans to seize the British province of Canada and hold it hostage until the independence of Ireland was secured.When the Fenian Raids began, Ireland had been subjugated by Britain for over seven hundred years. The British had taken away Ireland's religion, culture, and language, and when the Great Hunger stuck, they even took away her food, exporting it to other realms of the British Empire. Those who escaped the famine and fled to America were inspired by the revolutionary actions of the Civil War to fight for their own country's freedom. After receiving a promise from President Andrew Johnson and Secretary of State William Seward not to interfere with any military plans, the Fenian Brotherhood - which included a one-armed Civil War hero, an English spy posing as French sympathizer, an Irish revolutionary who faked his own death to escape capture, and a Fenian leader turned British loyalist – began to implement their grand plan to secure Ireland's freedom. They executed daring prison breaks from an Australian penal colony, conducted political assassinations and engaged in double-dealings, managing to seize a piece of Canada for three days.Today I'm speaking with Christopher Klein, author of the book WHEN THE IRISH INVADED CANADA: The Incredible True Story of the Civil War Veterans Who Fought for Ireland's Freedom. He brings light to this forgotten but fascinating story in history.

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 genealogist Martin Costello gives you a step by step guide to tracing your family. Over the episode I follow Martin's steps and trace my ancestors back to the Great Hunger. Along the way I found out a few secrets my great grandparents would prefer had remained in the 19th century!These are the resources Martin mentions1901 and 1911 census census.nationalarchives.ie/ Irish civil records Irishgenealogy.ie Catholic Church Parish records https://registers.nli.ie/ Church of the Latter Day Saints transcription of Irish Parish Records www.familysearch.org British Newspaper Archives (contains numerous Irish publications) https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk  Irish Newspaper Archive https://www.irishnewsarchive.com Ancestry Websites. Findmypast.co.uk & Ancestry.co.uk Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/irishhistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 succeeded but for some these dreams became nightmares. Over the last few years The Bad Bridget Project in Queens University Belfast by Dr Elaine Farrell and Dr Leanne McCormick has focused on criminal and deviant Irish women in North America. Now an award winning podcast and book, Leanne and Elaine join me in this episode share the stories they have uncovered. These include Annie Young a woman who lived in grinding poverty, the sex workers Maud Merrill and Marion Canning and the somewhat unbelievable Ellen Nagle a child prosecuted for being stubborn! Check out the Bad Bridget Podcast  Get the book Bad Bridget: Crime, Mayhem and the Lives Irish Emigrant Women Become a supporter and get my exclusive Series on the Irish Civil War with Dr Brian Hanley Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/irishhistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does famine data teach us about epigenetics? (Note: Anne and Ruby are not “pro-famine” — they just provide some fascinating and useful information!) What about twins? And how did bees get in there? We're on a total science-nerd learning path today, and it's great fun.  Our environment can turn genes off and on, so it's not “nature vs nurture,” it's “nature AND nurture.” How genes and our environment work together or at odds has real impact not just on our individual health but potentially on our offspring and theirs! Why are famines, devastating as they are, useful for study? Because while the stress and nutritional deficits profoundly affect those suffering, they can also cause cascading epigenetic effects that continue or appear generations later. Which brings us to now and what we can learn: One, what you eat now may matter 100 years from now, even if you're no longer around, so maybe sideline the sugar and processed stuff for occasional consumption? And two, issues you're experiencing now may be at least partly caused by what your great-grandmother ate and the environment she lived in. This is such a fascinating conversation and it sheds light on struggles of mental health, weight, fertility, disease, and more. We hope you'll take a look at the resources included below for more information. And as always, we encourage you to share this episode with anyone you believe could benefit. Find more about Ruby and Anne and The Whole Pineapple at https://thewholepineapple.com/! Resources: Anne's References  Dutch Famine info from Nature Epigenetics: Tales of adversity | Nature NYT article about it, showing differences in methyalation with samples taken 70 years after  The Famine Ended 70 Years Ago, but Dutch Genes Still Bear Scars - The New York Times (nytimes.com) True scientific article  Prenatal famine exposure and adult health outcomes: an epigenetic link | Environmental Epigenetics | Oxford Academic (oup.com) And the citation for it: Prenatal famine exposure and adult health outcomes: an epigenetic link - PubMed (nih.gov) Irish potato famine and growth of the asylum system, was increase in schizophrenia (in the high risk age ranges right timeline post famine) to blame?  Irish Potato Famine: Date, Cause & Great Hunger - HISTORY - HISTORY The Great Irish Famine (1845-52) and the Irish asylum system: remembering, forgetting, and remembering again - PubMed (nih.gov) Did the Great Irish Famine increase schizophrenia? - PubMed (nih.gov) Ruby's references:  What it takes to make a queen bee  New York Times Dutch Famine Article: NYT article Longevity Article on The Great Hunger https://vocal.media/longevity/the-irish-potato-famine-and-epigenetics The China Study:  https://nutritionstudies.org/the-china-study/ Goodreads page: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/178788.The_China_Study Amazon: https://a.co/d/aV7zA1p Nurses Health Study American Journal of Public Health article  

This week for St. Patrick's day we dive into some Irish history. In 1845 there was an event that would become known as the Potato Famine or The Great Hunger were many Irish people would go on to lose their lives. But what was the cause? And could have more been done to save the poor citizens of Ireland?

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 Revolutionary War. However Spike island gained it's notorious reputation during the Great Hunger of the 1840s when a prison was opened in the fort. This episode recorded on Spike island tells the story of Ireland's Alcatraz…I would like to thank the team on Spike Island for facilitating the recording of this episode. In particular I would like to thank Tom O'Neill for his time and expertise. Sound by Kate DunleaVisit Spike Island: https://www.spikeislandcork.ie/If you want find out more about Spike Island these texts come highly recommended. Spike Island: Saint Felons and FamineToo beautiful for thieves and pickpockets: A history of the Victorian convict prison on spike island Spike Island republican prisoners 1921 My exclusive Supporters Civil War Series with Dr Brian Hanley from Trinity College Dublin continues on Thursday. Episode II looks at Michael Collins and the Outbreak of the War. This is available on www.patreon.com/irishpodcast and Acast+. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/irishhistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 the 250,000 Irish people who made the city their home in the aftermath of the Great Hunger. This is the story of the Famine Irish in New York.In this episode I interview Dr Tylinder Anbinder from George Washington University. An expert in the history of New York, Tyler vividly explain New York of the 1850s and how the Famine Irish adapted to life in the city. You can find Tyler's books here https://history.columbian.gwu.edu/tyler-anbinder. I would recommend Five Points: The Nineteenth-Century New York City Neighborhood that Invented Tap Dance, Stole Elections, and Became the World's Most Notorious SlumMy series on the civil war continues next week when myself and Dr Brian Hanley discuss Michael Collins, the man, the myth and his role in the conflict. You can get the series on Acast+ or at the $5 tier on patreon.com/irishpodcast Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/irishhistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 discusses The death rate onboard coffin ships What factors determined whether someone lived or died.How Irish Famine emigrants adjusted to life in the U.S.You can get a copy of The Coffin Ship - Life and Death at Sea here If you want listen to more stories form the Great Hunger my 30 part podcast series is available here.My exclusive supporters Civil War series with Dr Brian Hanley kicks this Thursday here on Patreon and Acast+ Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/irishhistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 became synonymous with their journeys across the Atlantic. While the term conveys misery, what was the experience actually like?In the first of two podcasts on the subject, I am joined by Dr Cian T. McMahon author of The Coffin Ship - Life and Death at Sea during the Great Famine. Cian's work is deeply personal. Laced with hundreds of individual narratives he creates a vivid account of the complexities of escaping hunger in Ireland in the 1840s. You can get a copy of The Coffin Ship - Life and Death at Sea here  If you want listen to more stories form the Great Hunger my 30 part podcast series is available here. My exclusive series on the Irish Civil War with Dr Brian Hanley kicks off next week. Exclusively available for show supporters on Acast+ and patreon.com/irishhistory, the series will be an expert guide to one of the most formative conflicts in modern Ireland. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/irishhistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What made the government response to the Irish famine so ineffective? What were the social and economic issues which made the blight lead to such significantly worse outcomes for the Irish than other countries in Europe? We dig it into these issues on this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the next two weeks I will be busy writing and editing an upcoming series called Ireland's Last Aristocrat. In the meantime I have dusted down two episodes I thought you might enjoy diving back into. This podcast was released in 2019. It's one of was the most listened to and generated the most feedback! It asks if the Great Hunger was a genocide.Become a supporter and join me on the trip to Conwy - https://www.patreon.com/irishpodcastTickets for this Saturdays live show in Waterford on Michael Collins are available here https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/irish-history-snugcast-history-from-the-high-stool-tickets-390149617007 Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/irishhistory.

The 1950s were a dismal time in Ireland. While the economy tanked, the catholic church, at the height of its power, maintained strict control over social life. Desperate to find a better life, nearly 500,000 Irish people emigrated. This staggering figure was equivalent to 80% of those born in the Free State between 1931 and 1941. This was a level of emigration unseen since the days of the Great Hunger of the 1840s.The vast majority went to Britain with many making London their home. However they found the English capital isolating, lonely and unwelcoming. The poster in boarding houses stating ‘No Dogs, No Blacks, No Irish' embodied the racism they faced. While many of the 1950s generation are no longer with us, in the late 1990s author Catherine Dunne recorded their stories. The experiences of these emigrants were the basis for her book An Unconsidered People - the Irish in London. In this moving episode Catherine recounts the experiences they shared with her, the racism they faced as well as the isolation and loneliness. She also reveals the importance of solidarity within the Irish community, the legendary Irish clubs such as the Galtymore in Cricklewood and how many made a better life in the face of adversity.You can find Catherine's book An Unconsidered People - the Irish in London at https://www.newisland.ie/nonfiction/an-unconsidered-people-the-irish-in-londonFollow Catherine's catherinedunneauthor.comfacebook.com/Author.CatherineDunnetwitter.com/DunneCatherineBecome a member on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/Irishpodcast and getMy upcoming exclusive series on the Civil War with Dr Brian HanleyJoin me on the supporters' trip to Conwy Castle in WalesEarly access to the showAd free episodesHours of supporters only content See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/irishhistory.

Over the last decade there has been countless events to mark the centenary of the Irish Revolution. However 2022 is also the 175th anniversary of Black ‘47, one of worst years of the Great Hunger. This has received little or no attention. This begs the question does the Great Famine matter anymore or is it fading in to the distant past?In this podcast I looked at the impact of the Great Famine, asking what if any meaning it has for day to day life in the 21st century. Sources mentioned:The school's folklore collection is available at https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbesMy series on the great Famine is available here https://irishhistorypodcast.ie/category/podcast/the-great-famine/The article on the Year of Slaughter - the Famine of the 1740s is available here https://irishhistorypodcast.ie/1741-the-year-of-slaughter/The Special Supporters for this episode are S SteinkerchnerK ChapmanA Stewart-MailhiotK SamarB O'DonovanK Costello B Dunphy TarabuJ DonelanJ.M. CulverW Edwards D Lawall T McCool J LavinD Federman See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/irishhistory.

Robert is joined by Prop for part three of our series on the Great Hunger.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Robert is joined again by Prop to for two of three on the Great Hunger. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Robert is joined Prop to discuss the bastards of the Great Hunger. FOOTNOTES: https://www.rte.ie/history/the-great-irish-famine/2020/0902/1162846-the-truth-about-trevelyan/ https://scalar.usc.edu/works/star-of-the-sea-a-postcolonialpostmodern-voyage-into-the-irish-famine/charles-trevelyan https://archive.ph/njzu5#selection-3517.0-3537.162 https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.independent.co.uk%2Farts-entertainment%2Fhistorical-notes-god-and-england-made-the-irish-famine-1188828.html https://www.thoughtco.com/great-irish-famine-1773826 https://scholarship.law.marquette.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=1653&context=mulr https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ehr.12274 https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/queen-victoria-irish-famine Coogan, Tim Pat. The Famine Plot (pp. 83-84). St. Martin's Publishing Group See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.