History Ireland Podcasts
Crossbarry, Co. Cork—the biggest engagement of the War of Independence
At Crossbarry, Co. Cork, on 19 March 1921 over 100 IRA volunteers, under the command of Tom Barry, were almost surrounded by a combined force of regular British Army and Auxiliaries of at least ten times that number. What happened? What were its consequences? And what does it tell us about the conduct of the…
Read MoreClare in the revolutionary decade
New History Ireland Hedge School PODCASTClare in the revolutionary decade Despite its apparent geographical isolation, with the Atlantic Ocean to the west and north, and the River Shannon to the south and east, County Clare has been centre stage in Irish political life, from the election of Daniel O’Connell in 1828, to the equally ground-breaking…
Read MoreLimerick Curfew Murders
A new History Ireland podcast about the Limerick Curfew Murders. On the night of the 6/7 March 1921, the Mayor of Limerick, George Clancy, his predecessor, Michael O’Callaghan, and IRA Volunteer Joseph O’Donoghue, were shot dead by an Auxiliary death squad lead by Maj. George Montagu Nathan. (In an ironic twist Nathan was later killed…
Read MoreKatharine O’Shea centenary—what if she and Parnell never met?
‘Spies and informers beware!’—intelligence and counterintelligence in the War of Independence
One of the most important—and controversial—aspects of the War of Independence was the ‘intelligence war’. Given the role of spies and informers in defeating previous insurrections, it is not surprising that Michael Collins, the IRA’s Director of Intelligence, was keen to insure that history did not repeat itself. How successful was he? To shed light…
Read MoreKildare in the revolutionary decade
While not in the vanguard of armed activity during the War of Independence, Kildare was central to the ‘revolutionary decade’ as whole, not only for its strategic importance and proximity to Dublin but in particular as the site of the largest British military establishment at the Curragh and elsewhere. It also has the dubious distinction…
Read MoreWicklow in the revolutionary decade (part 2, South)
While not in the vanguard of armed activity in the revolutionary decade, Wicklow was, nevertheless, active in other respects. Moreover, its unique characteristics—proximity to Dublin, pioneering development of tourism, and one of the highest Protestant populations outside Ulster—make it worthy of study. Join History Ireland editor , Tommy Graham *HERE* in discussion with Sheila Clarke (Ashford), Brendan Flynn (Wicklow), Kevin Lee (Carnew), Jim Rees (Arklow), Padraig Óg Ó…
Read MoreWicklow in the revolutionary decade (part 1, North)
While not in the vanguard of armed activity in the revolutionary decade, Wicklow was, nevertheless, active in other respects. Moreover, its unique characteristics—proximity to Dublin, pioneering development of tourism, and one of the highest Protestant populations outside Ulster—make it worthy of study. Listen * HERE* to History Ireland editor, Tommy Graham in discussion with Rosemary Raughter (Greystones), James Scannell (Bray), Brian White (Enniskerry) and John Dorney (editor…
Read MoreThe Government of Ireland Act 1920—100 years of partition.
The Government of Ireland Act 1920—100 years of partition. Originally conceived as a ‘temporary’ amendment to the Third Home Rule Act, on the statute book since 1914, the 1920 Government of Ireland Act was presciently derided by the Freeman’s Journal as ‘the Dismemberment of Ireland Bill’—partition was the only element of it to endure. How…
Read MoreHistory, memory and Bloody Sunday 1920
The events of Sunday 21 November 1920 are well named. Within fifteen hours on that fateful day, 32 people died: in the morning, eleven British intelligence officers killed by Michael Collins’s ‘squad’ (plus two Auxiliaries and two civilians); in the afternoon, fourteen civilians killed by British forces at Croke Park (including player Michael Hogan of…
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