Irish History Podcast

In the 1960s, over 30,000 Irish immigrants were working in Britain’s National Health Service (NHS). While the NHS is often celebrated as one of Britain’s greatest achievements, the vital contributions of these Irish nurses are frequently overlooked. In this episode, I’m joined by Professor Louise Ryan, co-author of Irish Nurses in the NHS: An Oral History, to discuss the experiences of these remarkable women.

Louise shares how, for ...

William the Conqueror has been dead for nearly a thousand years, and he never set foot in Ireland—so how did he end up at the centre of a modern Irish culture war?

With Normandy gearing up for “The Year of the Norman” in 2027, a celebration of William’s legacy has sparked fierce debate on this side of the Irish Sea. Should Ireland join in commemorating a figure whose impact here is so fraught and contested? What does this row r...

In 1973, just two people attended the lonely funeral of May O’Callaghan, an Irish emigrant in North London. Few could have imagined that this quiet woman from Wexford had once stood at the very heart of Soviet power. In the 1920s, May O’Callaghan worked in the Kremlin as the Soviet Union emerged, working alongside figures like Stalin, Trotsky, and the future Marshal Tito.

For decades, her remarkable story was forgotten until his...

This special episode of the Irish History Podcast, in partnership with An Post, marks the 250th anniversary of Daniel O’Connell’s birth.

In this podcast, I explore the life and legacy of one of Ireland’s most influential figures. Known as 'The Liberator' O’Connell’s campaign for Catholic Emancipation in 1829 and his role in shaping modern Ireland are legendary, but his story is complex.

From his early days in Kerry and his ex...

How do we decide who the most significant people in our history are? Whose story is worth telling? In this episode, I’m joined by Eoin Kinsella, managing editor of the Dictionary of Irish Biography, to explore how he and the team behind this remarkable resource tell the story of our island through biography. The DIB, a free to access to website has thousands of biographies on figures from Irish History.

From Henry McCullough, th...

When we think of Ireland’s past, we usually envisage an island shaped by two languages: Irish and English. But hidden in the history of South Wexford is Yola, a unique dialect that survived for centuries after the Norman invasion, only to vanish almost without a trace.

In this episode, I am joined by Sascha Santschi-Cooney to explore the fascinating story of Yola: where it came from, who spoke it, what it sounded like, and why i...

This episode continues the story of NORAID - the Irish American organisation who were the voice of the IRA in the US. Jamie Goldrick and I delve into the complicated history of wider Irish American involvement in the Troubles. It's a history full of contradictions on both sides of the Atlantic. In the Republic, many criticised NORAID’s actions, yet did little themselves. Meanwhile, NORAID had little to say about the Vietnam War or ...

In this episode, we explore the fascinating and controversial story of NORAID, the Irish American organisation at the heart of the new documentary NORAID: Irish America & the IRA. Joined by the film’s producer, Jamie Goldrick, we unravel the history that made NORAID so influential, examining its activities, its impact on the Troubles, and its lasting legacy in both Ireland and America. From high-profile stunts in Times Square t...

In the 1950s, more than 20,000 people—over one percent of the adult population of Ireland—were locked away in mental asylums. This was the highest rate in the world, with more people confined in asylums than in all other institutions, including prisons, combined.

Yet, despite these staggering numbers, the story of Ireland’s asylums remains largely unspoken. In this episode, historian Fin Dwyer is joined by Prof Brendan Kelly to ...

While we’re on the last week of our summer break, we’re bringing you one of our most popular episodes from the back catalogue.

For over four decades, contraception was not just taboo in Ireland—it was illegal. From 1935 to 1979, selling contraceptives and even accessing information about family planning was strictly banned by the Irish government. These laws reshaped daily life, leaving couples unable to plan their families and forc...

A story from the 1920s that will reshape the way you view our great grandparents lives!

Unfortunately, there’s no new show this week, but I wanted to re-share an episode I really enjoyed making two years ago. It'll well worth another spin.

In 1920s Ireland, Alice Morton’s marriage breakdown sparked a sensational divorce trial. Accused of adultery, Alice’s sex life was laid bare in court, subjecting her to public h...

The Irish funeral wake is a unique tradition where family and friends gather around the body of the deceased to share stories, remember their life, and celebrate their legacy. Often resembling a lively party with plenty of drink, this ritual is both a farewell and a celebration.

Predating Christianity, the Irish wake stretches back thousands of years. In this episode, recorded at the Irish Wake Museum in Waterford, Donnchad Ó Ce...

In times past, childbirth was a profoundly communal and intimate experience, guided by the steady hands and wisdom of community midwives. Known as Bean Ghlúine—the Women of the Knee—these women were among the most important figures in rural Irish communities.

In this episode, I’m joined by historian Emma Laffey to explore the world of birth and midwifery in a time before pregnancy tests or pain relief. Through the remarkable sto...

Nestled deep in the Wicklow Mountains, Glenmalure was once a stronghold for rebels and a sanctuary from the outside world. But long after the echoes of rebellion faded, the valley remained a place apart, where the comforts of modern life arrived late. Glenmalure was only connected to the electricity grid and running water in the late 20th century, and the rhythms of daily existence were shaped by isolation, resilience, and communit...

Glendalough is one of Ireland’s most iconic and picturesque destinations. Its medieval monastery and stunning mountain landscape attract around one million tourists every year. However behind the postcard-perfect scenery lies a history that rarely makes it into the tourist brochures.

In this episode, I veer off the well-trodden paths to uncover the real stories of Glendalough: stories of violence, exploitation, and transformatio...

Vast, windswept, and seemingly untouched—the landscape around the Sally Gap in Wicklow is a place where history appears to vanish into the heather and mist. With no houses and few traces of human settlement, this moorland feels like a true wilderness.

Yet, the story of this landscape is one forged by ancient forces, human ambition, and exploitation.

In this episode, I continue my journey down the Wicklow Military Road into wh...

In 1800, in the wake of the 1798 Rebellion, the British military began construction of the Wicklow Military Road. Designed to bring control to the so-called “bandit country” of the Wicklow Mountains, this road now winds through some of the most remote and picturesque landscapes in Ireland. Its history is as dramatic as the scenery it traverses. Built in an Ireland still reeling from insurrection, the road has, over the past two cen...