Irish History Podcast

The forgotten story of the Irishman forced to work on Japan's Railway of Death which inspired the film The Bridge over the River Kwai.

In 1942 Britain suffered one of its worst defeats when Singapore fell to the Japanese Army. Tens of thousands were taken prisoner including the Dubliner Don Kennedy. This began a brutal ordeal. Don was forced to help build what became known as Japan’s Railway of Death through the jungles of South Eas...

In the final episode of this series we follow the 1798 rebellion into its most dramatic and desperate days. As fear grips Dublin and battles erupt across Wexford and Ulster the future of Ireland hangs in the balance. The story details the major clash on the Avoca River at Arklow and then finally brings us to the slopes of Vinegar Hill where the fate of the rising is decided. This episode also sees the exiled rebel leader Wolfe Tone...

The Battle of New Ross was one of the bloodiest clashes of the 1798 Rebellion and within hours it was followed by the horrific Scullabogue Massacre. Together these events created a day long remembered for fire, terror and unimaginable suffering. In this episode we follow the rebels to New Ross, a strategically crucial town where the fighting would shape the course of the revolt. In the aftermath of the battle we examine the notorio...

As my series on the 1798 Rebellion returns, this is a great point to dive in to the story...

In this episode we see major fighting break out as the south of Ireland erupts in revolt. Rebel forces sweep through the countryside in Co Wexford as loyalist strongholds fall one after another. However as the violence escalates carefully laid plans quickly unravel, and the first major battles left irish society reeling.

This podcast ...

In March 1844, the quiet community of Culdaff in north Donegal was rocked by the brutal murder of fourteen-year-old servant Mary Doherty. As the Great Hunger loomed on the horizon, Mary’s tragic death was soon overshadowed by famine and emigration, her story fading into fragments of local folklore. However, in recent years, historian Angela Byrne has brought renewed attention to Mary’s forgotten life and this dark chapter in our hi...

In the early days of 1798, Dublin teetered on the edge of revolution. A shadow war raged between the United Irishmen and the British authorities, with the city’s fate hanging in the balance.

This episode delves into the world of Edward Cooke, the spymaster at Dublin Castle, as he races to dismantle the revolutionary movement through a web of informers and secret agents. Meanwhile, leading rebels like Lord Edward Fitzgerald strug...

This special episode of the Irish History Podcast is made in partnership with An Post.

In Nazi-occupied Rome, the Irish priest Hugh O’Flaherty risked everything to save thousands from certain death. By running a secret escape line, O’Flaherty became a lifeline for those facing persecution so much so that he became a wanted man by the Gestapo.

Despite the danger, he managed to save thousands from the Nazis.

In this episode,...

This episode covers one of the most famous events in our history. It’s part of the 1798 Rebellion series, but you can dive straight in if you don't want the gripping backstory!

In the closing months of 1796, Ireland was gripped by fear and uncertainty. This episode sees an invasion force of battle-hardened French veterans arrive off the Irish coast, inspiring hope and fear in equal measure.

Meanwhile, a brutal campaign of repress...

This episode returns to the story of the 1798 Rebellion, but also stands alone as its own story.

In 1793, war broke out between the British Empire and Revolutionary France. This episode explores what happened when a French spy, William Jackson, is caught in Ireland. After his capture, the authorities learned that Irish radicals in the Society of United Irishmen were in contact with Britain’s enemy, Revolutionary France.

In this episo...

This week, we’re taking a break from our series on the 1798 Rebellion for a fascinating conversation about the Great Famine in Dublin and why this key chapter in the city’s history has been largely forgotten.

When most people think of the Great Hunger, they picture rural Ireland and the suffering along the Atlantic coast. For years, it was widely believed that Dublin escaped the worst of the Famine. But is that really the case?

While this episode fits into a bigger series on the 1798 Rebellion, it’s also designed to stand on its own.

The French Revolution of 1789 electrified Ireland, inspiring hope and fear in equal measure. It would lead to the establishment of Ireland’s republican movement in 1791.

Exploring the profound impact of the revolution in Ireland, this episode opens with the dramatic story of Henry Edgeworth, an Irish priest living in Paris, who...

This episode is part of a wider series on the 1798 Rebellion, but you can enjoy it as a stand-alone story.

When the American Revolution broke out in the 1770s, it sent shock waves across the Atlantic, transforming Irish politics and society. To explore this enthralling story the episode begins with the arrival of Benjamin Franklin in Dublin - a visit that would have unexpected consequences for Ireland’s future.

We explore how...

This podcast opens a broader series on the 1798 Rebellion, but also works as a stand alone episode.

For over a century, Irish Catholics and Presbyterians were subjected to the Penal Laws. Although the vast majority of the population, they were banned from voting, sitting in parliament, bearing weapons, and entering many professions—the list goes on.

This episode explores the deeply unequal society these laws created. By following...

The 1790s remain one of the most important decades in modern Irish history. After years of rising tensions, the island was rocked by the 1798 Rebellion—the largest uprising in Irish history. In just a few months, more people perished than in all the conflicts of the 20th century combined.

These events continue to cast a long shadow over life in Ireland and are central to understanding this island in the 21st century. In many way...

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...