To the Dublin press, the American Civil War veterans in Dublin cut an unusual shape. These ‘Yankee’ characters looked different, but they also behaved differently. Under the direction of Captain Thomas J. Kelly, these men would be centrally imp

'Then Mount Jerome for the Protestants.'

20 days ago 45m 11s

The story of Mount Jerome Cemetery is the story of Victorian Dublin. There, many of the great innovaters of the city are at rest. If Glasnevin brings to mind the Irish revolution, Mount Jerome instead makes us think of the nineteenth century. S

The Divine Mission of Discontent (Jim Larkin Part II)

Mar 12th, 2024 45m 34s

The labour leader Jim Larkin was international news when he departed Ireland in 1914. In America, Larkin would cross paths with the FBI founder J. Edgar Hoover, landing in prison for 'Criminal Anarchy'. What did all of this mean back in Dublin?

The Rising of the Moon (Jim Larkin Part I)

Feb 23rd, 2024 34m 51s

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Jim Larkin. In this two-part special, Ronan Burtenshaw (author of a recent piece exploring Larkin for Jacobin magazine) joins me to discuss this important and divisive revolutionary figure.

Before Mosley: The British Fascisti in Dublin

Feb 2nd, 2024 41m 52s

Pádraig Óg Ó Ruairc is no stranger to this podcast. While his latest book explores 'The Disappeared' (launching this month from Merrion Press), he has also been undertaking a study of the far-right in Ireland historically. Moving beyond the fam

Flying Fists and Union Jacks

Jan 14th, 2024 24m 8s

SEASON 3! A recent television debate on the Irish language in schools reminded me of a curious story from history. The Language Freedom Movement touches on many widely known figures in 1960s Ireland, including John B. Keane and the broadcaster

From Ten Till Dusk: 200 Years of the RHA (with Cristín Leach)

Dec 22nd, 2023 34m 36s

2023 marks the 200th anniversary of the Royal Hibernian Academy, an institution which has moved across the Liffey owing to the flames of Easter Week, and which has championed the visual arts through an ever-changing Ireland. Cristín Leach is t

There Is a Light That Never Goes Out

Dec 19th, 2023 28m 25s

Over five generations, one family have played a unique role in the story of the Phoenix Park. More than that, the Flanagan family have a history that stretches back even earlier in the story of this beloved space. Joyce maintained that in the p

Asylum: Inside Grangegorman

Dec 14th, 2023 28m 53s

Brendan Kelly is the author of a new history of Grangegorman and the asylum located there for generations. This conversation was recorded within the grounds of the site. What was the life of a patient in an asylum really like? Through letters,

Napoleon's Toothbrush

Dec 11th, 2023 19m 28s

Ridley Scott doesn't seem to get on with historians, but here is a nice little story all about Napoleon and his surprising Dublin connections. One of the most revealing and personal insights into Napoleon came from a Dublin doctor who spent tim

Bringing Light to O'Connell Street (with Nicola Pierce)

Dec 8th, 2023 31m 3s

Nicola Pierce is the author of O'Connell Street: The History and Life of Dublin's O'Connell Street. It is a book as much about people as buildings, which charts the unique story of Ireland's most famous street. Now illuminated in a unique way a

'And Beckett plays the gong.'

Dec 1st, 2023 34m 13s

James Morrissey has produced a beautiful and important book exploring the history of Claddagh Records and Garech Browne. 'Real to Reel' explores a record label which championed not only Irish folk and traditional music, but also poetry and the

Roger Doyle: The Godfather of Irish Electronic Music

Nov 11th, 2023 46m 37s

Roger Doyle has made an incredible contribution to Irish music across decades. In this discussion he talks about everything from his own musical beginnings to Operating Theatre, and from The Diceman (Thom McGinty) to James Joyce. Roger Doyle's

The Irish Supernatural (with Kathy Rose O'Brien and Brian J. Showers)

Nov 5th, 2023 1h 5m

Irish supernatural writing did not begin or end with the great Bram Stoker. Indeed, even within Stoker's own family there were other great writers. In this very special edition of the podcast, actor Kathy Rose O'Brien brings to life four extrao

Dead as Doornails

Oct 19th, 2023 55m 40s

This December - most likely - marks the centenary of the birth of Anthony Cronin. His memoir of Bohemian Dublin, Dead As Doornails (1976), remains a masterpiece. With Jimmy Murphy, I went through the book and its importance. With thanks to Ian

Other People's Lives (with Dermot Bolger)

Oct 6th, 2023 44m 38s

Did you learn much about yourself in Lockdown times? Dermot Bolger (poet, publisher, playwright and more besides) discovered some of the incredible people who lived in his locality in times gone by. These included the radical Grace Gifford Plu

Dublin in Maps: From the Soviet Union to D6W (with Joseph Brady)

Sep 27th, 2023 29m 30s

Geographer Joseph Brady is the co-producer of a new study of Dublin in maps. This journey begins with the earliest depictions of the Irish capital, but brings us through some fascinating oddities. Did you know that the Soviet Union produced a m

Dónal Lunny: From Emmet Spiceland to Kate Bush

Sep 17th, 2023 50m 49s

There are few careers in Irish music as extraordinary as that of Dónal Lunny. His name will forever be connected with the groups Emmet Spiceland, Planxty, The Bothy Band and Moving Hearts. Yet beyond being a defining musician, he has made impor

Jim Fitzpatrick: On Che, Phil Lynott and Sinéad O'Connor

Sep 4th, 2023 50m 25s

A real privilege to talk to an artist who first emerged in the 1960s, and who is still making fantastic work today. Any discussion with Jim Fitzpatrick passes through subjects as diverse as Harry Clarke, Ernesto 'Che' Guevara, Phil Lynott, Siné

From Jim Larkin to Alfred Hitchcock: The Life of O'Casey

Aug 30th, 2023 38m 2s

Seán O'Casey had a turbulent relationship with the Abbey Theatre. Now, his Dublin trilogy is back on the stage of the national theatre. Championed with his arrival on the stage in 1923, and denounced in 1926 with The Plough and the Stars, O'Cas

Peig McManus: A Dublin Childhood and a Life Less Ordinary

Aug 16th, 2023 47m 5s

Peig McManus was born into a life in tenement Dublin in the late 1930s. In subsequent decades, she became one of Ireland's most recognisable voices for educational reform. In her brilliant memoir, I Will Be Good: A Dublin Childhood and a Life

"My body to Ireland, my heart to Rome...." (with Claire Halpin)

Aug 9th, 2023 29m 24s

The body of Daniel O'Connell is at rest in Glasnevin Cemetery, an institution with which he is eternally linked. His heart? Well, that has been something of a mystery. Dublin artist Claire Halpin joins me this week to talk about her recent show

The Foggy Dew: From Father O'Neill to Sinéad O'Connor

Jul 31st, 2023 30m 10s

This episode is dedicated to the memory of Sinéad O'Connor. The Foggy Dew is in itself a historic document. Written in 1919, this story of the Easter Rising and the contrasting World War has gone around the world. This episode of the podcast ex

The Foggy Dew: From Father O'Neill to Sinéad O'Connor

Jul 31st, 2023 30m 10s

From Lugs Branigan to Led Zeppelin

Jul 9th, 2023 29m 26s

The National Stadium on the South Circular Road has witnessed some really incredible nights. To some, it is the home of Irish boxing, a story that's connected to the sporting history of the Gardaí as well as the endless enthusiasm of the Irish