The Irish History Boys

The Irish History Boys
  • 5.0 (2)
  • History
  • Updated Weekly

Comedian Tim McGarry and Historian Cormac Moore select the stories from the archives of The Irish News that bring Irish history to life in enlightening and amusing ways. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 20h ago

    The Forgotten Pandemic: Ireland’s Deadly 1920s “Sleepy Sickness” Mystery

    In this episode of the Irish History Boys, we delve into the "forgotten pandemic" of the early 20th century: Encephalitis Lethargica, or "sleeping sickness". We discuss how this mystery disease left victims in virtual comas for decades, the high mortality rates that rivalled the Spanish Flu, and why it remains one of history’s most overlooked medical crises. We also profile the notorious Lord Haw-Haw (William Joyce), the American-born, Ireland-raised Nazi propagandist whose "Germany Calling" broadcasts made him a household name during WWII. We examine his controversial trial for high treason—despite his claims of American citizenship—and the 1976 campaign to have his remains finally buried in consecrated ground in Galway. To conclude, we revisit the social battlegrounds of Northern Ireland in 1976. We explore the "local indignation" caused by Newry and Mourne District Council's decision to open sports facilities on Sundays, a move that challenged the strict Sabbatarian traditions and the "Lord’s Day" restrictions that once dominated life in the North. This episode is sponsored by The Sober Irish. The Sober Irish is built on connection, conversation and community — a celebration of life lived fully present. Born in Belfast and growing fast, The Sober Irish is for anyone who wants to do things differently — who values experience, clarity and a bit of craic over chaos. It’s about being there for it all — the music, the sea dips, the laughter, the mornings after. Check out https://thesoberirish.com for more info. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    The Forgotten Pandemic: Ireland’s Deadly 1920s “Sleepy Sickness” Mystery

  2. Aug 13

    How a Nobel Prize Destroyed Northern Ireland’s Most Powerful Protest Movement

    In this episode of the Irish History Boys, we examine the paradoxical year of 1976 in Northern Ireland—a year marked by the second-highest death toll of the Troubles, yet one that offered a fleeting "glimmer of hope" through a spontaneous, bottom-up peace movement. We recount the horrific tragedy that served as a catalyst: the deaths of the Maguire children in August 1976, which led Betty Williams to launch a "peace snowball" that saw tens of thousands of women from both the Shankill and Falls roads marching together in "hands across the barricade" rallies. We analyze the subsequent rise of the Peace People, their Nobel Peace Prize win, and the spectacular internal fallout that followed, fueled by disputes over prize money and accusations of being "tools of the British state". Additionally, we investigate the British government's high-stakes political gamble in 1976: the ending of "political status" for paramilitary prisoners. We discuss how this shift toward a "criminalisation" and "Ulsterisation" strategy—treating IRA and UVF members as ordinary criminals in the new Maze prison—backfired by radicalising prisoners and laying the groundwork for the 1981 hunger strikes. To conclude, we find a rare moment of levity by marking the 1976 passing of Robert May, the creator of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. We explore the surprising origins of this Christmas icon as a 1930s American department store promotion and the modest rewards given to the man who created a global phenomenon. This episode is sponsored by The Sober Irish. The Sober Irish is built on connection, conversation and community — a celebration of life lived fully present. Born in Belfast and growing fast, The Sober Irish is for anyone who wants to do things differently — who values experience, clarity and a bit of craic over chaos. It’s about being there for it all — the music, the sea dips, the laughter, the mornings after. Check out https://thesoberirish.com for more info. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    How a Nobel Prize Destroyed Northern Ireland’s Most Powerful Protest Movement

  3. Aug 6

    Faulkner’s Failed Sequel: The 1976 Internment Debate

    Join Tim McGarry and Dr Cormac Moore on the Irish History Boys as they explore Northern Ireland’s interwar economic collapse and the controversial 1976 internment debate. They analyse how the North’s industrial record evaporated after partition, leading to staggering unemployment and stinging criticism of government misgovernance compared to the modernisation efforts in the Irish Free State.   The conversation also revisits Brian Faulkner’s 1976 call to bring back internment, examining Gerry Fitts's warning that the move would only boost the IRA’s standing and the eventual shift toward the policy of criminalisation.   This episode is sponsored by The Sober Irish. The Sober Irish is built on connection, conversation and community — a celebration of life lived fully present. Born in Belfast and growing fast, The Sober Irish is for anyone who wants to do things differently — who values experience, clarity and a bit of craic over chaos. It’s about being there for it all — the music, the sea dips, the laughter, the mornings after. Check out https://thesoberirish.com for more info. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Faulkner’s Failed Sequel: The 1976 Internment Debate

  4. Jul 30

    From the "Black North" to Black Taxis: A Century of Divided Tourism in Ireland

    In this episode of the Irish History Boys, we reflect on the curious "hairpin bend" of travel in Ireland during 1926, where strangers from abroad were welcomed with open arms while neighbors across the border remained strangers to one another. We examine the "othering" of the North and how early partition was reinforced by everything from "trip-tech" passes to customs barriers that turned a simple journey into a political statement. Additionally, we explore the grim reality of 1976—one of the deadliest years of the Troubles—and the near-impossible task of marketing Northern Ireland as a holiday destination while violence reached a horrifying peak. We discuss the dramatic "cliff-edge" drop in visitor numbers and the eventual, ironic rise of "Troubles tourism" and the famous black taxi tours of Belfast. To conclude, we tackle the struggle for equality in the workplace, analyzing why the 1976 Fair Employment Act was initially mocked as "weak as dishwater". We discuss Tim’s firsthand experience at the Fair Employment Commission and how the "carrot and stick" approach of the 1989 Act—enforced by Margaret Thatcher—finally began to dismantle systemic religious discrimination and move Northern Ireland toward a fairer playing field. This episode is sponsored by The Sober Irish. The Sober Irish is built on connection, conversation and community — a celebration of life lived fully present. Born in Belfast and growing fast, The Sober Irish is for anyone who wants to do things differently — who values experience, clarity and a bit of craic over chaos. It’s about being there for it all — the music, the sea dips, the laughter, the mornings after. Check out https://thesoberirish.com for more info. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    From the "Black North" to Black Taxis: A Century of Divided Tourism in Ireland

  5. Jul 23

    The Assassination that Shocked Ireland: The 1976 Sandyford Bombing

    In this episode of the Irish History Boys, we reflect on the July 1976 assassination of the British Ambassador to Ireland, Christopher Ewart-Biggs, and his secretary Judith Cook. This "mid-morning outrage" occurred just 12 days into his tenure when a landmine exploded in Sandyford, a tragedy the hosts examine as a "spectacular" strike that intended to drive a wedge between the British and Irish governments. We examine the human cost of this violence through the eyes of the Ambassador's family—his daughter Kate, who was just eight years old at the time, and his wife Jane, who responded with a dignified crusade for reconciliation rather than bitterness, establishing the Christopher Ewart-Biggs Memorial Prize to promote North-South understanding. Additionally, we explore why rugby remained an all-Ireland sport while soccer succumbed to the pressures of partition. We discuss the 1926 debate over "entertainment taxes" in Northern Ireland that threatened to move international matches to Dublin and how the IRFU worked to "unshackle" the sport from political divisions by accommodating Ulster unionists through venue selection and the creation of neutral symbols. To conclude, we tackle the politics of flags and anthems on the pitch, examining the "bastardized" four provinces flag and the eventual creation of "Ireland's Call" as a neutral anthem. We also share the lighter side of sporting identity, from Tony Cascarino’s confusion over "Amhrán na bhFiann" to the complicated rules—or "laws"—that still baffle non-rugby fans today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    The Assassination that Shocked Ireland: The 1976 Sandyford Bombing

  6. Jul 16

    The Dubliner Who Divided Ireland: The Twisted Irony of Edward Carson

    In this episode of the Irish History Boys, Tim McGarry and Dr. Cormac Moore peel back the layers of Edward Carson, the man whose statue looms over Stormont but whose roots lie deep in Dublin’s Harcourt Street. We explore the irony of a southern lawyer becoming the face of Northern Ireland, his devastating courtroom destruction of Trinity classmate Oscar Wilde, and his early reputation as the fierce "Coercion Carson".   Additionally, we delve into the high-stakes "treason" of 1913, examining how Carson helped bring the gun back into Ireland's political landscape through the Ulster Volunteer Force. To conclude, we reflect on Carson’s later years in 1926—a period marked by bitterness and his scathing condemnation of England’s "blackest page of treachery" in its treatment of Irish Loyalists. We ask the ultimate question: was he a principled leader, a master of political "play acting," or the reluctant architect of a partition he never truly wanted? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    The Dubliner Who Divided Ireland: The Twisted Irony of Edward Carson

  7. Jul 9

    The Battle of the Diamond: Birthing the Orange Institution

    In the second part of this special series on The Irish History Boys, hosts Tim McGarry and Cormac Moore continue their exploration of the Orange Institution with Dr Jonathan Mattison from the Museum of Orange Heritage. This episode moves beyond the Battle of the Boyne to examine the century of tension that followed, specifically how the unravelling of the Treaty of Limerick and the implementation of the Penal Laws by the Dublin Parliament influenced Protestant community identity.   Dr Mattison discusses the unique reverence for King William III in Ireland, explaining that because the war for the 1688 settlement was fought on Irish soil, his image became seared into the psyche of the local Protestant population.   The conversation provides a deep dive into the Battle of the Diamond in 1795, illustrating how the Orange Order emerged not just from sectarian rivalry, but from economic warfare between Protestant and Catholic weavers over land and the cottage linen industry. From its official formation at James Sloan’s pub in Loughgall, the episode details the Order's rapid growth as an egalitarian organization that eventually became the backbone of the unionist movement despite initial opposition to the Act of Union.   Finally, the discussion addresses the modern role of the institution, its four pillars of faith, culture, charity, and fraternity, and the ongoing challenge of maintaining these traditions in an increasingly secular society.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    The Battle of the Diamond: Birthing the Orange Institution

  8. Jul 2

    Why the Pope Supported William of Orange: The Surprising International History of 1690

    In this special July episode of the Irish History Boys, hosts Tim McGarry and Cormac Moore set aside their usual news archives to explore "orange" history with Dr. Jonathan Mattison from the Museum of Orange Heritage. The discussion uncovers the complex international politics of the Glorious Revolution, including the surprising tactical support William of Orange initially received from Pope Innocent XI to counter the influence of the French King Louis XIV. The episode highlights why the Siege of Derry was the most critical strategic engagement of the war and provides unique insights into the Battle of the Boyne, such as the international makeup of the armies and the story of William III being wounded the night before the fight. Beyond the battlefield, the hosts explore how the Williamite victory marked a massive shift in power from the monarch to Parliament, laying the constitutional groundwork for the Bill of Rights and even the American Constitution. The conversation also touches on the bloodier Battle of Aughrim and how the religious toleration of the initial settlement was eventually unpicked by penal legislation. The episode concludes with a recommendation to visit Schomberg House and a preview of part 2 on the 1795 founding of the Orange Order. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Why the Pope Supported William of Orange: The Surprising International History of 1690
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About

Comedian Tim McGarry and Historian Cormac Moore select the stories from the archives of The Irish News that bring Irish history to life in enlightening and amusing ways. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    The Irish History Boys
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    73
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © The Irish History Boys
  • Show Website
    The Irish History Boys

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