The Irish History Show

Cathal Brennan and John Dorney
  • 4.7 (102)
  • HISTORY
  • UPDATED MONTHLY
The Irish History Show

The Irish History Show is presented and produced by Cathal Brennan and John Dorney. In each episode, the presenters will look at different aspects of Irish history with expert guests from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines.

  1. OCT 29

    103 The Birmingham Six

    On this episode of the Irish History Show we looked at the Birmingham Pub Bombings of the 21st of November 1974 and the long campaign for justice for the six men who were wrongfully convicted of these killings. To discuss the Birmingham Six we were joined by two special guests. Chris Mullin is an author, journalist and diarist and, from 1987 to 2010, he was the Labour Party MP for Sunderland South in England. His work with Granada Television's World in Action current affairs series, and his 1986 book, Error of Judgement: The Truth behind the Birmingham Pub Bombings, were integral in proving the innocence of the Birmingham Six. Error of Judgement was described by the author and journalist Sebastian Faulks as 'One of the greatest feats in investigative journalism.' A new edition of Error of Judgement has been published this year to mark 50 years since the bombings. Dr. Michael Flavin is from the School of Global Studies in King's College, London. Michael's novels include The Voice Hearer and One Small Step. He has written many articles on the Troubles and a lot of his writing draws on his experience growing up in the Irish community in Birmingham in the 1970s. Michael's latest novel is Long is the Way and is due to be published next year. We have started a Patreon page for The Irish Story website and The Irish History Show. Please follow the link and your support is greatly appreciated. https://www.patreon.com/user?u=29204818 Intro / Outro music “Sliabh” from Aislinn. Licensed under creative commons from the free music archive.

    1h 1m

  2. OCT 11

    102 The McMahon Murders

    On this episode of the show we looked at the McMahon murders. The murders occurred on 24 March 1922 when six Catholic civilians were shot dead at the home of the McMahon family in Belfast. The victims were businessman Owen McMahon, four of his sons, and one of his employees. Two others were shot but survived, and a female family member was assaulted. Owen McMahon (50), Gerard McMahon (15), Frank McMahon (24), Patrick McMahon (22) and Edward McKinney (25) were killed outright while Bernard McMahon (26) died later. The youngest McMahon son, 12-year-old Michael, survived the attack by hiding behind furniture and pretending to be hit. John McMahon (30) survived despite serious gunshot wounds. Nobody was ever prosecuted for the murders but it is believed the killers were members of the police and Ulster Special Constabulary. We spoke to Dr. Edward Burke about his recent book, Ghosts of a Family: Ireland’s Most Infamous Unsolved Murder, the Outbreak of the Civil War and the Origins of the Modern Troubles. Dr. Burke investigates the circumstances of the murders and places it in the context of the extreme violence in the city at the time which became known as the Belfast Pogrom. Edward Burke is an Assistant Professor in the History of War since 1945 at University College Dublin (UCD). He is currently the Director of the International War Studies MA programme and Director of Graduate Teaching at the School of History. Prior to joining UCD, he was an Assistant/Associate Professor in International Relations at the University of Nottingham (2017-2022). From 2015 to 2017 Edward was a Lecturer in Strategic Studies at the University of Portsmouth, attached to RAFC Cranwell. He received his PhD in International Relations in 2016 from the University of St. Andrews. We have started a Patreon page for The Irish Story website and The Irish History Show. Please follow the link and your support is greatly appreciated. https://www.patreon.com/user?u=29204818 Intro / Outro music “Sliabh” from Aislinn. Licensed under creative commons from the free music archive.

    1h 12m

  3. OCT 4

    101 Gerry Healy and the Workers Revolutionary Party

    On this episode of the show we were joined by Dr. Aidan Beatty to discuss his new book The Party is Always Right: The Untold Story of Gerry Healy and British Trotskyism published by Pluto Press. Gerry Healy was the Galway born leader of the Socialist Labour League and the Workers Revolutionary Party. He was a key figure in Trotskyism and one of the most controversial leaders on the British left. His legacy is tainted by his expulsion from his own party under accusations of sexual abuse, his use of violence against political opponents and the cult like conditions of his party. Aidan Beatty is an award-winning historian and lecturer at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is the author of Private Property and the Fear of Social Chaos, and Masculinity and Power in Irish Nationalism, which was awarded the James S. Donnelly Sr. Prize. He has written for Jacobin, the Irish Times and the Washington Post. He will be the president of the American Conference for Irish Studies in 2025. We have started a Patreon page for The Irish Story website and The Irish History Show. Please follow the link and your support is greatly appreciated. https://www.patreon.com/user?u=29204818 Intro / Outro music “Sliabh” from Aislinn. Licensed under creative commons from the free music archive.

    1h 23m

  4. SEP 3

    100 One Hundredth Episode Special

    We have reached a very special milestone on the Irish History Show as this is our 100th episode! We discussed setting up the show and how it has evolved over the years. Our thanks to Near FM for originally broadcasting the show and our special thanks to all the amazing guests we've had over the years. We remember our favourite episodes and subjects we've returned to time and again. Most importantly we want to thank you the listeners for all the support over the years and hopefully it won't take as long to reach 200 episodes! We have started a Patreon page for The Irish Story website and The Irish History Show. Please follow the link and your support is greatly appreciated. https://www.patreon.com/user?u=29204818 Intro / Outro music “Sliabh” from Aislinn. Licensed under creative commons from the free music archive.

    59 min

  5. MAY 14

    99 The Irish Civil War Fatalities Project

    On this episode of the show, we discussed the Irish Civil War Fatalities Project. The Irish Civil War Fatalities Project, supported with funding from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, seeks to identify all of the conflict-related fatalities in Ireland between the opening shots of the Civil War on 28 June 1922 and the ceasefire and dump arms order on 24 May 1923. For decades, historians of the Civil War have resorted to estimates when surveying the human cost of Ireland's Civil War. Now, for the first time, UCC historian Dr Andy Bielenberg, assisted by John Dorney, has enumerated the civilian and combatant fatalities, allowing for a wide-ranging, sometimes surprising, analysis of the nature and geographic distribution of the casualties and their impact. In collaboration with UCC’s Atlas of the Irish Revolution Team, the research findings have been cartographically represented in a searchable, interactive Civil War Fatalities map. The project can be accessed here. Our own John Dorney discussed his time working on the project and what information is contained on the new site. We have recently started a Patreon page for The Irish Story website and The Irish History Show. Please follow the link and your support is greatly appreciated. https://www.patreon.com/user?u=29204818 Intro / Outro music “Sliabh” from Aislinn. Licensed under creative commons from the free music archive.

    50 min

  6. MAY 6

    98 The Ulster Plantation

    On this episode of the Irish History Show we looked at the Plantation of Ulster. The Plantation was the colonisation of Ireland's northern province of Ulster by people from Britain during the reign of James VI and I. The official plantation began in 1609 in six of Ulster's nine counties, Donegal, Coleraine, Tyrone, Fermanagh, Armagh and Cavan. Lands in counties Antrim, Down and Monaghan were privately planted with Crown support. We have recently started a Patreon page for The Irish Story website and The Irish History Show. Please follow the link and your support is greatly appreciated. https://www.patreon.com/user?u=29204818 Intro / Outro music “Sliabh” from Aislinn. Licensed under creative commons from the free music archive.

    1h 3m

  7. FEB 29

    97 The Nine Years War

    The Nine Year War in Ireland took place in Ireland from 1593 to 1603. The rebellion was led by Hugh O'Neill and Red Hugh O'Donnell and was a response to the Tudor Conquest in Ireland. The rebellion began in Ulster but eventually spread throughout the whole country. There were some significant Irish victories such as Clontibret and Yellow Ford but the Battle of Kinsale saw the English win a pivotal victory against the Irish and their Spanish allies. (Unfotunately, when we were discussing the marriages of Hugh O'Neill, we referred to Mabel Bagenal as the former wife of Henry Bagenal. She was Henry's sister and she eloped with Hugh O'Neill, much to the anger of Henry Bagenal.) We have recently started a Patreon page for The Irish Story website and The Irish History Show. Please follow the link and your support is greatly appreciated. https://www.patreon.com/user?u=29204818 Intro / Outro music “Sliabh” from Aislinn. Licensed under creative commons from the free music archive.

    1h 9m

  8. 11/28/2023

    96 The Desmond Rebellions

    The Desmond Rebellions occurred in 1569–1573 and 1579–1583 in the Irish province of Munster. They were rebellions by the Earl of Desmond, the head of the FitzGerald dynasty in Munster, and his followers, the Geraldines and their allies, against the threat of the extension of the English government over the province. The rebellions were motivated primarily by the desire to maintain the independence of feudal lords from their monarch but also had an element of religious antagonism between Catholic Geraldines and the Protestant English state. They culminated in the destruction of the Desmond dynasty and the plantation or colonisation of Munster with English Protestant settlers.  Two articles here from the Irish Story website on the Desmond Rebellions: The First Desmond Rebellion. The Second Desmond Rebellion. We have recently started a Patreon page for The Irish Story website and The Irish History Show. Please follow the link and your support is greatly appreciated. https://www.patreon.com/user?u=29204818 Intro / Outro music “Sliabh” from Aislinn. Licensed under creative commons from the free music archive.

    57 min
See All (103)

4.7
out of 5
102 Ratings

About

The Irish History Show is presented and produced by Cathal Brennan and John Dorney. In each episode, the presenters will look at different aspects of Irish history with expert guests from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines.

Information

  • Creator
    Cathal Brennan and John Dorney
  • Years Active
    2015 - 2024
  • Episodes
    103
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © The Irish History Show
  • Show Website
    The Irish History Show

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