Transatlantic: An Irish American History Podcast

Fin Dwyer & Damian Shiels
  • 4.9 (94)
  • History
  • Updated Weekly

3,000 miles of ocean separate Ireland from the USA, but both countries share a deep and intertwined history. Links between North America and Ireland predate Columbus, stretching back over 1,000 years. Since then, Irish people have shaped the history of the United States. From Ann 'Goody' Glover, who was hanged as a witch in Boston in the 17th century, to JFK, the story of the Irish in the US is fascinating. Join historians Damian Sheils and Fin Dwyer as they join forces to explore the good, the bad, and the ugly of Irish American history. In Season 1 Fin and Damian explore fascinating topics including Who was the first Irish person to cross the Atlantic?The Story of Goody Glover who was hanged as a witch in Boston.What was it like to emigrate during the Great Famine of the 1840s?How Irish people shaped the US Civil War? And much more... Subscribe and join Fin and Damian on this fascinating journey through our history. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 6d ago

    51. Irish America & Slavery

    Irish America's relationship with African Americans in the mid-19th century has long been a focus for historians, particularly those trying to understand racism and Irish opposition to emancipation. But what if part of the answer lies not in New York or Boston, but in Ireland itself? In this episode, Fin and Damian are joined by Dr Ian Delahanty, Associate Professor of History at Springfield College, Massachusetts. Ian's award-winning work has shed new light on some of the origins of Irish attitudes towards slavery, abolition and emancipation, and how they changed over time. As he explains, if we want to better understand them, we have to begin not in the United States, but in Ireland. In this episode, Ian takes us back to the years around the Great Famine to explore Ireland's abolitionists, the influence of abolition on Irish politics, and how the tensions that resulted began to shape the views some Irish nationalists developed on abolition and emancipation during the 1840s. These political attitudes were carried across the Atlantic with Famine emigrants and nationalist leaders into a United States on the brink of war over the issue of slavery. We cross the Atlantic to follow that story, discussing how the political scenario in America shaped these pre-existing attitudes during the 1850s, and finally explore the major impact and influence the Civil War had on how Irish America came to view the question of emancipatiing enslaved African Americans. Our discussion is based on Ian's book, Embracing Emancipation: A Transatlantic History of Irish Americans, Slavery and the American Union, 1840-1865 published by Forduham University Press. It was awarded the Lawrence J. McCaffrey Prize for the best book on Irish America in 2024. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  2. Sep 27

    50. Forest City Irish: The Story of Portland, Maine

    Maine may not be the first place we think of when it comes to large Irish communities, but in the years after the Great Famine, the port city of Portland became home to a significant Irish population. The communities they developed began a strong connection between the city and Ireland that endures to this day, especially with the place most connected with its immigrants— Galway. In this episode, Fin and Damian are joined by historian, genealogist and author Matthew Jude Barker, the expert on the Portland Irish, to explore their story. As well as discussing what brought the Irish to Portland, in this episode Matt tells us about the neighbourhoods they made their own during the 19th and early 20th centuries. We explore events like the impact events like the "Great Fire" of 1866 and "Rum Riot" of 1855 had on their lives, and how they navigated local politics and nativism. Along the way we meet people like the McGlinchy brewing family, some of the women who made their living as domestic servants, and the remarkable story of Bishop James Augustine Healy, who became the first African American Catholic bishop in the United States. Matthew's latest books are a two volume set on the story of the Portland Irish, Becoming American: Portland, Maine's Irish and the Making of Immigrant America 1840-1861 andThe Blue and the Green: The Irish of Portland Maine During the Civil War Era 1861-1870. You can purchase them here. Maine Irish Heritage Center Matthew's Website In the intro to this week's show Damian mentioned a three-week online course he will be running this October for the Celtic Junction Arts Center. If you would like to find out more about the course, or sign up, you can do so via this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  3. Sep 20

    49. Irish Domestic Servants in America

    Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, tens of thousands Irish women worked as domestics. The "Irish Bridget" is one of the most recognisable stereotypes of Irish America, but what was life really like for these women, who were the subject of such extensive cariacture and discrimination? In this episode, Fin and Damian are joined by Dr Catherine Healy, Historian-in-Residence at EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum and an expert on Irish domestic service. In the show we explore the reality of their hard working lives, and try and recover something of their lived experiences, both positive and negative. As well as discussing what these women did and the types of places they worked, we chat through things like vulnerabilities that came with live-in service, the prejudices they endured, and the pride they took in earning their own money and supporting families back in Ireland. You can find Catherine's Website here: https://catherinehealy.org/ The link to Catherine's Book: Irish Domestic Servants in Transatlantic CUlture, c. 1870-1945 Epic: The Irish Emigration Museum Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  4. Sep 14

    48. The Return of Transatlantic

    Damian and Fin return after the summer break to talk over their summer and whats coming in Transatlantic in the coming months. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  5. Jun 21

    47. Stephen Moylan: The Irish General in the American Revolution

    It is little known that the term United States of America may have been coined by the Irishman, Stephen Moylan. Although a little klnown figure in Ireland, he played a key role in the American revolution. His life story is remarkable. Born into a Catholic family in Cork his experiences in Ireland would form his transformational impact he on US history. In this episode, Fin & Damian speak with historian Victoria Pearson a PhD researcher in Ulster University. The Moylan family is her particular area of expertise and she explains Stephen Moylan’s remarkable journey, his formative early life in Cork and his place in the revolutionary generation of 1776. Dr Pearson’s article, Am I My Brother’s Keeper: The Moylan Family and the American Revolution, will feature in a special edition of History Ireland, out in July/August to mark America 250. Victoria also appears in the upcoming TG4 documentary, The Lost Irish Heroes of the American Revolution, presented by Cormac Ó hEadhra. It will be broadcast in Ireland on 4 July and will also have an international release. You can also listen back to this previous transatlantic episode, where Damian and Fin discuss Irish involvement in the American Revolution more broadly: https://shows.acast.com/transatlantic/episodes/who-did-the-irish-support-in-the- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  6. May 17

    46. Outsiders: Irish American Radical Women

    The individual experiences of ordinary Irish emigrant women in the late 19th and early 20th century can be difficult to reach, with many spending years working long hours in domestic service or on factory floors. But there is a group of these women who left a greater mark in the written record and--sometimes--even left behind their own words. They were the "radical" activists--Irish American women who took the decision to raise their heads above the parapet in an overwhelmingly patriarchal world to fight for the causes they believed in. In this episode, Fin and Damian are joned by Dr Tara McCarthy, the expert on Irish American women's activism during the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. Tara takes us through the background of these women, explains their origins, and highlights the incredible stories of a number of these remarkable individuals. Along the way she charts the importance of the Irish nationalist struggle for the growth in activism, discusses efforts to improve the lot of women in the workplace, and shares the strategems employed to progress the cause of female suffrage. All in all, this is a must-listen show if you want to discover more about the major contribution Irish American women made to activism in the United States during this critical period. Book: Tara M McCarthy, Respectability & Reform: Irish American Women’s Activism, 1880-1920 Syracuse University Press Dictionary of Irish Biography: Fanny Isabel Parnell New York Irish History Roundtable Profile of Marguerite Moore New York Historical Society Profile of Elizabeth Gurley Flynn Transatlantic Podcast. Episode 8. Mother Jones: The Most Dangerous Woman in America? National Park Service Profile of Leonora O’Reilly  Freedomsway.org Profile of Mary Kenney O’Sullivan Dictionary of Irish Biography: Hanna Sheehy Skeffington National Park Service Profile of Maud Malone National Park Service Profile of Margaret Foley Gilder Lehrman Institute Profile of Mary Elizabeth Lease Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  7. Apr 19

    45. An Ulster Scot on the American Frontier: The Extraordinary Life of George Galphin

    George Galphin was a married man in his late 20s when he left Armagh for a new life on the American Frontier in 1737. Across the four decades that followed Galphin built an extraordinary personal empire on the frontiers of colonial South Carolina and Georgia. At the heart of his success were his connections with the indigenous Muscogee (Creek) people, amongst whom he lived. In this episode, Fin and Damian are joined by Dr Bryan C. Rindfleisch--an expert on Galphin's life--to discuss this fascinating Ulster Scot emigrant, the people that surrounded him, and the world he inhabited. Bryan outlines for us what life was like on the frontiers of Empire in the 18th century American south-east, and how Galphin found success as the key-go between in the lucrative deerskin trade with Native American peoples. He traces Galphin's Irish origins and how his transatlantic ties influenced him, not least through his efforts to support increased Ulster emigration to the Frontier. We also delve into some of the intimate relationships that were central to Galphin's life, particularly with women such as Metawney, the powerful Muscogee woman who made his career possible, and the enslaved women he held in bondage and with whom he fathered children.  Book: Bryan C. Rindfleisch George Galphin's Intimate Empire: The Creek Indians, Family and Colonialism in Early America Discover Ulster Scots: The Scotch Irish of Savannah Website of The Muscogee Nation National Park Service History of The Muscogee Nation Silver Bluff Audubon Center and Sanctuary Initial Archaeological Investigations at Silver Bluff Plantation Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  8. Apr 12

    44. The GAA in the USA

    The Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the defining organisations in modern Irish history. Founded in 1884, it became the bedrock of community life across Ireland and played a significant role in the country’s political and cultural story. Its importance was starkly illustrated on Bloody Sunday in 1920, when Crown forces attacked spectators at a match in Dublin. In this episode, we turn to the history of the GAA in the United States. Bennett Burke, Public Relations Officer of the United States Gaelic Athletic Association, joins Fin and Damian. Their conversation traces the story of Gaelic games in America from their earliest beginnings to the present day. They discuss how the games took root, the challenges they faced, and the role the GAA played in the lives of Irish emigrants and their descendants across the US and North America. The USGAA governs Gaelic football, hurling, and camogie in the United States (except metro NYC), Mexico, and the Caribbean. Visit https://usgaa.org/usgaa-interactive-map/ to find a club near you US GAA Homepage New York GAA Homepage The "Mayo Curse" Video Footage of the 1947 All Ireland Football Final in New York Michael O'Hehir speaks about "Just give us five minutes more" during the 1947 All Ireland radio commentary Paddy Bawn Brosnan & the American Civil War: The Famed Gaelic Footballer's Links to Kerry's Greatest Conflict New York Make History with Shootout Win Over Leitrim Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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3,000 miles of ocean separate Ireland from the USA, but both countries share a deep and intertwined history. Links between North America and Ireland predate Columbus, stretching back over 1,000 years. Since then, Irish people have shaped the history of the United States. From Ann 'Goody' Glover, who was hanged as a witch in Boston in the 17th century, to JFK, the story of the Irish in the US is fascinating. Join historians Damian Sheils and Fin Dwyer as they join forces to explore the good, the bad, and the ugly of Irish American history. In Season 1 Fin and Damian explore fascinating topics including Who was the first Irish person to cross the Atlantic?The Story of Goody Glover who was hanged as a witch in Boston.What was it like to emigrate during the Great Famine of the 1840s?How Irish people shaped the US Civil War? And much more... Subscribe and join Fin and Damian on this fascinating journey through our history. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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