Undercover Irish

Eolan Ryng

Uncovering Ireland's Hidden Curriculum Undercover Irish goes under the cover of Irishness, through ballads, poems, social history, the Irish language (Gaeilge), historical events and people, especially those on the periphery— while drawing lines to today's world and adding depth to current affairs. Local, National and International.

  1. Jun 18

    What Irish Surnames Remember — Part 2: The Names That Came Ashore

    Support on Patreon Undercover Irish — Podcasts on Irish History, Language, Songs and Story. | Patreon What Irish Surnames Remember — Part 2: The Names That Came Ashore Irish surnames are not only a story of Ó, Mac, Ní and Nic. They are also a story of arrival. In Part 2 of What Irish Surnames Remember, we look at the names that came into Ireland through conquest, sea-roads, settlement, exile, work and migration — and how many of them became part of the Irish story. From Norman names like FitzGerald, Burke, Power, Roche and Barry, to Norse-linked names like Doyle, MacAuliffe, MacManus, Cotter and MacIver, this episode explores how surnames can carry memory of contact across water. We also look at names like Lynch, where one spelling can hide more than one history, and Walsh and Joyce, names that show how yesterday's outsider can become tomorrow's local surname. Along the way, we ask: When does a name become Irish? Is it when it begins in Irish? When it has an Ó or a Mac? When it is spoken here? When it is written into records here? When it gathers Irish memory? This episode also touches on later names that came ashore: Huguenot names, Jewish names, German names connected to Ardnacrusha, and Dutch names connected to Verolme Dockyard — reminders that Irishness was never purity. It was layering. Core idea: A name does not have to begin in Ireland to become part of Ireland. In this episode: Norman names: Fitz, de, Burke, Power, Roche, Barry and FitzGerald "More Irish than the Irish themselves" Surnames and placenames: names as maps Norse and Viking traces: Doyle, MacAuliffe, MacManus, Cotter and MacIver Why Lynch is a warning against simple surname stories Walsh, Joyce and names crossing the Irish Sea Huguenot and Jewish names in Ireland German names at Ardnacrusha and Dutch names at Verolme Dockyard Why Irish surnames are about contact, not purity How Mac points us toward the upcoming Ireland–Scotland series Next series: After these two surname episodes, we cross the water into the Ireland–Scotland series: shared Gaelic worlds, language, myth, migration, colonisation, Highland and Irish experience, sectarian echoes, revolutionary links, and the sea-roads between the two places. Support the podcast: If you enjoy Undercover Irish, you can support the show on Patreon. Patreon helps keep the research, writing and production going, and I'll be sharing bonus notes and extra material from the Ireland–Scotland series there.

    36 min

  2. Jun 10

    What Irish Surnames Remember — Part 1: Ó, Mac, Ní & Nic

    Support the podcast: If you enjoy Undercover Irish, you can support the show on Patreon. Patreon helps keep the podcast going and supports the research, writing and production behind each episode. What Irish Surnames Remember — Part 1: Ó, Mac, Ní & Nic Irish surnames are not just family labels. In this episode of Undercover Irish, we look underneath familiar names like O'Brien, Sullivan, McCarthy, Maguire, O'Neill and McBride to explore the older Irish naming system hidden inside them. Before we cross the water into the upcoming Ireland–Scotland series, we pause to ask why names mattered so much: to families, to communities, and to colonial power. We explore how Ó and Mac carry ideas of descent, sonship, clann and lineage — and how women's forms like Ní, Nic, Uí and Mhic reveal a richer grammar of relationship than English surnames usually show. The episode also looks at the pressure of anglicisation: how Irish names were translated, shortened, misspelled, legally challenged, and pushed through English-speaking systems of law, schooling, census-taking and administration. From Edmund Spenser's hostility to the Ós and Macs, to the symbolic court cases around Irish names and lettering, this episode asks what happens when a naming system is treated as something to be controlled. Core idea: If placenames are memory on the map, surnames are memory in motion. In this episode: Why O'Brien is really Ó Briain What Ó / Ua means How Mac and Mag work Why Ní and Nic are not just "female versions" of surnames What Bean Uí, Bean Mhic, Uí and Mhic reveal How Irish names carry clann, kinship and memory How colonialism and anglicisation fogged, but did not erase, the Irish naming system Why this episode sets up the coming Ireland–Scotland series

    47 min

  3. Jun 5

    When Ireland Speaks in a Woman's Voice: From Ériu to Elmes

    When Ireland Speaks in a Woman's Voice: From Ériu to Elmes Ireland was named after a woman. Most of us know that Ireland is called Éire in Irish, but far fewer know about Ériu, the mythological figure whose name survives in the very name of the country itself. In this episode of Undercover Irish, we follow the women hidden in Ireland's landscape. From Ériu, Banba and Fódla, to Boann and Sinann, from the holy wells of Brigid and Gobnait to the modern commemorations of Mary Elmes and the women of Cumann na mBan, we explore how women have been remembered on Ireland's map for centuries. Along the way we delve into the Dindshenchas, Ireland's medieval "Lore of Places", uncover the stories behind some of our most famous rivers and placenames, and ask an important question: If women are everywhere in Ireland's oldest landscape, why do they seem so much less visible in the streets and public spaces of modern Ireland? This is a story about memory, mythology, language, landscape and the changing ways Ireland remembers its past. In this episode: Ériu, Banba and Fódla The Dindshenchas – Ireland's Lore of Places Boann and the River Boyne Sinann and the River Shannon Macha, Tailtiu and Carman Brigid and the female sacred landscape Holy wells Victorian commemorative culture The Ladies' Land League Cumann na mBan Mary Elmes, Rosie Hackett and modern public commemoration Support Undercover Irish If you'd like to support the podcast and gain access to bonus episodes, early releases, behind-the-scenes research and exclusive content, you can join us on Patreon: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/why-some-irish-160221927?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link This week's Patreon-exclusive episode: Why Some Irish People Don't Say "The Famine" A look at the language of memory, An Gorta Mór, and what the words we choose reveal about Irish history. Follow Undercover Irish Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and follow along on social media for updates, bonus content and upcoming episodes. Go raibh míle maith agaibh as éisteacht. Ní saoirse go saoirse na mban.

    35 min

  4. May 30

    What Irish County Names Really Mean: Part 2

    Ireland's county names are more than simple labels on a map. They are records of invasion, settlement, religion, trade, conquest, resistance, and survival. In Part 2 of What Irish County Names Really Mean, we explore how saints, Vikings, colonists, and mapmakers left their mark on Ireland's counties — and how older Irish identities survived beneath those layers. Along the way we discover: Why Dublin's Irish and English names describe two completely different places. How Viking settlements helped create Ireland's first true cities. The story behind Waterford, Ireland's oldest city. Why Wexford, Wicklow, and Donegal preserve both Irish and Norse identities. How Saint Brigid, Saint Cainneach, Saint Comán, and Saint Columba became immortalised in county names. The connection between Derry's oak groves and Kildare's sacred oak. Why Edmund Spenser believed language was key to conquering Ireland. How the Ordnance Survey transformed Ireland's placenames. Why Irish placenames are some of the most important historical records we possess. Counties featured in this episode: County Dublin — Baile Átha Cliath / Dubh Linn County Waterford — Port Láirge County Wexford — Loch Garman County Wicklow — Cill Mhantáin County Donegal — Dún na nGall / Tír Chonaill County Kildare — Cill Dara County Kilkenny — Cill Chainnigh County Roscommon — Ros Comáin County Down — An Dún County Longford — An Longfort County Derry — Doire / Doire Cholmcille This episode also explores: Viking Ireland Early Christian Ireland Monastic learning The Plantation period Anglicisation of Irish placenames The Ordnance Survey Language, identity, and power If you enjoyed this episode, check out Part 1: What Irish County Names Really Mean – Gods, Tribes and Landscapes Before Ireland Had Counties Follow Undercover Irish wherever you get your podcasts, and if you know someone who's fiercely proud of their county, send them this episode. Because every county name tells a story — and some of those stories are over a thousand years old.

    32 min

  5. May 24

    What Irish County Names Really Mean: Part 1

    Ireland's counties feel ancient — but the county system itself is surprisingly modern. In this episode of Undercover Irish, we go back before the maps, before English colonisation , and even before Christianity to uncover the real meanings behind Irish county names. From pagan gods and forgotten tribes to marshes, forests, ridges, and sacred landscapes, many Irish counties preserve fragments of a much older Ireland hidden in plain sight. In Part 1, we explore the counties whose names come from: mythology, tribal dynasties, landscape and geography, and ancient meanings now partly lost to history. Along the way we uncover: why County Armagh is named after a goddess, how County Tyrone preserves the legacy of the O'Neills, why County Cork is literally named after a swamp, how County Mayo may preserve a sacred yew landscape, and why nobody fully agrees on what County Limerick originally meant. Counties featured in Part 1: County Armagh County Louth County Kerry County Fermanagh County Tyrone County Offaly County Laois County Cavan County Clare County Cork County Galway County Leitrim County Mayo County Monaghan County Sligo County Meath County Westmeath County Antrim County Tipperary County Carlow County Limerick Part 2 will explore: saints, Vikings, colonial renaming, and the counties with layered Irish and Norse identities. If you enjoyed the episode, follow Undercover Irish wherever you get your podcasts — and send the episode to someone who's obsessed with their county.

    34 min

  6. May 21

    Ireland and the Sea

    Ireland has always faced the water. For thousands of years, the sea shaped life along the Irish coast — feeding communities, destroying harbours, carrying storms inland, and connecting the island to the wider world. But it also left something behind in the language itself. In this episode of Undercover Irish, we explore Ireland's long relationship with the sea through the stories hidden in coastal placenames: from Port na Marbh — "the harbour of the dead" — to An Poll Báite, "the drowned pool," and Carraig na Loinge, "the rock of the ship." These names preserve memories of danger, survival, shipwrecks, crossings, invasion, emigration and loss. We travel from Atlantic fishing communities and the Night of the Big Wind… to Viking longships, Norman arrivals, Armada wrecks, the French landings of 1798, and the harbours that became departure points during An Gorta Mór. Because the Irish coastline was never simply the edge of the country. It was a meeting place between: land and sea, Ireland and the wider world, departure and return, memory and survival. This episode explores how the sea shaped Irish history, mythology and identity — and how the old coastal names still carry echoes of that conversation today. Featured Places & Names Port na Marbh — "Harbour of the Dead" (Donegal) Scoilt na Loinge — "Split/Cleft of the Ship" (Donegal) Scoilt na Máirnealach — possibly "Sailors' Cleft" (Donegal) An Poll Báite — "The Drowned Pool" Carraig na Loinge — "Rock of the Ship" Carraig an Ancaire — "Rock of the Anchor" Trá na mBád / Boatstrand (Waterford) Mannin Bay / Cuan Mhanainn (Galway) Tory Island / Toraigh (Donegal) Cobh & Dún Laoghaire Themes Irish placenames • maritime folklore • Atlantic history • Vikings in Ireland • Irish mythology • emigration • An Gorta Mór • coastal memory • shipwrecks • Irish language • Irish history • Atlantic Ireland • Manannán mac Lir • Irish folklore • the Night of the Big Wind

    25 min

  7. May 20

    Ireland's Darkest Placenames II: Memory in the Landscape

    Ireland's Darkest Placenames II: Memory in the Landscape Irish placenames are far more than simple labels on a map. They preserve memory. In this episode of Undercover Irish, we explore how Ireland's landscape became a record of history, folklore, trauma, spirituality, and collective memory — hidden inside names most of us pass every day without noticing. From ancient burial landscapes and famine roads to gallows hills, disease sites, haunted coastlines, and places associated with rebellion and death, this episode looks at how the Irish language preserved stories long after the original events faded from memory. We explore places such as: Oileán na Marbh — the Island of the Dead Sliabh na Caillí — the Mountain of the Hag An Spidéal — "The Hospital" Bloody Bridge Bloody Foreland The Scalp Murder Hole Beach Famine Roads and Black '47 Roads Along the way, we look at: the importance of Irish placenames (logainmneacha) how anglicisation obscured older meanings the relationship between landscape and folklore how trauma becomes embedded in geography and why placenames may be one of Ireland's oldest surviving cultural archives Because in Ireland, history doesn't only survive in books. Sometimes it survives in the landscape itself. If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following, rating, and sharing Undercover Irish. You can also follow the project on social media for more Irish history, folklore, language, and placename content.

    26 min

  8. May 12

    Ireland's Darkest Placenames; The Landscape Remembers

    Ireland is full of placenames that seem ordinary until you translate them. Places called: "The Hill of the Gallows." "The Ford of the Dead." "The Gate of Tears." "The Hole of Death." In this episode of Undercover Irish, Eolan Ryng explores the darker side of the Irish landscape — where placenames preserve memories of execution, famine, exile, mythology, colonial violence, and ancient fear. From the Devil's Bit in Tipperary to the Bridge of Tears in Donegal… from famine graveyards to the Black Pig's Dyke… this episode uncovers how Ireland's landscape became a living archive of memory. Because Irish placenames don't just describe geography. They remember what happened there. Featured Places & Themes Bearnán Éile — The Devil's Bit Cnoc na Croiche — Hill of the Gallows Geata na nDeor / Bridge of Tears Famine graveyards & coffin roads Claí na Muice Duibhe — The Black Pig's Dyke Colonial violence & execution landscapes Irish mythology and fear in the landscape Placenames as cultural memory Themes Explored Irish placenames and folklore Colonialism and memory The Great Famine Execution and public punishment Emigration and exile The supernatural in Irish geography Mythology embedded in landscape The survival of memory through language You can support and follow Undercover Irish here: Instagram: @undercoverirish Patreon: Undercover Irish — Podcasts on Irish History, Language, Songs and Story. | Patreon

    33 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Uncovering Ireland's Hidden Curriculum Undercover Irish goes under the cover of Irishness, through ballads, poems, social history, the Irish language (Gaeilge), historical events and people, especially those on the periphery— while drawing lines to today's world and adding depth to current affairs. Local, National and International.

Information

  • Creator
    Eolan Ryng
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    41
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025
  • Show Website
    Undercover Irish

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