Setting The Scene
In this the inaugural episode the parties, players and movements bouncing around Ireland in the early 1900s are introduced. Subscribe for…
The era
The Irish Revolution
How Ireland left the United Kingdom — told from the start
In 1900, the whole island of Ireland was governed from London. By 1923, twenty-six counties had a state of their own, six remained in the United Kingdom, and a civil war had been fought over the difference. These two seasons tell that story in order: how a country still reeling from the 1916 Rising talked, voted, and fought its way out of the United Kingdom — and what it cost.
Season 1 runs from the parties and players of the early 1900s through the conscription crisis, the First Dáil, and the guerrilla war that followed, all the way to the Treaty debates — 75 episodes. Season 2 picks up the hardest question a new country can face — what happens when it disagrees with itself — and follows the Civil War from first shots to aftermath, in 30 more.
Season 1 — The Revolution
From the Home Rule crisis to the Treaty debates · 75 episodes
Two Very Different Approaches
Not dissimilar to Brexit and arguments over the backstop, the Home Rule Crisis was one of the biggest political nightmares of its day. In…
Poorly Managed Mayhem
Cartoonists in love, tricksy Welsh wizards and a fickle public. In this episode we look at how the plucky little 1916 Rising went from…
Oh No We Won't Go
By 1918 Sinn Fein were on the rise. Home Rule had come to a stand still and the population had become more and more radicalised. All Sinn…
Boy Oh Boy A Boycott
After successfully stopping conscription Sinn Fein and the Irish Volunteers started increasing pressure on the British. This led to an…
On The Campaign Trail
In this episode we go all West Wing on 1918 and look at the election that would completely transform the Irish political landscape.…
The First Dáil
Sinn Fein had won the election and now it was time to start taking control of the country. Even if almost half of them were locked up. The…
The Long Fellow
In this episode explore the formative years of Eamon de Valera – one of the most influential men in modern Irish history. From prayer boy…
The Big Fellow
Wild. Studious. Angry. Playful. Friendly. Violent. Michael Collins was a series of contradictions. In this episode we explore the early…
Are We At War Yet?
In this episode we study the structure of the Irish Volunteers, charting how their increase aggression in 1918 and 1919 eventually led to a…
Going Solo
The War of Independence is finally kicking off. In this episode we look at the moment that's gone down (rightly or wrongly) as the first…
Coming To America
In this episode we follow Eamon De Valera after his breakout from Lincoln Gaol. What does he do now that he can return to Ireland, well he…
The Breakout of Bobby Byrne
In this, the first of two episodes looking at the Limerick Soviet we follow how one angry postman kicked off a strange and short lived mini…
Back In The USS Limerick
This is the second part of our two part episode on the Limerick Soviet. After the death of Bobby Byrne things really kicked off, with…
Courts, Loans and the Counter State
In this episode we explore the nitty gritty of getting a government off the ground. You need propaganda, money and proof that you can run…
Spying Secretaries
How does a small island go about defeating one of the biggest empires in the world? By outsmarting them, over and over again. In this…
Librarians & G Men
In this, the second episode on the the Irish intelligence network we meet the men who became undercover operatives inside the G Division,…
A Night In The Barracks
In this episode we introduce the spy Ned Broy and tell the story of how he snuck Michael Collins into the G Divisions headquarters one…
The Spy In The Castle
This week we finally introduce David Nelligan, one of the Irish Intelligence networks most successful spies and learn how Michael Collins…
The Squad & The Dog
In this episode we discuss the founding of The Squad, the IRA's team of professional assassins, and look at how they botched their very…
We Did Not & Do Not Know How To Act
In this episode we explore the British confused Irish policy throughout 1919 and explore what finally convinced them to ban the Dáil.…
Not The 1919 News
First off, I'm so sorry that this episode has taken so long. As life gets a little more hectic in the real world I'll be shifting towards…
An Ambush at Ashtown
In this episode we explore the ambush of Lord French in December 1919. It shook the country and set the scene for the escalation in the…
Fascists & County Councils
1920 was a year that really saw The Irish War of Independence tilt into full swing. But just as important as the military aspect, was the…
Burning Down The Barracks
It's 1920 and The War of Independence is really heating up. We look at how the IRA up the ante and took the fight to the RIC, while also…
The Men Behind The Black & Tans
This episode we ask the question, who created the Black and Tans? The men behind the British policy in 1919 and 1920 did not want to…
Who Were The Black & Tans?
In this episode we examine the men who made up the notorious Black & Tans and the impact they had when they first arrived in Ireland.…
29 – The Murder of Tomas Mac Curtain
In this episode we hold an imaginary trial to decide who should be held responsible for the murder of Tomas MacCurtain, the Lord Mayor of…
Theory & Instinct
In this episode we look at some the factors that influenced how the IRA developed their fighting style against the British. To do this we…
The Flying Columns
In this episode we look at how a walk through the Limerick countryside led to a revolutionary new kind of unit that were vital in the IRA's…
The Kidnapped General
In this episode we see how a friendly day of fishing turned into a high profile kidnapping and a PR win for the IRA. As well as explore why…
The Munitions Strike
In this episode we look at the Irish Labour movement in 1920 an how a few stubborn train drivers brought the country to a standstill in a…
John Jameson
In this episode we delve back into the Intelligence side of the war to investigate how Michael Collins and his men went about recruiting…
Will The Real John Jameson Please Stand Up?
Mustaches, mistaken outbursts and the truth behind John Jameson. In this episode we look at how the Irish intelligence network bested one…
The Listowel Mutiny
The summer of 1920 was not all that different from 2020. In this episode we kick off that scary summer with a look at the Listowel Mutiny…
The Ulster Question
The Ulster Question, as it was known, is a tough one to crack. In this episode we try and unpack the complexities of the region and explain…
A Summer of Riots
Bang on 100 years ago on July 21st 1920, riots erupted in the Belfast shipyards. This week we investigate what was the cause and continue…
The Belfast Boycott
In this episode we look at how the Dail met to decide what to do about the sectarian violence raging through Ulster in the summer of 1920.…
Tudor's Beasts: The Auxiliaries Arrive
In this episode we discuss the second paramilitary force set up in Ireland to combat the IRA. An elite squad of veteran officers the Auxies…
The Connaught Rangers Mutiny
This week we travel to India and look at the complex interactions between the Irish and India, all through the lens of a remarkable (but…
Seventy Four Days
In this episode we introduce Terence MacSwiney, the Lord Mayor of Cork who became famous all over the world after he went on a hunger…
The Sack of Balbriggan
In this episode we look at how a few pints of a Monday night turned into one of the most infamous reprisals events of 1920. For further…
The Men & Women of the Revolution
In this episode we look at the structure of the IRA and Cumann na mBan, and how they worked against the British in the later half of 1920.
The Ballad of Kevin Barry
In the last episode we look at the Irish approach to the war in quite broad strokes. Today we dive into the specifics, detailing a raid on…
Pt 1: The Morning of Bloody Sunday
In this the first of a three parts, we look at how Ormond Winter took the intelligence fight to the IRA and how in retaliation they carried…
Pt 2: The Evening of Bloody Sunday
Today we look at one of the most brutal reprisals carried out by the British so far in the War of Independence. One that left a distinct…
Pt 3. The Evening of Bloody Sunday
In this the last of our series on Bloody Sunday 1920 we look at what happened in Dublin Castle on the evening of the 21st, try and uncover…
The Kilmichael Ambush
We are back people! After a little bit of a Christmas break we're ready and raring to go. In this episode we take a detailed look at how a…
The Burning of Cork
In this episode drunken arsons come face to face with courageous fire fighters in one of the most cataclysmic reprisals of the war. It…
Is There Anything To Be Said For Saying Another Mass?
In today's episode we look at the very first tentative steps towards a truce. Spoiler alert, it all falls a part and paves the way for…
Guess Who Just Got Back Today?
In this episode Eamon de Valera finally returns to Ireland and we look at the effect this had on the movement...
The Battle at the Farm House
In this episode we explore how the violence War of Independence ramped up in 1921 and explore how one safe house in Clonmult turned out to…
Spies & Informers Beware
In this episode we interrogate the relationship between the IRA and the Irish public. From farmers happily donating their hard earned cash…
The Biggest Lie of the Irish Revolution Pt. 1
In the first of a two part episode we explore violence against women during the Irish War of Independence.
The Biggest Lie of the Irish Revolution Pt. 2
In the second part of our episode on violence against women during the Irish War of Independence we look sexual violence and why it was…
Ambushes, Elections & Stalemates
In this episode we look at everything going on in March, April and May of 1921. These last months were the bloodiest of the war and both…
The Burning of the Custom House
In this episode we ask whether the only military operation discussed and approved by the Dail was a propaganda masterstroke or a military…
The Truce
Exactly one hundred years ago today, at 12 o'clock in the afternoon a truce between British forces and the Irish Republican Army came into…
Dev Sits Down With The Welsh Wizard
In this episode we follow Eamon De Valera as he steps into 10 Downing Street to negotiate with David Lloyd George, as the two men try to…
The Fighting Men Sit Still
In this episode we ask what did the men of the IRA and their leaders got up to during the Truce period? The answer starts to shed light on…
On A Merry Go Round With Dev
Today we continue our look at the political negotiations that went on between Dev and Lloyd George in the build up to the treaty…
Plenipotentiaries & The Players Left Off The Pitch
In this episode we introduce the men that would be sent over to London to negotiate with the British, and ask the question why did Éamon de…
Who Where The Plenipotentiaries?
In this episode we continue our examination of the plenipotentiaries, who they were and why Dev chose them. Image: George Gavan Duffy,…
The Myth of Michael Collins
Of all the figures of the Irish War of Independence none has been mythologised as much as Michael Collins. Today, we examine why...
Butter & Beautiful Eyes
In this episode we introduce the British delegation and kick off the Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiations.
The First Two Weeks of Negotiations
Be warned, this is a whopper of an episode. Today we get deep into the nitty gritty of the first two weeks of the treaty negotiations.…
Squabbling On All Sides
In this episode we explore the internal conflict on both the Irish and British sides of the negotiation table. Check out Gretchen Frieman's…
Wrestling with a Wizard
In this episode we see how the pieces started slowly falling into place for the final treaty. We also look at one of the most controversial…
One Last Dash Home
In this episode we race back to Dublin for what turned out to be the last Dail Cabinet meeting before the signing of the treaty.
2am on a Tuesday PT1
In this episode get comfortable as the fly on the wall for the last of the Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiations. Ready yourself for a long day…
2am on a Tuesday PT2
In the second part of our episode on the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty we look at the very last moments of the treaty negotiation and…
Dev's Inferno
In this episode we look at the immediate aftermath of the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, specifically looking at how Eamon De Valera…
The Treaty Debates: Part 1
In this episode we see how the Second Dail reacted to the Anglo-Irish Debates, covering the first half of the Treaty Debates.
The Treaty Debates: Part 2
In this episode we look at the Romantic Moralists versus the National Pragmatists and explore the reason why those against the treaty, were…
The Treaty Debates: Part 3
In this episode the Dail finally takes a vote on the Treaty. We look at the speeches that came before and after the vote, and how they set…
Season 2 — The Civil War
The painful birth of the Irish nation · 30 episodes
How To Start A Country
The start of a new season! We continue our story and see how we moved slowly from the end of The War of Independence into the Irish Civil…
Sister Against Sister
In this episode we look at how the Treaty split Cumann na mBan and the implications this had for Irish women's movement in the new Irish…
Wade Through Irish Blood
In this episode we look at the anti-Treaty IRA and ask whether Éamon de Valera could have done more to stop the Irish Civil War.
Packs & Politics
In this episode we look at the election of 1922, which despite Sinn Fein's best efforts set a positive democratic tone for Irish politics…
The Assassination of Sir Henry Wilson
The death of Sir Henry Wilson is a complicated affair that gives us a fascinating insight into the intersectional nature of the Ireland at…
The Bombing of the Four Courts
In this episode we look at the event traditionally viewed as the start of the Irish Civil War. These first unsteady and unwilling steps…
The Battle of Dublin
After the Four Courts was blown to smithereens fighting continued for several days in and around Dublin. In this episode we imagine what it…
The Limerick Line, Rochestown & Griffith's Last Days
A jam packed episode as we explore what was going on in and around the first week of August 1922.
Béal na Bláth
In this episode we explore one of the most tragic (and hotly debated) moments of the Irish Civil War, the death of Michael Collins.
The Funeral of Michael Collins
In this episode we examine the ramifications of Michael Collins death — his funeral the reprisals that followed, and who would take his…
The Man Who Wasn't Collins
In this episode we take a look at WT Cosgrave – the conservative witty Dubliner who replaced Arthur Griffith and Michael Collins to become…
Young Lawlor & The Legalities of Conflict
In this episode we investigate how the anti-Treaty IRA were coping, as well as the Army Emergency Power Resolution and its ramifications.
Drawing the Border
What's this? A new episode! Finally! Thanks so much for baring with me. Happy to say the show is back and raring to go. This episode takes…
The McMahon Murders
In this episode we look at the failed attempts to bring peace to Northern Ireland in 1922 and how this affected one poor family in…
How Collins Approached Northern Ireland
In this episode we look at the second failed Craig-Collins pact and try to untangle the complicated web that was Michael Collins's approach…
The Special Powers Act
In this episode we look at what has been described as one of the most draconian pieces of legislation ever to be passed in a liberal…
Roadside Murders
In this episode we tell the sad story of Tadhg Kennefick and try to make sense of the horrific violence of the Irish Civil war.
The Executions Begin
In this episode we look at the first series of executions carried out by the Free State in November 1922. The image used for this episode…
Weaponising the Sacraments
In this episode we look at how the Catholic Church worked to bring about peace in 1922, choosing the Treaty and turning against the…
The First Attempt At An Irish Constitution
In this episode we look at the creation of Irish Free State constitution which was brought into law on December 6th 1922. Here's the…
The Irish Free State Is Born & A TD Is Murdered
In this episode we look at December 6th, the day the Irish Free State official came into being.
The History of Halloween
In this episode we celebrate 1,000,000 downloads by going down the supernatural rabbit hole that is the history of Halloween. From druids…
Best Friends & Executions
In this episode we explore a friendship that ended in executions that was said to have "killed the new State at its birth.“
The Life & Times of Harry Boland with Shite Talk History
In this episode we join forces with Shite Talk History to tell the story of the amazing Harry Boland.
A Guerrilla Winter
In this episode we look at the winter of 1922 into 1923 – time when the Civil War became increasingly bitter and the anti-Treaty side…
Kerry's Month of Terror
Irish men blowing each other to smithereens – there's a reason March 1923 is often referred to as the month of terror. In this episode we…
The Death of Liam Lynch
"I'm glad one of the old crowd got me" is what Liam Lynch said after he was shot in the Knockmealdown Mountains and in this episode we look…
The End of the Irish Civil War
In this episode we look at the last dying gasps of the Irish Civil War and dive into the psychological genius of De Valera's order to dump…
How The Free State Failed Women
In this episode, we look at how Maggie Doherty and the McCarthy sisters were totally and utterly failed by the Free State and how their…
The Aftermath of the Irish Civil War
In this episode we look at the aftermath of the Irish Civil War and how it's still influencing Irish politics to this day.
Bonus & specials from this era
The Black & Tans in Palestine
A slight diversion from our current series on mythology to look at a unique connection between Ireland and Palestine. If you'd like to…
Interview – Alexander Poots On The Writing Northern Ireland
From CS Lewis's bourgeois Protestant upbringing to Seamus Heaney's beautiful attempts at understanding his home, this episode I interview…
Interview – The Lives of Liam Lynch & Rory O'Conner with Gerard Shannon
Loved this chat with Gerard Shannon, a fascinating historian currently writing a book on Liam Lynch. Over the course of the interview we…
Interview – The Diaries of Michael Collins with Anne Dolan & Will Murphy
Today on the centenary of the death of Michael Collins I'm sharing excerpts from an interview with Anne Dolan and Will Murphy authors of…
Podcast Announcement — Bonus Content, Ad Free listening & more
After chatting to a whole heap of listeners I've decided to bite the bullet and start a Patreon page . Though I'm dubious of podcasts…
Celebrations, Illustrations & Snazzy Merch
We've hit over 150,000 downloads and to celebrate I've teamed up with the amazing Luke Healy to put together some kick ass merch. It's a…
Questions & Answers
So I've had a few episodes about the show, and a few random ones, so I thought I'd answer them all in one episode before we get back into…