The Irish "Football Team" That Was Actually an IRA Hit Squad
In this episode of the Irish History Boys, we delve into the seismic political shift of 1926—the split within Sinn Féin that birthed the Fianna Fáil party. We examine Éamon de Valera’s pragmatic yet c...
5 Mar 42min
Northern Ireland in 1976: The Collapse of the Convention and the Move to Direct Rule
In this episode of the Irish History Boys, Tim McGarry and Dr. Cormac Moore reflect on the "obituary" of the 1975–1976 Constitutional Convention, a failed British attempt to find a political solution ...
26 Feb 49min
Judicial Robes and Jazz Panics
In this episode of the Irish History Boys, we reflect on the barbaric 1976 murders of Mary Sloan, May Sloan, and Doris McGrath—a tragedy described at the time as a "new low in barbarity". We examine t...
19 Feb 45min
Hunger Strikes and Splenetic Denunciations
In this episode of the Irish History Boys, we commemorate the 50th anniversary of Frank Stagg’s 1976 hunger strike—a 60-day ordeal that ended in a "cloud of controversy" and left his family deeply div...
12 Feb 48min
Asserting Irish Independence with Coins and Customs
In this episode of the Irish History Boys, we examine the poignant death and funeral of Anthony Reavy in 1976—the third brother in one family to perish following a loyalist shooting. We place this tra...
5 Feb 47min
Pacts and Prisoners: The 1926 Release and the death of Frank Stagg
his week we explore the fallout of the tripartite agreement of 1926, which led to the release of 33 political prisoners in Northern Ireland—though three "Derry prisoners" remained behind bars due to t...
29 Jan 48min
Bans and Bandits: The GAA’s "Foreign" Struggle and the Stigma of "Bandit Country"
This week we explore the pivotal year of 1926 for the Gaelic Athletic Association, as delegates from Louth and Tipperary pushed for the removal of the compulsory ban on "foreign games" such as soccer,...
22 Jan 43min
1926 & 1976: Red Routes and the Darkest Days
Tim McGarry and Dr Cormac look back at the significant news stories of 1926 and 1976. Regarding 1926, they explore the complexities of the cross-channel postal service and the unionist desire for a "r...
15 Jan 45min
