Irish Emigrants in Tsarist Russia: A History
Margaretta Eagar is a little-known figure in Irish history. In the early 20th century, she worked as a governess to the last Romanov Tsars of Russia. Eagar was just one of thousands of Irish people wh...
12 Feb 202540min
St Brigid: Pagan Goddess or Christian Saint?
St. Brigid is one of Ireland's most well-known saints. While Christian churches have experienced a crisis of faith in recent decades, she seems to buck the trend. People of all faiths and none can ide...
5 Feb 202512min
Hitler's Irish Translator: Nazi Sympathiser or Following Orders?
In March 1939, James Murphy, a Cork man, became a wanted figure in Nazi Germany. As Europe hurtled towards war, Murphy published an unedited English translation of Hitler’s notorious book, Mein Kampf,...
29 Jan 202538min
The Irish Catholic Church: How did it become so powerful?
Over the past three decades, the Catholic Church has been engulfed by numerous sexual abuse scandals and accusations of power abuse. This has prompted many to question how it initially gained such inf...
22 Jan 202538min
Winston Churchill: The Irish View on a British Legend
Winston Churchill is one of the most famous figures of the 20th century. Hailed in Britain as the man who won the war, his legacy in Ireland is far more complex. In this episode, I delve into history ...
15 Jan 202532min
Irish Lives in Victorian London: History and Influence
Victorian London was a city of immense wealth, but also shocking poverty. The historian Jerry White described it as "a metropolis of wealth, grandeur, culture, and sophistication alongside a hell of s...
11 Dec 202444min
Why Didn't Irish People Eat Fish During the Great Hunger?
During the Great Hunger of the 1840s, one million Irish perished from starvation and hunger-related diseases. However, Ireland is surrounded by some of the best fishing grounds in Europe. This begs th...
27 Nov 202430min
Why Was Life Expectancy So Low in Ireland Until 1900?
Life expectancy in Ireland has doubled over the past 200 years, but why was it so low for so long? In this podcast, I delve into the factors that kept life expectancy down in Ireland's history and wha...
20 Nov 202437min
