Free State or Fair State: Ireland After Independence
In 1921 the War of Independence came to an end. Many had high hopes for what the future held in store for them in an Independent Ireland. However while people lived in what was officially called the I...
19 Apr 201623min
The Revolution Underground (Secret Societies, Communism and Coal (Part V) (1919-1922)
In 1919 the War of Independence broke out in Ireland. In Castlecomer, Ireland’s largest mining community, this had a profound effect. While the I.R.A. fought the British Army in the surrounding countr...
7 Mars 201635min
The Road to War (1894 -1918) – Secret Societies, Communism and Coal (Part IV)
'The Road to War' returns to my series on the Castlecomer Coalfields. It takes you on a gripping journey through life in one small Irish town and the surrounding coalfields between 1894 & 1918. From ...
18 Jan 201649min
A Christmas Feast in Medieval Ireland
The turkey only arrived in Northern Europe in 16th century so what did people eat for Christmas Dinner? In this episode I look at the foods available in medieval Ireland. This includes everything from...
16 Dec 201513min
The Superstitions and Strange Customs of Medieval Ireland
Strange as it may sound, if you lived in the Northwest of Ireland 1000 years ago you may well have witnessed your king attempting to mate with a horse! Medieval Ireland was a very strange place and th...
15 Dec 201511min
Ireland's Hidden Hand in History
Its Christmas and to celebrate I am releasing three podcasts this week. This episode looks at the Ireland's hidden hand in history - Irish people who you have never heard of but nevertheless played ke...
14 Dec 201513min
The Land War & the Great 1881 Strike – Secret Societies, Communism and Coal (Part III)
In the aftermath of the famine the people of Castlecomer were shell-shocked, reeling from years of death, disease and emigration. However by the 1880s this had changed. When yet another famine threate...
6 Nov 201522min
The Great Famine in Castlecomer - Secret Societies, Communism and Coal Part II
In 1845 life in the Castlecomer Coalfields was racked by economic recession and grinding poverty. When the potato crop, the staple diet of millions across Ireland, failed disaster struck. In the follo...
2 Okt 201524min
