The History of Ireland
The story of how Ireland became Ireland: its revolution, its gods, and the myths in between.Learn more at www.thehistoryofireland.com or support the show through Patreon for bonus content and ad free listening!www.patreon.com/thehistoryofireland Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S4EP1 – Ireland Before The Vikings
A new season — and a new invasion. Or is it? Before the Vikings arrive, we step into Ireland around 800 AD: a country of roughly 150 kings, with no towns and no coins, held together by cattle, clientship, powerful monasteries and Brehon law. This is early medieval Ireland on the eve of the Viking Age.
The image used for this episode is one of the earliest maps of Ireland recorded put together in the 2nd century AD, with the image itself coming from a 15th century manuscript.
As always, I'd love to hear what you th...
S3 EP23 – The Good People
I'm very excited to share this episode, it is an interview with the author Hannah Kent. Hannah wrote the amazing novel The Good People which is a fictional account of a very real story that took places in the early 19th century. A story very similar to that of Bridget Cleary.
Hannah took a very rigorous approach to her work and so I wanted to chat to her about her research and what she learned.
You can pick up the book and learn more about it here:
https://thebookshop.ie/kent-hannah-the-good-people-hardback/
<...S3 EP22 – Are You A Witch Or Are You A Fairy?
In this episode, up a week early for History Nerds, we look at how Bridget Cleary's last night on earth, how was killed and the wider implications of her court case.
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S3 EP21 – They're Making A Fairy Of Me
In 1895, Bridget Cleary — young, educated, and a little too stylish for County Tipperary's liking — fell ill with a fever. Within days, her husband and neighbours had convinced themselves she'd been taken by the fairies and a changeling left in her place. What followed was a week of forced "cures," a hot poker, and a fire. Drawing on Angela Bourke's The Burning of Bridget Cleary, this episode traces how a community's belief in the good people curdled into horror — and sets up the trial that would follow.
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S3 EP20 – How the Tuatha Dé Evolved into Fairies
The old gods of Ireland never really died — they went under the hills, and people learned not to say their name. We follow the Tuatha Dé into folklore, where they become the fairies, the Sídhe, the Good People — and take the first step towards the changeling and the 1895 killing of Bridget Cleary.
The episode cover image is a hawthorn tree, famously associated with fairies in Ireland. (Wikimedia Commons/Robin Somes)
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S3 EP19 - The Children of Lír in the Classroom
In today's episode we finish off the last section of The Fate of the Children of Lír and explore how really it was the Christian Brothers who cemented it in the Irish psyche.
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S3 EP18 — Why The Children of Lír Was The Perfect Story For 19th Century Nationalists
In this episode we look at how the Children of Lír slowly gained popularity over the 19th century and see what happens when you turn someone's children into swans.
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S3 EP17 — The Lie Behind The Children of Lír
In this episode we look at The Fate of the Children of Lír and explore how Ireland's most famous myth is not a myth at all. In fact, it's a Christian parable in a shape of myth. A bit like a child who's been turned into a swan.
The artwork for this episode is THE CHILDREN OF LIR. THE ENCHANTMENT by Jim FitzPatrick.
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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 donate to support the people of Palestine you can do so here:
https://www.savethechildren.org/us/where-we-work/west-bank-gaza
As this could be a contentious episode, I wanted to ensure I shared all my sources. If it's something people find interesting, I'll keep doing for episodes moving forward.
Seán W. Gannon, “The Formation, Composition, and Conduct of the British Section of the Palestine Gendarmerie, 1922–26,” The His...
S3 EP16 — The Scholars on the Edge of the World
The Fate of the Children of Tuireann Pt. 3
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S3 EP15 — The Fines That Made Brehon Law Tick
In this episode Lug issues a fine to the Children of Tuireann and we look at how fines were the bedrock of medieval Ireland's decentralised system of laws.
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S3 EP 14 — Ireland's First Psychopath?
In the latest episode we dive into the Fate of the Children of Tuireann, a story from the 15th century that builds on The Second Battle of Moytura and introduces a fascinating (if slightly horrible) character in the form of Brian, son of Tuireann.
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S3 EP13 — Honour Price & Fidchell
In this episode we explore the concept of honour price and how it was one of the most important legal concept in early medieval Ireland. We then dive back into The Wooing of Étain, where three games of fidchell (ancient Irish chess) demonstrate different approaches to keeping deals and saving face.
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S3 E12 — The Kings of Early Medieval Ireland Meet Étain
In this episode we look at how early medieval Ireland was ruled through a series of different kings and over kings, as well as continue our story of Etain, who is now living in early medieval Ireland with no memory of her time with the Tuatha Dé.
Image, used with permission, is Nuada the High King by Jim Fitzpatrick.
https://jimfitzpatrick.com/product-category/celtic-irish-fantasy-art/the-book-of-conquests-and-the-silverarm/page/2/
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S3 EP11 – The Unique Oddness of Irish Mythology
In this episode we get back into The Wooing of Étain, exploring her life as a fly and witness how she is reborn 1000 years later...
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S3 EP10 – How Patrick Became Our Patron Saint
In this episode we look at how a Welsh bishop with fringe apocalyptic ideas became the patron saint of Ireland – defeating a whole load of druids in the process.
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S3 EP9 — How Druids Learned To Read The Moon Through Story
Did Étain represent the moon? And did The Wooing of Étain teach druids how to read the moon's movement over decades? In this episode we explore how connected to the natural world Irish stories really are and meet the eponymous Étain for the first time.
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S3 EP8 — A Lost Story of how the God's Fought Over Newgrange
In this episode we look at the history behind how The Wooing of Étain was uncovered and then dive into the story itself — as the Dagda swindles a poor man out of his home in Newgrange.
Imagery for the episode, used with permission, is Boann Bru Na Boinne by the iconic Jim FitzPatrick. You can view more of Jim's stunning work and purchase prints at jimfitzpatrick.com
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S3 EP7 — Were the Fomorians a Metaphor for Vikings?
In this episode we finally get to the big clash between the Fomorians and the Tuatha Dé. It's a brutal and beautiful piece of literature. It also may have been inspired by Viking invasions...
Imagery for the episode, used with permission, is Lugh Attacks the Fomor by the iconic Jim FitzPatrick. You can view more of Jim's stunning work and purchase prints at jimfitzpatrick.com
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S3 EP6 – Why is Ireland's Father Deity So Different?
In this episode we follow one of the strangest (and maybe raunchiest) moments in ancient Irish stories as the Dagda prepares for battle.
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S3 EP5 – How Lugh shows what the Irish cared about
In this episode we greet the arrival of Lugh as the Tuatha Dé prepare for battle. We also dive into what the characters of Lugh and Bres tell us about what the ancient Irish looked for in a leader.
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S3 EP4 – How Bres the Beautiful came to be
In this episode we look at life in Ireland under the rulership of Bres the Beautiful and learn who is father was, as well as explore what a story of Dian Cecht can tell us about ancient Irish writers.
Cover image is an AI created image of Eriu staring out to sea. What do we think of something like this? I'm struggling to find good cover imagery for these stories so this feels a nice solution, but I'm also unsure and keen on to hear ye're thoughts.
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S3 EP3 – The Coming of the Tuatha Dé
In this episode we dive into the First Battle of Moytura, telling the story of how the Tuatha Dé came to Ireland.
If you'd like to dive into the originals, check out UCC's CELT resource.
The image is one of the Cong Stone Circles in Mayo, which is said to be linked to the Battle of Moytura.
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S3 EP2 – The Filí
In this episode we look at the people behind the Irish mythological stories and explore how the stories we have today are a fascinating blend of Irish paganism and Christian pseudo-history.
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S3 EP01 – Newgrange, The Celts & The People of the Sídhe
It's a whole new season and we're doing something a little different – diving into the rich tapestry of Irish mythology. But before we jump into tales of gods and heroes, we need to set the stage. In this episode, we're exploring the uniquely Irish concept of the Sidhe looking at everything from Newgrange's Neolithic passage tombs to the arrival of the Celts, unpacking how these ancient structures shaped Ireland's mythological landscape.
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S2 EP30 – 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.
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S2 EP29 – 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 stories highlight how women suffered due to the conflict.
Content Warning: This episode does discuss sexual assault.
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S2 EP28 – 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 arms.
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S2 EP27 – 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 at the dying breaths of both the anti-Treaty IRA and it's iron willed leader Liam Lynch.
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S2 EP26 – 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 explore the Ballyseedy Massacre and the other similarly gruesome events that occurred in Kerry towards the end of the Irish Civil War.
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S2 EP25 – 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 became more and more desperate.
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S2 EP24 – 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.
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S2 EP23 – 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.“
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S2 EP22 – 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 to evil spirts, from Christianity to capitalism, Halloween is a fascinating mix of ancient folk traditions, religion and more.
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S2 EP21 – 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.
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S2 EP20 – 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 Radiolab episode on the Irish electoral system that I mention in the show:
https://radiolab.org/podcast/tweak-vote
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S2 EP19 – 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 anti-Treaty Republicans.
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S2 EP18 – 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 is of Erskine Childers and his wife Molly, on their yacht the Asgard.
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S2 EP17 – 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.
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S2 EP16 – 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 democracy and see how the Special Powers Act was just one of the many ways that Ulster Unionists held on to power.
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