97 The Nine Years War

The Nine Year War in Ireland took place in Ireland from 1593 to 1603. The rebellion was led by Hugh O’Neill and Red Hugh O’Donnell and was a response to the Tudor Conquest in Ireland. The rebellion began in Ulster but eventually spread throughout the whole country. There were some significant Irish victories such as Clontibret and Yellow Ford but the Battle of Kinsale saw the English win a pivotal victory against the Irish and their Spanish allies.

(Unfotunately, when we were discussing the marriages of Hugh O’Neill, we referred to Mabel Bagenal as the former wife of Henry Bagenal. She was Henry’s sister and she eloped with Hugh O’Neill, much to the anger of Henry Bagenal.)

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Intro / Outro music “Sliabh” from Aislinn. Licensed under creative commons from the free music archive.

96 The Desmond Rebellions

The Desmond Rebellions occurred in 1569–1573 and 1579–1583 in the Irish province of Munster. They were rebellions by the Earl of Desmond, the head of the FitzGerald dynasty in Munster, and his followers, the Geraldines and their allies, against the threat of the extension of the English government over the province. The rebellions were motivated primarily by the desire to maintain the independence of feudal lords from their monarch but also had an element of religious antagonism between Catholic Geraldines and the Protestant English state. They culminated in the destruction of the Desmond dynasty and the plantation or colonisation of Munster with English Protestant settlers. 

Two articles here from the Irish Story website on the Desmond Rebellions:

The First Desmond Rebellion.

The Second Desmond Rebellion.

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Intro / Outro music “Sliabh” from Aislinn. Licensed under creative commons from the free music archive.

95 The 1923 General Election in the Irish Free State

On this episode of the Irish History Show we discussed the 1923 General Election in the Irish Free State. The election for the fourth Dáil was held on the 27th of August 1923. It was the first general election held since the establishment of the Irish Free State on the 6th of December 1922. The election was held in aftermath of the Irish Civil War, which had only ended a few short months before.

UCD Press has recently published a new book on the 1923 election called Vying for Victory. The book is edited by Mel Farrell, Elaine Callinan and Thomas Tormey and we were very pleased to be joined by Mel and Elaine on the show.

Both Dr. Elaine Callinan and Dr. Mel Farrell lecture in Irish history at Carlow College, St. Patrick’s.

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Intro / Outro music “Sliabh” from Aislinn. Licensed under creative commons from the free music archive.

94 The Army Mutiny 1924

On this episode of the Irish History Show we discussed the Irish Army Mutiny of 1924. In March 1924 about 50 officers of the Free State’s National Army, who were set to be demobilised in the post- Civil War reduction of the Army, seized weapons and abandoned their posts. Led by erstwhile Army Director of Intelligence Liam Tobin and Charles Dalton, they delivered an ultimatum to the government, demanding that the Army Council, headed by Richard Mulcahy, resign and that they and their associates be given prominent commands.

They also demanded that the Army be purged of former British Army officers and that progress be made towards Michael Collins’ ideal of an all-Ireland Republic. Some contacts were made with interned anti-Treaty IRA prisoners to make common cause against the Free State government, though they were generally rejected by the anti-Treatyites, Civil War wounds being very fresh at the time.

Today the mutiny is often dismissed as a mere farce. These were however very dangerous men. Most had served in Collins’ IRA Squad and Intelligence Department in the War of Independence.

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Intro / Outro music “Sliabh” from Aislinn. Licensed under creative commons from the free music archive.

93 The Civil War in Kerry and the Terror Month

On this episode of the Irish History Show we discussed the Civil War in Kerry. We discussed Kerry during the War of Independence and the situation in the county at the time of the Truce, the reaction to the Anglo – Irish Treaty by the Republican movement and how the Civil War progressed in the county.

We covered the atrocities that were carried out in Kerry during the Civil War and the personalities involved.

Here is a link to a recent article by John Dorney about reprisals during the Civil War.

Apologies as there are some issues with the audio during the podcast.

We have recently started a Patreon page for The Irish Story website and The Irish History Show. Please follow the link and your support is greatly appreciated. https://www.patreon.com/user?u=29204818

Intro / Outro music “Sliabh” from Aislinn. Licensed under creative commons from the free music archive.

92 Liam Lynch

On this episode of the Irish History Show we were joined by Gerard Shannon to discuss his new biography of Liam Lynch.

During the War of Independence, Liam Lynch was the officer in command of the Cork No. 2 Brigade of the IRA and later commander of the First Southern Division. He opposed the Anglo – Irish Treaty and during the Civil War he was Chief of Staff of the Anti – Treaty IRA.

Gerard Shannon is a historian from Skerries in Co. Dublin. In 2019 he wrote his MA thesis, for the School of History and Geography in Dublin City University, on Liam Lynch. Gerard has also written numerous articles for the Irish Story website.

We have recently started a Patreon page for The Irish Story website and The Irish History Show. Please follow the link and your support is greatly appreciated. https://www.patreon.com/user?u=29204818

Intro / Outro music “Sliabh” from Aislinn. Licensed under creative commons from the free music archive.

91 Land and Revolution

On this episode of the Irish History Show, John Dorney was joined by Dr. Terry Dunne to discuss the land question and agrarian radicalism during the revolutionary period.

Dr. Terry Dunne is a sociologist and historian and was Laois County Historian in Residence in 2021 and 2022. He is the host of the Peelers and Sheep podcast which is available here.

We have recently started a Patreon page for The Irish Story website and The Irish History Show. Please follow the link and your support is greatly appreciated. https://www.patreon.com/user?u=29204818

Intro / Outro music “Sliabh” from Aislinn. Licensed under creative commons from the free music archive.Audio Player

90 Irish Civil War Executions

On this episode of the Irish History Show we looked at executions carried out by the Free State government during the Irish Civil War.

The executions were made possible by legislation known as the Public Safety Bill, which was passed in the Dail on September 27, 1922. The emergency legislation gave to the National Army powers of punishment for anyone ‘taking part in or aiding and abetting attacks on the National Forces’, having possession of arms or explosives ‘without the proper authority’ or disobeying an Army General Order.

Military Courts could impose the sentence of death, imprisonment or penal servitude on those found to be guilty of such offences.

The Provisional Government, which was in place only to enact the Treaty and oversee the handover from the British administration to the Irish Free State, technically had no legal right to enact new legislation without assent of the Governor General, but this post had yet to be filled. Indeed, the Free State itself did not formally exist until December 7, 1922.

So, the Public Safety Bill was technically not a law but simply a resolution passed in the Dáil. It was not until August 1923 that the Free State would pass an Act of Indemnity for all actions committed during the Civil War and also passed new, formal legislation that it would retrospectively legalise what it had enacted in 1922.

John Dorney wrote an article on the executions for the Irish Story which is available here.

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Intro / Outro music “Sliabh” from Aislinn. Licensed under creative commons from the free music archive.

89 Commemorating the Irish Civil War

On this episode of the Irish History Show we discussed the current commemorations of the Irish Civil War and how it is being remembered 100 years on. We covered:

  • How the  Irish Civil War is being commemorated (or not) 100 years on.
  • How the conflict is interpreted today – democrats vs dictators or the unfinished revolution?
  • The enduring mythology surrounding Michael Collins
  • The difficulty in commemorating 1922 in an all-Ireland context
  • How atrocities of that era can be remembered today.

We have recently started a Patreon page for The Irish Story website and The Irish History Show. Please follow the link and your support is greatly appreciated. https://www.patreon.com/user?u=29204818

Intro / Outro music “Sliabh” from Aislinn. Licensed under creative commons from the free music archive.

88 Ireland and Ukraine

In the wake of the February 24, 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, much attention has focused on the history of Ukraine. Nadia Dobrianska is a Ukrainian lawyer  and human rights activist as well as a scholar of modern Irish history. She is also currently (August 2022) a refugee in Ireland, fleeing war in Ukraine.

Here we talk about the history of Ukraine and the parallels (and many differences) with Irish history.

Both countries have an important Viking medieval past.

Both were largely peasant nations, in which religion and language intertwined in traditional identity.

Both experienced Wars of Independence in the wake of the First World War, though in Ukraine’s case unsuccessful.

Both experienced catastrophic famines that are also remembered in part as attempts to exterminate the nation.

We have recently started a Patreon page for The Irish Story website and The Irish History Show. Please follow the link and your support is greatly appreciated. https://www.patreon.com/user?u=29204818

Intro / Outro music “Sliabh” from Aislinn. Licensed under creative commons from the free music archive.