110 Leopold Bloom and Albert Altman

On this episode of the Irish History Show we spoke to Professor Neil Davison and Vincent Altman O’Connor about the Irish – Jewish politician Albert L. Altman. We explored the idea that Altman is a possible inspiration for Leopold Bloom, the protagonist of James Joyce’s Ulysses.

Professor Neil Davison is a member of the faculty of the School of Writing, Literature and Film at Oregon State University. Professor Davison’s works include James Joyce, “Ulysses,” and the Construction of Jewish Identity; Jewishness and Masculinity from the Modern to the Postmodern and An Irish-Jewish Politician, Joyce’s Dublin, and Ulysses: The Life and Times of Albert L. Altman.

Vincent Altman O’Connor is a civil servant and a descendant of Albert Altman. He has written and lectured on Bloom and Altman.

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109 The Economic War

On this episode of the Irish History Show we discussed the Economic War, also known as the Anglo – Irish Trade War. It lasted from 1932 to 1938. When Fianna Fáil were first elected to government in 1932 they refused to continue paying the Land Annuities to the British government. This led to a series of retaliatory tariffs from both governments.

The Fianna Fáil government used the dispute as an opportunity to build up domestic manufacturing behind these new tariffs. The economic war led to political instability and violence from sections of Irish society whose livelihoods were damaged by the trade war such as cattle graziers and exporters. It also led to the rise of the Blueshirts.

The Economic War was concluded by the Anglo – Irish Agreement in 1938.

We have 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

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108 Fascism and the Far Right in Ireland

On this episode off the Irish History Show, we spoke to Dr. Pádraig Óg Ó Ruairc about his new book Burn them out! A history of Fascism and the Far Right in Ireland.

Pádraig Óg Ó Ruairc is an historian from Clare who has a BA in Archaeology from University College Dublin and a PhD in History from the University of Limerick. He has published eight books.

We have 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

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107 Elections in Ireland Part 3

On this episode off the Irish History Show, we covered part three of our series on the history of Irish elections. We looked at municipal elections and the reforms of Thomas Drummond, the British Under – Secretary for Ireland.

We looked at the evolution of party politics in Ireland in the 19th century and the unionist / nationalist divide.

We also looked at the impact of the Reforms Acts and the expansion of the franchise.

We have 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

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106 Elections in Ireland Part 2

On this episode off the Irish History Show, we covered part two of our series on the history of Irish elections. We looked at the Protestant Ascendency in the 18th century and the Penal Laws. The contentious 1713 General Election and the riots that took place in Dublin and how the Irish Parliament lagged behind Westminster in terms of electoral reform.

We looked at party politics in Ireland, the growth of the Patriot movement and the Constitution of 1782.

We looked at the Act of Union and Daniel O’Connell’s famous election to Westminster leading to Catholic Emancipation in 1829.

We have 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

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105 Elections in Ireland Part One

On this episode of the Irish History Show we looked at the history of elections in Ireland. Parliament in Medieval Ireland was an event rather than an institution. The earliest known parliament was held in Castledermot in County Kildare and over the years parliament met in different towns and cities throughout the Anglo – Norman Lordship of Ireland.

We looked at how these parliaments were elected, who they represented and what type of laws they passed. We looked at Poyning’s Law and the Statutes of Kilkenny.

This first episode traced the history of elections up to the end of Williamite Wars.

We have 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

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104 Irish Genealogy

On this episode of the Irish History Show we have combined five episodes of a podcast series we made for Timeline Research Ltd. about tracing your Irish ancestors.

The series covered topics such as finding out information on relatives who fought in the First World War, housing, using the census and tax returns to make your family tree and how to use and access different archives and online resources.

The series was co-hosted by one of Ireland’s leading genealogists, Nicola Morris. Nicola is the founder and director of Timeline Research Ltd. and is currently the President of Accredited Genealogists Ireland. Nicola lectures on Genealogy in University College Dublin, University College Cork, the University of Limerick and City Colleges, Dublin.

In 2017 she was appointed to the Board of the Irish Manuscripts Commission  and was more recently appointed to the Genealogy and Heraldry Committee of the Board of the National Library of Ireland.

Nicola works very closely with the production company for the BBC TV programme Who Do You Think You Are? as well as the Irish and US versions of the show, which aired on RTE, NBC and TLC networks. Nicola has appeared on screen with Rosie O’Donnell, Judy Dench, Jeremy Irons, Graham Norton, Chris Moyles, Julie Walters, Emma Willis and Paul Merton, among others. Nicola was also one of the presenters of the first series of The Genealogy Roadshow for RTE. She was a researcher for and contributor to The Tenements, an award nominated series for TV3 as well as a researcher and presenter on The Great House Revival for RTE and she works closely with other Irish and international production companies on programmes about genealogy and Irish history.

We have 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

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103 The Birmingham Six

On this episode of the Irish History Show we looked at the Birmingham Pub Bombings of the 21st of November 1974 and the long campaign for justice for the six men who were wrongfully convicted of these killings.

To discuss the Birmingham Six we were joined by two special guests. Chris Mullin is an author, journalist and diarist and, from 1987 to 2010, he was the Labour Party MP for Sunderland South in England. His work with Granada Television’s World in Action current affairs series, and his 1986 book, Error of Judgement: The Truth behind the Birmingham Pub Bombings, were integral in proving the innocence of the Birmingham Six. Error of Judgement was described by the author and journalist Sebastian Faulks as ‘One of the greatest feats in investigative journalism.’ A new edition of Error of Judgement has been published this year to mark 50 years since the bombings.

Dr. Michael Flavin is from the School of Global Studies in King’s College, London. Michael’s novels include The Voice Hearer and One Small Step. He has written many articles on the Troubles and a lot of his writing draws on his experience growing up in the Irish community in Birmingham in the 1970s. Michael’s latest novel is Long is the Way and is due to be published next year.

We have 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

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102 The McMahon Murders

On this episode of the show we looked at the McMahon murders. The murders occurred on 24 March 1922 when six Catholic civilians were shot dead at the home of the McMahon family in Belfast. The victims were businessman Owen McMahon, four of his sons, and one of his employees. Two others were shot but survived, and a female family member was assaulted. Owen McMahon (50), Gerard McMahon (15), Frank McMahon (24), Patrick McMahon (22) and Edward McKinney (25) were killed outright while Bernard McMahon (26) died later. The youngest McMahon son, 12-year-old Michael, survived the attack by hiding behind furniture and pretending to be hit. John McMahon (30) survived despite serious gunshot wounds.

Nobody was ever prosecuted for the murders but it is believed the killers were members of the police and Ulster Special Constabulary.

We spoke to Dr. Edward Burke about his recent book, Ghosts of a Family: Ireland’s Most Infamous Unsolved Murder, the Outbreak of the Civil War and the Origins of the Modern Troubles. Dr. Burke investigates the circumstances of the murders and places it in the context of the extreme violence in the city at the time which became known as the Belfast Pogrom.

Edward Burke is an Assistant Professor in the History of War since 1945 at University College Dublin (UCD). He is currently the Director of the International War Studies MA programme and Director of Graduate Teaching at the School of History. Prior to joining UCD, he was an Assistant/Associate Professor in International Relations at the University of Nottingham (2017-2022). From 2015 to 2017 Edward was a Lecturer in Strategic Studies at the University of Portsmouth, attached to RAFC Cranwell. He received his PhD in International Relations in 2016 from the University of St. Andrews.

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101 Gerry Healy and the Workers Revolutionary Party

On this episode of the show we were joined by Dr. Aidan Beatty to discuss his new book The Party is Always Right: The Untold Story of Gerry Healy and British Trotskyism published by Pluto Press.

Gerry Healy was the Galway born leader of the Socialist Labour League and the Workers Revolutionary Party. He was a key figure in Trotskyism and one of the most controversial leaders on the British left. His legacy is tainted by his expulsion from his own party under accusations of sexual abuse, his use of violence against political opponents and the cult like conditions of his party.

Aidan Beatty is an award-winning historian and lecturer at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is the author of Private Property and the Fear of Social Chaos, and Masculinity and Power in Irish Nationalism, which was awarded the James S. Donnelly Sr. Prize. He has written for Jacobin, the Irish Times and the Washington Post. He will be the president of the American Conference for Irish Studies in 2025.

We have 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

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