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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

87 The Civil War Memory Project

On this episode of the Irish History Show, John Dorney was joined by Dr. Críostóir Mac Cárthaigh to discuss the Civil War Memory Project, an oral history project in association with the National Folklore Collection (UCD), RTÉ and Scratch Films. For many years the Irish Civil War of 1922-23 was a taboo topic in Ireland, rarely raised in …

86 The Irish American Mob

On this episode of the Irish History Show John Dorney was joined by John Joe McGinley to discuss the Irish American Mob and orgainised crime from the 19th century onwards. We speak about: the early gangs from the influx of Irish immigration after the Great Famine. The Prohibition era when many Irish gangsters made fortunes and …

85 Ian Paisley

On this episode of the Irish History Show we were joined by journalist and author Ed Moloney to discuss the life of Ian Paisley. Reverend Ian Paisley was the founder of the Free Presbyterian Church and the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party from 1971 to 2008. In 2007 he became the First Minister of …

84 Irish Army Deserters during World War 2

On this episode of the Irish History Show we were joined by Cían Harte to discuss Irish Army deserters during the Second World War. When the Second World War began the Irish government declared neutrality. As many neutral European nations were to find out, neutrality was no guarantee to avoiding invasion. In the episode we …

83 The IRA in Dublin during the War of Independence

On this episode of the Irish History Show we were joined by Liz Gillis and James Brady to discuss the IRA in Dublin during the War of Independence. Liz Gillis is an historian and researcher on RTE’s History Show. She is the author of seven books covering the Irish Revolutionary period 1916-23 including ‘Ireland Over …

82 Sean Russell

On this episode of the Irish History Show we were joined by Gerard Shannon to discuss Seán Russell, the former Chief of Staff of the IRA. Russell continues to be a deeply controversial and divisive figure to the present day and his statue in Fairview Park, near Dublin’s city centre, has been frequently vandalised, and …