59 Housing in Dublin in the 20th Century

On this episode of the show we were joined by Dr. Ruth McManus, Associate Professor of Geography in the School of History and Geography in Dublin City University, to discuss housing in Dublin in the 20th century.

We discussed Dublin Corporation’s early attempts to provide housing in the late 19th century; the 1913 Lockout and how it brought into sharp focus the poor quality of housing so many of Dublin’s citizens lived in, the response of the new Free State government, Marino and the Garden City movement, subsequent developments in Drumcondra and Cabra, the role of housing co – ops and the large scale housing schemes in Crumlin, Kimmage and Drimnagh,

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58 The British Empire and the Second World War

On this episode of the show, John Dorney talks to Dr. Jonathan Fennell from King’s College, London. They discuss his book Fighting the People’s War – The British and Commonwealth armies in the Second War.

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57 The Jacobite Parliament of 1689

King James II

On this episode of the show we were joined by Dr. Pádraig Lenihan of NUI Galway to discuss the 1689 Irish Parliament. The Patriot, or Jacobite, Parliament was called by King James II during the 1689 to 1691 war in Ireland. It was the first Irish Parliament called since 1666 and held only one session, from 7 May 1689 to 20 July 1689.

We discussed the grievances felt by the Catholic population over land ownership and penal laws; the role of James’ Lord Deputy, the Earl of Tyrconnell; the key pieces of legislation passed by the parliament and how it was remembered by nationalists and unionists in Ireland.

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

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56 Ireland and the Spanish Flu

On this episode of the show we are joined by Dr. Ida Milne to discuss the Spanish Flu and its effects on Ireland in 1918 and 1919.

The Spanish Flu, and related infections from pneumonia, claimed 23,000 lives and infected some 800,000 people in Ireland over a 12-month period.

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55 Celtic Tiger to Covid 19

On this episode of the Irish History Show we are joined by author and researcher Dr. Conor McCabe. We looked at recent Irish economic history from the Celtic Tiger to the 2008 banking collapse. We also looked at the decade of austerity in the wake of the 2008 crash and Conor talked about what possible effects the Covid 19 pandemic could have on the Irish economy.

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

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54 Republicans and Crime

On this episode we are joined by Dr. Brian Hanley to discuss Republicans and Crime. We look at the law and order situations in Ireland before the revolutionary period and how the War of Independence meant that the Royal Irish Constabulary and Dublin Metropolitan Police were unable to maintain law and order as the war progressed. As police barracks were abandoned or destroyed the Republican Movement aimed to fill the gap with the Irish Republican Police. We look at the rise of armed crime, particularly bank robberies, and how long before relatively normal conditions returned to the country.

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53 Siege Warfare in 17th Century Ireland

On this episode we are joined by Dr. Pádraig Lenihan from the National University of Ireland, Galway to talk about Sieges in 17th Century Ireland.

We talk about the evolution in sieges in the 17th century; new tactics employed by combatants; how cities and towns improved their defensive measures to cope with new munitions developed by attacking armies; the effects on the civilian populations; disease and lack of access to clean water and sanitation within besieged cities; and we look at some notable Irish examples of sieges such as Derry, Limerick, Drogheda and Clonmel.

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52 Belfast, from Pogrom to Civil War

On this episode, we are joined by Kieran Glennon to talk about the sectarian conflict in Belfast from 1920 to 1922, and the Northern IRA and the Civil War. Kieran is the author of From Pogrom to Civil War: Tom Glennon and the Belfast IRA.  

Vicious sectarian conflict broke out in Belfast in 1920 during the Irish War of Independence and continued on for two years with almost 500 people losing their lives. In this episode we cover what led up to the violence in Belfast; the shipyard expulsions; why Belfast Catholics referred to the violence as a pogrom; the actions of the RIC / RUC and the Special Constabulary; the Truce between the Republican movement and the British government; reaction to the conflict in Dublin; how the creation of the Northern Ireland state and its eventual control of security powers effected the violence and reaction to the Anglo – Irish Treaty among Northern Republicans.

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51 Victor Brown Political Cartoonist

On this episode we are joined by Barry Sheppard from History Now on NVTV to talk about the political cartoons of Victor Brown in The Irish Press.

Previous episodes of History Now are available here: http://www.nvtv.co.uk/ondemand/community-2/history-community-2/

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50 John Jinks and the Fifth Dáil

On this episode we discuss Deputy John Jinks and his role in the short lived fifth Dáil. Despite lasting just 98 days, it was one of the most historic. As Fianna Fáil agreed to drop abstentionism and take their seats in the Dáil, the parliamentary arithmetic meant that a new government was possible. With a Labour / National League coalition agreed, with support from Fianna Fáil, W.T. Cosgrave’s administration looked set to fall. John Jinks was about to throw a spanner in the works.

An article on John Jinks and the fifth Dáil is available here:
https://www.theirishstory.com/2014/09/08/john-jinks-and-the-collapse-of-the-fifth-dail/#.XoikC4hKjIU

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