42 Michael Collins

In this episode we are joined by Irish American historian Joseph E.A. Connell Jr. to discuss his new book Michael Collins: Dublin 1916 – 1922. Michael Collins was the Chairman of the Provisional Government set up after the Anglo – Irish Treaty of 1921. Collins was a Gaelic League and GAA activist and served in the GPO during the Easter Rising. During the War of Independence, Collins was Director of Intelligence in the IRA and Minister of Finance in the Dáil government.

John Dorney and Joe Connell discuss Collins’ military and political abilities. How his charismatic personality attracted some and alienated others. What he hoped to achieve with the Treaty settlement. How and why he was killed and what his ultimate impact on Irish history was.

41 The 12th of July and the Orange Order

The Twelfth (also called the Glorious Twelfth) is a Protestant celebration held on 12 July. It began during the late 18th century in Ulster. It celebrates the Glorious Revolution (1688) and victory of Protestant king William of Orange over Catholic king James II at the Battle of the Boyne (1690), which began the Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. On and around the Twelfth, large parades are held by the Orange Order and Ulster loyalist marching bands, streets are bedecked with British flags and bunting, and large towering bonfires are lit.

The Twelfth itself originated as a celebration of the Battle of Aughrim, which took place on 12 July 1691 in the Julian calendar then in use. Aughrim was the decisive battle of the Williamite war, in which the predominantly Irish Catholic Jacobite army was destroyed and the remainder capitulated at Limerick. The Twelfth in the early 18th century was a popular commemoration of this battle, featuring bonfires and parades. The Battle of the Boyne (fought on 1 July 1690) was commemorated with smaller parades on 1 July. However, the two events were combined in the late 18th century.

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40 Dublin and the Great War Part 3

Part 3 of Near FM’s series on Dublin and the Great War. Jennifer Wellington and Tom Burke discuss the Royal Dublin Fusiliers and how the Great War is remembered. Songs from the era are provided by Luke Cheevers, Fergus Russell and Frank Nugent all from An Góilín singers. Presented by Ciarán Murray, produced by Donie Tarrant and edited by David Cullen.

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39 Dublin and the Great War Part 2

Part 2 of Near FM’s series on Dublin and the Great War.  This episode looks at women and the First World War.  Fionnuala Walsh and Niamh Murray speak about the suffragette movement and women at work. Máire Ni Chróinín from An Góilín sings songs from the era.  Presented by Ciarán Murray, produced by Donie Tarrant and edited by David Cullen.

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

38 Dublin and the Great War Part 1

For the next three episodes we are re-broadcasting a series from Near FM on Dublin and the Great War. In this episode, Ciarán Murray speaks to Padraig Yeates and John Dorney on the topics of anti-conscription and the Russian revolution. Fergus Russell from An Góilín sings songs from the era.  Presented by Ciarán Murray, produced by Donie Tarrant and edited by David Cullen.

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

37 The Civil War in Dublin

On this episode, John Dorney discusses his new book, The Civil War in Dublin: The Fight for the Irish Capital, 1922–1924. The start of the Irish Civil War was signalled by the artillery bombardment of the Four Courts in Dublin on 28 June 1922. A week later, the Four Courts was gutted and O’Connell Street a smouldering ruin, but the anti-Treaty IRA was driven from the city. Most accounts of the fighting in Dublin end there.

The Civil War in Dublin reveals the complete, shocking story of Ireland’s capital during the ten-month guerrilla war that followed – a ruthless and bitter cycle of execution, outrage and revenge. The strategy of the anti-Treaty forces, often ignored or dismissed in previous histories, is brought to the fore.

Dorney’s exacting research provides total insight into how the city of Dublin operated under conditions of disorder and bloodshed: how civilians and guerrilla fighters controlled the streets, the patterns of IRA violence and National Army counter-insurgency alternated, and – for the first time – how the pro-Treaty ‘Murder Gang’ emerged from Michael Collins’ IRA Intelligence Department, ‘the Squad’, with devastating effect.

The Civil War in Dublin brings the chaos of these years to life through meticulous detail, revealing unsettling truths about the extreme actions taken by a burgeoning Irish Free State and its anti-Treaty opponents.

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36 Martin McGuinness

On this episode of the show, John Dorney interviews Dr.Brian Hanley about the life and legacy of Martin McGuinness. McGuinness was the former Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland and Vice President of Sinn Féin.

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35 New Borders in Ireland and Europe 1918-1923


In 1921, Ireland was partitioned between north and south, but it was far from the only new state or new border in Europe. This talk puts Irish partition in context. William Mulligan teaches history at University College Dublin. This lecture was part of a series of talks, aimed at putting Ireland’s revolutionary experience of 1916-1923 in a world context. The lecture took place in the Teachers’ Club on Parnell Square on the 1st of March 2017.

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34 Irish Labour After 1916

In the aftermath of the Russian Revolution and the Easter Rising, the Irish Labour movement found itself in a new state of ferment. How did Irish Labour fare after James Connolly’s death in 1916? How did the trade union movement rebuild itself? What was its role in the independence movement? This lecture explores these questions. Brian Hanley is an historian and author of many books on Irish Republican history. The lecture was delivered in the Teachers’ Club in Dublin on the 22nd of February 2017 as part of the People’s College lecture series ‘Ireland in a World of Revolutions’ organised by John Dorney.

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33 Ireland in a World of Revolutions 1917 – 23

In early 2017 John Dorney orgainsed a series of lectures for the Peoples’ College in Dublin aimed at putting Ireland’s revolutionary experience of 1916-1923 in a world context. John delivered the first lecture entitled ‘Ireland in a World of Revolutions 1917 – 23.’ How did Ireland’s experience of revolution in the post World War One period compare and contrast with other European nations? This lecture was delivered in the Teachers’ Club on Parnell Square on the 25th of January 2017.

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