Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘ireland’ Category

The 1916 proclamation, the manifesto of the 1916 rebels, states “The Republic guarantees religious and civil liberty, equal rights and equal opportunities to all its citizens, and declares its resolve to pursue the happiness and prosperity of the whole nation and of all its parts, cherishing all the children of the nation equally, and oblivious [...]

Read Full Post »

One Sunday afternoon in 1907 in the Bronx, New York a group of Irish-Americans gathered to discuss politics. A mixture of recent immigrants and second generation Irish Americans they gathered at the Gurely-Flynn household. The Gurley-Flynn’s were in many ways what we might assume a stereotypical Irish American family to be in the early 20th [...]

Read Full Post »

In 1961 the Evening Standard Newspaper celebrated its centential with a special supplement looking at Dublin over the previous hundred years (1861 – 1961). This supplment contained these fascinating early photos of Dublin before and after Independence in 1921. The change in Dublin’s streetscape is dramatic, illustrating what the city was like when it had [...]

Read Full Post »

Built by Edward III in the 13th century, Caernarfon castle is one of the most impressive castles in Britain. Situated in Gwynedd on the north-west coast of Wales it is an enormous structure unlike any castle still standing in Ireland. Along with with several other castles in the region including Conwy and Beaumaris it was constructed [...]

Read Full Post »

Over the last week archaeologists have begun to excavate the remains of a shipwreck from the Spanish Armada. Lying off the coast of County Donegal, the timbers, musketballs and pottery found so far  reveal a tantalising glimpse of what else may lie on the sea bed. In this podcast, first released in 2010, you can [...]

Read Full Post »

In the 1970′s the skull and jaw of a Barbary Ape were discovered at the Iron Age site of Navan Fort (Eamhain Mhacha) in Armagh, dating from sometime between 300-100 B.C.E. The Ape, or at least its skull and jaw had travelled thousands of kilometres across Iron Age Europe and Africa to Ireland. When we [...]

Read Full Post »

Imagine how our understanding of the Norman invasion of Ireland might change if we had footage of Strongbow entering Dublin in 1170 or what we might think of Brian Boru if we had footage of his burial at Armagh in 1014. These comparisons highlight the role that film footage will play as we construct the [...]

Read Full Post »

Episode 7: Around the world on March 17th, millions of people will attend St Patrick’s day parades in memory of the man who supposedly “converted the Irish to Christianity”. He is a figure shrouded in mystery and myth but in this podcast we examine the truth behind the one time slave and famous bishop Patrick. [...]

Read Full Post »

As the 18th century drew to a close the catholic church in Ireland was optimistic about its future. It had survived a century of repression emerging relatively intact and as the century drew to a close full catholic emancipation was on the horizon. Through the following century the Catholic Church in Ireland enjoyed a meteoric [...]

Read Full Post »

5.The Time in the Slime (the river Liffey) Back in the late 1990’s when Ireland’s economy started to grow for the first time in centuries the government, instead of building schools and hospitals, decided Dublin needed a clock in the river Liffey that counted down to the millennium. Officially called “The Millennium Clock”, it was [...]

Read Full Post »

Episode 6 is the start of a fascinating story, full of twists and turns. Over the next three shows we will see the O Neill kingdom who have dominated the first five shows see their power challenged by the Dal Cais (the family of Brian Boru). This will see many challengers rise and fall as [...]

Read Full Post »

Kilkenny more than any other  Irish city has a distinctively medieval feel about it. Its small streets wind around several medieval buildings whilst its skyline is still dominated by a 13th century castle and cathedral. Through some of these buildings we can reconstruct the major events of the city’s past from witch trials to the [...]

Read Full Post »

Episode 5 Episode five  is an exciting journey through one of the most turbulent times in Medieval Ireland. The years 902- 930 see Ireland’s most powerful faction – The O Neill kingdom go to war with their traditional enemies – The Eoganacht. After three years of war only one survives creating a power vacuum, which [...]

Read Full Post »

Last week the depositions collected in the aftermath of the 1641 rebellion were published online. The depositions, which are free to access, amount to what were witness statements of survivors, collected by government officials. These are an incredible insight into Ireland in the 17th century and  how people at the time perceived what was happening [...]

Read Full Post »

Want to spend a day exploring castles with hidden chambers or wandering around monasteries that were bigger than small towns? Here’s how to visit three sites for €6! Although you’ll probably only have heard of one – Kilkenny castle, the others – Clara castle and Kells Priory are equally interesting. They are all close to [...]

Read Full Post »

Episode 4 The 820-40’s saw the Vikings step it up a gear as vast fleets attacked Ireland and establish bases called longphorts around the coast . However by the late 840’s Gaelic Ireland struck back and the Vikings changed their tactics by forming alliances with Gaelic kingdoms. This episode looks at the widespread war and [...]

Read Full Post »

1741, “The Year of Slaughter” (Bliadhain an Air) was one of the most tragic events in post-medieval Irish history. Although this famine has been overshadowed by the famine of 1845-1851 it was  equally destructive. In fact it killed a greater percentage of the population in a shorter period of time. Although often attributed to “natural [...]

Read Full Post »

Episode 3 is a whistle stop tour through  the Viking World visiting places from Baghdad to Newfoundland explaining how the Viking world impacted Ireland. This episode sees the first Africans arrive in Ireland in the 9th century and explains how a coin from Armenia was found amongst the remains of people massacred by the vikings [...]

Read Full Post »