The Irish History Boys

In this episode of the Irish History Boys, we dive into the volatile street politics of November 1926, where memory, symbolism, and nationalism collided in Dublin over the Easter Lily and the Remembrance Poppy. We explore how an anti-imperialist rally at College Green—spearheaded by republican women like Sheila Humphreys and Fiona Plunkett—turned Grafton Street into a scene of "electrical excitement" and violent brawls between poppy wearers and republican sympathisers. We also examine the scathing rhetoric of future President Seán T. O'Kelly, who launched fiery protests against British imperialism and Ireland’s participation in the Imperial Conference.We contextualise this symbolic battleground within the economic and social realities of 1920s Ireland, contrasting the British Legion’s massive financial haul against the fledgling Republican lily effort that raised a mere £34. We unpack the complex, contentious legacy of the estimated 200,000 Irishmen who fought in the First World War, and examine why Armistice Day remained a deeply divisive flashpoint for decades.Fast-forwarding 50 years to November 1976, we navigate the political disorientation gripping Northern Ireland amidst a grim surge of sectarian violence. We dissect the Loyalist Central Coordinating Committee’s 10-page document ("Ulster Can Survive Unfettered") proposing an independent Northern Ireland—a "pie in the sky" plan featuring an unarmed police force, an Isle of Man-style tax system, and a £300 million British subsidy.To conclude, we address Sinn Féin’s bold 1976 assertion that British withdrawal was "already well underway", illustrating how competing, unrealistic visions struggled to fill the dangerous political vacuum of the Troubles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of the Irish History Boys, hosts Tim McGarry and Dr. Cormac Moore go back to November 1976 to discuss the election of Jimmy Carter as President of the United States and the changing landscape of American politics. Reading from The Irish News, we revisit Carter’s historic victory over Gerald Ford—a former peanut farmer and political outsider who declared "the sun is rising on a beautiful new day for this country". We examine how the shadow of Watergate, Ford's controversial pardon of Richard Nixon, and famous television debate missteps shaped one of the closest-fought presidential races in modern history. Additionally, we explore how Carter broke long-standing US diplomatic precedent by initiating a direct American policy engagement with Northern Ireland.Going back 100 years to November 1926, we examine the controversy surrounding an Irish News headline declaring "Palaces for Policemen". We discuss the Northern Ireland government's proposal to spend £800,000 erecting 90 new Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) barracks and reconstructing 115 others. We dissect the fierce parliamentary opposition led by nationalist MP Joe Devlin, who condemned such massive security expenditure at a time of deep economic recession, severe poverty, and urgent housing shortages for the poor. We also reflect on Unionist security anxieties, the reliance on the B Specials, and the long, contentious history of policing in Ireland.To conclude, we tackle a 1926 sporting dispute from Fermanagh, where the local GAA County Board expressed "great indignation" over reports that schoolboys were being coerced into playing rugby. We unpack the condemnation of forcing boys to embrace a "foreign code," the history and enforcement of the GAA's ban on English games, and the 19th-century invention of Gaelic football under Maurice Davin. Finally, we reflect on how times have changed up to the modern era with the establishment of the PSNI GAA team. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join hosts Tim McGarry and Cormac Moore as they dive into the colorful, tragic, and surprising history of the Irish border.In this episode, the team explores the origins of border enforcement following the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty and the rise of border smuggling. From women stuffing heavy "Ulster coats" with goods in 1930s Donegal to cattle swimming across Lough Erne during the Economic War, discover how ordinary citizens outsmarted customs barriers.The episode then turns to one of the darkest moments of 1976: the shocking hospital assassination of Provisional Sinn Féin Vice President Máire Drumm at Belfast's Mater Hospital. Finally, look back at John Hume's groundbreaking 1976 diplomatic mission to Washington D.C., which reshaped American involvement in Northern Ireland. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to this week's The Irish History Boys podcast with Tim and Cormac. On this episode, they discuss the 1976 Irish Presidential Crisis, where President Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh referred new emergency powers legislation to the Supreme Court following heightened IRA violence in Dublin, creating severe friction with Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave’s coalition government.They examine how the crisis peaked when Defence Minister Patrick Donegan publicly insulted the President as a thundering disgrace. When the Taoiseach refused to discipline Donegan, Ó Dálaigh resigned to defend the dignity of his office, directly contributing to the government's landslide defeat in 1977.Finally, they cover how the government enforced Section 31 of the Broadcasting Act, banning RTÉ interviews with Provisional Sinn Féin and paramilitary groups, a controversial media prohibition that remained in place until 1994. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Tim McGarry and Dr. Cormac Moore on The Irish History Boys as they explore what British policy looked like towards Ireland between 1912 and 1921, including home rule.This episode focuses specifically on the chequered careers and legacies of two consecutive British Prime Ministers: Herbert Henry Asquith and David Lloyd George. They discuss Lloyd George's secret double-dealing with unionists and nationalists, the backfiring 1918 Conscription Crisis, and the passage of the 1920 Government of Ireland Act, which formally partitioned the six Ulster counties. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Tim McGarry and Dr. Cormac Moore on The Irish History Boys as they explore Ireland's diplomatic push for co-equality at the 1926 Imperial Conference and the Balfour Declaration.This episode also dives into a 1976 church initiative attempting to tackle 'them and us' politics in Northern Ireland, alongside a look at the 1926 Soviet power struggle that paved the way for Joseph Stalin's rise. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of the Irish History Boys, hosts Cormac Moore and Tim McGarry are joined by Dr Gavin Hughes to examine the bloody, highly complex tragedy of the 1798 Irish Rebellion. We reflect on the brutal counter-insurgency campaign led by General Gerard Lake—exploring horrific tactics like "pitch-capped" burning tar hats, widespread executions, and the sheer terror of the "dragooning of Ulster".We examine this chaotic uprising within the broader context of post-Atlantic radicalism, tracing how the ideals of Thomas Paine and the French Revolution inspired Wolfe Tone to unite "Catholic, Protestant, and Dissenter" in 1791. We unpack the strange paradoxes of the conflict—from Gaelic-speaking Catholic militias fighting for the Crown to soldiers telling "fibs" about their religion to secure army careers. Additionally, we detail the strategic collapse following the arrest of Lord Edward Fitzgerald, Wolfe Tone's foiled French invasion at Bantry Bay where ships were so close you could "throw a biscuit box", and Napoleon's fateful decision to head to Egypt instead of Ireland.We also explore the tragic human cost through local eyewitness accounts, including postmistress Mary Ledbetter's memories of the sacking of the pacifist Quaker village of Ballytore, as well as the horrific sectarian atrocities at Scullabogue and Carrick-na-Cessna. To conclude, we trace the campaign from the "Races of Castlebar" to the last stand at Vinegar Hill, examining how an estimated 50,000 casualties paved the way for the 1800 Act of Union and why figureheads like Daniel O'Connell—who served in the Kerry Yeomanry—distanced themselves from the rebellion's bloody legacy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of the Irish History Boys, we reflect on Oliver Cromwell’s brutal 10-month invasion of Ireland in 1649, a devastating campaign marked by the massacres at Drogheda and Wexford that left a 400-year shadow over the island.We examine these horrific sieges within the grim context of 17th-century European warfare, comparing Cromwell's relentless tactics to the atrocities of the Thirty Years' War and exploring how black propaganda surrounding the 1641 Rebellion fuelled sectarian revenge.Additionally, we dissect the paradox of Cromwell himself: was he a ruthless dictator, a cross between Stalin and Napoleon, or a disciplined military strategist who mastered supply lines and logistically bound his army together?To conclude, we tackle the tragic aftermath of the Commonwealth campaign, exploring the catastrophic loss of up to 20% of Ireland’s population, the forced transportation of 50,000 Irish men and women to Barbados, and why Cromwell's legacy continues to walk beside history on the island to this day. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of the Irish History Boys, we reflect on the September 1976 IRA bomb attack on the Belfast Telegraph offices and the tragic death of 60-year-old print worker Joe Patton. We examine how rival publications—including the nationalist Irish News —stood in unprecedented solidarity to defend a free press against paramilitary intimidation.We analyze this targeted attack within the context of 1976's grim violence, highlighting the rare targeting of journalists during the Troubles and the paper's defiance in publishing its famous four-page "Penny Marvel" edition straight from the rubble.Additionally, we explore Vanguard leader William Craig’s astonishing political U-turn in September 1976.We discuss his controversial proposal for a voluntary power-sharing coalition with the SDLP, his immediate expulsion from the unionist coalition, and the political paralysis that left Northern Ireland in a bleak stalemate.To conclude, we tackle the long history of British political disinterest in Ireland, tracing a pattern of neglect from G.K. Chesterton’s 1918 warnings to border visits in 1924 and modern Brexit confusion. We also answer listener questions regarding Ireland's World War II defense forces and diplomat Seán Lester's role leading the League of Nations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of the Irish History Boys, Tim McGarry and Dr. Cormac Moore reflect on the harrowing 1926 cinema fire in the County Limerick village of Dromcollogher, an appalling catastrophe that claimed nearly 50 lives.We examine how a makeshift cinema in a hardware store loft turned into a blazing inferno when unprotected film reels ignited, trapping moviegoers with only a single ladder exit.We examine the devastating impact of this tragedy, locally remembered as "The Burning", where one-tenth of the village perished, and analyse why the disaster sparked no official Dáil inquiry or formal parliamentary debate.Additionally, Tim shares a personal story of surviving a targeted 1981 arson attack on his family home in Belfast, drawing striking parallels to Dublin's Stardust fire.Moving to September 1976, we explore the historic heatwave and severe drought that led to widespread water rationing across Northern Ireland and southern divisions, drying up major reservoirs like Silent Valley and Stonyford.We discuss how this record heatwave was perceived at the time as a glorious summer rather than an early warning of climate change.To conclude, we unpack the landmark September 1976 Strasbourg report from the European Commission on Human Rights regarding the British military's interrogation methods against Northern Ireland internees.We dissect the controversial legal distinction between "torture" and "inhuman and degrading treatment" concerning the "Five Techniques", including hooding, wall-standing, white noise, sleep deprivation, and simulated helicopter drops. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.