Episode Notes

Hunger, Gorta, Troscadh: Cultural Memory, Political Resistance, and Brehon Law

Hunger in Irish history is rarely just about food.

In this episode, we explore three words — hunger, gorta, and troscadh — and what they reveal about power, memory, and justice in Ireland. From the cultural weight of An Gorta Mór, to fasting as a recognised act within early Irish law, to hunger as a form of political resistance, this episode traces how deprivation could be imposed — and how it could also be chosen.

Drawing on language, law, and tradition, this episode asks how hunger moved from catastrophe to weapon, and why these ideas still echo in modern Irish history.

Topics include:

• The difference between hunger and gorta
• Fasting (troscadh) in early Irish legal tradition
• Hunger as moral and political pressure
• Cultural memory and responsibility
• How language preserves power and resistance

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