The Mary Celeste is one of the great mysteries of modern times. The ship was found abandoned in the Atlantic in 1872 and the ten people who had been onboard the vessel were missing. However everything else appeared normal. It has never been satisfactorily explained what provoked the crew to abandon the ship in mid winter far from any coast.

This episode is recorded in a very Irish unusual castle with echoes of the Mary Celeste - Ballymoon Castle. It too has a somewhat mysterious history. It was abandoned around the year 1300 for reasons that are not entirely clear. In this show I investigate this fascinating building and speculate what may have happened...

This is the last show of 2021. I hope you and yours have a great holiday season.

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The Irish women Eleanor Butler and Sarah Ponsonby are known to history as the Ladies of Llangollen. In 1780 the two aristocrats caused controversy when they rang away together. They would spend the rest of their lives in Llangollen, a town in north Wales.

For nearly 250 years their relationship has been the source of intense speculation. Some claim they were Ireland’s first openly lesbian couple. Others insist they just kindred spirits. 

Last October I visited Plas Newydd, their home in Llangollen and recorded this special episode of the show about these remarkable women.

Thanks to Garth A.P. Thomas for his time.

Lori Moriarity’s lecture mentioned in the show can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMEiZKFESNg

Get your tickets for the history summit at irishhistorysummit.eventbrite.com

Visit Plas Newydd at https://www.denbighshire.gov.uk/en/leisure-and-tourism/museums-and-historic-houses/plas-newydd-llangollen.aspx

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The story of the Irish War of Independence is dominated by people like Dan Breen, Michael Collins, Constance Markievicz or Eamon DeValera who played central roles in the conflict. Their names feature heavily in the histories of the conflict and their lives were changed by their experiences.

However some people find themselves dragged into larger events by accident when they happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time or perhaps say the wrong thing. This podcast looks at one such person. Joseph Shaw is not a man you will read about in history books. However on July 31st 1920 he briefly took centre stage in the Irish War of Independence while on a trip to New York. He did not alter the outcome of the war but for Shaw it was an unforgettable experience...

This episode is exclusively available for supporters of the show on Acast+ & Patreon.

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Last month I recorded a show at the Liverpool Irish Festival with Teresa Hill. Teresa is really passionate about her fascinating family history. Her father from was from Freetown in Sierra Leone while her mother's family were from Ireland. 

In this interview Teresa spoke candidly about her life. She grew up in a Liverpool where racism was common and many Irish families ostracised mixed race family members. However her grandfather Luke Bernard was very different as Teresa explains he was 'a forward thinking man'. She also talked about how sectarianism was a major feature of life in Liverpool and how the Troubles impacted her life. It was a really fascinating discussion about Irish communities in Britain in the 1960s and 70s. I hope you enjoy it. 

Get your tickets to the Irish HIstory Summit - https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/irish-history-summit-2022-tickets-194400466027

Get Irish history themed Christmas presents - www.irishhistorypodcast.ie/shop

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Following on from the collapse of the Clune Peace talks in December 1920, the British Government adopted an even more aggressive attitude to the war. 

However as they prepared to escalate the conflict in 1921 some leading figures in the British military and political establishment suggested extreme measures. This episode reveals what were deeply alarming debates taking place about how the war should be escalated.

To this end we hear from men who would go on to become some of the most famous British generals of the 20th century - Bernard Montgomery and Arthur Percival both of whom served in Ireland in 1921. 

The episode also looks at the growing tensions between Eamon DeValera and Michael Collins and the problems this created for the republican movement in 1921. 

Check out the new shop at www.irishhistorypodcast.ie/shop 

The Irish History Summit 2022 early bird offers end next week - Irishhistorysummit.eventbrite.ie

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Over the last three episodes of the War of Independence Series, we saw the Republican movement demonstrate an ability and willingness to fight on despite recent setbacks. This episode looks at how the British authorities reacted to these developments. While the immediate reaction was to declare martial law across the South West, there was also murmurings of peace.

While indirect talks between republican leaders and the British Authorities started in early December these faced huge challenges. As we will see the republican movement suffered from a lack of cohesion while hardliners in Britain were opposed to any settlement with the IRA.

Meanwhile this all took place as the House of Lords passed the most far reaching Irish legislation in a century - the Government of Ireland Act. This legislation which partitioned Ireland had a lasting impact right up the present day.

The Irish History Summit is coming in January 2022. No matter where you live you can participate in this day long event from the comfort of your home. https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/irish-history-summit-2022-tickets-194400466027

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The Irish History Summit returns! Taking place on Saturday January 15th 2022 we have a great line up of historians and educational experts to prepare students for the Leaving Cert history exams. Headlining this year is the journalist and historian Leo Enright. He will be joined by Dr Sarah Anne Buckley, Dr Brian Hanley and Liz Gillis. We are also delighted to welcome our first international guest - Dr Dieter Reinisch from the University of Vienna.

Summit 2022 also has a competition for attending students. They can submit their RSR (Research Study Report) and I will interview the winner on the show in 2022. You can find out more in the show above or at https://irishhistorypodcast.ie/summit

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Kilmichael is remembered as one of the most important and controversial battles in the War of Independence. This episodes explains what actually happened in this remote valley in Cork in late November 1920. 

The podcast also continues the wider story of the war through one of the most turbulent periods of the conflict. Beginning with dramatic attacks in Liverpool, the shows carries the story through to the burning of Cork City in mid December.

This is the excellent discussion mentioned in the episode https://www.theirishstory.com/2020/12/18/podcast-tom-barry-and-the-kilmichael-ambush/#.YZCvHFPLffA

Support the show

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Sound By Jason Looney 

Additional Research - Sam McGrath

Additional Narrations Therese Murray & Aidan Crowe

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November 21st, 1920 was one of the most violent days in the War of Independence. It has gone down in history as 'Bloody Sunday'. While this episode explains the days events, it also introduces the man who was arguably the most important republican in the conflict - the IRA director of Intelligence, Michael Collins.

Get your tickets for my live show in Kikenny November 6th https://www.eventbrite.com/e/irish-history-podcast-live-show-tickets-190958380657 or historyshow.eventbrite.com

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This is the first of three back-to-back episodes that will take us through one of the most critical periods of the war. The Autumn of 1920 witnessed an intensification of the conflict as British Crown forces began to get the upper hand on the IRA. This lead to two key events in Dublin - the Fernside Raid & the Execution of Kevin Barry. While these set the stage for the pivotal events of Bloody Sunday, the Fernside Raid and the bloody gun battles that followed were a key moment in the war.

Additional Research - Sam McGrath

Sound - Jason Looney

Additional Narrations - Therese Murray & Aidan Crowe

You can get tickets to my live event (featuring Aidan Crowe) in the 800 Year old St Mary's Church, Kilkenny on November 6th now at https://historyshow.eventbrite.com 

Tickets for my show at the Liverpool Irish Festival at Grand Central, Liverpool on October 24th are available here https://www.liverpoolirishfestival.com/events/the-irish-history-podcast/

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