The History Show

By RTÉ Radio 1

What's The History Show about?

Bringing the past to life! Discover how Ireland and our world was shaped as Myles Dungan and guests explore events ranging from medieval times to the recent past. Listen live Sundays at 6pm on RTÉ Radio 1.

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The History Show episodes:

04.30.2023
Full Show Podcast - 30th April 2023
The new TV Series 'The Silent Civil War'; a new comprehensive history of The Irish Defence Forces; and the life of Irish writer Robert Tressell.
04.30.2023
Robert Tressell
Mary Muldowney talks about the writer Robert Tressell, and the upcoming Tressell Festival on Saturday 6th of May at Liberty Hall.
04.30.2023
The Irish Defence Forces, 1922–2022
Eoin Kinsella on his new book which covers a century of The Irish Defence Forces.
04.30.2023
The Silent Civil War
Liz Gillis on the new RTÉ TV series, which explores inherited memories and unheard testimony of the Civil War.
04.23.2023
Full Show Podcast - 23rd April 2023
The women left behind after Robert Falcon Scott's fatal expedition to the South Pole; The life and work of the Yeats sisters; and stories of the Irish in Italy during WW2.
04.23.2023
Italy and the Irish During World War Two
Myles talks to Isadore Ryan, author of 'Roman Imbroglio: Italy and the Irish During World War Two'
04.23.2023
The Yeats Sisters
The life and work of Elizabeth and Susan Yeats is discussed by Dr Angela Griffith and Eunan McKinney.
04.23.2023
Snow Widows
Colm Flynn speaks to Katherine MacInnes, author of the book 'Snow Widows: Scott's Fatal Antarctic Expedition Through the Eyes of the Women They Left Behind'
04.16.2023
Full Show Podcast - 16th April 2023
Tara and the Ark of the Covenant; A short history of Presidential criminality; and Westmeath woman Mary McCann's heroic response to the tragic General Slocum disaster.
04.16.2023
Send us another Mary McCann
Ian Kenneally on the Westmeath woman who became a national hero in the USA for her brave response to a steamboat fire.
04.16.2023
A Short History of Presidential Criminality
Sandra Scanlon of UCD on the United States Presidents who ran afoul of the law, from Ulysses S. Grant to Donald J. Trump.
04.16.2023
Tara and the Ark of the Covenant
Mairéad Carew on the extraordinary story of the British-Israelites, their strange excavations, and the campaign to save the Hill of Tara.
04.09.2023
Full Show Podcast - 9th April 2023
The rediscovery of a field gun used to shell the Four Courts; Court battles over military charity assets in 1920s Ireland; women who applied for Military Service Pensions in the 1920s and '30s; and the 'Library of Voices' at Harvard...
04.09.2023
Harvard's Library of Voices
Jonathan C. Creasy reports from the Woodbury Poetry Room at Harvard University, home of a rich collection of literary audio recordings - and the life of one of its most important curators, John “Jack” Lincoln Sweeney.
04.09.2023
Women and Military Service Pensions
Mary McAuliffe on the challenges facing women applying for military service pensions in the 1920s and 1930s.
04.09.2023
Fighting over the scraps of the Union
Paul Huddie joins Myles to discuss two court battles in 1920s Ireland, which illustrate the legal and economic complexity of dissolving the union between Ireland and Great Britain.
04.09.2023
Rediscovery of a Four Courts Field Gun
Conor Sweetman reports on the tale of an important artefact from the Irish Civil War. He talks to Kenneth L.Smith-Christmas, Lar Joye and Brenda Malone from the National Museum of Ireland.
04.02.2023
Full Show Podcast - 2nd April 2023
Sexual violence during the civil war through the prism of one individual's experience; The local and national legacy of civil war executions in Athlone; and the introduction of customs barriers on the northern border in April 1923.
04.02.2023
The Hard Border
Cormac Moore joins Myles to talk about the introduction of customs barriers on the northern border in 1923, and how that cemented partition.
04.02.2023
Civil War Executions in Athlone
Ian Kenneally reports on the local and national legacy of the executions in Athlone in 1923.
04.02.2023
Mary M. and Sexual Violence: Ordinary Voices and the Irish Civil War
Lindsey Earner-Byrne and Sinead McCoole join Myles to talk about the extraordinary story of Mary M, and her letter which reveals a harrowing experience in 1920s Ireland.
03.26.2023
Full Show Podcast - 26th March 2023
The life and death of republican leader Liam Lynch; and 800 years of industry in Harold's Cross.
03.26.2023
Greenmount Mill
Cathy Scuffil joins Myles to talk about 800 years of industry in Harold's Cross in Dublin.
03.26.2023
Liam Lynch: To Declare a Republic
Gerard Shannon joins Myles to talk about the life and death of the republican leader Liam Lynch.
03.19.2023
Full Show Podcast - 19th March 2023
A social history of contraception in modern Ireland; and the story of Ireland's Special Branch from the 1920s to the 1940s.
03.19.2023
Ireland's Special Branch
Gerard Lovett joins Myles to discuss his book 'Ireland’s Special Branch: The inside story of their battle with the IRA, 1922–1947'
03.19.2023
Contraception and Modern Ireland
Dr Laura Kelly joins Myles to discuss her new book 'Contraception and Modern Ireland A Social History, c. 1922–92'
03.12.2023
Full Show Podcast - 12th March 2023
The golden age of Irish cinemagoing; Kate Kennedy's fight for equal pay in 19th century San Francisco; and a rocket engineer's perspective on the moon landing.
03.12.2023
A Rocket Engineer's Perspective on the Moon Landing
Marc McMenamin talks to Jesse Kitchens, who played an important role in the Apollo 11 Moon Landing.
03.12.2023
Kate Kennedy's Fight for Equal Pay
Ken Murray and Pat Kennedy discuss the achievements of Irish emigrant Kate Kennedy.
03.12.2023
The Golden Age of Irish Cinemagoing
Ruth McManus joins Myles to talk about the social outlet of cinemas in 20th century Ireland.
03.05.2023
Full Show Podcast - 5th March 2023
The life of Margaret (Gretta) Cousins and the forty years she spent in India advocating for the empowerment of women; and the history of Ireland's Military Archives.
03.05.2023
A History of Ireland's Military Archives
Commandant Daniel Ayiotis joins Myles to talk about his book 'The Military Archives: A History'.
03.05.2023
Margaret Cousins of Ireland and India
Sinead McCoole joins Myles to discuss the life of Margaret (Gretta) Cousins, and the forty years she spent in India advocating for the empowerment of women.
02.26.2023
Full Show Podcast - 26th February 2023
Reconstructing the first Irish boat to sail around the world; the assassination that sparked the Irish Civil War; and flat earth fever in 19th century Athlone.
02.26.2023
Flat County, Flat Earth
Ian Kenneally on the career of Samuel Rowbotham, known as 'Parrallax' - who caused a sensation in 19th century Athlone when he proclaimed the earth was flat.
02.26.2023
The Assassination of Henry Wilson
Myles is joined by Ronan McGreevy, author of the recently published book 'Great Hatred - The Assassination of Field Marshal Sir Henry Wilson MP'
02.26.2023
Reconstructing Saoirse in West Cork
Flor MacCarthy reports from Hegarty's Boatyard in West Cork, where they're reconstructing Conor O'Brien's 'Saoirse' - the first Irish boat to sail around the world.
12.25.2022
Christmas 1922
Myles Dungan is joined by Cathy Scuffil, Noelle Grothier and Lar Joye to talk about what was happening at Christmas time one hundred years ago.
12.18.2022
Full Show Podcast - 18th December 2022
The life and death of forgotten revolutionary Joseph MacDonagh; the long history of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem; and the men and women of the Anglo-Irish Treaty Delegations.
12.18.2022
The Men and Women of the Anglo-Irish Treaty Delegations
Lorcan Clancy reports, he talks to Eda Sagarra and Fiona Murray, editors of the book 'The Men and Women of the Anglo-Irish Treaty Delegations 1921'
12.18.2022
Bethlehem - The Church of the Nativity
Colm Flynn reports from Bethlehem, he talks to Father Rami Askarieh about the town's long history as a site of Christian pilgrimage.
12.18.2022
Joseph MacDonagh
Gerard Shannon on his book 'Alderman Joseph MacDonagh, TD – Tipperary's Forgotten Revolutionary Politician'
12.11.2022
Full Show Podcast - 11th December 2022
'Stories of the Revolution' from West Cork; The trauma and testimony of the Irish Civil War; and the pioneering treatment of shell shock in Ireland.
12.11.2022
Richmond War Hospital
Eamon Delaney on the groundbreaking initiative to treat traumatized World War One soldiers, at Richmond War Hospital in Dublin.
12.11.2022
Spiritual Wounds: Trauma, Testimony and the Irish Civil War
Síobhra Aiken on her book which examines the overlooked testimonies of civil war veterans.
12.11.2022
Stories of the Revolution
Flor MacCarthy reports on a new publication and archive that collects thousands of previously unrecorded stories from West Cork.
12.04.2022
The Establishment of The Irish Free State
The establishment of the Irish Free State one hundred years ago is discussed by Colum Kenny, Brian Hanley and Liz Gillis.
11.27.2022
Full Show Podcast - 27th November 2022
The Irish artist who left her mark on East German children's literature; The persecution of Irish speakers under British rule; and we preview Explore Your Archive week.
11.27.2022
Explore Your Archive Week
Niamh Ní Charra and Liz Gillis join Myles to preview the campaign, in which events are taking place nationwide to highlight the richness and diversity of archives all over Ireland.

What's The History Show about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The History Show episodes:

Full Show Podcast - 30th April 2023

Robert Tressell

The Irish Defence Forces, 1922–2022

The Silent Civil War

Full Show Podcast - 23rd April 2023

Italy and the Irish During World War Two

The Yeats Sisters

Snow Widows

Full Show Podcast - 16th April 2023

Send us another Mary McCann

A Short History of Presidential Criminality

Tara and the Ark of the Covenant

Full Show Podcast - 9th April 2023

Harvard's Library of Voices

Women and Military Service Pensions

Fighting over the scraps of the Union

Rediscovery of a Four Courts Field Gun

Full Show Podcast - 2nd April 2023

The Hard Border

Civil War Executions in Athlone

Mary M. and Sexual Violence: Ordinary Voices and the Irish Civil War

Full Show Podcast - 26th March 2023

Greenmount Mill

Liam Lynch: To Declare a Republic

Full Show Podcast - 19th March 2023

Ireland's Special Branch

Contraception and Modern Ireland

Full Show Podcast - 12th March 2023

A Rocket Engineer's Perspective on the Moon Landing

Kate Kennedy's Fight for Equal Pay

The Golden Age of Irish Cinemagoing

Full Show Podcast - 5th March 2023

A History of Ireland's Military Archives

Margaret Cousins of Ireland and India

Full Show Podcast - 26th February 2023

Flat County, Flat Earth

The Assassination of Henry Wilson

Reconstructing Saoirse in West Cork

Christmas 1922

Full Show Podcast - 18th December 2022

The Men and Women of the Anglo-Irish Treaty Delegations

Bethlehem - The Church of the Nativity

Joseph MacDonagh

Full Show Podcast - 11th December 2022

Richmond War Hospital

Spiritual Wounds: Trauma, Testimony and the Irish Civil War

Stories of the Revolution

The Establishment of The Irish Free State

Full Show Podcast - 27th November 2022

Explore Your Archive Week