Nollaig shona daoibh go léir! During this festive season please enjoy this short holiday episode which we originally recorded last year.

Every year the Irish government and national media lend their full attention to the arrival of Santa Claus on the island of Ireland, and discuss the various logistics of his visit to every child in the country. In this mini bonus episode, we bring you this most important news story of the year, and explain how, for a few days every December, Santa dominates the parliamentary agenda of Dáil Éireann.

Ireland went to the polls last week for the 2024 general election, and the results are beginning to build a picture of what the next government could look like. We break down what the vote means in this moment of international instability, and how the results compare to the previous election of 2020.

Many thanks to everyone who sent in questions for this episode.

You can find over 100 extra-content episodes, and support the continued making of the podcast, over on our Patreon page, at www.patreon.com/theirishpassport. A quick reminder that you can now gift Patreon subscriptions - a handy option for holiday presents this year!

By the early 17th century England had finally gained political control over the island of Ireland, but within a few years the whole colonial project had once again collapsed into chaos and bloodshed. In this new edition of our Conquest mini-series, we examine the events leading up to the bloody rebellion of 1641, and explain how Ireland's colonial dynamics became central to the civil was that was breaking out in England. Warning, some of the primary sources quoted in this episode are extremely violent; listener discretion is advised.

We dig more into this topic in a bonus Halfpint debrief episode, now available for supporters at www.patreon.com/theirishpassport

The attention of people around the world has been captured by the presence of Irish soldiers standing in the way of the Israel Defence Forces as they launch an invasion of Lebanon in a bid to defeat militant group Hezbollah. In an area where Irish troops have been stationed so long that some locals have picked up Irish accents, personal ties go deep. The chief of staff of Ireland's defence forces has said Irish troops will "stay strong" in the face of Israeli orders to leave their positions following a spate of attacks on UN outposts. How did the peace force come to be there, and what comes next? Naomi and Tim speak to reporters on the ground and sum up how the conflict reached its present point, and Ireland's unique role in the region. We hear from Sally Hayden about her reporting on the ongoing bombing of Beirut, while Hannah McCarthy explains what the Irish peacekeepers have been facing, and what may lie behind Israel's tactics.

For bonus episodes and to support the podcast, join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theirishpassport

On Ireland's west coast, far from the noise and fury of US partisan politics, presidential contender Donald Trump has been bested by a fearsome foe: a tiny snail no larger than a pin prick.

Naomi and Tim dig into the curious links between the Republican candidate and this windswept corner of Ireland, most notably the village of Doonbeg, where the development of a Trump golf course transformed local fortunes.

We speak to journalist Kate Demolder about her experience reporting in the town and the local tensions she discovered between economic dependence on Trump, and deep reservations about his politics.

Finally, Naomi and Tim consider what's at stake for Ireland in the coming US election and whether the relationship between Trump and Doonbeg is a microcosm of Ireland's policy towards the US.

Naomi recalls her experience reporting on Trump in Scotland in 2016 and the red flags that were evident then in our bonus debrief episode over on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/112180566/

We're on holiday! So please enjoy this classic episode of the podcast first recorded back in 2018. We'll be back soon with all new episodes and Halfpint extra content.

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The most popular sports in Ireland are the Gaelic games: uniquely Irish sports with an ancient history and a dramatic political backstory that are finding increasing international success. Tim visits the Paris Gaels to hear why players who have never set foot in Ireland have taken to Gaelic football, while Naomi O’Leary explores the importance of the intensely local amateur sports to communities in Ireland. We hear from sports historian Paul Rouse of University College Dublin on how the foundation of the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1884 was deeply linked to the nationalist politics of the time. From Bronze Age myths about hurling matches between ancient tribes, to a devastating massacre in Croke Park stadium in 1920, we hear why modern Ireland can’t be understood without the GAA. For bonus episodes, support us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/theirishpassport.

In the fourth episode of our Conquest miniseries, we take on of the most defining moments in the history of Ireland: the mass-plantation of Ulster. We'll see how the arrival of thousands of colonial settlers in this erstwhile Gaelic stronghold transformed the geopolitical dynamics of Ireland, Scotland, and England alike. We'll look at how the Ulster project and the settlement of Virginia took inspiration from one another; we'll explain why the redistribution of land in Ireland became so important to the emerging concept of "Britain", and we'll find out why local Gaelic populations were never fully "replaced".

The texts from the Ulster Plantation Papers can be found here.

Patreon supporters enjoy early access to this episode and also have access to an exclusive after-show debrief where we delve into our topic in more detail. If you would like to support the continued making of the podcast and gain access to over 100 exclusive "halfpint" episodes along the way, you can sign up to be a Patreon supporter at www.patreon.com/theirishpassport

We have made this Halfpint bonus episode freely available to all our listeners. If you want to access more than 100 extra-content episodes just like this, you can sign up to support the continued making of the podcast at www.patreon.com/theirishpassport.

In this edition of Halfpints, we answer questions about the recent EU and local elections in Ireland, and break down what the major consequences might be for the Irish and European political landscape.

In February 2024, Michelle O'Neill assumed the position of first minister of Northern Ireland, making her the first person of an Irish-identifying, Catholic background to hold this most high-profile post in the devolved government. And yet, the difficulty O'Neill faced when trying to take her seat at Stormont highlighted the fact that, for a minority in the territory, Catholic nationalist are not seen as having a legitimate role in Northern Ireland's society. In this episode we look at the phenomenon of "uppity" Catholics - people who have been perceived to rise too far above their station, and who have thereby become targets for abuse and even violence. We speak to Pr Colin Harvey from the Human Rights Centre at Queens University Belfast about becoming a political target in the wake of Brexit, and we hear from Irish Times journalist and Author Martin Doyle about growing up in an aspirational Catholic family during the Troubles whose successes in local business fostered dark resentments in the local community ...

Martin Doyle's award-wining memoir, Dirty Linen, was published by the Irish Academic Press in 2023, and can be purchased here.

Irish Passport Patrons have access to an exclusive extended reading of Martin's essay, “A ghost estate and an empty grave”. If you would like to support the podcast and access over 100 pieces of extra content, you can become a patreon supporter at www.patreon.com/theirishpassport.

This episode featured ‘The Moon Got Tangled in the Branches’ by Aleksey Chistilin

The most expensive, most all-consuming war in Elizabethan England was not waged against France or Spain, but against Ireland. In the third instalment in our Conquest series, we see how the great clan chiefs of Ireland united under the banner of "Arch Traitor" Hugh O'Neill to stage a momentous uprising against the colonial English state. From Gaelic pirate ships sailing up the Thames to fearsome crowns of peacock feathers gifted by vengeful Popes, we follow the dramatic events that led to Ireland's disparate clans combining to form an unprecedented front of resistance - one so seemingly unbreakable that it threatened the financial ruin of England itself.

Special thanks to Gráinne Smyth, who sang "Óró sé do bheatha abhaile" for this episode.

Thank you to our Patrons who keep this podcast running. You can find our Patreon debriefs and 100+ more episodes of extra audio content at www.patreon.com/theirishpassport.