The Irish Passport

Who are Irish Travellers? The answer is Ireland’s most hidden history: mistaught or not taught in schools, often invisible or misrepresented in the media, and abused by some for political gain. In this episode, three Irish Travellers explain who they are and what it means to be a Traveller. We hear from John Connors, the actor, screenwriter, and activist, who welcomes us into his home to tell us about his childhood, family history, and what his research has discovered about the origins of his community. Campaigner Eileen Flynn explains her journey in becoming a feminist, and her battles with health, housing and discrimination. Finally, Julia O’Reilly tells us how she overcame challenges in education, and how her conviction that things must be better for the next generation has led her to seek change by running for political office.

For bonus episodes, support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/theirishpassport.

Season 3 of The Irish Passport podcast is made with the kind support of Biddy Murphy, online sellers of genuine Irish goods. Check them out on www.biddymurphy.com.

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook: @PassportIrish.

In this first episode of Season 3, we explore the fascinating story of Irish women in politics from 1916 to the present day. We ask why women – integral to the foundation of the state – almost disappeared from the country’s political landscape until relatively recently, and why 2019 could represent a new era of revolutionary change. Historians Mary McAuliffe and Emma O’Toole explain why radical feminist politics was so central to the Irish Revolution, while journalist Martina Fitzgerald outlines the challenges faced by female politicians during the 20th century. Naomi speaks to Hazel Chu, who is vying to become the country’s first Irish-Chinese political representative, and Union of Student of Ireland representative Aisling Cusack tells us why things are changing, and changing fast …

For bonus episodes, support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/theirishpassport.

Season 3 of The Irish Passport podcast is made with the kind support of Biddy Murphy, online sellers of genuine Irish goods. Check them out on www.biddymurphy.com.

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook: @PassportIrish.

Fishermen kings, Spanish galleons, and fearsome pirate marauders - these are just some of the things that make the history of Galway City on the west coast of Ireland so intriguing. Take a tour around the medieval old town with Tim Mc Inerney and historian Adrian Martyn, and find out all about the infamous 'Tribes of Galway' who presided over this western frontier-city for over five centuries. Who were they? Where on earth did they come from? And what's left of them today? See Tim's photographs of the landmarks discussed here.

For bonus episodes, support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/theirishpassport.

Season 3 of The Irish Passport podcast is made with the kind support of Biddy Murphy, online sellers of genuine Irish goods. Check them out on www.biddymurphy.com.

If you want to check out more from historian Adrian Martyn and order his book 'The Tribes of Galway', you can find his work here: https://adrianmartyn.ie/

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook: @PassportIrish.

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A Newry woman visits her big brother in Paris. The two share a drink and talk all night. The next morning, he leaves instructions for taking the metro, and disappears. His family never see him again.

The story of Anne Morgan's 32-year search for her missing brother Seamus is just one told in this episode, the second in a two-part series on the theme of dealing with the past. We speak to Damien McNally of Belfast's Wave Trauma Centre about how trauma can be passed down from one generation to the next, and the implications of providing front-line care while political deadlock prevents wider societal change. Historian Roy Foster of Oxford University discusses Ireland's culture of dealing with the past and how it differs from the mood in Britain as Brexit looms. From historical inquiries to 'Derry Girls', Naomi O'Leary and Tim Mc Inerney explore different routes to closure: through justice, truth-seeking, or creativity. This episode concludes with an exclusive reading by poet Gail McConnell of her poem about the Long Kesh breakout and the death of her father, 'Start Out'.

This is the second of a two-part series on the issue of dealing with the past, dedicated to the memory of murdered journalist Lyra McKee. You can listen to part one here: https://www.theirishpassport.com/podcast/s3-episode-3-collusion/

You can read 'Suicide of the Ceasefire Babies', the essay which inspired these episodes, here.

’Start Out’ is published in Fourteen by Gail McConnell (Green Bottle Press, 2018): https://greenbottlepress.com/order-form/our-books/

Featuring editing by Alan Meaney http://alanmeaney.ie/ . Special thanks to Emma Rainey of Fem-Vibes podcast for reading an excerpt of Lyra McKee's writing for us.

For bonus episodes, support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/theirishpassport.

Season 3 of The Irish Passport podcast is made with the kind support of Biddy Murphy, online sellers of genuine Irish goods. Check them out on www.biddymurphy.com.

The music you heard in this episode is Night II, by Swelling, and Serial Killer, by John Bartmann.

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook: @PassportIrish.

Support this podcast

A brutal mass shooting shocks the world. In its wake, leaders vow to find those responsible and bring them to justice. But instead, the investigation goes nowhere. Evidence mysteriously goes missing or is destroyed. Suspects are tipped off before they are questioned. Leads are allowed to go cold.

This episode delves into the murky history of collusion in Northern Ireland. Naomi O'Leary and Tim Mc Inerney speak to investigative journalist Barry McCaffrey about the damning information he discovered linking the the infamous Loughinisland massacre to the British state's so-called "Dirty War". Naomi traces how Brexit has re-politicised Northern Ireland for the British right, and how modest progress in digging up the truth about the path has led to a backlash at the top of Westminster politics.

This is the first of a two-part series on the issue of dealing with the past, dedicated to the memory of murdered journalist Lyra McKee. You can listen to part two here: https://www.theirishpassport.com/podcast/s3-episode-4-poetry-and-pain/

Editing by Alan Meaney http://alanmeaney.ie/

For bonus episodes, support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/theirishpassport.

Season 3 of The Irish Passport podcast is made with the kind support of Biddy Murphy, online sellers of genuine Irish goods. Check them out on www.biddymurphy.com.

The music you heard in this episode is Night II, by Swelling, and Serial Killer, by John Bartmann.

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook: @PassportIrish.

A transcript of this episode is available here: https://theirishpassport.com/transcript-collusion/

Support this podcast

A clip from our archives captures a moment before Ireland changed for ever. Enjoy this episode of the Irish Passport Podcast Halfpints, the exclusive extra-content series we make to thank our Patreon supporters. We interview Ellen Coyne, the journalist whose work reporting on Church, state, and women’s healthcare drove momentum for change ahead of the referendum on abortion. Sadly, Ellen and her colleagues have just lost their jobs, as the Ireland edition of The Times has been axed by owners News Corp. This Halfpint is dedicated to passionate and hard-working journalists across Ireland. Please help keep the tradition of quality, professional journalism in Ireland alive by supporting your favourite Irish news outlets.

For bonus episodes, support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/theirishpassport.

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook: @PassportIrish.

Support this podcast

Who are Irish Travellers? The answer is Ireland's most hidden history: mistaught or not taught in schools, often invisible or misrepresented in the media, and abused by some for political gain. In this episode, three Irish Travellers explain who they are and what it means to be a Traveller. Naomi O'Leary and Tim Mc Inerney hear from John Connors, the actor, screenwriter, and activist, who welcomes us into his home to tell us about his childhood, family history, and what his research has discovered about the origins of his community. Campaigner Eileen Flynn explains her journey in becoming a feminist, and her battles with health, housing and discrimination. Finally, Julia O'Reilly tells us how she overcame challenges in education, and how her conviction that things must be better for the next generation has led her to seek change by running for political office.

For bonus episodes, support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/theirishpassport.

Season 3 of The Irish Passport podcast is made with the kind support of Biddy Murphy, online sellers of genuine Irish goods. Check them out on www.biddymurphy.com.

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook: @PassportIrish.

A transcript of this episode is available here: https://theirishpassport.com/transcripts/transcript-travellers/

Support this podcast

In this first episode of Season 3, Naomi O'Leary and Tim Mc Inerney explore the fascinating story of Irish women in politics from 1916 to the present day. We ask why women -  integral to the foundation of the state - almost disappeared from the country's political landscape until relatively recently, and why 2019 could represent a new era of revolutionary change. Historians Mary McAuliffe and Emma O'Toole explain why radical feminist politics was so central to the Irish Revolution, while journalist Martina Fitzgerald outlines the challenges faced by female politicians during the 20th century. Naomi speaks to Hazel Chu, who is vying to become the country's first Irish-Chinese political representative, and Union of Student of Ireland representative Aisling Cusack tells us why things are changing, and changing fast ...

For bonus episodes, support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/theirishpassport.

Season 3 of The Irish Passport podcast is made with the kind support of Biddy Murphy, online sellers of genuine Irish goods. Check them out on www.biddymurphy.com.

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook: @PassportIrish.

A transcript of this episode is available here: https://www.theirishpassport.com/transcripts/transcript-women-in-politics/

Support this podcast

This St Patrick’s Day weekend we’re bringing you a bonus live show! Tim Mc Inerney comes to you from the Museum London, where he speaks to journalist Séamas O’Reilly and historian Danielle Thom about the London-Irish Diaspora, past and present. We’ll also hear about how London's historic Irish community was formed, with a few words from the Museum of London’s Director of Content, Finbarr Whooley. Special thanks to the organisers of this Young Ambassadors event, William McQuillan, and the staff and crew of the Museum of London.

For bonus episodes, support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/theirishpassport.

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook: @PassportIrish.

Support this podcast

The Irish Passport’s first live show takes on the issues of race, politics and history between Ireland and the United States. We hear the backstage gossip from St. Patrick’s Day at the White house from RTÉ broadcaster Caitríona Perry, author of In America: Tales from Trump Country. We find out how strong the Irish-American lobby really is in Washington, and what that could mean for Brexit. Academic, broadcaster and author of Don’t Touch My Hair, Emma Dabiri, breaks down the fascinating and complex history of Ireland, slavery and the abolitionist movement. Recorded with a live audience at the Centre Culturel Irlandais in Paris on February 15, 2019.

For bonus episodes, support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/theirishpassport.

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook: @PassportIrish.

Support this podcast