The Irish Passport

From a mystery in rural Ireland that has persisted for over a century, to the little-known link between a World Cup star footballer and the town of Donabate, to the unexpected ways that Hiberno English is spreading in Europe… it’s a story episode for you to enjoy over the holidays as Naomi and Tim share …

Continue reading "Mystery tales of the strange and unexpected"

This is a repeat of an Irish Passport classic episode, “Ireland and India: Assassins of Empire”, originally published on June 21 2021. Today, Leo Varadkar takes over as Taoiseach. This means that both Britain and Ireland have governments led by people of Indian heritage, as in London Rishi Sunak took over as prime minister in …

Continue reading "Classic Irish Passport: Ireland and India’s shared history, as Varadkar and Sunak lead the Irish and British governments"

Ireland’s dream as it emerged as an independent state was to ‘take its place among the nations of the world’. The principle of international cooperation has therefore always been tightly bound up with Irish nationalism and how the country pursues its goals. In this episode, Naomi and Tim explore Ireland’s quest for recognition, first at …

Continue reading "Ireland and the United Nations"

As all Hell breaks loose in the halls of Westminster, Naomi and Tim break down what on earth has just happened in the UK. Why did Prime Minister Liz Truss resign after only 44 days? Who might take over her post? And what are the consequences of all this chaos for the island of Ireland? …

Continue reading "Goodbye Liz, Hello Chaos: Another UK Prime Minister Resigns"

In the final episode of our War of Independence mini-series, Tim and Naomi lay out the historical events that split the emerging Irish nation and led to a civil war. As we pick up on the story, global condemnation has pressured the British government into offering a truce. Following years of gruelling guerilla warfare against …

Continue reading "War of Independence: The Treaty"

Tensions threaten to flare again between Ireland, Britain and the EU with a new UK prime minister who has promised to take a hard line on the Northern Ireland Protocol. The death of Queen Elizabeth however put a pause on developments for the period of mourning, and produced some fascinating moments too as her successor …

Continue reading "A looming crisis in Irish-British relations?"

The third installment in Naomi and Tim’s series on the War of Independence discusses a landmark of 20th century Irish history: the partition of the island. Tim digs into the backstory to reveal how once again, an unhappy chapter of Irish history is linked to Winston Churchill. This episode lays out the thinking at the …

Continue reading "War of Independence: Partition"

The second installment of Naomi and Tim’s series on Ireland’s War of Independence focuses on the Black and Tans: the brutal reinforcements sent by Winston Churchill to put down the forces of the revolutionary Irish republic in 1920. Historian Dr Conor Mulvagh of University College Dublin lays out the key role of the women’s movement, …

Continue reading "War of Independence: The Black and Tans"

The War of Independence was the moment in which Ireland threw off British rule and emerged as a state. The dramatic events that took place and the beliefs that informed them would shape the emerging nation, and play a role up until the present day. Tim and Naomi break down the events of 1919-1921 in …

Continue reading "War of Independence: The First Dáil"

A seismic election in Northern Ireland returned the pro-Irish unity Sinn Féin as the largest party for the first time ever. The Alliance Party, identifying neither as nationalist nor unionist, surged to become the third force in northern politics in another historic first. Desite this, the power-sharing executive has yet to be formed due to …

Continue reading "A new balance of power in Northern Ireland"