Yes, there was a Hellfire Club in eighteenth century Dublin. We know they existed, we know their antics, but what about the ruin in the Dublin mountains? The story of the Hellfire Club is not only the story of history, but also folklore.

Eustace Street in Temple Bar is a street of ideas. It is a street which produced the first meeting of the United Irishmen,  the street which hosted Frederick Douglass twice during his visit to the city, and the street that plays home to the IFI, a cinema which challenged censorship.

Merchant's Arch is a part of the story of the golden age - just about - of Dublin planning. From the Wide Streets Commission to the redevelopment of Temple Bar, this Dublin passageway is at the centre of the story of a changing city. So, what to do with it?

This edition of the podcast is dedicated to the memory of historian, singer and trade unionist Manus O'Riordan. 

I hope you all enjoy finding these benches across the city, places which remember and honour some incredible lives.

In 2017, Dubliners came together to mark the final resting place of Thomas Dudley, better known to Dublin as 'Bang Bang'. This podcast, with Daniel Lambert from Phibsboro's Bang Bang Cafe, explores the great love of the city for this never-forgotten character.

Please forgive sound as I'm away from - and between - homes. Recorded from deepest East Berlin.

I have long been interested in the factory buildings that dot Dublin - Art Deco gems like Kodak and Player Wills especially - but who worked in them? And what should be done with them?

(Pod Thumbnail: Williams and Woods from G&T Crampton Archive, UCD)

St Enda's - Scoil Eanna - was a radical new approach to education.  With a strong emphasis on art and nature, as well as a keen internationalism in its approach, the school was a key part of the cultural revival in early twentieth century Dublin.

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In 1965, The Rolling Stones toured Ireland twice. On both occasions, they packed them in to Dublin's Adelphi. They were stars in January but superstars by September. Recorded this one at the weekend as a tribute to Charlie Watts,RIP.

(Spotfy Thumbnail is Subset's Rolling Stones mural, Dublin 2018)

Jane Wilde - Speranza - was a nationalist, a champion of the rights of women, a poet and a Dublin socialite. In her lifetime her son Oscar achieved international fame, and her husband infamy at home. She also inspired the title of a Smiths song,  and deserves a Dublin memorial.

The Irish Museum of Modern Art is celebrating thirty years in 2021. One of Ireland's finest and most engaging cultural centres, the story of how it came into being is sometimes surprising. This is the story of Gordon Lambert, Charles J. Haughey, and generations of modern artists from Mainie Jellett to Robert Ballagh.