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The History of Ireland

Kevin Dolan

The Irish Republic's foundation is one hell of a story, complete with spying secretaries, pig thieves, politicians, poets, school teachers and the world's biggest empire. In quick, bite-size...

Episodes

20 of 132 episodes

S3 EP19 - The Children of Lír in the Classroom

In today's episode we finish off the last section of The Fate of the Children of Lír and explore how really it was the Christian Brothers wh...

17:08Dec 23, 2025

S3 EP18 — Why The Children of Lír Was The Perfect Story For 19th Century Nationalists

In this episode we look at how the Children of Lír slowly gained popularity over the 19th century and see what happens when you turn someone...

12:50Dec 4, 2025

S3 EP17 — The Lie Behind The Children of Lír

In this episode we look at The Fate of the Children of Lír and explore how Ireland's most famous myth is not a myth at all. In fact, it's a...

15:06Nov 6, 2025

The Black & Tans in Palestine

A slight diversion from our current series on mythology to look at a unique connection between Ireland and Palestine. If you'd like to donat...

16:39Oct 9, 2025

S3 EP16 — The Scholars on the Edge of the World

The Fate of the Children of Tuireann Pt. 3 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

12:57Sep 12, 2025

S3 EP15 — The Fines That Made Brehon Law Tick

In this episode Lug issues a fine to the Children of Tuireann and we look at how fines were the bedrock of medieval Ireland's decentralised...

18:38Jul 22, 2025

S3 EP 14 — Ireland's First Psychopath?

In the latest episode we dive into the Fate of the Children of Tuireann, a story from the 15th century that builds on The Second Battle of M...

12:38Jun 29, 2025

S3 EP13 — Honour Price & Fidchell

In this episode we explore the concept of honour price and how it was one of the most important legal concept in early medieval Ireland. We...

13:31May 18, 2025

S3 E12 — The Kings of Early Medieval Ireland Meet Étain

In this episode we look at how early medieval Ireland was ruled through a series of different kings and over kings, as well as continue our...

13:35Apr 30, 2025

S3 EP11 – The Unique Oddness of Irish Mythology

In this episode we get back into The Wooing of Étain, exploring her life as a fly and witness how she is reborn 1000 years later... Hosted o...

9:25Apr 9, 2025

S3 EP10 – How Patrick Became Our Patron Saint

In this episode we look at how a Welsh bishop with fringe apocalyptic ideas became the patron saint of Ireland – defeating a whole load of d...

16:30Mar 17, 2025

S3 EP9 — How Druids Learned To Read The Moon Through Story

Did Étain represent the moon? And did The Wooing of Étain teach druids how to read the moon's movement over decades? In this episode we expl...

14:48Mar 7, 2025

S3 EP8 — A Lost Story of how the God's Fought Over Newgrange

In this episode we look at the history behind how The Wooing of Étain was uncovered and then dive into the story itself — as the Dagda swind...

14:27Feb 20, 2025

S3 EP7 — Were the Fomorians a Metaphor for Vikings?

In this episode we finally get to the big clash between the Fomorians and the Tuatha Dé. It's a brutal and beautiful piece of literature. It...

19:50Feb 6, 2025

S3 EP6 – Why is Ireland's Father Deity So Different?

In this episode we follow one of the strangest (and maybe raunchiest) moments in ancient Irish stories as the Dagda prepares for battle. Hos...

11:35Jan 16, 2025

S3 EP5 – How Lugh shows what the Irish cared about

In this episode we greet the arrival of Lugh as the Tuatha Dé prepare for battle. We also dive into what the characters of Lugh and Bres tel...

19:55Dec 17, 2024

S3 EP4 – How Bres the Beautiful came to be

In this episode we look at life in Ireland under the rulership of Bres the Beautiful and learn who is father was, as well as explore what a...

18:54Dec 3, 2024

S3 EP3 – The Coming of the Tuatha Dé

In this episode we dive into the First Battle of Moytura, telling the story of how the Tuatha Dé came to Ireland. If you'd like to dive into...

14:25Nov 20, 2024

S3 EP2 – The Filí

In this episode we look at the people behind the Irish mythological stories and explore how the stories we have today are a fascinating blen...

14:51Nov 5, 2024

S3 EP01 – Newgrange, The Celts & The People of the Sídhe

It's a whole new season and we're doing something a little different – diving into the rich tapestry of Irish mythology. But before we jump...

18:20Oct 21, 2024