How difficult was life in the Middle Ages? This is something archaeologists and historians have debated for decades. In recent years, new techniques, including genetic analysis, have given us new insights into the lives of our distant ancestors in the Med

This episode was originally released in 2019. Over the past week I was recording the audio version of 'A Lethal Legacy - A History of Ireland in 18 Murders' so I didnt have time to prepare a new episode but this is worth a relisten! Normal service resumes

As I mention in the episode I am recording the audio version of A Lethal Legacy - A History of Ireland in 18 Murders this week! Don't forget to pre-order at Easons and use the code FD10 to get 10% off!Edward O’Rourke is not a name you expect to encounter

'The Road to War' is the first episode in a five part Irish History Podcast production on the Irish Civil War. The full series, exclusively available for supporters, features the leading Irish historian Dr Brian Hanley from Trinity College Dublin. Over th

**This is the second of two episodes on the story of Irish people who fought in the French Resistance. Part I was released last week.**Few Irish people recognise the names Sr Katherine Anne McCarthy or Patricia O'Sullivan. However during the Second World

The struggle of the French Resistance against the Nazi Occupation of France remains one of the most famous chapters in World War II history. It has been immortalized in numerous film and books. However the story of the dozens of Irish people who served in

This episode needs a bit of an introduction. While the term Rotten Prod, short for Rotten Protestant, sounds like a sectarian slur, the phrase has a very different and fascinating history. It actually originated within the Protestant community in Ulster t

This episode is short, but has a big reveal! For nearly two years I have been working on a new book and I can finally tell you all about it. Published by Harper Collins, it's called 'A Lethal Legacy - A History of Ireland in 18 Murders.' In this podcast I

The 1916 Rising is one of the most famous events in Irish history but its easy to forget it took place in a city that 300,000 people called home. In this podcast (originally released over three years ago) I explore Dublin on eve of the rising reveal

The Cromwellian Conquest of Ireland took place over 370 years ago. Despite the passage of time the man who led that conquest remains one of the most reviled figures in Irish history. In this podcast I look at why he, above others, is so reviled in Ireland