The History Show
Bringing the past to life! Discover how Ireland and our world was shaped as Myles Dungan and guests explore events ranging from medieval times to the recent past. Listen live Sundays at 6pm on RTÉ Radio 1.
Sun, April 27, 2025
The Papal Conclave
Dr Jessica Wärnberg joins Myles to discuss the origins of the Papal Conclave.
Sun, April 27, 2025
The Fenian Invasion of Canada, 1866
Ian Kenneally reports, he talks to historians David Doolin and John Gibney about the Fenian Invasion of Canada in 1866.
Sun, April 27, 2025
The Truth Recovery Process
Padraig Yeates joins Myles to discuss the Truth Recovery Process, a proposal to address the legacy of The Troubles.
Sun, April 27, 2025
Full Show Podcast - 27th April 2025
The Papal Conclave; The Fenian Invasion of Canada; and Padraig Yeates on The Truth Recovery Process
Sun, April 20, 2025
Full Show Podcast - 20th April 2025
Professor Louise Ryan on migration, oral history and the Irish in Britain; plus Darragh Gannon on Irish Nationalism in Britain in the revolutionary decade.
Sun, April 20, 2025
Professor Louise Ryan on migration, oral history and the Irish in Britain
Louise Ryan talks about her research into migrant groups in Britain and her oral history interviews with Irish migrants in Britain.
Sun, April 20, 2025
Irish Nationalism in Britain, 1912-1922
Myles is joined by Dr Darragh Gannon, author of 'Conflict, Diaspora, and Empire: Irish Nationalism in Britain, 1912-1922'
Sun, April 13, 2025
The Making of Eamon De Valera
Myles is joined by Colum Kenny, author of the recently published book 'Dangerous Ambition: The Making of Eamon De Valera'
Sun, April 13, 2025
The Irish Expedition to Everest, 1993
Ian Kenneally reports, he talks to mountaineer Frank Nugent about the historical background to the Irish Expedition to Everest in 1993.
Sun, April 13, 2025
The Great Irish Fossil Hunt
Professor Maria McNamara of UCC on Ireland’s fossil heritage, and the campaign to create a new fossil map of Ireland.
Sun, April 13, 2025
Full Show Podcast - 13th April 2025
The Making of Eamon De Valera; The first Irish team to summit Everest; and the Great Irish Fossil Hunt
Sun, April 06, 2025
The Little Rock Nine
Melba Pattillo Beals of the Little Rock Nine talks to reporter Colm Flynn; and Myles is joined by historian Cecelia Hartsell.
Sun, April 06, 2025
The Grangegorman Histories Project
Jonathan Creasy reports, he talks to Dr Brendan Kelly and poet Lianne O'Hara about how poetry can reveal the hidden history of the Psychiatric Hospital at Grangegorman.
Sun, April 06, 2025
Reading Espionage Fiction
Myles is joined by Martin Griffin, author of 'Reading Espionage Fiction: Narrative, Conflict and Commitment from World War I to the Contemporary Era'
Sun, April 06, 2025
Full Show Podcast - 6th April 2025
The Little Rock Nine; The Grangegorman Histories Project; and how Espionage Fiction can reflect real life history
Sun, March 30, 2025
Cottage Industry in Post Medieval Ireland
Liam Downey joins Myles to discuss poteen, lace, leather, and the other small-scale industries that sustained rural Ireland.
Sun, March 30, 2025
Joined in Butter: Irish home butter-makers
Conor Sweetman reports, he talks to Claudia Kinmonth about this skilled, shared tradition that brought women together.
Sun, March 30, 2025
Power and Powerlessness in Union Ireland
Ciaran O'Neill joins Myles to discuss his recently published book, 'Power and Powerlessness in Union Ireland: Life in a Palliative State'
Sun, March 30, 2025
Full Show Podcast - 30th March 2025
Cottage industry in post-medieval Ireland; how women made and sold butter in centuries gone by; and Power and powerlessness in Union Ireland
Sun, March 23, 2025
Documents on Irish Foreign Policy 1969-1973
Michael Kennedy, John Gibney and Melissa Baird join Myles to discuss how politicians and diplomats responded to The Troubles, the Cold War and Ireland's accession to the EEC.
Sun, March 16, 2025
Seumas MacManus
Marc McMenamin reports on the life and work of the Donegal storyteller and his popularity in the USA.
Sun, March 16, 2025
The Lough Ree Monster
Ian Kenneally shares the saga of the strange creature spotted by three priests, in Lough Ree back in 1960.
Sun, March 16, 2025
T.K. Whitaker: Irishman of the 20th Century
Anne Chambers joins Myles to discuss the many aspects of T.K. Whitaker’s work that have particular resonance for Ireland and the world today.
Sun, March 16, 2025
Full Show Podcast - 16th March 2025
The life of Donegal Storyteller Seumas MacManus; The Lough Ree Monster; and the legacy of T. K. Whitaker.
Sun, March 09, 2025
Filthy Queens: A History of Beer in Ireland
Myles is joined by Christina Wade to talk about Irish beer history and the role of women in the trade.
Sun, March 09, 2025
The National University of Ireland and the First World War
NUI students, graduates and staff's involvement in WW1 is discussed by Ronan McGreevy, Emer Purcell and Fionnuala Walsh.
Sun, March 09, 2025
Full Show Podcast - 9th March 2025
A short history of beer in Ireland; And how students, graduates and staff of the National University of Ireland responded to World War One
Sun, March 02, 2025
The Gaeltacht Civil Rights Movement
Myles speaks to Rónán Mac Con Iomaire, author of the book 'An Ghluaiseacht: Scéal Chearta Sibhialta na Gaeltachta'
Sun, March 02, 2025
Rebel Women: Cumann na mBan in Belfast and the Glens of Antrim 1914-1924
Dr Margaret Ward joins Myles to talk about the untold story of republican women in the north.
Sun, March 02, 2025
Full Show Podcast - 2nd March 2025
The story of The Gaeltacht Civil Rights Movement known as An Ghluaiseacht; and the untold story of Republican women in the north during the Irish revolutionary period.
Sun, November 10, 2024
Jonathan Swift: Savage Indignation
Gerry Mullins, Jim Lucey and Brendan Twomey join Myles to discuss Jonathan Swift.
Sun, November 10, 2024
The Mass Hunger Strike of 1923
Ian Kenneally reports. He speaks to Dr Helene O’Keeffe, co-editor of the 'Atlas of the Irish Civil War'
Sun, November 10, 2024
Full Show Podcast - 10th November 2024
The myriad legacies of Jonathan Swift; and the mass hunger strike of 1923.
Sun, November 03, 2024
The Nastiest Presidential Elections in US History
Myles Dungan looks at some of the most bitterly fought Presidential elections, with the help of Professor Glen Gendzel, Dr Sandra Scanlon, and selections from the RTÉ Radio Archives.
Sun, October 27, 2024
The Irish in Multicultural Britain
Myles is joined by Dr Kieran Connell, author of 'Multicultural Britain: A People's History'
Sun, October 27, 2024
Dracula, Frankenstein and Ballyshannon
Marc McMenamin reports, he talks to Professor Jarlath Killeen of TCD, and local historian Brian Drummond.
Sun, October 27, 2024
The Convening of the Irish Boundary Commission
Myles is joined by Dr Cormac Moore, to mark the anniversary of the Irish Boundary Commission's first meeting a century ago.
Sun, October 27, 2024
Full Show Podcast - 27th October 2024
The Irish in Multicultural Britain; Dracula, Frankenstein and Ballyshannon; and the convening of the Irish Boundary Commission a century ago
Sun, October 20, 2024
Foreign Tongues: Victorian Language Learning and the Shaping of Modern Ireland
Myles is joined by Phyllis Gaffney to talk about how Ireland became a leader in modern language education in the 19th century.
Sun, October 20, 2024
The Shooting of Richard Bertles
Ian Kenneally reports on the civil war killing of Richard Bertles, and two songs about him composed a century apart.
Sun, October 20, 2024
Thomas Keneally on John Mitchel
Myles speaks to Australian writer Thomas Keneally about John Mitchel, the focus of his latest historical novel 'Fanatic Heart'.
Sun, October 20, 2024
Full Show Podcast - 20th October 2024
Language learning in 19th century Ireland; The shooting of Richard Bertles during the Irish Civil War; and Thomas Keneally on his new novel about John Mitchel
Sun, October 13, 2024
Irish Food History
Myles is joined by Dr Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire, who is co-editor of the book 'Irish Food History: A Companion'
Sun, October 13, 2024
Remembering our Community Midwives
Myles is joined by Emma Laffey, curator of the exhibition 'Mary Anne Fanning: Remembering our Community Midwives' at the National Museum of Ireland - Country Life in Castlebar.
Sun, October 13, 2024
Race, Politics, and Irish America
Myles talks to Professor Mary Burke, author of 'Race, Politics, and Irish America: A Gothic History'.
Sun, October 13, 2024
Full Show Podcast - 13th October 2024
The rich history of Irish food; Remembering our community midwives; and the racial transformation of the Irish in America.
Sun, October 06, 2024
The Irish Jacobite Army
Myles is joined by Dr Harman Murtagh, author of a new book telling the story of Ireland's largest pre-modern army.
Sun, October 06, 2024
U.S. First Ladies: Making History and Leaving Legacies
Colm Flynn reports, he speaks to Anita McBride, who was Chief of Staff to First Lady Laura Bush.
Sun, October 06, 2024
Lower than the Angels: A History of Sex and Christianity
Myles is joined by Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch, Emeritus Professor of the History of the Church at Oxford, and author of a recently published volume on sex and Christianity.
Sun, October 06, 2024
Full Show Podcast - 6th October 2024
The Irish Jacobite Army; The role of America's First Ladies; and the history of sex and Christianity.
Sun, September 29, 2024
Hotel Lux: An Intimate History of Communism's Forgotten Radicals
Myles is joined by Dr Maurice Casey to talk about the life of Wexford-born communist May O'Callaghan, who was once a resident of Moscow's fabled Hotel Lux.
Sun, September 29, 2024
Broken Archangel: The Tempestuous Lives of Roger Casement
Myles is joined by Roland Philipps, author of a new biography of Roger Casement.
Sun, September 29, 2024
Full Show Podcast - 29th September 2024
The story of Wexford-born communist May O'Callaghan; and The Tempestuous Lives of Roger Casement.
Sun, September 22, 2024
Niall Quinn on the life of Oscar Traynor
Niall Quinn speaks to Myles Dungan about the life of Oscar Traynor, in a public interview recorded at the Hinterland Festival in Kells.
Sun, September 15, 2024
The Irish in the Resistance
Myles is joined by Clodagh Finn and John Morgan, authors of 'The Irish In The Resistance: The Untold Stories of the Ordinary Heroes Who Resisted Hitler'
Sun, September 15, 2024
On Board Air Force One on 9/11
Colm Flynn talks to Mark Tillman, the pilot of Air Force One on September 11th 2001.
Sun, September 15, 2024
John Steinbeck's Irish Heritage
Marc McMenamin reports, he talks to local historians Douglas Bartlett and Brian Drummond.
Sun, September 15, 2024
Full Show Podcast - 15th September 2024
The Irish in the Resistance; On Board Air Force One on 9/11; and John Steinbeck's Irish Heritage
Sun, September 08, 2024
Saint Brigid at 1500
Myles is joined by Dr Niamh Wycherley, medieval historian at Maynooth University.
Sun, September 08, 2024
Laurel and Hardy in Ireland
Colm Flynn reports on the comedy team's visit in 1953.
Sun, September 08, 2024
Blood And Thunder: Rugby and Irish Life
Myles is joined by Liam O'Callaghan, author of the book 'Blood & Thunder: Rugby and Irish Life: A History'
Sun, September 08, 2024
Full Show Podcast - 8th September 2024
Saint Brigid at 1500; Laurel and Hardy in Ireland; and a history of rugby and Irish life.
Sun, May 26, 2024
The Tailteann Games
Ian Kenneally reports, he talks to Dr Siobhán Doyle about this immense sporting and cultural event in the 1920s and 1930s.
Sun, May 26, 2024
The Quest for the Irish Celt
Mairéad Carew joins Myles to talk about Harvard's investigation in the 1930s, which sought to determine the racial and cultural heritage of the Irish people.
Sun, May 26, 2024
The Avignon Papacy
Colm Flynn reports on the period in the 14th century when the papacy was based in Avignon in modern France.
Sun, May 26, 2024
Two Wives
Ronan Kelly with twin stories that demonstrate the invaluable role of a good partner, in trying times.
Sun, May 26, 2024
Full Show Podcast - 26th May 2024
The Tailteann Games; The Quest for the Irish Celt; The Avignon Papacy; and Ronan Kelly’s essay ‘Two Wives’
Sun, May 05, 2024
Marino 100
Myles talks to Ruth McManus about the Marino housing scheme, plus Lorcan Clancy talks to Marino Residents Association members Mark Crowther, Patricia Normanly and Gerry Edgely.
Sun, May 05, 2024
The Irish Civil War Fatalities Project
Myles talks to Andy Bielenberg and John Dorney about their project, which investigates the death toll of the Irish Civil War.
Sun, May 05, 2024
Full Show Podcast - 5th May 2024
How the Marino community transformed Dublin housing a century ago; and the Irish Civil War Fatalities Project which investigates the death toll of the conflict.
Sun, April 28, 2024
Two Centuries of Disappearances in Ireland
Myles is joined by Pádraig Óg Ó Ruairc, author of the book "The Disappeared: Forced Disappearances in Ireland 1798-1998"
Sun, April 28, 2024
The Princess Grace Irish Library
Flor MacCarthy reports from Monaco, speaking to Prince Albert II about an oasis of Irish culture, inspired by Grace Kelly’s connection to Ireland.
Sun, April 28, 2024
Long Island, Coney Island
Ronan Kelly has been island-hopping – and he encountered two men with an eye for potential that's hiding in plain sight.
Sun, April 28, 2024
Full Show Podcast - 28th April 2024
Two centuries of forced disappearance in Ireland; We visit the Princess Grace Irish Library in Monaco; and Ronan Kelly with twin tales from our island communities.
Sun, April 14, 2024
Lord George Hill
Cathal Póirtéir on the 19th century Donegal landlord who set out to improve Gweedore, County Donegal.
Sun, April 14, 2024
One Photograph, Many Stories
Cathy Scuffil on the local history tales revealed in a photograph taken over a century ago in south Dublin city.
Sun, April 14, 2024
Full Show Podcast - 14th April 2024
The 19th century Donegal landlord who set out to improve Gweedore; and the local history tales revealed in a photograph taken over a century ago in Dublin.
Sun, April 07, 2024
George Mallory's Pursuit of Everest's Peak
Marc McMenamin on the life and death of mountaineer George Mallory, and the disputed fate of the 1924 Mount Everest Expedition.
Sun, April 07, 2024
Bury, Beaumont and Belvedere House
Ian Kenneally reports on the lives of the last two men to own Belvedere House in Westmeath. He speaks to Ruth Illingworth and Jonathan Westaway.
Sun, April 07, 2024
The Courts of Justice Act 1924
Niamh Howlin and Donal Coffey join Myles to discuss how our courts system began, 100 years ago.
Sun, April 07, 2024
Full Show Podcast - 7th April 2024
George Mallory's pursuit of Everest's Peak; The extraordinary lives of the last men to own Belvedere House in Westmeath; and the origins of the Irish courts system.
Sun, March 24, 2024
The Waterboys - Two Irishmen and the Politics of Water in California
Myles Dungan presents the story of the two Irish engineers who changed the history of California, by bringing water to LA and San Francisco - allowing the cities to grow.
Sun, March 17, 2024
The Irish Land Commission Archive
Myles visits the Records Branch of the Irish Land Commission in Port Laoise, to hear about the challenge of conserving and cataloguing its 11 million documents.
Sun, March 10, 2024
Dentistry in Ireland
Myles is joined by Eoin Kinsella and Frances Nolan, authors of 'The Irish Dental Association: A Centenary History'
Sun, March 10, 2024
Joseph EA Connell
The historian and author joins Myles to talk about the Anglo-Irish Treaty, The 1922 Constitution, and how life changed for ordinary citizens in the new Irish Free State.
Sun, March 10, 2024
Two Bishops, Two Paintings
Ronan Kelly tells the stories of two men separated by centuries, but connected by their power within the Catholic Church - and, by their love of art.
Sun, March 10, 2024
Full Show Podcast - 10th March 2024
A century of dentistry in Ireland; Joseph EA Connell on the transition to the new Irish Free State; and a story of two powerful men separated by centuries but connected by their love of art.
Sun, March 03, 2024
The Diaries of Kathleen Lynn
Myles is joined by Mary McAuliffe and Harriet Wheelock, authors of "The Diaries of Kathleen Lynn: a Life Revealed Through Personal Writing"
Sun, March 03, 2024
The Founding Father of Artificial Intelligence
Andy O'Donoghue on the life and career of Professor John McCarthy, the computer scientist who coined the term "Artificial Intelligence"
Sun, March 03, 2024
The An Gaodhal Project
Lorcan Clancy talks to Deirdre Ní Chonghaile, who is working on a project that utilises AI to digitise the world's first Irish-language newspaper.
Sun, March 03, 2024
Full Show Podcast - 3rd March 2024
The Diaries of Dr Kathleen Lynn; The Founding Father of Artificial Intelligence; and using AI to digitise the first Irish language newspaper.
Sun, November 05, 2023
The Killing of Francis Murphy
Michael Vaughn and Padraig Óg O’Ruairc on the complex and unusual case of 15-year old Francis Murphy, who was killed in 1919.
Sun, November 05, 2023
Comic Books in 1950s Ireland
Ian Kenneally reports, he talks to comic collector and author David McDonald about the short-lived comic "The Leprechaun"
Sun, November 05, 2023
Harry Clarke's Geneva Window
Myles is joined by Zoë Reid, Keeper of Public Services & Collections with the National Archives.
Sun, November 05, 2023
Full Show Podcast - 5th November 2023
The killing of 15-year-old Francis Murphy in 1919; The moral panic over comic books in 1950s Ireland; and Harry Clarke's Geneva Window
Sun, October 29, 2023
The Politics of Land, Part Two
To talk about the Irish Land Commission and its archives, Myles is joined by Terence Dooley, Catriona Crowe, Fiona Fitzsimons and Anne Murphy.
Sun, October 22, 2023
The Politics of Land
To talk about the politics of land in the new Irish State, Myles is joined by Terence Dooley, Tony McCarthy, Eoin Kinsella and William Nolan.
Sun, October 15, 2023
Barristers in Ireland
Niamh Howlin talks to Myles about her book, "Barristers in Ireland: An evolving profession since 1921"
Sun, October 15, 2023
The First Ascent of Everest
Marc McMenamin talks to Peter Hillary, son of Edmund Hillary, about his father's historic ascent of Everest 70 years ago
Sun, October 15, 2023
The Coffin Ship
Myles talks to Cian McMahon, author of the book "The Coffin Ship: Life and Death at Sea during the Great Irish Famine"
Sun, October 15, 2023
Full Show Podcast - 15th October 2023
Barristers in Ireland; Peter Hillary on his father Edmund's ascent of Everest in 1953; and the story of the Coffin Ship during the Irish Famine.
Sun, October 08, 2023
The Irish Coroner
Dr Michelle McGoff-McCann on her book 'The Irish Coroner: Death, murder and politics in Co. Monaghan, 1846-78'
Sun, October 08, 2023
Ancestral Voices in Irish Politics: Judging Dillon and Parnell
Myles is joined by Paul Bew, Emeritus Professor of Irish Politics at Queens University Belfast, and a crossbench peer in the House of Lords.
Sun, October 08, 2023
Full Show Podcast - 8th October 2023
Death, murder and politics in 19th century Monaghan; and Paul Bew on the lives of Charles Stewart Parnell and John Dillon.
Sun, October 01, 2023
The Harlan Strauss Tapes
A look at an extraordinary collection of taped interviews with revolutionaries, recorded in 1972. Myles is joined by Harlan Strauss, Jim Dolan, Conor Mulvagh and Ultan Courtney.
Sun, September 24, 2023
The Drowned Village
Myles Dungan looks at the story of Capel Celyn in Wales, and why it was submerged in water in the 1960s, displacing the small Welsh-speaking community who lived there.
Sun, September 17, 2023
The County History and Society Series
William Nolan and Arlene Crampsie join Myles to discuss the series from Geography Publications, chronicling the history of all 32 counties.
Sun, September 17, 2023
The Lost Irish Miners of Leadville
James Walsh on the story of Irish silver miners in 19th century America, their fight for a fair wage, and why it’s important to remember this chapter of Irish-American labour history.
Sun, September 17, 2023
Full Show Podcast - 17th September 2023
Chronicling the history of 32 counties in the History and Society series; and the Irish silver miners who fought for better pay and conditions in 19th century Colorado.
Sun, September 10, 2023
Athlone's Nuclear Bunker
Ian Kenneally reports on how the Irish government planned to respond to a nuclear war in the 1950s and 60s.
Sun, September 10, 2023
From Rake to Radical: An Irish Abolitionist
Anne Chambers talks to Myles about Howe Peter Browne, 2nd Marquess of Sligo, and his reforming Governorship of Jamaica.
Sun, September 10, 2023
Funmi and Augustine
Ronan Kelly on the death of an African woman in Dublin in 1965, who is buried in Mount Jerome Cemetery.
Sun, September 10, 2023
Full Show Podcast - 10th September 2023
Athlone's Nuclear Bunker; The extraordinary life of Howe Peter Browne and his reforming Governorship of Jamaica; and an investigation into the tragic death of a Nigerian woman in Dublin in 1965.
Sun, September 03, 2023
Ireland and The League of Nations
Michael Kennedy and Zoë Reid join Myles to talk about how The Irish Free State joined the League of Nations in 1923.
Sun, September 03, 2023
Killester Garden Village
Lorcan Clancy reports from the Dublin suburb which began in the early 1920s as a housing scheme for ex-British Servicemen.
Sun, September 03, 2023
William Webb Ellis
Ian Kenneally on the man who the Rugby World Cup trophy is named after - and how he became the key figure in the origin myth of the sport.
Sun, September 03, 2023
Full Show Podcast - 3rd September 2023
Ireland at the League of Nations; Homes for World War One Ex-Servicemen in Killester Garden Village; plus the story of William Webb Ellis and Rugby's origin myth
Sun, April 30, 2023
The Silent Civil War
Liz Gillis on the new RTÉ TV series, which explores inherited memories and unheard testimony of the Civil War.
Sun, April 30, 2023
The Irish Defence Forces, 1922–2022
Eoin Kinsella on his new book which covers a century of The Irish Defence Forces.
Sun, April 30, 2023
Robert Tressell
Mary Muldowney talks about the writer Robert Tressell, and the upcoming Tressell Festival on Saturday 6th of May at Liberty Hall.
Sun, April 30, 2023
Full Show Podcast - 30th April 2023
The new TV Series 'The Silent Civil War'; a new comprehensive history of The Irish Defence Forces; and the life of Irish writer Robert Tressell.
Sun, April 23, 2023
Snow Widows
Colm Flynn speaks to Katherine MacInnes, author of the book 'Snow Widows: Scott's Fatal Antarctic Expedition Through the Eyes of the Women They Left Behind'
Sun, April 23, 2023
The Yeats Sisters
The life and work of Elizabeth and Susan Yeats is discussed by Dr Angela Griffith and Eunan McKinney.
Sun, April 23, 2023
Italy and the Irish During World War Two
Myles talks to Isadore Ryan, author of 'Roman Imbroglio: Italy and the Irish During World War Two'
Sun, April 23, 2023
Full Show Podcast - 23rd April 2023
The women left behind after Robert Falcon Scott's fatal expedition to the South Pole; The life and work of the Yeats sisters; and stories of the Irish in Italy during WW2.
Sun, April 16, 2023
Tara and the Ark of the Covenant
Mairéad Carew on the extraordinary story of the British-Israelites, their strange excavations, and the campaign to save the Hill of Tara.
Sun, April 16, 2023
A Short History of Presidential Criminality
Sandra Scanlon of UCD on the United States Presidents who ran afoul of the law, from Ulysses S. Grant to Donald J. Trump.
Sun, April 16, 2023
Send us another Mary McCann
Ian Kenneally on the Westmeath woman who became a national hero in the USA for her brave response to a steamboat fire.
Sun, April 16, 2023
Full Show Podcast - 16th April 2023
Tara and the Ark of the Covenant; A short history of Presidential criminality; and Westmeath woman Mary McCann's heroic response to the tragic General Slocum disaster.
Sun, April 09, 2023
Rediscovery of a Four Courts Field Gun
Conor Sweetman reports on the tale of an important artefact from the Irish Civil War. He talks to Kenneth L.Smith-Christmas, Lar Joye and Brenda Malone from the National Museum of Ireland.
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