During the 1880s U.S. based Irish nationalists orchestrated a bombing campaign in England, known to history as the Dynamite Campaign. But what if the world’s most famous fictional detective had been sent across the Atlantic by the British Government to investigate? In this episode, Fin and Damian are joined by Dr Terry Golway, the author of numerous factual history books on this period, to dicuss just such a scenario, from his new historical novel Terror from America: A Sherlock Holmes Adventure. As well as discussing the history that underpins the novel, we explore some of the American and Irish ties of Sherlock Holmes and his creator, Arthur Conan Doyle.
The show begins with outlining the real story of the Dynamite Campaign and just why New York mattered so much to it.In addition to exploring the lives and relationship of John Devoy and Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa, two of 19th century Irish America's most famed figures, we chat about the fascinating Dubliner Thomas Byrnes, who ran the detective deparment in the late 19th century NYPD. Listeners will also hear about some of Terry’s earlier historical work, particularly on Devoy and Tammany Hall, and how that helped to shapeTerror from America.
Dr. Terry Golway is a historian of American and Irish American history as well as a distinguished journalist. He is Adjunct Professor of Political Science and U.S. History at the College of Staten Island.
You can check out Terry's novel Terror from America: A Sherlock Holmes Adeventure here.
For Terry's biography of John Devoy, Irish Rebel: John Devoy and America's Fight for Irish Freedom see here.
For our discussion with Terry on the history of Tammany Hall, see Episode 34. Tammany Hall: The Irish Political Machine in New York.
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