Irish Life & Lore - Voices from the Archive

A descendant of the Guinness brewing family, Desmond Guinness was a conservationist who achieved much in helping to save some of our fine Irish Georgian buildings from falling into ruin.  His legacy is extraordinary.

This podcast features sound clips of an oral history recoding we compiled with Andrew Kavanagh, a descendant of the ancient Irish McMorrough Kavanagh family who retained possession of their lands at Borris, Co. Carlow since the 16th century. The podcast also includes the voice of Pat Murphy, who farmed the land as did his people before him, near the Borris Estate.

Using sound clips from the Irish Life and Lore Archive, in this podcast, Kerryman Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty and his extraordinary and dangerous work is recalled by Sr. Noreen Dennehy who speaks for the first time about her experiences of working with him in helping to shelter Jews from the Nazis in Rome during WW11.Monsignor O'Flaherty's nephew, also named Hugh O'Flaherty, is also included in this podcast.

In a gripping recording compiled at his Dublin home, Dr. James Sheehan recalls and describes exciting in medicine in the 1960s and 70s in Ireland. He grew up in Kerry and in adulthood he became fascinated with bioengineering artificial joint improvement.Working in the U.K.under Sir John Charnley, recognised as the founder of modern hip replacement, in the U.K., he brought back to Dublin his expertise which he put to excellent use in Ireland.

Madoline O Connell has some brilliant stories to recall about the social history of old Cork’s elite society. She relives those years when the City was alive with the preforming Arts and other activities. 

This recording was compiled at Maureen Mullins' home in 2012 for inclusion in the Horseracing Ireland Oral History Collection. She worked with her husband Paddy and their family in one of Ireland's most successful thoroughbred horse breeding and training businesses, based in Goresbridge, Co. Kilkenny.Maureen passed away, aged 94, on 14th February 2024.

The Siege of Kinsale, Co. Cork, also known as the Battle of Kinsale of 1601 was the ultimate battle in England's conquest Gaelic Ireland.This historic and remarkable event is relived in 2004 on location at the site with local historian, John Thullier, who recounts the entire story. 

In 2009 Maurice O'Keeffe travelled to the Falkland Islands in the remote South Atlantic Ocean to compile recordings for Irish Life and Lore with members of the small population living there at that time.