The Irish History Boys

Following the leak of the Boundary Commission's report, the high-stakes Tripartite Agreement of 1925 established that the border would remain unchanged, ensuring Northern Ireland conceded no territory. In exchange for accepting the existing boundary, the Irish Free State was relieved of its crippling obligation to pay a share of the UK's imperial debt, estimated at roughly £150 million. However, W.T. Cosgrave’s government faced severe backlash and a major political crisis for prioritising this financial reprieve over the interests of Northern nationalists, who were effectively abandoned by the deal.

This episode concentrates on the 1925 Boundary Commission crisis and its fallout for the Free State, triggered by the dramatic resignation of Free State representative Eoin MacNeill around November 22nd. We also discuss the concurrent debate among anti-Treaty Republicans, including Éamon De Valera, about whether to abandon their abstentionist policy and enter the Free State parliament amidst the political instability. Finally, we address a listener query on the distinct development of healthcare systems, particularly the role of religious hospitals, in Northern Ireland and the Free State following Partition.

The episode explores the immense influence of World War I on Irish history from setting the stage for the Easter Rising and War of Independence to motivating over 200,000 Irish volunteers (Catholic and Protestant) to enlist, often for economic reasons or in anticipation of Home Rule. Tim & Cormac discuss the 1918 anti-conscription campaign, which powerfully united nationalist Ireland against British rule. They also address the difficulties faced by returning veterans and the challenges confronting Protestant communities in the Free State post-partition, including antagonism and violence.

This episode of the Irish History Boys is dedicated to dissecting the political fallout generated by the explosive November 7th, 1925, Morning Post leak—the event described by sources as the climax of the entire Irish Boundary Commission saga.The Morning Post's forecast, initially met with skepticism, proved almost on the money, revealing that the Commission was planning only rectification on lines convenient to both sides and not at any large transfers of territory. This outcome, involving mere tiny little tinkerings with the border, was instantly recognised as a complete unionist victory.Join us as we examine how a single newspaper leak derailed the Boundary Commission and solidified partition.

This week, we're uncovering historical drama that still echoes today. We dig into the League of Nations, the toothless tiger whose failures against big bullies like Mussolini's Italy made people question its power—a debate still relevant when looking at the UN today. We also celebrate the Irish Free State's successful 1923 entry into the League as a massive power move to assert its independence, despite attempts by the British to shut it down. Finally, we jump ahead to 1975 to examine the end of the brutal regime of Spanish dictator Francisco Franco, who outlived all his wartime peers, before concluding with the shocking, tragic, and often forgotten 1925 story of Irish politician Darrell Figgis TD.

This week on The Irish History Boys, the discussion covers the controversy surrounding the Free State granting major contracts, such as the vital hydro-electric scheme on the Shannon, to foreign companies like the German firm Siemens, instead of British firms. Fast forward to 1975 and the border between North and South Ireland transformed into a security border during the Troubles, complete with physical barriers and watchtowers. Tim and Cormac detail the "grave concern at border trespass", focusing on an incident where five British soldiers crossed two miles into the Republic, allegedly raiding a farmhouse and commandeering a car while pursuing men on a tractor. Finally, the episode examines the notorious 1975 conviction of the Guildford Four—three men and a young girl—for the Guildford and Woolwich pub bombings. Judge John Johnson famously warned 21-year-old Paul Hill that "life meant life", a devastating sentence for a crime they did not commit, though their innocence was later supported when the Balcombe Street IRA gang confessed to the bombings.

This week, the Irish History Boys explore the messiness, the craziness and the unrealism that surrounded the Partition of Ireland. We discuss the intense speculation and rumors surrounding the Irish Boundary Commission's report in October 1925, highlighting the complications caused by duplicated services and the controversial interpretation of Article 12 that ultimately cemented the six-county border. The episode also shifts focus to the 1975 canonization of St. Oliver Plunkett, who became the first Irishman granted this honour in over 700 years. We recount the history of the Catholic Archbishop of Armagh, detailing his condemnation in a show trial and his gruesome execution in 1681 by being hanged, drawn, and quartered.

This episode of the Irish History Boys explores two significant and controversial events that unfolded in 1975, beginning with the curious, unsanctioned kidnapping of Dr.Tiede Herrema, a Dutch industrialist, in County Limerick by rogue IRA members.The kidnappers, led by Eddie Gallagher, sought the release of Republican prisoners like Rose Dugdale, leading to a massive, internationally covered siege.Simultaneously, an infamous trial was concluding across the water regarding the 1974 Guildford and Woolwich pub bombings.