The Irish History Boys

Join hosts Tim McGarry and Cormac Moore as they dive into the colorful, tragic, and surprising history of the Irish border.In this episode, the team explores the origins of border enforcement following the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty and the rise of border smuggling. From women stuffing heavy "Ulster coats" with goods in 1930s Donegal to cattle swimming across Lough Erne during the Economic War, discover how ordinary citizens outsmarted customs barriers.The episode then turns to one of the darkest moments of 1976: the shocking hospital assassination of Provisional Sinn Féin Vice President Máire Drumm at Belfast's Mater Hospital. Finally, look back at John Hume's groundbreaking 1976 diplomatic mission to Washington D.C., which reshaped American involvement in Northern Ireland.

Welcome to this week's The Irish History Boys podcast with Tim and Cormac. On this episode, they discuss the 1976 Irish Presidential Crisis, where President Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh referred new emergency powers legislation to the Supreme Court following heightened IRA violence in Dublin, creating severe friction with Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave’s coalition government.They examine how the crisis peaked when Defence Minister Patrick Donegan publicly insulted the President as a thundering disgrace. When the Taoiseach refused to discipline Donegan, Ó Dálaigh resigned to defend the dignity of his office, directly contributing to the government's landslide defeat in 1977.Finally, they cover how the government enforced Section 31 of the Broadcasting Act, banning RTÉ interviews with Provisional Sinn Féin and paramilitary groups, a controversial media prohibition that remained in place until 1994.

Join Tim McGarry and Dr. Cormac Moore on The Irish History Boys as they explore what British policy looked like towards Ireland between 1912 and 1921, including home rule.This episode focuses specifically on the chequered careers and legacies of two consecutive British Prime Ministers: Herbert Henry Asquith and David Lloyd George. They discuss Lloyd George's secret double-dealing with unionists and nationalists, the backfiring 1918 Conscription Crisis, and the passage of the 1920 Government of Ireland Act, which formally partitioned the six Ulster counties.

Join Tim McGarry and Dr. Cormac Moore on The Irish History Boys as they explore Ireland's diplomatic push for co-equality at the 1926 Imperial Conference and the Balfour Declaration.This episode also dives into a 1976 church initiative attempting to tackle 'them and us' politics in Northern Ireland, alongside a look at the 1926 Soviet power struggle that paved the way for Joseph Stalin's rise.

In this episode of the Irish History Boys, hosts Cormac Moore and Tim McGarry are joined by Dr Gavin Hughes to examine the bloody, highly complex tragedy of the 1798 Irish Rebellion. We reflect on the brutal counter-insurgency campaign led by General Gerard Lake—exploring horrific tactics like "pitch-capped" burning tar hats, widespread executions, and the sheer terror of the "dragooning of Ulster".We examine this chaotic uprising within the broader context of post-Atlantic radicalism, tracing how the ideals of Thomas Paine and the French Revolution inspired Wolfe Tone to unite "Catholic, Protestant, and Dissenter" in 1791. We unpack the strange paradoxes of the conflict—from Gaelic-speaking Catholic militias fighting for the Crown to soldiers telling "fibs" about their religion to secure army careers. Additionally, we detail the strategic collapse following the arrest of Lord Edward Fitzgerald, Wolfe Tone's foiled French invasion at Bantry Bay where ships were so close you could "throw a biscuit box", and Napoleon's fateful decision to head to Egypt instead of Ireland.We also explore the tragic human cost through local eyewitness accounts, including postmistress Mary Ledbetter's memories of the sacking of the pacifist Quaker village of Ballytore, as well as the horrific sectarian atrocities at Scullabogue and Carrick-na-Cessna. To conclude, we trace the campaign from the "Races of Castlebar" to the last stand at Vinegar Hill, examining how an estimated 50,000 casualties paved the way for the 1800 Act of Union and why figureheads like Daniel O'Connell—who served in the Kerry Yeomanry—distanced themselves from the rebellion's bloody legacy.

In this episode of the Irish History Boys, we reflect on Oliver Cromwell’s brutal 10-month invasion of Ireland in 1649, a devastating campaign marked by the massacres at Drogheda and Wexford that left a 400-year shadow over the island.We examine these horrific sieges within the grim context of 17th-century European warfare, comparing Cromwell's relentless tactics to the atrocities of the Thirty Years' War and exploring how black propaganda surrounding the 1641 Rebellion fuelled sectarian revenge.Additionally, we dissect the paradox of Cromwell himself: was he a ruthless dictator, a cross between Stalin and Napoleon, or a disciplined military strategist who mastered supply lines and logistically bound his army together?To conclude, we tackle the tragic aftermath of the Commonwealth campaign, exploring the catastrophic loss of up to 20% of Ireland’s population, the forced transportation of 50,000 Irish men and women to Barbados, and why Cromwell's legacy continues to walk beside history on the island to this day.

In this episode of the Irish History Boys, we reflect on the September 1976 IRA bomb attack on the Belfast Telegraph offices and the tragic death of 60-year-old print worker Joe Patton. We examine how rival publications—including the nationalist Irish News —stood in unprecedented solidarity to defend a free press against paramilitary intimidation.We analyze this targeted attack within the context of 1976's grim violence, highlighting the rare targeting of journalists during the Troubles and the paper's defiance in publishing its famous four-page "Penny Marvel" edition straight from the rubble.Additionally, we explore Vanguard leader William Craig’s astonishing political U-turn in September 1976.We discuss his controversial proposal for a voluntary power-sharing coalition with the SDLP, his immediate expulsion from the unionist coalition, and the political paralysis that left Northern Ireland in a bleak stalemate.To conclude, we tackle the long history of British political disinterest in Ireland, tracing a pattern of neglect from G.K. Chesterton’s 1918 warnings to border visits in 1924 and modern Brexit confusion. We also answer listener questions regarding Ireland's World War II defense forces and diplomat Seán Lester's role leading the League of Nations.

In this episode of the Irish History Boys, Tim McGarry and Dr. Cormac Moore reflect on the harrowing 1926 cinema fire in the County Limerick village of Dromcollogher, an appalling catastrophe that claimed nearly 50 lives.We examine how a makeshift cinema in a hardware store loft turned into a blazing inferno when unprotected film reels ignited, trapping moviegoers with only a single ladder exit.We examine the devastating impact of this tragedy, locally remembered as "The Burning", where one-tenth of the village perished, and analyse why the disaster sparked no official Dáil inquiry or formal parliamentary debate.Additionally, Tim shares a personal story of surviving a targeted 1981 arson attack on his family home in Belfast, drawing striking parallels to Dublin's Stardust fire.Moving to September 1976, we explore the historic heatwave and severe drought that led to widespread water rationing across Northern Ireland and southern divisions, drying up major reservoirs like Silent Valley and Stonyford.We discuss how this record heatwave was perceived at the time as a glorious summer rather than an early warning of climate change.To conclude, we unpack the landmark September 1976 Strasbourg report from the European Commission on Human Rights regarding the British military's interrogation methods against Northern Ireland internees.We dissect the controversial legal distinction between "torture" and "inhuman and degrading treatment" concerning the "Five Techniques", including hooding, wall-standing, white noise, sleep deprivation, and simulated helicopter drops.

In this episode of the Irish History Boys, we explore the "disease of pessimism" that gripped Ireland in September 1926. Drawing from contemporary accounts warning that this despair threatened to develop into a national characteristic of "moral decrepitude and mental stagnation," we dissect the psychological and economic scars left by the Civil War, the 1925 famine, and rampant emigration. We then fast-forward to the modern era to debate when and how Ireland finally transitioned from post-independence stagnation into a self-assured, highly confident nation.Additionally, we tackle the wild "Northern misconceptions" surrounding the Irish Free State in 1926, where border communities were led to believe that Dublin was in a state of absolute anarchy and gloom. We examine how unionist politicians and regional newspapers exaggerated southern lawlessness to discourage unity, how partition cemented two distinct cultures, and how these political schisms trickled down into everything from the historic 1921 soccer split to the bizarre division of local Morris Minor appreciation clubs along the border.To conclude, we reflect on the extraordinary rise of the Peace People in 1976—a spontaneous, working-class movement born out of a horrific August tragedy in which three innocent children were killed. We discuss the co-founders, Betty Williams and Maria Corrian, and examine the massive, cross-community rallies that saw tens of thousands of people cross the peace lines for the first time, including a highly symbolic demonstration on Derry's Craigavon Bridge. We also analyze whether this powerful, women-led crusade successfully drove down the horrific levels of sectarian violence during one of the grimmest years of the Troubles.