The History of Ireland

Kevin Dolan

A podcast exploring how Ireland became Ireland.

  • 12 minutes 50 seconds
    S3 EP18 — Why The Children of Lír Was The Perfect Story For 19th Century Nationalists
    In this episode we look at how the Children of Lír slowly gained popularity over the 19th century and see what happens when you turn someone's children into swans.

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    4 December 2025, 5:43 am
  • 15 minutes 6 seconds
    S3 EP17 — The Lie Behind The Children of Lír

    In this episode we look at The Fate of the Children of Lír and explore how Ireland's most famous myth is not a myth at all. In fact, it's a Christian parable in a shape of myth. A bit like a child who's been turned into a swan.


    The artwork for this episode is THE CHILDREN OF LIR. THE ENCHANTMENT by Jim FitzPatrick.

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    6 November 2025, 9:00 am
  • 16 minutes 39 seconds
    The Black & Tans in Palestine

    A slight diversion from our current series on mythology to look at a unique connection between Ireland and Palestine.


    If you'd like to donate to support the people of Palestine you can do so here:

    https://www.savethechildren.org/us/where-we-work/west-bank-gaza


    As this could be a contentious episode, I wanted to ensure I shared all my sources. If it's something people find interesting, I'll keep doing for episodes moving forward.


    Seán W. Gannon, “The Formation, Composition, and Conduct of the British Section of the Palestine Gendarmerie, 1922–26,” The Historical Journal (2013). Cambridge University Press & Assessment

    Seán W. Gannon, “‘Our Irish Constabulary’: The British Palestine Gendarmerie, 1922–1926,” in The Irish Imperial Service

    Richard A. Cahill, “The Image of ‘Black and Tans’ in Late Mandate Palestine,” Jerusalem Quarterly 40 (2009).

    Richard A. Cahill, “Going Berserk: ‘Black and Tans’ in Palestine,” Jerusalem Quarterly 38 (2009). Palestine Studies

    UCC, The War of Words: Propaganda and Moral Force. University College Cork

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    9 October 2025, 6:00 am
  • 12 minutes 57 seconds
    S3 EP16 — The Scholars on the Edge of the World
    The Fate of the Children of Tuireann Pt. 3

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    12 September 2025, 7:04 am
  • 18 minutes 38 seconds
    S3 EP15 — The Fines That Made Brehon Law Tick
    In this episode Lug issues a fine to the Children of Tuireann and we look at how fines were the bedrock of medieval Ireland's decentralised system of laws.

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    22 July 2025, 12:11 pm
  • 12 minutes 38 seconds
    S3 EP 14 — Ireland's First Psychopath?
    In the latest episode we dive into the Fate of the Children of Tuireann, a story from the 15th century that builds on The Second Battle of Moytura and introduces a fascinating (if slightly horrible) character in the form of Brian, son of Tuireann.

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    29 June 2025, 10:58 pm
  • 13 minutes 31 seconds
    S3 EP13 — Honour Price & Fidchell

    In this episode we explore the concept of honour price and how it was one of the most important legal concept in early medieval Ireland. We then dive back into The Wooing of Étain, where three games of fidchell (ancient Irish chess) demonstrate different approaches to keeping deals and saving face.



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    18 May 2025, 11:04 pm
  • 13 minutes 35 seconds
    S3 E12 — The Kings of Early Medieval Ireland Meet Étain

    In this episode we look at how early medieval Ireland was ruled through a series of different kings and over kings, as well as continue our story of Etain, who is now living in early medieval Ireland with no memory of her time with the Tuatha Dé.


    Image, used with permission, is Nuada the High King by Jim Fitzpatrick.

    https://jimfitzpatrick.com/product-category/celtic-irish-fantasy-art/the-book-of-conquests-and-the-silverarm/page/2/

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    30 April 2025, 8:00 am
  • 9 minutes 25 seconds
    S3 EP11 – The Unique Oddness of Irish Mythology
    In this episode we get back into The Wooing of Étain, exploring her life as a fly and witness how she is reborn 1000 years later...

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    9 April 2025, 10:41 pm
  • 16 minutes 30 seconds
    S3 EP10 – How Patrick Became Our Patron Saint
    In this episode we look at how a Welsh bishop with fringe apocalyptic ideas became the patron saint of Ireland – defeating a whole load of druids in the process.

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    17 March 2025, 8:00 am
  • 14 minutes 48 seconds
    S3 EP9 — How Druids Learned To Read The Moon Through Story
    Did Étain represent the moon? And did The Wooing of Étain teach druids how to read the moon's movement over decades? In this episode we explore how connected to the natural world Irish stories really are and meet the eponymous Étain for the first time.

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    7 March 2025, 11:13 am
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