The Irish Passport

Latest Episodes:

Abortion Oct 26, 2017

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Ireland has one of the strictest abortion laws in Europe. Banned unless the woman's life is in serious danger, it carries a 14-year prison sentence. Rumblings of change are beginning, but some a campaign could open up ugly political fault lines. Why is Ireland like this? Tim Mc Inerney and Naomi O'Leary explore the strange and surprising backstory to Ireland's constitutional abortion ban. Tim hears from a journalist who snuck contraband condoms into 1970s Dublin. We hear from Ireland's 31-year-old health minister on what change he wants to see, while Naomi meets a 17 year-old student who has swapped her textbooks for a megaphone in the pro-choice campaign. Just don't let her Catholic school find out... For bonus episodes, support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/theirishpassport. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook: @PassportIrish. Support this podcast

The Irish Slaves Myth Sep 28, 2017

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Have you ever heard that the Irish were slaves? If so, you may have been targeted with political propaganda. Naomi O'Leary speaks to actress and writer Azie Dungey about how Irish history is being abused for a political agenda in the United States, while Tim Mc Inerney asks two experts in the topic about the truth behind the internet myth. We hear from US journalist Traci White who set out to investigate why the meme was appearing on her Facebook page, while Irish Senator Aodháin Ó Ríordáin tells us what the Trump administration needs to know about Irish-American history. For bonus episodes, support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/theirishpassport. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook: @PassportIrish. Featuring: ‘When the Wick is Gone’ by the Pangolins. A transcript of this episode is available here: https://www.theirishpassport.com/transcripts/transcript-the-irish-slaves-myth/ Support this podcast

The Great Hunger Sep 06, 2017

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Ireland's great famine was the worst peacetime disaster in 19th century Europe. It shaped both Ireland and the world. And it remains such a political bombshell that people still can't agree on what to call it. Naomi O'Leary and Tim Mc Inerney explore the hidden history of the mass starvation, from its little-known role in the origins of modern journalism to its surprising link to a Native American tribe. Tim discovers a piece of 1840s Ireland in the middle of Manhattan, while Naomi asks what lessons should be applied to current events today. For bonus episodes, support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/theirishpassport. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook: @PassportIrish. Featuring Cello Duet No. 1 by Chief Boima Support this podcast

The Brexit Irish Aug 16, 2017

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Applications for Irish passports surged in the last year, largely from people in Britain and Northern Ireland. Who are the new 'Brexit Irish'? We meet them in this new episode and hear their motivations for claiming their Irish identity. We also speak to the Irish ambassador who found himself in the eye of the storm as applications soared. Tim hits the streets of Galway to investigate what ordinary Irish citizens think of the newcomers -- and is taken aback by what he hears. Discover why Ireland has such a large diaspora in the first place, and the key role they played in the foundation of the state. For bonus episodes, support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/theirishpassport. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook: @PassportIrish. Support this podcast

Ireland and Europe Jul 26, 2017

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Ireland and Europe: what is Ireland's future in the EU now that its neighbour the United Kingdom is leaving? Is the so-called Irexit at all realistic? Naomi O'Leary and Tim Mc Inerney explore Ireland's relationship with the continent now and in the future and unpick why Ireland differs so much from Britain in its history as part of Europe. We speak to Ireland's most, and perhaps only, well-known eurosceptic Ray Bassett, as well as Ireland's Minister for European Affairs and the ordinary people of Dublin to understand Ireland and Europe at this crucial moment in history. For bonus episodes, support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/theirishpassport. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook: @PassportIrish. Support this podcast

Elites Jul 13, 2017

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Who are Ireland's elites? That question was once easily answered, but not since independence upended the entire social order! In this episode Naomi O'Leary visits a castle in Dublin that has been the home of one family for 35 generations -- and finds the current heir still feels he's not accepted as one of Ireland's own. Tim Mc Inerney investigates how his own ancestors went from being aristocrats' servants to rebels in one generation. Or perhaps they were rebels all along? We speak to an expert who says Ireland today is in denial about having elites, when they are hiding in plain sight. Find out who they are and more in our chat with elitism expert Dr. Ciaran O’Neill. For bonus episodes, support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/theirishpassport. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook: @PassportIrish. A transcript of this episode is available here: https://www.theirishpassport.com/transcripts/transcript-elites/ Support this podcast

The Catholic Church Jun 28, 2017

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For decades, Ireland was synonymous with Catholic control - but the last 30 years have seen a new cultural climate take hold in the country, and a furious backlash has broken out against the legacies of the Church's institutional stranglehold. Naomi O'Leary and Tim Mc Inerney look at how the Church became so powerful in the Irish Republic in the first place, and the reasons behind its dramatic fall from grace in recent times. We'll be talking to the formidable local historian Catherine Corless, who exposed institutional abuse and cover-ups on a massive scale in 2014, and we'll also interview journalists and doctors at the National Maternity Hospital in Dublin, which inspired public outrage when the state almost gave it over to an order of nuns with a questionable past. For bonus episodes, support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/theirishpassport. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook: @PassportIrish. A transcript of this episode is available here: https://www.theirishpassport.com/transcripts/transcription-the-catholic-church/ Support this podcast

The Knowledge Gap Jun 21, 2017

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Recent politics have revealed a common lack of knowledge about Ireland and Northern Ireland in the Britain at a time when it is of vital strategic importance. What is behind the blind spot? We call this phenomenon 'The Knowledge Gap', and investigate how it came to be by comparing the history courses taught in Ireland and the UK, with some striking results. Naomi O'Leary and Tim Mc Inerney hear from experts on Northern Ireland who found themselves in the eye of the storm following the recent election which brought the Democratic Unionist Party unexpectedly close to power in Westminster and unleashed huge demand for crash courses on Northern Ireland. This episode reveals that uncertainty about where the UK begins and ends is widespread -- including among those whose job is to know. For bonus episodes, support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/theirishpassport. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook: @PassportIrish. Support this podcast

The Irish Language Jun 14, 2017

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Irish: a rare and ancient language that is spoken from the streets of Canada to the corridors of power in the European Union. Naomi O'Leary and Tim Mc Inerney delve into why the language is such a powerful national symbol for Ireland, its fraught history, and how it's still a point of political strife today. For bonus episodes, support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/theirishpassport. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook: @PassportIrish. A transcript of this episode is available here: https://www.theirishpassport.com/transcripts/transcript-the-irish-language/ Support this podcast

Unionism: Election Special Jun 09, 2017

Show notes

The dramatic UK election result has suddenly made Northern Irish politics more pressing than ever. Are you trying to figure out what the DUP is anyway and what all this means for Brexit? Naomi O'Leary and Tim Mc Inerney answer all these questions and more in this special UK election edition of The Irish Passport. It includes a report from a loyalist pipe band event where we asked marchers what they thought of Brexit, and got some surprising answers.... For bonus episodes, support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/theirishpassport. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook: @PassportIrish. A transcript of this episode is available here: https://www.theirishpassport.com/transcripts/transcript-unionism-election-special/ Support this podcast

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