Year ‘21

Latest Episodes:

Episode 35: The Southern Protestants Aug 27, 2021

Show notes

There’s been debate over why the number of Protestants went down by so much in what would become the Republic of Ireland. Tara and Declan hear how some historians say many Protestants were forced to quit the new State, while others believe they left by choice.

Episode 34: The Religious Divide Aug 20, 2021

Show notes

Archbishop Eamon Martin, Primate of All Ireland for the Catholic Church, and the Rev David Bruce, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church, tell Tara and Declan about the impact their predecessors had during the War of Independence and in the creation of the new states.

Episode 33: The Other Women Aug 14, 2021

Show notes

Tara and Declan hear the story of Belfast woman Elizabeth Corr, a library assistant who witnessed history at first hand. And they learn about what happened to women in 1921 who were believed to be consorting with the enemy.

Episode 32: The Spies Aug 06, 2021

Show notes

Michael Collins recruits an intelligence network of enterprising men and women who find out many of the British government’s secrets. But it’s a dangerous life within the sights of the IRA. Please be advised that this episode contains a depiction of suicide.

Episode 31: The Pharmacist Jul 30, 2021

Show notes

Not everyone's story makes it to the history books - but everyone has a story to tell. Listener Ian McBurney talks to Declan and Tara about his great-grandfather Matthew McDonald, an upstanding citizen whose life is upended by the troubles in Ireland.

Episode 30: The Prison Camp Jul 23, 2021

Show notes

Thousands of men are arrested and spend months behind the wire at Ballykinlar. What was life like there? Author Liam O Duibhir draws parallels with the recent past as he tells Tara and Declan about conditions in the camp: how men set up classes to learn Irish, music, shorthand and book-keeping - and how two internees plotted their escape.

Episode 29: The Truce and the Twelfth Jul 16, 2021

Show notes

After the King’s visit to Belfast, Lloyd George and de Valera finally agree a truce to allow treaty negotiations to get underway. Meanwhile the annual Twelfth parades take place amid a feeling of betrayal from Orange Order members in Donegal, Cavan and Monaghan who have been left out of the newly-created Northern Ireland. Tara visits the Orange Order’s museum and hears how the institution is inextricably linked with James Craig and many of those who will go on to wield power in Northern Ireland.

Episode 28: The Bloodiest Day in Belfast Jul 09, 2021

Show notes

This week also sees the fifth anniversary of the beginning of the Battle of the Somme. Although thousands of Irishmen continue to fight in fields across Europe until the end of the war, it is the sacrifice of hundreds of Ulstermen at the Somme which is being remembered. Tara and Declan hear how the commemorations in 1921 may have helped draw fresh battlelines between nationalists and unionists in the new Northern Ireland.

Episode 27: The Ambush Jul 02, 2021

Show notes

As soldiers return to their barracks in Dublin after the King’s visit to Belfast, their train is blown up by a group of south Armagh men lying in wait, led by local farmer Frank Aiken. Three officers, a railway guard and at least fifty horses are killed in what would become known as the Adavoyle Ambush. A listener and local historian tells us how his family members were involved in the clean-up operation in the immediate aftermath of the explosion and describes a “gruesome” scene. Please be advised that this episode features the sound of gunshots.

Episode 26: The King's Speech Jun 21, 2021

Show notes

King George V's speech to Parliament, in which he 'stretched out the hand of forebearance and conciliation', is designed to be heard beyond Northern Ireland. Declan and Tara learn of the crucial role of South African Prime Minister Jan Smuts in this historic and far-reaching address. Warning: this episode contains the sound of gunshots.

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