Talking History with Patrick Geoghegan

Episodes

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  The political life and legacy of Charles Haughey 01.11.2026 52m

  On this episode of Talking History, Patrick Geoghegan looks at the political life and legacy of Charles Haughey with Vincent Browne, Journalist and author of Charles Haughey: Glory, Greed and Guns. Patrick will also be joined by Stephen Collins, columnist with and former political editor of The Irish Times and Shane Coleman co-presenter on Newstalk of The Hard Shoulder, weekdays from 4-7pm. 
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  Taoiseach Micheál Martin on the importance of history 25.10.2026 52m

  On this episode of Talking History, Patrick Geoghegan will be speaking to the Taoiseach Micheál Martin about the importance of history, and how it has shaped him as a politician.In part two, Patrick looks at the history of the ghost story with Darryl Jones, Professor of Modern British Literature and Culture and author of ‘For the Dead Remember: The Life of MR James’, as well as Dr Jack Fennell, writer and Researcher who lectures at the University of Limerick.
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  The Irish Pope & Catalpa 18.10.2026 48m

  This week on Talking History, Patrick Geoghegan looks at two books, Historian, Colin Barr's, "The Irish Pope: Paul Cullen, 1803-1878" and Michael Barry's book called Catalpa: The epic story of the greatest prison break in Irish History.
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  The history of the Irish American relationship 11.10.2026 51m

  This week on Talking History, Patrick explores the relationship Ireland has with the United States as the country marks 250 years of independence.
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  Brian Cowen and his Legacy 04.10.2026 51m

  This week on Talking History, Patrick discusses Brian Cowen's rise to the office of Taoiseach, the financial crisis that overwhelmed his government, and how he will be remembered in history.
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  The history of Magill Magazine 27.09.2026 51m

  This week on Talking History Patrick discusses the history of Magill Magazine with guests Kevin Rafter, author of FEARLESS!: Vincent Browne's Magill and Ireland in the 1980s, Head of communications at Dublin City University (DCU) and a former Magill Magazine Editor and Harry McGee, Political Correspondent with The Irish Times and former editor of Magill and author of The Murderer and the Taoiseach: Death, Politics and GUBU.
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  Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility 20.09.2026 52m

  This episode, marking the release of the new adaptation, features: Dr Gillian Dow, Associate Professor in English at the University of Southampton, Prof Jennie Batchelor, Head of the Department of English and Related Literature at the University of York, Dr Muireann O'Cinneide, Lecturer, School of English, the University of Galway, and Dr Mary O’Connell, Lecturer in English in the Department of English, University College Cork.
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  Tudor Special: Henry VIII 13.09.2026 52m

  In this episode, we explore new perspectives on Henry VIII and his wives, and also discuss how migration shaped the Tudor era. Featuring Lucy Worsley, Nandini Das and Steven Veerapen.
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  The History of Bookselling 06.09.2026 52m

  In this episode, a history books roundup: 'Medea: A Life', by Edith Hall; 'A History of Science in 21 Women' by Marieke Bigg; and 'The Bookshop: A history of bookselling' by Andrew Pettegree.
• 
  360 Years On: The Great Fire of London 30.08.2026 52m

  In this episode: 360 years after flames swept through the heart of London, we examine The Great Fire of 1666, how it began, why it became unstoppable and how London rose from the ashes. Featuring Prof Adrian Tinniswood, Professor of British Cultural History at the University of Buckingham and Adjunct Professor of History at Maynooth University, Prof Vanessa Harding, Emeritus Professor of London History at Birkbeck, University of London, who is currently developing a project to map London on the eve of the Great Fire, and Prof Mark Jenner, Emeritus Professor of Early Modern History at the University of York.
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  Princess Margaret and Ireland 23.08.2026 44m

  In this episode: Princess Margaret and Ireland, with Emily Hourican; ‘Ireland’s first sanitorium: The St Ann’s Hill Hydro, Co. Cork, 1843–1953’ with Ronan Foley; and what you might not know about novelist Joseph Conrad, with Juliette Bretan.
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  The Conquest of Constantinople 22.08.2026 52m

  In this episode, a history books roundup: ‘Desk Revolutionaries: The Men of the French Directory, 1795–9’, with Prof Biancamaria Fontana, emeritus professor of the history of political ideas at the University of Lausanne, ‘The Fifth Crusade - A History of the Epic Campaign to Conquer Egypt’, with Thomas Smith, Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and holder of honorary research positions at Royal Holloway and the University of Kent, and ‘1453: The Conquest and Tragedy of Constantinople', with Prof Anthony Kaldellis, Professor of Classics, University of Chicago.
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  Ireland's History With The EU 21.08.2026 49m

  In this episode: we look back at Ireland's relationship with the EU. Featuring Dr Mary C. Murphy of Boston College, then a senior lecturer in politics with the Department of Government and Politics, University College Cork; Professor John O'Brennan, Jean Monnet Professor of European Integration at Maynooth University; and Maria Walsh MEP.
• 
  Neolithic Tombs In Galway 07.08.2026 52m

  In this episode: Neolithic tombs uncovered in Galway, with Dr Michelle Comber & Dr Noel McCarthy, University of Galway; ‘James Joyce: A Political Life’, with Bridget Hourican; and Aspasia: the woman who allegedly taught Socrates, with Professor Armand D’Angour of Oxford University.
• 
  The Irish Who Served In The British Army 06.08.2026 51m

  In this episode: we'll begin beneath the waters of Dublin Bay where hundreds of shipwrecks tell the story of trade, war and survival. We'll explore a largely forgotten Ireland of red-coated soldiers, barracks and military patrols, and find out what the stories of the Irish who served in the British Army tell us about our complicated relationship with the British Empire. And we'll hear about a remarkable 17th century manuscript and a telescope that may have ben made by Galileo himself.
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  The History of the Masquerade 05.08.2026 51m

  In this episode, our books round-up: The Judges of Ireland, 1866-1921, by Daire Hogan; Masquerade: A History of Extravagance and Intrigue, by Meghan Kobza; and Tojo: The Rise and Fall of Japan's Most Controversial World War II General, by Peter Mauch.
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  The Odyssey 04.08.2026 49m

  The Odyssey: we find out why a story of monsters, magic, gods and vengeance continues to inspire and enthrall people nearly 3,000 years after it was first composed. Featuring: Dr Catherine Ware, lecturer in the Department of Classics, University College Cork; Dr Matthew Ward, Teaching Associate in Classics at the University of Cambridge; Dr George A. Gazis, Associate Professor in Greek Literature and Philosophy at Durham University; and Dr Alexandra Madeła, Irish Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Classics at Trinity College Dublin.
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  250: The US Declaration of Independence 05.07.2026 52m

  'We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal'. In this episode we find out how these iconic words in the US Declaration of Independence changed the history of America forever and how it impacted the world. Featuring: Prof Stephanie McCurry, Professor of U.S. History at Columbia University; Prof Eliga H. Gould, Professor of American History at the Rothermere American Institute, Fellow of Queen’s College, University of Oxford, and Professor of History at the University of New Hampshire; and Prof Kathleen (Kathy) Burk, Emeritus Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at University College London.
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  Eva Gore-Booth 25.06.2026 51m

  Featuring: Dr Sonja Tiernan, National Coordinator of the Irish Humanities Alliance, Royal Irish Academy, and the author of ‘Eva Gore-Booth: An Image of Such Politics’ and ‘Eva Gore-Booth: Irish Radical Poet, Rebel and Reformer’; Dr Mary McAuliffe, historian, lecturer, and Director of Gender Studies at UCD; and Dr Catherine Healy, historian-in-residence at EPIC, The Irish Emigration Museum.
• 
  Medieval Dublin 25.06.2026 52m

  In this episode, we look back at our excavation of the medieval history of Medieval Dublin - with Ruth Johnson, Dublin’s City Archaeologist; Paul Duffy, archaeologist, historian and author; Dr Grace O’Keeffe, a medieval historian based in Dublin and the editor of Archaeology Ireland; and Dr Catherine Swift, Department of History, Mary Immaculate College Limerick.