The History Show

Episodes

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  Cathal Brugha Remembered & Two Centuries of Irish Housing 01.11.2026 46m

  This week: the life and legacy of revolutionary leader Cathal Brugha; and housing expert Lorcan Sirr on 200 years of housing in Ireland. Cathal Brugha Remembered Cathal Brugha was one of the leading figures of the Irish revolutionary period.A veteran of the 1916 Rising, he helped rebuild the Irish Volunteers in its aftermath; presided over the first meeting of Dáil Éireann; and served as Minister for Defence during the War of Independence.But his legacy has often been overshadowed by his bitter clashes with Michael Collins, and his opposition to the Anglo-Irish Treaty. A new publication, Cathal Brugha Remembered, seeks to provide a fuller picture of the man, exploring different aspects of his life, career and legacy.Myles is joined in studio by the co–editors of this collection of articles from the Military Archives, Liz Gillis and Gerard Shannon. You can get hold of a free PDF copy of the book at the Military Archives website. Two Centuries of Irish Housing Housing has been one of the most persistent issues in Irish political and social life, from the great landlord estates of the nineteenth century, to the overcrowded tenements of Dublin, and of course the housing crisis of today.A new book traces more than two centuries of Irish housing history, examining how land ownership, politics, religion and money have shaped where and how we live.It's called Housing a Nation: Seven Generations of Irish Land, Politics and Power. The author is the academic and housing policy analyst, Lorcan Sirr, Senior Lecturer in Housing at Technological University Dublin, who joins Myles in studio. The book is published by Hachette. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Gulliver's Travels 25.10.2026 52m

  On this week’s programme, we mark 300 years since the publication of one of the most famous books every written – Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels. A story of tiny people, giants, flying islands and intelligent horses, it’s also a biting satire of politics, war, scientific ambition and human nature itself. We’ll hear the story of its secretive publication, explore what it has to say about the relationship between Britain and Ireland, and ask why Swift’s strange and unsettling masterpiece still speaks so sharply to the modern world.One of the things being lampooned in Gulliver’s Travels is the genre of travel writing. By the early eighteenth century, travel writing had become enormously popular. Readers looked to travellers for information about distant places – and had to decide whether the extraordinary things they described, could actually be believed.Swift borrowed the familiar style and conventions of factual travel accounts, and pushed them to increasingly absurd extremes.Our reporter Marc McMenamin spoke to Professor Daniel Carey of the University of Galway (an expert on the history of travel writing) about the tradition Swift was drawing upon, and how he turned it against itself. Then, Myles is joined in studio by two guests.Dr Brendan Twomey is an historian, and a researcher of all things Swiftian.Gerry Mullins is a writer and the creator of the new musical And Then There Was Gulliver. Its World Premiere is at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin, on Thursday 26th November at 8PM. That’s happening as part of the 2026 Jonathan Swift Festival. Tickets are available here. The manuscript of Gulliver’s Travels arrived at the home of the London publisher Benjamin Motte in the dead of night, on the 8th of August 1726. The story of how the book reached Motte, and how Swift attempted to conceal his authorship, was a decidedly cloak-and-dagger affair.Back in August, at the West Cork History Festival, Myles discussed Gulliver’s Travels with two more expert guests. Adam Tomkins is John Millar Professor of Public Law at the University of Glasgow.  Hester Grant is the author of the book The Twitnam Summer: Friendship, Satire and the Writing of Gulliver’s Travels, published earlier this year by HarperCollins.We hear an extract from that discussion, about the unusual circumstances in which the book was published, and some of the many targets of Swift’s satire. Our thanks to Simon and Victoria Kingston for facilitating that interview.And if you want to see the full discussion with Hester and Adam, you can find it on the West Cork History Festival Youtube channel. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  The United States at 250 07.06.2026 50m

  As the United States prepares to mark its 250th anniversary, Myles Dungan and guests explore the people, the principles, and the institutions that shaped the American Republic. With Daniel Carey, Brian Phillips Murphy, Paul McElhinney and Stewart McLaurin.
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  Glasnevin Cemetery 31.05.2026 45m

  Myles Dungan takes a tour of Ireland's National Cemetery at Glasnevin. With guests Ultan Moran, Brian Casey and Georgina Laragy.
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  Full Show Podcast - 24th May 2026 24.05.2026 47m

  Conflict and coexistence in County Donegal; The life and career of Harry Ferguson; and The Giotto Mission to Halley’s Comet.
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  Conflict and Coexistence in County Donegal 24.05.2026 23m

  Marc McMenamin talks to Edward Burke about a violent incident in Donegal in 1920, and its connection to the family history of a major political figure. Local historian Robert Love joins Myles to talk about Donegal’s minority community and cross-community relations in the county.
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  Harry Ferguson 24.05.2026 13m

  Colm Flynn speaks to John Barron, author of the new book ‘Harry Ferguson: From Birth To The Black Tractor’, about Ferguson’s life and career.
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  The Giotto Mission to Halley’s Comet 24.05.2026 8m

  40 years after the Giotto mission reached Halley’s Comet, astrophysicist Professor Susan McKenna-Lawlor recalls Ireland’s role in one of the great space missions of the 20th century. Report by Ian Kenneally and Flor MacCarthy.
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  75th Anniversary of The Goon Show 10.05.2026 12m

  Myles Dungan revisits his 1988 interview with Spike Milligan, about his work on the influential BBC radio comedy series The Goon Show.
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  Fianna Fáil Centenary 10.05.2026 32m

  Myles and guests discuss Fianna Fáil's origins, and open up two recently published books on Seán Lemass and Charles Haughey. With Donnacha Ó Beacháin, Ronan McGreevy and Eoin O'Malley.
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  Full Show Podcast - 10th May 2026 10.05.2026 45m

  Fianna Fáil History; and Spike Milligan’s influential radio comedy series The Goon Show.
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  Full Show Podcast - 3rd May 2026 03.05.2026 55m

  Exploring the 1926 census; and broadcaster Iain Dale on political leadership.
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  Exploring the 1926 Census 03.05.2026 32m

  Myles is joined by four historians who have been going through the 1926 census returns. With Liz Gillis, Mary McAuliffe, Cormac Moore and Marc McMenamin.
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  Iain Dale on Political Leadership 03.05.2026 21m

  Iain Dale speaks about leaders across different systems of government, as explored in the publications he's edited - most recently 'The Taoiseach: A Century of Political Leadership'.
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  Full Show Podcast - 26th April 2026 26.04.2026 55m

  Julie Parsons on her family memoir 'People Like Us'; The first Irish-language newspaper; and Irish Conflict in Comics
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  Irish Conflict in Comics 26.04.2026 17m

  James Bacon joins Myles to discuss how Irish conflicts were portrayed in comic books in the 20th century.
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  The First Irish-Language Newspaper 26.04.2026 14m

  Deirdre Ní Chonghaile joins Myles to discuss An Gaodhal, the Irish-language newspaper first published in New York in 1881, now available online from The University of Galway.
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  Julie Parsons on her family memoir 'People Like Us' 26.04.2026 22m

  Myles is joined by writer Julie Parsons, whose new book 'People Like Us' tells the story of her extended family.
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  Full Show Podcast - 19th April 2026 19.04.2026 47m

  The Catalpa Rescue; and When Fitness Went Global.
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  When Fitness Went Global 19.04.2026 22m

  Conor Heffernan joins Myles to discuss the rise of physical culture in the 19th century.