The Irish History Boys

This week we explore the pivotal year of 1926 for the Gaelic Athletic Association, as delegates from Louth and Tipperary pushed for the removal of the compulsory ban on "foreign games" such as soccer, rugby, cricket, and hockey. We look at the systemic issues regarding the enforcement of these rules, including the 1938 removal of Ireland's first president, Douglas Hyde, as GAA patron and the deployment of vigilante committees to ensure members did not attend rival sporting events. We also discuss why Northern members were the strongest advocates for maintaining these bans, as they felt abandoned by the Free State and faced continued obstruction and British rule within the six counties. Finally, we chat about the controversial "bandit country" label applied to South Armagh in the 1970s, while examining a local citizen’s poignant letter protesting the "blackening" of their peace-loving community’s name. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tim McGarry and Dr Cormac look back at the significant news stories of 1926 and 1976. Regarding 1926, they explore the complexities of the cross-channel postal service and the unionist desire for a "red route" to bypass the Irish Free State, highlighting Northern Ireland's unique status as a "polity". They also examine the legacy of the Belfast boycott—a counterproductive campaign that may have accelerated the start of the Civil War—and a prophetic letter to the Irish News bemoaning the "lost art of conversation" in the face of new technologies like radio and cinema.Moving to 1976, they reflect on a "bleak and miserable" period defined by "pure evil" and a "total political vacuum" following the collapse of the Sunningdale agreement. They delve into the horrific sectarian atrocities in South Armagh, specifically the Reevy and O'Dowd family murders and the retaliatory Kingsmill massacre. The hosts discuss the long-term impact on survivors like Alan Black, the lack of formal inquests, and the unsettling questions regarding potential British collusion and the mysterious role of Robert Nairac. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tim McGarry and Dr Cormac look back at the significant news stories of 1925 and 1975. Regarding 1925, they delve into the Boundary Commission, which established the permanent border of Northern Ireland and was seen as a "triumph for unionism" under James Craig, alongside social issues like the emancipation of women smoking in public and a largely "forgotten" famine in the West of Ireland. Moving to 1975, they reflect on a "miserable year" defined by a political vacuum, horrific sectarian violence such as the Miami Showband murders, and the unexpected political conversion of hardliner William Craig to the idea of power-sharing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we explore the pivotal moment for Northern Catholics following the 1925 London Agreement, which firmly established the six-county border and left many feeling "stuck" and abandoned by the Free State. We look at the systemic issues that followed, including the "factory of grievances" born from gerrymandering, the removal of Proportional Representation, and the stark lack of Catholic representation in the judiciary and civil service. We also chat about the staggering unemployment figures of 1975 in border areas like Strabane and Newry, while answering a listener’s question regarding the Troubles' impact on Scotland Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we explore the controversial legacy of the Ulster Special Constabulary, tracing its 1920 origins as a multi-tiered force. We look at the the group's involvement in sectarian violence and the subsequent disbandment of the A and C Specials following the 1925 London Agreement, despite vocal protests from members over their severance terms. We also chat about the B Specials long-term survival until 1970, while contrasting the era’s news with the political despair felt in Northern Ireland fifty years later. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we dive into President WT Cosgrave’s reliance on neighbourly feeling rather than written guarantees for the safety of Northern Catholics and the establishment of customs barriers in 1923 and their controversial persistence for over 70 years. Illicit pig smuggling in the mid-1970s makes an appearance and Tim relives the 11-plus exam. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Following the leak of the Boundary Commission's report, the high-stakes Tripartite Agreement of 1925 established that the border would remain unchanged, ensuring Northern Ireland conceded no territory. In exchange for accepting the existing boundary, the Irish Free State was relieved of its crippling obligation to pay a share of the UK's imperial debt, estimated at roughly £150 million. However, W.T. Cosgrave’s government faced severe backlash and a major political crisis for prioritising this financial reprieve over the interests of Northern nationalists, who were effectively abandoned by the deal. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode centers on the crisis created by the leaked award of the Irish Boundary Commission in November 1925, which was abysmal for nationalists as it suggested the Free State would lose parts of Donegal and Monaghan, leading to the resignation of Free State Commissioner Eoin MacNeill and creating the biggest crisis Cosgrave’s government faced since the Civil War. President Cosgrave rushed to London to attend conferences with British Premier Stanley Baldwin and Northern Premier Sir James Craig, determined to bury the report because the findings were politically unacceptable, despite being in a weak negotiating position. Free State negotiators, particularly Kevin O'Higgins, leveraged the threat that their government’s collapse would result in a Republican regime to shift the negotiation focus towards shelving the boundary issue (Article 12) in exchange for waiving the Free State’s substantial financial contribution to imperial debt under Article 5. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode concentrates on the 1925 Boundary Commission crisis and its fallout for the Free State, triggered by the dramatic resignation of Free State representative Eoin MacNeill around November 22nd. We also discuss the concurrent debate among anti-Treaty Republicans, including Éamon De Valera, about whether to abandon their abstentionist policy and enter the Free State parliament amidst the political instability. Finally, we address a listener query on the distinct development of healthcare systems, particularly the role of religious hospitals, in Northern Ireland and the Free State following Partition. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The episode explores the immense influence of World War I on Irish history from setting the stage for the Easter Rising and War of Independence to motivating over 200,000 Irish volunteers (Catholic and Protestant) to enlist, often for economic reasons or in anticipation of Home Rule. Tim & Cormac discuss the 1918 anti-conscription campaign, which powerfully united nationalist Ireland against British rule. They also address the difficulties faced by returning veterans and the challenges confronting Protestant communities in the Free State post-partition, including antagonism and violence. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode of the Irish History Boys is dedicated to dissecting the political fallout generated by the explosive November 7th, 1925, Morning Post leak—the event described by sources as the climax of the entire Irish Boundary Commission saga.The Morning Post's forecast, initially met with skepticism, proved almost on the money, revealing that the Commission was planning only rectification on lines convenient to both sides and not at any large transfers of territory. This outcome, involving mere tiny little tinkerings with the border, was instantly recognised as a complete unionist victory.Join us as we examine how a single newspaper leak derailed the Boundary Commission and solidified partition. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we're uncovering historical drama that still echoes today. We dig into the League of Nations, the toothless tiger whose failures against big bullies like Mussolini's Italy made people question its power—a debate still relevant when looking at the UN today. We also celebrate the Irish Free State's successful 1923 entry into the League as a massive power move to assert its independence, despite attempts by the British to shut it down. Finally, we jump ahead to 1975 to examine the end of the brutal regime of Spanish dictator Francisco Franco, who outlived all his wartime peers, before concluding with the shocking, tragic, and often forgotten 1925 story of Irish politician Darrell Figgis TD. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on The Irish History Boys, the discussion covers the controversy surrounding the Free State granting major contracts, such as the vital hydro-electric scheme on the Shannon, to foreign companies like the German firm Siemens, instead of British firms. Fast forward to 1975 and the border between North and South Ireland transformed into a security border during the Troubles, complete with physical barriers and watchtowers. Tim and Cormac detail the "grave concern at border trespass", focusing on an incident where five British soldiers crossed two miles into the Republic, allegedly raiding a farmhouse and commandeering a car while pursuing men on a tractor. Finally, the episode examines the notorious 1975 conviction of the Guildford Four—three men and a young girl—for the Guildford and Woolwich pub bombings. Judge John Johnson famously warned 21-year-old Paul Hill that "life meant life", a devastating sentence for a crime they did not commit, though their innocence was later supported when the Balcombe Street IRA gang confessed to the bombings. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the Irish History Boys explore the messiness, the craziness and the unrealism that surrounded the Partition of Ireland. We discuss the intense speculation and rumors surrounding the Irish Boundary Commission's report in October 1925, highlighting the complications caused by duplicated services and the controversial interpretation of Article 12 that ultimately cemented the six-county border. The episode also shifts focus to the 1975 canonization of St. Oliver Plunkett, who became the first Irishman granted this honour in over 700 years. We recount the history of the Catholic Archbishop of Armagh, detailing his condemnation in a show trial and his gruesome execution in 1681 by being hanged, drawn, and quartered. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode of the Irish History Boys explores two significant and controversial events that unfolded in 1975, beginning with the curious, unsanctioned kidnapping of Dr.Tiede Herrema, a Dutch industrialist, in County Limerick by rogue IRA members.The kidnappers, led by Eddie Gallagher, sought the release of Republican prisoners like Rose Dugdale, leading to a massive, internationally covered siege.Simultaneously, an infamous trial was concluding across the water regarding the 1974 Guildford and Woolwich pub bombings. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week explores events spanning a century, including the unexpected death 100 years ago of Sir Dennis Henry and the first Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland. Considered an outlier, he faced the gargantuan task of establishing the entire judiciary and legal system of the new jurisdiction following Partition. The episode also turns to 1975, a time of escalating violence during the Troubles, discussing the political vacuum created when William Craig, leader of the Vanguard Unionist Party, resigned as deputy leader of the United Ulster Unionist Council (UUUC). This collapse followed his proposal to allow the constitutional nationalist SDLP to share power. In the same crucial week, the Secretary of State, Merlyn Rees, decided to outlaw the UVF (Ulster Volunteer Force) in October 1975. And finally, an appearance by silent film superstar Charlie Chaplin, who successfully sued an imitator in Los Angeles to protect the rights to his character’s distinctive garb and mannerisms. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode of The Irish History Boys goes back 100 years to examine the high stakes of the 1925 Boundary Commission, which was established following the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty to determine the final boundaries between the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland.We explore the intense hopes in border areas, such as Clones, that large sections of the North would be transferred south. While nationalists were completely in the dark and relied on wild kind of guesses based on rumours of customs posts moving, the unionist leaders appeared a lot more relaxed as they seemed to know what was going on.Additionally, the episode delves into the history of Proportional Representation (PR) in the North, noting its initial introduction as a safeguard for minority representation, but explaining how it was systematically abolished by unionists in local and parliamentary elections to maintain their political dominance and control.Finally, we discuss the mysterious fate of the lost 1926 Northern Ireland census, a significant historical collection that disappeared soon after the boundary settlement. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode, we're getting into a really serious part of Irish history. We'll be looking at the sad history of sectarian violence on the streets of Belfast in 1975. Then, we'll fast forward to 1925 and the curious story of Ireland's upper chambers, north and south. Finally, we'll dive into the bizarre case of US heiress Patty Hearst, who was kidnapped in 1974 by the revolutionary Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cormac and Tim delve into the deep political divisions within unionism and the significant influence of loyalist paramilitary groups in 1975 Northern Ireland, where anti-power-sharing unionists held sway and paramilitaries publicly backed William Craig's call for talks, contributing to a decade of political stagnation. The discussion also delves into the economic landscape of the 1920s, revealing how Northern Ireland and British companies established factories in the Irish Free State to circumvent new customs duties, highlighting the early economic impacts of partition. Finally, they explore the "spiky spicy language" used by the British press in 1925 to influence the Irish Boundary Commission, even suggesting extreme measures like military action and the "naval bombard" of Belfast if the Northern government resisted its decisions, underscoring the intense political pressure of the era.View the full episode on YouTube Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tim McGarry and Dr. Cormac Moore delve into the surprising history of trade barriers and customs forms between Northern Ireland and Great Britain – a century before Brexit and the Protocol! Discover how, in September 1925, Northern Ireland goods faced "vexatious restrictions and impediments," requiring detailed declarations and even chemical analysis for items like silk and artificial silk, a stark contrast to trade within other parts of the UK.Watch the full episode on YouTube. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.