At the turn of the 20th century alcoholism was a major problem in Irish society. The island had 17,300 pubs while around 40% of all prison sentences were alcohol related. There was a general sense alcohol addiction was out of control. The stereotype of the happy-go-lucky drunk certainly masked the reality of the Irish alcoholism. In this podcast I explore addiction in Ireland at the turn of the 20th century by focusing on the life of one woman - the Sligo native Sarah Garvey. ***My latest book A Lethal Legacy - A History of Ireland in 18 Murders is out now. Get your eBook, audiobook, kindle or hardcopy here A Lethal Legacy | Linktree*** Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/irishhistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Every book has an origin story. My new book ‘A Lethal Legacy – A History of Ireland in 18 Murders’ is no different. While the book goes on sale today, the origin story goes back to 2015 when I found a trove of old letters belonging to a grandmother I never knew.Tune in to find out more.THE BOOK LAUNCH IS ON TONIGHT (SEP 14) AT 6P.M. IN HODGES FIGGIS BOOKSHOP ON DAWSON ST.Get your eBook, audiobook, kindle or hardcopy here A Lethal Legacy | Linktree Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/irishhistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This podcast looks at forgotten story of the tsunami that hit Cork in 1755, the volcanic winter of 1816 and a meteor that was way to close for comfort in 1908. Although they dont feature prominently in history, they had huge impact at the time.Articles referenced in the show A seismic tsunami in the Irish annals, recorded at Iona in October 720 https://arxiv.org/abs/2211.05224Folklore about the Cork tsunami http://www.deepmapscork.ie/past-to-present/climate/1755-lisbon-earthquake-tsunami-west-cork-coast/The Tunguska impact event and beyond https://academic.oup.com/astrogeo/article/50/1/1.18/201316Narrations - Aidan CroweSound - Kate Dunlea. 
My new book a book a lethal legacy is out this Thursday. You can still pre-order and get 10% off when you use the discount code FD10 at Eason.*The launch takes place Thursday September 14th in Hodges Figgis on Dawson Street in Dublin at 6pm*. If you are in Dublin drop in if you are around. It would be lovely to put a face to a listener! Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/irishhistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1821 George IV was the first British monarch to visit Ireland in modern times. It was a historic occasion for multiple reasons. Not only was he the first king to set foot on Irish soil since the 17th century but he was the first to do so without an army.Many held out hope the king's arrival might usher in a new era in Irish history.However George himself had other ideas. Beginning as he meant to continue, George was dead drunk on arrival. The following weeks were defined by pomp, ceremony and scandal - everything we have come to expect from a modern royal visit.This show is based on research for my upcoming book that never made the final cut.The book, A Lethal Legacy - A History of Ireland in 18 Murders, will be released on 14 September. You can still pre-order your copy today and get 10% off when you use the code FD10 at Eason.com. The article referenced in the show by Karina Holton is entitled ‘All our joys will be complated’: The visit of George IV to Ireland, 1821. Its available in Irish Historical Studies, 44(166), 248-269. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/irishhistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Great Hunger left deep scars on the Irish society. Many of those who survived the 1840s never fully survived the harrowing ordeal they had endured. They were traumatised in body and spirit. For the rest of their lives, they carried the physical and psychological injuries the Great Hunger inflicted on them.This podcast follows the life one of the last survivors in Dublin - Catherine Mulhern.This podcast was included in an early draft of my upcoming book A Lethal Legacy – A History of Ireland in 18 Murders. While it didn’t make the final edit for reasons explained in the show, it is a fascinating story.A Lethal Legacy - A History of Ireland in 18 Murders is currently available for pre-order today. If you buy your copy at Easons.com & use the coupon code FD10 you will get 10% off. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/irishhistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.