In 1397 Ramn de Perells left the city of Avignon in the Kingdom of France, setting out on a 2,000 km journey to Ireland. His ultimate destination was a fabled gateway to the afterlife on Station Island, Lough Derg, Co Donegal. In this episode you w

The history of Belfast has been dominated by the Troubles of the late 20th century and the longer history of sectarian conflict in the city. However Belfast holds a lesser-known yet significant chapter in its past—it's connections to the slave trade. In t

In the 1880s Charles Stewart Parnell was the most famous Irish politician of his generation. Dubbed 'the uncrowned king of Ireland' he was respected and admired across the political spectrum.However 1890 he was embroiled in a sensational scandal that rock

Disert is a remote townland in the Bluestack Mountains in Co Donegal. For reasons that are not entirely clear, our ancestors have been drawn here for thousands of years. There is no question it is a special place.Located in the shade of a sacred mountain

In this episode Neil Jackman and myself continue our journey down the Lingaun Valley, one of Irelands oldest frontiers. As we move closer to the present day we explore an 800 year old church, a castle and a battlefield from the 1798 rebellion looking at

The Lingaun Valley is a little known valley that forms the border between Co Kilkenny and Co Tipperary. However for thousands of years this small river formed one of the most important frontiers in Ireland.While the societies and kingdoms that fought and

Have you ever wondered about your ancestors and who they were were? Were they on the right side of history? Maybe youre curious to find out if your family have dark secrets? In this podcast genealogist Martin Costello gives you a step by step guide

Emigration has been one of the defining features of Irish life since the Great Hunger. Generations have been drawn to the United States in the hope of finding a better life across the Atlantic. Many succeeded but for some these dreams became nightmares.&n

In 1895 Bridget Cleary was a confident independent woman in a rapidly changing Ireland. This brought her into conflict with dark and sinister figures in her own community. After being labelled a 'changeling' (a fairy who had taken the place of the re

Until 1981 a woman was considered the property of her husband under Irish law. A husband could even sue another man for damaging his property if he had an affair with his wife. Referred to as 'criminal conversation’ these trials were demeaning and humilia