History Ireland magazine has now been in production for over 27 years.
The History Ireland Podcast covers a wide variety of topics, from the earliest times to the present day, in an effort to give the listener a sense of the distant past but also to offer a contemporary edge.
Captain Bligh—hero or villain?
(Recorded live on Saturday 03 October 2026 at Substation, Distributed Museum, Dublin Port)
Captain William Bligh, whose draconian discipline provoked mutiny on HMS Bounty in 1789, is one of history’s enduring villains. But how fair or accurate is his depiction in numerous books and films? He is also credited with designing the solution to Dublin harbour’s sand bar problem—the Poolbeg and Bull Walls. How accurate is that?
To understand the real Captain Bligh and his significance, join Tommy Graham (editor, History Ireland) in discussion with Rob Goodbody (Dublin’s industrial heritage), Lar Joye (Heritage Director, Dublin Port) and David Murphy (Maynooth University).
4 Sept 2026
A ‘unique relationship’?—Ireland and the USA 1920–present
A ‘unique relationship’?—Ireland and the USA 1920–present
(Recorded live on Fri 28 Aug ’26 @ the Electric Picnic)
While the UK claims to have a ‘special relationship’ with the USA, we claim a ‘unique relationship’, exemplified by the now-traditional bowl of shamrock presentation in the White House each St Patrick’s Day. But the relationship hasn’t always been cordial: Dev failed to get recognition of the Irish Republic from the US government in 1920; the biggest threat to our neutrality during the Emergency came not from the Nazis or the British but from the USA; and today by far the biggest source of toxic far-right misinformation and disinformation is the USA.
Editor Tommy Graham in discussion with Dan Mulhall (former Irish Ambassador in Washington DC), Bernadette Whelan (UL), and John Gibney and Michael Kennedy (both RIA’s Documents on Irish Foreign Policy series).
17 Apr 2026
Irish America in the 1950s
Dublin Festival of Books presents one of a series of presentations on this year's One City One Book—John Banville’s Christine Falls. While most of the action takes place in the gloomy streets of 1950s Dublin, it intersects with a parallel storyline set in Boston. What does that tell us about the post-war Irish-American experience? What were Irish-American perceptions of the ‘old country’—and vice versa? Join Tommy Graham (History Ireland) in discussion with Dan Mulhall (former Irish Ambassador to the US), Bernadette Whelan (University of Limerick) and Michael Kennedy (Documents on Irish Foreign Policy).
One City One Book is an annual Dublin City Council festival, led by Dublin City Libraries and Dublin UNESCO City of Literature, and supported by the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport.
Who has been a guest on History Ireland
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Ashling Hedderman
Ellen Rowley
Conor McCabe
Tony Canavan
Lar Joye
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.4 / 5
16 ratings
Spotify
4.7 / 5
51 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 28 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
35
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
51
Contact History Ireland
Guest appearances
Does not typically book guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
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