Undercover Irish

About Undercover Irish

Undercover Irish is a podcast about Ireland's history, language, placenames and the stories that often get left out. Named one of the Irish Examiner's Top 10 Irish Podcasts of 2025. Episodes explore everything from forgotten places and revolutionary history to Gaeilge, Irish words and names, emigration, folklore and the links between Ireland and the wider world. Undercover Irish; Uncovering Ireland's Hidden Curriculum.

Publisher

Eolan Ryng

Category

history

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

25 Apr 2025

Latest episode

8 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

47 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   8 Oct 2026

   Cork's Kilmainham Ep. 6: Women Of The War Of Independence

   Cover Art is a photo of the iconic "Muriel" painting by artist Jeanette Collins. Free Download: Get the free booklet here on Patreon, exploring the history of Cork Military Detention Barracks , "Cork's Kilmainham" ,and the extraordinary stories connected to the surviving site. In Cork's Kilmainham Ep. 6: Women of the War of Independence, we turn to the women whose work surrounded the detention barracks, Victoria Barracks and Cork's revolutionary struggle. From Cumann na mBan intelligence work and prison visits to spies inside British military headquarters, vigils outside the barrack gates, military courts, dispatch carrying and an audacious assassination attempt, this episode looks at the women who were far more than supporting figures in the Irish War of Independence. We revisit Ellen "Nellie" Carroll, Seán Allen's fiancée, whose access to him inside Cork Military Detention Barracks became a channel for intelligence. We follow Josephine Marchment, who worked inside Victoria Barracks while secretly passing information to the IRA. We also return to Ballycannon, the suspected informer Cruxy O'Connor, and the extraordinary poisoning plot involving Nora Martin and Ethel Condon. Finally, we look at what happened after the revolution, when women such as Ellen Carroll were forced to fight for recognition through the Military Service Pension system — and how those files now preserve some of the richest evidence we have of women's revolutionary service. All of these stories lead back to one place: Cork Military Detention Barracks, the surviving historic prison at the old Victoria Barracks, a site still under threat of demolition. Topics include: Cumann na mBan, women in the Irish War of Independence, Cork revolutionary history, Victoria Barracks Cork, Cork Military Detention Barracks, Seán Allen, Ellen Carroll, Josephine Marchment, Nora Martin, Ethel Condon, Ballycannon, Cruxy O'Connor, IRA intelligence, Military Service Pensions and women's history in Cork.

2. 

   29 Sept 2026

   Cork's Kilmainham Ep. 5: \"X\" Marks The Cell

   Watch Davy Holden's excellent video on Cork Military Detention Barracks: https://youtu.be/MhgbDqtgB_o?si=RXX7LIzU5wv7SldP (https://youtu.be/MhgbDqtgB_o?si=RXX7LIzU5wv7SldP) Cork's Kilmainham, Episode 5: X Marks the Cell On the evening of 27 April 1921, Diarmuid O'Leary noticed something on the two prison cells beside his own. Each door had been marked with a large X. His had not. By the following morning, he would understand why. In this episode we follow the aftermath of Clonmult and Mourneabbey into Cork Military Detention Barracks, where Patrick O'Sullivan, Maurice Moore, Patrick Ronayne and eighteen-year-old Sonny Mulcahy waited under sentence of death. We hear from Patrick O'Sullivan's remarkable final letter home, including his description of death as simply "going by an early train." We also follow the story of Major Geoffrey Lee Compton-Smith, the British officer held by the IRA in an attempt to prevent the Cork executions, and Diarmuid O'Leary, the condemned prisoner whose own cell door remained unmarked. The episode then follows Patrick Casey and Daniel O'Brien, as the final firing squads of the War of Independence fall silent inside the barracks. But the death sentences were not finished. Next time: The Empty Graves.

3. 

   17 Sept 2026

   Cork's Kilmainham Ep. 4: The Firing Squads Return

   Cork's Kilmainham continues. In Episode 4, the story moves into the darkest period yet for Cork Military Detention Barracks. Following the death of Terence MacSwiney and the introduction of martial law, the barracks moves to the centre of the conflict in Cork. Men captured across the county are brought here, court martialled here and, increasingly, condemned to death here. This episode tells the story of Con Murphy, the first man executed in Cork under the new martial law regime, before moving to the failed Dripsey ambush and the five IRA prisoners who were sentenced to death. We also look at Maria Lindsay, whose warning to the British helped expose the Dripsey ambush, her extraordinary letter to General Strickland, and the unlikely figures who came forward to speak on behalf of the condemned men. The episode culminates on 28 February 1921, when six men were executed by firing squad at Cork Military Detention Barracks while their families and supporters gathered outside the walls. This is also the story of how one building became a physical link between some of the most important moments in Cork's revolutionary history. If you're new to the series, start with the earlier episodes: Episode 1 explores the origins of Cork Military Detention Barracks, its links to Fenian prisoners and the extraordinary story that eventually connects Cork with the Catalpa rescue. Episode 2 follows the story of Thomas Kent, executed here after the 1916 Rising, his secret burial and the later discovery of his grave. Episode 3 tells the story of Terence MacSwiney, his arrest as Lord Mayor of Cork, his first night in the detention barracks wearing the mayoral chain and the hunger strike that would eventually shake the world. And now, in Episode 4, the firing squads return. If you enjoy Undercover Irish, please follow or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, leave a rating or review, and share the episode with anyone interested in Cork history, the Irish War of Independence or Ireland's revolutionary period. You can also support the podcast on Patreon, where you'll find extra material connected to the series, including the free Hidden in Plain Sight booklet on Cork Military Detention Barracks. Search terms: Cork Military Detention Barracks, Cork's Kilmainham, Dripsey Ambush, Con Murphy, Maria Lindsay, Irish War of Independence, martial law Cork, Cork executions 1921, Terence MacSwiney, Thomas Kent, Irish revolutionary history.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

37 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 32 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

43

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

51

Contact Undercover Irish

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Shows with a similar audience

• 

  Irish History Podcast

• 

  The David McWilliams Podcast

• 

  Documentary on One Podcast

• 

  The Trawl

• 

  The Seán Chorus

• 

  Origin Story