Episode 46: The Presence of the Past

Belfast's streets erupt into bloodshed with 30 dead in the space of 5 days. Historian Éamon Phoenix tells Tara and Declan how his grandfather survived World War I only to come close to being killed in the sectarian violence blighting the city. Please be advised that some listener ... Show More

Amid death and violence across the island of Ireland at this time, one incident stands out. The McMahon family is targeted one night by a gang believed to have been made up of RIC men, led by DI John Nixon. Tara and Declan hear how the Cavan man came to be linked to a number of k ... Show More

As Ireland divides, the game of soccer faces its own split. Declan and Tara learn about events which lead to the creation of a new football association in Dublin – and the impact the schism continues to have right up to the present day. 

Mark & guests discuss Northern Ireland's electoral pacts of the past and present. 

Mark Carruthers discusses the current state of relations between the UK and the Republic with historian Diarmaid Ferriter and former Conservative Minister, Michael Portillo. 

<p>We've made it! This is the final episode in the War of Independence series. The episode begins as Michael Collins and an Irish negotiating team lock horns with Lloyd George and Winston Churchill in London. When a controversial treaty is agreed we return to Dublin to see how it ... Show More

<p>A look back at the sources used for this particular episode, and then an update on the redecoration of HQ, a look forward to this month&#39;s Podcast Show in London, and a question for you, the listener, about Volume Five.</p> 

The accidental tourist who turned out to be a full blooded revolutionary. The family tale of Queen Alexandra attempting suicide. And finding the POW father who returned to Germany after the war. Sally and Nick discover new information and lasting repercussions as they revisit thr ... Show More

This week, Colin Jones explores the streets of Paris as the French Revolution grew pace; and an extract from a very special event at the British Library in celebration of Hilary Mantel.'The Revolutionary Temper: Paris, 1748-1789', by Robert Darnton'A Memoir of My Former Self: A L ... Show More

<p>Our heroes are out of time, out of options, out of places to hide. The holes in their history are starting to fill in; but are they going to like the answers they receive? We're almost caught up, now. Taako fights his fears. Merle loses faith. Magnus hears music.</p> 

<p>Our regular look at the books and websites that helped to construct the episode. Also a reflection on this year&#39;s Podcast Show in London and the legacy of the late Nick Barksdale on the History of the World podcast itself.</p>