logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2022
40m 41s

[Ep 2/3] Ireland's Last Aristocrat - The...

FIN DWYER
About this episode

Olive's unpublished diary and letters reveal a story of war, revolution and scandalous relationships in Ireland during the War of Independence.


After being raised in splendour with servants taking care of her every need (see part I), this episode follows Olive Packenham Mahon through the Irish revolutionary era. After the outbreak of World War I everything changed. 


The Packenham Mahons and other aristocrats found themselves on the wrong side of history as revolution swept through Ireland. 

Olive recorded her experiences in an unpublished diary and letters which provide the basis for this episode. While these recount an unusual perspective on the Irish revolution, they also reveal a love affair that scandalised her family!


There is also bonus episode with exclusive content for supporters here.

Artwork - Keith Hynes

Sound - Kate Dunlea

Narrations - Aidan Crowe and Therese Murray

Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/irishhistory.



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Aug 20
The Secret Life of May O’Callaghan: The Kremlin’s Irish Insider
In 1973, just two people attended the lonely funeral of May O’Callaghan, an Irish emigrant in North London. Few could have imagined that this quiet woman from Wexford had once stood at the very heart of Soviet power. In the 1920s, May O’Callaghan worked in the Kremlin as the Sovi ... Show More
44m 57s
Jul 31
Ireland's Liberator - The Life of Daniel O'Connell
This special episode of the Irish History Podcast, in partnership with An Post, marks the 250th anniversary of Daniel O’Connell’s birth.In this podcast, I explore the life and legacy of one of Ireland’s most influential figures. Known as 'The Liberator' O’Connell’s campaign for C ... Show More
43m 30s
Jul 23
Who Will History Remember?
How do we decide who the most significant people in our history are? Whose story is worth telling? In this episode, I’m joined by Eoin Kinsella, managing editor of the Dictionary of Irish Biography, to explore how he and the team behind this remarkable resource tell the story of ... Show More
32m 9s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2024
Irish in America: Poverty to Power
At least 23 of the Presidents of the United States can have their ancestry traced back to Ireland. So why did this diaspora come to America? What was their reception like? And how have they reached the top of the power structure so regularly? We are finding out in this episode wi ... Show More
47m 1s
Jun 2023
Medieval Irish Folklore (Live)
In this special live episode, recorded at the Hay Festival, Greg Jenner is joined by Dr Gillian Kenny and comedian Seán Burke to learn about medieval Irish folklore.We’re focusing on the lore and stories from Gaelic Irish culture. Gaelic culture remained the dominant set of cultu ... Show More
1 h
Apr 2008
Yeats and Irish Politics
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the poet W.B. Yeats and Irish politics. Yeats lived through a period of great change in Ireland from the collapse of the home rule bill through to the Easter Rising of 1916 and the partitioning of the country. In May 1916, 15 men were shot by the B ... Show More
42m 17s
Mar 2022
A Personal Tour of Modern Irish History
Fintan O’Toole was born in Dublin in 1958, the same year that T.K. Whitaker, a member of the Irish government, published an influential report suggesting that Ireland open its doors economically and culturally to the rest of the world. O’Toole’s new book, “We Don’t Know Ourselves ... Show More
51m 46s
Jun 2024
The Anarchy: Disruptive Women
The Anarchy is an intriguing and often forgotten period of history. There are fascinating characters and moments of deep political importance to England's development as a state. The involvement of women in the Anarchy is vital to understanding how it played out over almost two d ... Show More
38m 18s
Mar 2022
Saint Patrick
Man, myth or legend... who was the real Saint Patrick? Did he really banish all the snakes from Ireland? Where does the shamrock tradition come from? And was he even Irish? In this episode, Tristan is joined by Professor Lisa Bitel of USC Dornsife to find out more about the true ... Show More
38m 45s
Jan 2020
S2E13 For King and Country
Three soldiers of the Black Watch are put to death at the Tower of London. Their sentence: mutiny. Their silence, historic. Why did they choose not to defend themselves? Is the truth wound up with the mysterious stranger who visited them on the eve of their court martial, and how ... Show More
17m 46s
Aug 2023
Folk Heroes: Grace O’Malley
Grace O’Malley (c. 1530-1603) is known as the iconic, pirate queen of Ireland. She is remembered through folklore as a skilled ship captain, a notorious rebel against the English monarchy, and a fierce pirate.  Further Reading Grace O'Malley: The Pirate Queen of Ireland The extra ... Show More
5m 11s
Nov 2023
Life on the Medieval Coast
The popular BBC television series Villages by the Sea explores coastal life through the centuries. Its presenter Ben Robinson is an archaeologist with the fantastic job of exploring lost villages and uncovering their secrets, including those that give an insight into medieval lif ... Show More
41m 8s