logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2025
1 h

239. Ireland’s Fight For Freedom: The Ri...

Goalhanger
About this episode
The Irish republicans who led the Easter Rising of 1916 are tried for treason by the British government, and sentenced to death. Some are so unwell they have to be tied to a chair to be killed, and the brutality of these executions turns the tide of public opinion in Ireland, increasing support for the Republican cause. The remaining revolutionaries are car ... Show More
Up next
Yesterday
390. Road To 9/11: The Soviet-Afghan War (Part 2)
Did the CIA actually fund Osama bin Laden during the Soviet-Afghan war? Who was Abdullah Azzam, the radical scholar who turned jihad into a global franchise? How did a bureaucratic office meeting create Al-Qaeda? In Episode 2 of this new series, William Dalrymple is joined by Jas ... Show More
43m 17s
Aug 23
389. Road To 9/11: Origin of Al-Qaeda (Part 1)
What were the building blocks of the rise of Radical Islamism that paved the road to the 9/11 terror attacks? How did the torture of radical members of the Muslim Brotherhood fan the flames of Islamist thought in the 1960s? Who were Sayyid Qutb and Ayman al-Zawahiri, and how did ... Show More
55m 6s
Aug 19
388. Viking Mythology: Thor, Ragnarok, & Jesus Christ (Ep 6)
Who are Thor and Ragnarok in Norse Mythology? How did the Vikings fuse their own spiritual beliefs with Christianity? And how do Norse spiritual practices continue in some ways today through Scandinavian indigenous cultures? In Episode 6 of this series, Anita Anand and William Da ... Show More
47m 20s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2021
The 1916 Rising (The War of Independence Part II)
<p>The story of the War of Independence continues with the 1916 Rising. The&nbsp;episode begins by looking at the how the revolt unfolded and explains why it was limited to Dublin. It then follows the rebels into captivity in the famous prison camp of Frongach in Wales. The secon ... Show More
33m 47s
Jun 2023
339: Ireland: The Easter Rising, 1916 (Part 4)
The Easter Rising began in Dublin's General Post Office on Easter Monday, 24th April 1916, with Patrick Pearse’s dramatic proclamation of the Irish Republic. Led by republicans opposed to British rule in Ireland, this was the most significant uprising in more than a century - and ... Show More
1h 1m
Jun 2025
577. The Irish War of Independence: The Violence Begins (Part 2)
What was Sinn Féin’s totemic first move after winning a majority seat in 1917? Were the IRA’s methods during this early stages of the war as violent as they are commonly believed to have been? How sectarian was the IRA? What crucial strategy did the Irish adopt in order to overwh ... Show More
1h 3m
Jun 2025
576. The Irish War of Independence: Rise of the IRA (Part 1)
What are the origins of the Irish War of Independence? What impact did the First World War have on Irish efforts for Home Rule? What was the mood in Ireland following the bloody Easter Rising of 1916? And, who was Éamon de Valera, the man who dominated the story of not only Irish ... Show More
1h 9m
May 2023
336: Ireland: Celts, Conquest and Cromwell (Part 1)
“In every generation the Irish people have asserted their right to national freedom and sovereignty; six times during the past three hundred years they have asserted it in arms.”  The proclamation of the Irish Republic, delivered by Patrick Pearse in Dublin, marked the beginning ... Show More
55m 45s
Jun 2025
578. The Irish War of Independence: Bloody Sunday (Part 3)
What occurred on Bloody Sunday on 21 November 1920 - a turning point in the Irish War of Independence and one of the bloodiest and most brutal moments in Irish history? How many British Army Officers were assassinated on the instructions of firebrand political leader, Michael Col ... Show More
57m 46s
Feb 2021
The Road to War (The War of Independence III)
<p>An ambush at Soloheadbeg, Tipperary in January 1919 is often cited as the opening shots of the War of Independence. However as early as 1917 political tensions were leading to violence across Ireland. Several people were killed in 1917 and 1918. This podcast looks at this desc ... Show More
35m 26s
Jan 2023
The Irish Rebellion of 1798
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the momentum behind rebellion in Ireland in 1798, the people behind the rebellion and the impact over the next few years and after. Amid wider unrest, the United Irishmen set the rebellion on its way, inspired by the French and American revolutiona ... Show More
55m 25s
Jan 2023
The Irish Rebellion of 1798
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the momentum behind rebellion in Ireland in 1798, the people behind the rebellion and the impact over the next few years and after. Amid wider unrest, the United Irishmen set the rebellion on its way, inspired by the French and American revolutiona ... Show More
55m 25s
Jul 2025
579. The Irish War of Independence: Showdown in London (Part 4)
What were the terms of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed in December 1921, following negotiations between the UK and Sinn Féin? How was it received by the Irish people? What was the process by which it was agreed between Lloyd George, Winston Churchill, Michael Collins, and Arthur G ... Show More
1h 6m