logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2025
27m 50s

The IRA's Great Escape: Mountjoy Jail, 1...

FIN DWYER
About this episode

In 1925, nineteen IRA prisoners orchestrated a daring escape from Mountjoy Jail in the heart of Dublin. Join me and historian Sam McGrath as we delve into the history of the IRA following the Civil War and uncover the remarkable story behind this audacious breakout.


Sound: Kate Dunlea


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

Up next
Yesterday
Éamon de Valera: Visionary or Victorian?
Éamon de Valera is one of the most influential figures in modern Irish history. Born in New York in 1880s and raised in rural Limerick, he rose from obscurity to become a central figure in the Irish Revolution. He played a major role in the 1916 Rising, became the most internatio ... Show More
50m 38s
Feb 25
The Irish in America's Indian Wars: A Dark History
In the late nineteenth century the United States pushed west and its expansion unleashed devastating violence against Native Americans. Forced from their lands and herded onto reservations Native communities faced a relentless campaign of dispossession and massacre. Thousands of ... Show More
50m 58s
Feb 18
Wild Animals and Public Entertainment in Georgian Ireland
In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, lions, tigers and even elephants toured towns and cities across Ireland. Long before modern zoos, travelling menageries brought wild animals from across the globe into marketplaces, fairgrounds and urban streets. For many peo ... Show More
28m 54s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2024
A History of Escaping from Alcatraz Prison
<p>Alcatraz was the jewel in the crown of America's prison system. The wind-swept island fortress was the final stop for the nation's most dangerous criminals, including the notorious gangsters Al Capone and George 'Machine Gun' Kelly. It was thought to be escape-proof - at least ... Show More
36m 48s
Sep 2024
The Heist of the Century: The Missing Irish Crown Jewels
<p>In the shadowy halls of Dublin Castle, 1907, a daring heist shook the British Empire. Four days before King Edward VII's royal visit, the priceless Irish Crown Jewels vanished without a trace. Sir Arthur Vicars, the somewhat incompetent Ulster King of Arms, found himself at th ... Show More
39m 10s
Aug 2023
Part One: Escape from the Magdalene Laundries: Surviving & Fighting Theocracy in Ireland
Margaret talks with writer and podcast host Sarah Marshall about the prisons for "fallen women" around the UK, US & Ireland, and the many people who fought against them, like Sinéad O'Connor.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 
1 h
Feb 2025
The Spy Who Infiltrated Auschwitz | Pilecki’s Great-Grandson on the Man Behind the Mission | 4
<p>Krzysztof Kosior was thirty when he first felt ready to visit Auschwitz. But since childhood, he had heard stories of his great-grandfather’s time there, and of his journey from unknown soldier to one of Poland’s greatest heroes. Talking to actor and spy novelist Charlie Higso ... Show More
33m 28s
Nov 2024
172. Secrets of the Spycatcher Affair with Tim Tate
<p>Today Justin sits down with repeat guest Tim Tate. Tim has worked as a documentary filmmaker and an investigative journalist for more than 40 years, and in that time has published 19 books and produced 80 documentaries. Some of the topics he&apos;s covered in the past include ... Show More
1h 21m
Sep 2025
After 1066: The Harrying of the North
Dr. Eleanor Janega unravels the blood-soaked aftermath of the Battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest of England. Joined by Professor Levi Roach, Eleanor delves into the harrowing campaign, known as the Harrying of the North, where William the Conqueror brutally suppressed the ... Show More
51m 47s
Feb 2025
233. Blood and Betrayal: Oliver Cromwell's Irish Invasion (Ep 1)
His statue may stand proudly outside the Houses of Parliament in London, but in Ireland, Oliver Cromwell is remembered as “the Devil from over the Sea” for the bloodshed he unleashed there from 1649 to 1653.  Rising to prominence as a Parliamentarian during the English Civil War ... Show More
40m 27s
Jul 2025
The Dark Lady of Doona: Ireland's Pirate Queen
In this episode, we dive into the legend and legacy of Ireland’s Pirate Queen: from her wild childhood as “Grace the Bald” to the rumors she gave birth on a ship and went back to battle within the hour. We chart her rise through maritime conquests, clan warfare, and a jaw-droppin ... Show More
46m 27s
Feb 2025
Butch Cassidy
Leader of the Wild Bunch gang, Butch Cassidy was a legendary American criminal who engineered infamous bank and train robberies across the West in the late 19th century. His charisma and careful planning ensured he eluded capture for years. And when, in 1901, he fled the law to S ... Show More
55m 42s
Jun 2025
Fall of Thomas More
<p>In the second of our special episodes exploring the rise and fall of Sir Thomas More, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Dr. Joanne Paul chart the great Tudor statesman's demise. Despite his silence about Henry VIII's self-proclamation as Supreme Head of the Church of England, Mo ... Show More
56m 16s