Best Irish Spark Podcasts (2025)

1
The Siege of Paris, 1870 - 1871. France Falls... But France Refuses to Forget; Seeding WWI. 22:54

1d ago22:54

22:54

Paris' surrender marked the end of the Franco-Prussian War, a conflict that not only crushed the Second French Empire but also gave birth to a new European superpower. In the wake of victory, the German Empire was proclaimed, uniting the fragmented German states under Prussian rule. The balance of power in Europe had shifted, permanently. But the w…

1
Senior Songschool Show @ Coláiste Íosagáin 2024 - week 3 15:00

3d ago15:00

15:00

Podcast interviewing the bands and listening to the songs made by participants of the Senior Summer Songschool at Coláiste Íosagáin 2024 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1
Senior Songschool Show @ Coláiste Íosagáin 2024 - week 2 14:02

3d ago14:02

14:02

Podcast interviewing the bands and listening to the songs made by participants of the Senior Summer Songschool at Coláiste Íosagáin 2024 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1
Senior Songschool Show @ Coláiste Íosagáin 2024 - week 1 12:22

7d ago12:22

12:22

Podcast interviewing the bands and listening to the songs made by participants of the Senior Summer Songschool at Coláiste Íosagáin 2024 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1
The Siege of Fort Fisher, US Civil War, 1865. The South's Last Artery, Severed. Heroic Last Stand of the Damned. 18:37

7d ago18:37

18:37

The fall of Fort Fisher sealed Wilmington’s fate, shutting down the last open port of the Confederacy and severing its final link to the outside world. No more weapons. No more supplies. No more war materiel smuggled through the blockade. With that final door slammed shut, the Confederacy was left to starve, fight, and die alone. Fort Fisher. Decem…

1
The Siege of Sevastopol, 1854 - 1855. Crimean War. First Use of Electrically Detonated Land Mines, Russia's Crimean Dreams Destroyed. 20:21

8d ago20:21

20:21

The loss of the port city shattered Russia’s campaign in the Crimean War. With Sevastopol gone, the Tsar’s ambitions in the region collapsed. His fleet was crippled, his armies bled white, and his empire humiliated on the world stage. No reinforcements could change the outcome now—Russia had been broken, not just militarily, but politically. The wa…

1
The Siege of Veii, ~ 404 BC - 396 BC. Rome's Walls Breached for the First and Last Time. 15:56

9d ago15:56

15:56

Rome’s victory did more than defeat a rival; it annihilated the one power that had stood as its greatest obstacle. With its most formidable enemy wiped from the map, the balance of power in central Italy shifted permanently. No force remained to contain Rome’s ambition. The republic had proven its ability to wage long, brutal war and emerge stronge…

1
The Siege of Plevna, 1877. Balkan Pan-Slavic Dream Stopped by Ottomans, but Planted Seeds for WWI. 19:29

10d ago19:29

19:29

Though the Ottomans fell at the end, their five-month stand shattered Russia’s momentum so completely that the road to Constantinople was never taken. The Tsar’s armies, bloodied and exhausted, were forced to settle for negotiation instead of conquest. The treaty that followed carved up what remained of European Turkey, stripping the empire of its …

1
The Siege of Liege, 1914. Blindsided by Courageous Belgian Resistance, German's Lightening Plan Thwarted, Paris Saved. 20:43

11d ago20:43

20:43

Belgian resistance was not supposed to exist. The German war machine had counted on speed... on smashing through the Low Countries unopposed. Instead, Belgian troops stood and fought, throwing the invasion off balance. What should have been a relentless advance became a grinding struggle, costing the Germans precious days. Those lost days gave Fran…

1
The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy with Richard Sparks 42:09

11d ago42:09

42:09

Hi! Hi! Hi there! Wow. Wow. Wow! This is beautiful. This is so beautiful.... I might just buy it. Dan and Brian are joined by - DON'T PANIC - the comedy writer Richard Sparks about Douglas Adams' seminal SF comic masterpiece, The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. Hitchhiker's Guide has influenced the culture in innumerable ways, but no one really k…

1
The Siege of Montségur, 1243 - 1244. The Last Stand of the Cathars. First Crusade Against Fellow Christians. 15:15

14d ago15:15

15:15

The fall of Montségur was not simply a siege, it was an annihilation of a faith. The last sanctuary of the Cathars, deemed heretics by the Catholic Church, was reduced to silence in fire and blood. Their doctrine did not fade by choice, nor by debate, but by the merciless hand of steel and flame, leaving only echoes of their defiance in the ashes. …

1
The Siege of Boston, 1775 - 1776. America Refuses to be Ruled. Ragtag Militia Besieges and Takes Boston. America is Birthed. 22:52

15d ago22:52

22:52

By driving the British from Boston, the rebellion achieved its first decisive victory, expelling the bulk of British forces from the American colonies. This triumph was more than just a strategic success... it was a surge of confidence for the revolution. The war was no longer a scattered resistance but a tangible fight for self-determination. Embo…

1
The Siege of Tobruk, 1941. Hitler's Advance East from Africa Stopped. First Real NAZI Defeat. Oil Fields Secured. Suez Saved. 19:10

16d ago19:10

19:10

British troops refused to break, grinding down the German-Italian offensive in Egypt. Their defiance did more than just slow the Axis advance—it kept them from launching a full-scale assault on Malta, the island fortress that stood between Hitler and total control of the Mediterranean. Tobruk. April 10 - December 7, 1941. Axis Forces: Unknown, Poss…

1
The Siege of Sarajevo, 1991 - 1995. Ethnic Cleansing, Genocide. First UN Intervention with Force. 16:11

17d ago16:11

16:11

The relief of Sarajevo forced a turning point. Under relentless NATO bombardment and international pressure, Serbian forces withdrew, and for the first time, the government of Serbia recognized Bosnia-Herzegovina’s independence. It was a reluctant acknowledgment, extracted not through diplomacy but through force. This marked the first decisive acti…

1
The Siege of Kinsale, 1602. Ireland Falls to British Rule. Irish Seed the American Revolution. 22:03

21d ago22:03

22:03

The English victory crushed Ireland’s last real chance at freedom, locking the island under English rule, its warriors dead, its leaders in flight, and its people left to endure centuries of occupation. But the Irish who escaped carried their hatred of the British across the Atlantic, and when revolution came to America, they stood at the front lin…

1
The Siege of Fort Niagara, 1759. Iroquois Decide the Fate of France and Britain, Setting in Motion Events Leading to Iroquois Annihilation. 21:42

22d ago21:42

21:42

The British victory at Fort Niagara shattered French dominance and secured their grip on the Great Lakes, a turning point in the French and Indian War. But for the Iroquois, their cooperation in that war was not a triumph, it was the beginning of the end. Once the most formidable native power in the Northeast, they had gambled on British strength, …

1
The Siege of La Rochelle, 1627 - 1628. Protestant Huguenots Flee France, Seeds of Values Resulting in American Revolution Planted in the Colonies. 21:38

23d ago21:38

21:38

The fall of La Rochelle marked the definitive end of French toleration for Protestantism, dismantling any illusions of coexistence under the Edict of Nantes. This event triggered an exodus of Huguenots, tens of thousands fleeing persecution to seek refuge abroad, reshaping societies across Europe and the Americas. La Rochelle. September 10, 1627 - …

1
The Siege of Louisbourg, 1745. Overwhelming American Victory Plants Overconfidence That Dictated Military Doctrine for Two Centuries. 22:42

24d ago22:42

22:42

The American victory instilled an unwarranted confidence in the colonies’ military prowess, fostering a belief that their amateur forces could stand toe-to-toe with professional armies. Yet, this triumph was overshadowed by the betrayal felt when Louisbourg, hard-won through their blood and sacrifice, was handed back to France in a distant peace ne…

1
The Siege of Pensacola, 1781. Spanish Covert Aid to American Rebels. Spanish Victory over British on the Gulf Coast Paves Way for America's Westward Expansion. 21:23

28d ago21:23

21:23

Spain’s resounding victory at Pensacola delivered them West Florida and, with it, a decisive blow to British ambitions in the Americas. Coupled with their relentless campaigns across the Mississippi Valley and along the Gulf Coast, the Spaniards dismantled Britain’s claim to the sprawling frontier between the Appalachians and the Mississippi River…

1
The Siege of Monte Cassino, 1944; WWII. Allied Road to Rome via Gustav Line. Mixed Force Inspires NATO Formation. 22:13

29d ago22:13

22:13

The Germans’ relentless occupation of Cassino turned the town into an unyielding bastion, anchoring the Gustav Line. This fortress, besieged by Allied forces in wave after wave of bitter combat, became the lynchpin of German resistance, halting the advance through Italy’s blood-soaked terrain and barring the road to the eternal city of Rome. Monte …

1
The Siege of Beirut, 1982. Seeds of Current Gaza Conflict Sewn. Power Vacuum Leads to New Militant Groups. 16:05

1M ago16:05

16:05

The occupation of Beirut successfully forced the Palestine Liberation Organization to relocate its headquarters out of Lebanon. However, it failed to deliver the lasting security for northern Israel that its architects had envisioned. The conflict’s unresolved tensions have carried forward, contributing to the continued violence and instability in …

1
The Battle of Pharsalus, 48 B.C. Caesar Takes Rome. Enacts Reforms that turned the Republic in a Blueprint for Empire that we still use today. 22:18

1M ago22:18

22:18

With his victory, Caesar ascended to the apex of power, casting aside the fragile remnants of the Republic. Rome, once a city ruled by the collective will of its citizens, was now a vessel for one man’s vision, a crucible of ambition that would shape the destiny of the Western world. This moment, born of blood and boldness, did not merely end a pol…

1
The Tet Offensive, 1968. Public Opinion Alters Dramatically. Largest Communist Defeat Transforms to US' Singular Cold War Defeat. 20:47

1M ago20:47

20:47

The spectacle of Communist forces unleashing a coordinated and relentless assault shook the American public to its core. Confidence in the war effort crumbled, and the nation’s collective resolve unraveled. This seismic shift in opinion set the stage for the United States’ retreat from Vietnam and the inexorable rise of Communist dominance. South V…

1
The Battle of Adrianople, 378 A.D. The End of the Western Roman Empire. The End of Infantry Dominance for 1,000 Years. Ascendance of Cavalry. 29:09

1M ago29:09

29:09

The Battle of Adrianople in 378 AD was the combat event that shattered the illusion of Rome’s invincibility and declared the Goths as more than a wandering horde. Adrianople was their grim debut as architects of a new power dynamic in western European history, where the balance of civilization itself seemed to tremble. On that blood-soaked field, t…

1
The Battle of Beth-Horon, 66 A.D. The End of the Independent Jewish State. Josephus Records the Defeat of the Roman Army near Jerusalem, and Rome's Retributions. 38:11

2M ago38:11

38:11

The overwhelming defeat of a Roman punitive force ignited a wildfire of belief among the Jewish populace. What had been skepticism turned into unshakable conviction: compromise was a betrayal, and God Himself had ordained their victory. This fervent delusion swept the nation into a full-scale revolt, a bold gamble that would bring not deliverance, …

1
The Phoenix King with Aparna Verna 52:31

2M ago52:31

52:31

We're back! For our newest episode Pete and Dan are joined by Aparna Verna, the author of the breakout fantasy novel The Phoenix King, published by Orbit. Originally Aparna was invited onto the show to talk about Neil Gaiman's 1996 hit novel and TV show Neverwhere, but in light of the recent allegations against Gaiman, we've decided not to release …

1
The Battle of Singapore, 1942. Imperial Britain Dismembered Piece by Piece. Japan's Elite Jungle Troops. British Embarrassment. 17:44

2M ago17:44

17:44

The fall of Singapore was a cataclysmic turning point, the crowning triumph of Japan’s unstoppable advance through the Malay Peninsula during World War Two. With its prized bastion in the Far East torn from its grasp, Britain suffered not just a military defeat but a symbolic total humiliation. This moment sent shockwaves through the empire, igniti…

1
The Battle of Gettysburg, 1863. The Confederates Farthest Penetration into the Union. Lee's Gamble. The North Reinvigorated. 28:01

2M ago28:01

28:01

Gettysburg was the high-water mark of the Confederacy, the deepest penetration into Union soil Lee’s army would ever achieve. For three days, the fate of the war hung in balance on those Pennsylvania hills, and the Confederate dream of victory seemed tantalizingly close. But in the end, Lee’s gamble failed, and his shattered army limped back across…

1
The Invasion of Normandy, 1944. D-Day, Push to the Rhine, Invasion of Germany. Stalin's Red Wall Encroaching. 21:24

2M ago21:24

21:24

In the spring of 1944, the Allies prepared for an operation that would determine the course of the modern world. The men tasked with carrying it out knew what awaited them: an entrenched enemy, relentless fire, and the very real chance they would not live to see the sun set. They went anyway. The success of this campaign shaped the borders of Europ…

1
The Battle of Megiddo, 1479 BC. The First Real-Time Chronicled Battle in History. First Blueprint for Imperialism. 26:44

2M ago26:44

26:44

With the rebellion in Palestine broken and Egyptian dominance restored, Thutmose the Third ignited a fire that would consume all who dared defy the kingdom of the Nile. This was the first step in a reign that would see Egypt’s power surge beyond all that had come before. Under Thutmose’s unyielding leadership, Egypt’s armies swept across the known…

1
The Battle of Leuctra, 371 BC. Spartan Defeat. First Known Tactical Use of Cavalry. First Flank Refusal. Art of War Forever Changed. 20:46

2M ago20:46

20:46

The Theban victory at Leuctra shattered Spartan dominance, a dominance that had held the Greek peninsula in an iron grip since the end of the Peloponnesian War. For the first time, the myth of Spartan invincibility was broken, and the balance of power shifted. But Theban supremacy was fleeting. Their rise destabilized Greece, sparking bitter rivalr…

1
Faith, Fatherhood, and Resilience: A Journey Beyond Basketball 28:59

2M ago28:59

28:59

your journey, send us your thoughts. Your voice is important to us, and we’re excited to hear from you! Drop us a message, and who knows? Your note might be featured in an upcoming episode! Email Us at: [email protected] In this powerful episode of Big Faith, Trent shares his deeply personal story of becoming a father at just 15 years old, h…

1
The Battle of Châlons, 451 AD. Attila the Hun's Devastation of Europe is Ended. The Church Becomes the Dominant Power in Europe. 25:55

2M ago25:55

25:55

The Roman and Visigothic victory over the Huns at the Battle of Châlons in 451 halted Attila’s westward expansion and marked the beginning of the end for his empire. While the battle didn’t outright destroy Hun power, it shattered their aura of invincibility and forced Attila into retreat. This defeat disrupted their momentum, and two years later, …

1
The Battle of Manzikert, 1071. Power Falls from West to East. Islamic Victory Sparks Crusades Decades Later. 27:13

2M ago27:13

27:13

The defeat at Manzikert broke the spine of Byzantine military power. Anatolia, the empire’s great reservoir of soldiers, the rugged peasants who had once filled its ranks with unshakable resolve, was lost. From that moment on, the Seljuk Turks ruled Anatolia. The empire’s heartland, the source of its warriors, its grain, and its lifeblood, was now …

1
The Dual Battles of Jena and Auerstadt, 1806. Napoleon's High-Water Mark. Prussia's Defeat Sparks Reforms - Becomes the World's Greatest Military Institution of the 19th Century. 27:38

2M ago27:38

27:38

The disastrous Prussian defeat at Jena and Auerstädt in 1806 was more than a humiliation, it was a reckoning. In the ashes of their shattered military, Prussia saw the urgent need for reform. The old system, built on outdated doctrines and rigid hierarchy, was swept away. At the heart of this transformation was the creation of the General Staff sys…

1
The Battle of Panipat, 1526. Moghuls Use Gunpowder against 1,000 War Elephants, Start of Moghul Dynasty, Taj Mahal. 26:11

3M ago26:11

26:11

With his victory at Panipat, Babur forged the Moghul dynasty, an empire of unimaginable wealth and power that reshaped the destiny of India. For two centuries, its rulers commanded vast armies, built wonders that defied time, and presided over a civilization unmatched in splendor. But even the mightiest of empires must bow to the wheel of history, …

1
The Naval Battle of Tsushima, 1905. Japan Emerges as the Pacific's Major Naval Power Sparking the Decline of the Russian Empire. 22:48

3M ago22:48

22:48

The catastrophic defeat of the Russian fleet at Tsushima shattered Russia’s aspirations as a naval power, sealing its decline on the seas. At the same time, the victory cemented Japan’s emergence as a dominant force in naval warfare, signaling a seismic shift in global power dynamics. Tsushima. May 27, 1905. Russian Forces: Eight Battleships, Eight…

1
The Battle of Pearl Harbor, 1941. Japan's Audaciously Decisive Victory Sparks its Eventual Demise. 22:28

3M ago22:28

22:28

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor hurled the United States into the inferno of World War II, a cataclysmic decision that would seal the empire’s fate. But their failure to annihilate vital targets, the lifeblood of American naval power, proved their greatest miscalculation. The untouched fuel depots, repair yards, and submarine bases became the f…

1
Jan Zizka, ~ 1360 - 1424. EP 03 of 03. Legacy and Death of Jan Zizka. Preview of Alexander the Great. 19:44

3M ago19:44

19:44

Zizka led his peasant army against the might of the Holy Roman Empire and the Catholic Church, commanding with a precision and brutality that shattered the knights’ traditional dominance. His brilliance lay in his unbreakable discipline, iron-willed strategy, and mastery of the wagenburg, his mobile fortress of fortified wagons and firepower that t…

1
Jan Zizka, ~ 1360 - 1424. EP 02 of 03. Earliest Code of War. Zizka Ends an Apocalyptic Crusade against Heretic Hussites. Second Eye Blinded by Arrow. 27:15

3M ago27:15

27:15

Zizka led his peasant army against the might of the Holy Roman Empire and the Catholic Church, commanding with a precision and brutality that shattered the knights’ traditional dominance. His brilliance lay in his unbreakable discipline, iron-willed strategy, and mastery of the wagenburg, his mobile fortress of fortified wagons and firepower that t…

1
Jan Zizka, ~ 1360 - 1424. The Wrath of God in a Commander, First Use of Mobile “Tanks,” Howitzers, and Guns. Experimental Episode. 46:01

3M ago46:01

46:01

Zizka led his peasant army against the might of the Holy Roman Empire and the Catholic Church, commanding with a precision and brutality that shattered the knights’ traditional dominance. His brilliance lay in his unbreakable discipline, iron-willed strategy, and mastery of the wagenburg, his mobile fortress of fortified wagons and firepower that t…

1
The Battle of Britain, 1940. British Aircraft Ensure Hitler's Eventual Fate, Civilians Targeted, Britain becomes the Largest Stationary Aircraft Carrier in History. 19:48

4M ago19:48

19:48

Britain's triumph stood as the unyielding wall between freedom and tyranny, thwarting Hitler's grand designs. Without it, the specter of German soldiers marching through British streets would have cast a dark shadow over the entire continent. This victory kept Europe from slipping into the abyss of total Nazi dominion, halting the iron tide poised …

1
The Second Battle of the Marne, 1918. US Forces Join the Allied Effort, Germany Flips from Offensive to Defensive, Starvation, Disease, Desertions, and Mutinies. 14:32

4M ago14:32

14:32

The last German offensive erupted with the desperation of a cornered power, a final, furious bid to break the stalemate. Yet, in this ultimate gambit, Germany unwittingly sealed its own fate, shifting the tides irreversibly toward Allied victory and signaling the end of an empire’s ambition amid the thunderous close of the Great War. Marne. July 15…

1
The Battle of the Nile (Aboukir Bay), 1798. Napoleon Loses Mediterranean Dominance, French Marooned in Egypt, Britain Controls Med Trade Routes. 18:46

4M ago18:46

18:46

The British struck a devastating blow to Napoleon’s plans, trapping his army in the sands of Egypt and extinguishing his hopes of commanding the Red Sea. With ruthless precision, they seized Malta, the strategic linchpin of the Mediterranean—a fortress they would hold, unyielding, until the final fires of World War II burned out. Aboukir Bay. Augus…

1
The Battle of the Dunes, 1658. Groundwork for Modern Democracy, Sparks of Revolutions, Parliament's Power Secured. 21:11

4M ago21:11

21:11

The Anglo-French victory broke Spain’s resolve, forcing them to the peace table by year’s end and extinguishing Charles the second’s last, desperate hope of seizing back his throne under his own banner. In that decisive hour, the ascendancy of Parliament was carved into stone, rising unchallenged above the crown and marking the dawn of a new order …

1
The Battle of Granada, 1491. The End of Muslim Spain, Spanish Ascendancy on World Stage. 22:18

4M ago22:18

22:18

Ferdinand’s victorious siege of Granada shattered the last stronghold of Moorish power in Spain, silencing a struggle that had raged for nearly 700 relentless years. An age-old clash of faiths, empires, and warriors had finally reached its thunderous end, sealing Spain’s fate and forever altering the course of history. Granada. June - December, 149…

1
The Naval Battle of Lepanto, 1571. Ottoman Defeat Ceded the Western Mediterranean to the West. 20:14

4M ago20:14

20:14

The defeat at Lepanto shattered Ottoman ambitions in the Mediterranean, halting their advance and preserving Western supremacy over these crucial waters. The myth of Turkish invincibility lay broken, and across Europe, a new certainty took root—the Turks, once an unstoppable force, could indeed be crushed. This victory rekindled a fierce confidence…

1
The Battle of Tours, 732 A.D. Muslim Expansion into Western Europe is Stopped by the Franks. Feudalism Ascends. The Armored Knight Begins. 18:46

4M ago18:46

18:46

The Muslim defeat at Tours shattered any lingering hopes of Muslim expansion into Western Europe. This wasn’t just a battle; it was a defining moment. Frankish victory secured their dominance across the West, carving out a legacy that would blaze a path to empire under Charlemagne. With this triumph, the Franks didn’t just defend their lands—they c…

1
The Battle of Milvian Bridge, 312 A.D. The Founding of Christianity as the West's Religion, the Tangled Web of Betrayal, Deception, and Victory. 20:22

4M ago20:22

20:22

With his triumph, Constantine seized unchallenged mastery over the Western Roman Empire, unleashing a seismic shift that would propel Christianity from persecuted sect to the empire’s sacred creed, forging the spiritual destiny of Europe in a single, irrevocable stroke. Milvian Bridge. October 27, 312 A.D. Gallic (Constantine's) Forces: ~ 50,000 So…

1
The Battle of Zama, 202 B.C. Rome's Scipio Africanus Defeats Carthage's Hannibal Barca, Seeding Europe with Classical Latin Law and Warfare vs Carthaginian Trade and Commerce 21:34

4M ago21:34

21:34

With Rome’s triumph at Zama, the Second Punic War came to a decisive close, sealing Rome’s ascendance as the unchallenged power of the western Mediterranean. Carthage, once a formidable rival, was left broken and stripped of strength, her influence reduced to a shadow of its former might. Zama, Carthage. 202 B.C. Roman Forces: ~ 24,000 Infantry; 9,…

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