A very different cultural and political model dominated Irish society prior to the British conquest: Gaelic Ireland. This was a system that prevailed for thousands of years, right back into prehistory, protected by Ireland's geographic isolation. What norms did this society have? What laws, what economic system, in what buildings did people live? N…

Did you know that the United States' border policy and power to deport people was invented to get rid of famine-era immigrants from Ireland? It's a little-known chapter of history that challenges many current day stereotypes in anti-immigrant discourse. Naomi and Tim break it down in this new episode, featuring historian Hidetaka Hirota, whose book…

Why did chaos disrupt the formation of a new Irish government? What has the government promised to do, and who's in it? We break it down in this new episode. We also a look back on some of our prior reporting on the Healy Raes: rural political dynasty from County Kerry who have chosen to go into government for the first time - with Michael Healy Ra…

Nollaig shona daoibh go léir! During this festive season please enjoy this short holiday episode which we originally recorded last year. Every year the Irish government and national media lend their full attention to the arrival of Santa Claus on the island of Ireland, and discuss the various logistics of his visit to every child in the country. In…

Ireland went to the polls last week for the 2024 general election, and the results are beginning to build a picture of what the next government could look like. We break down what the vote means in this moment of international instability, and how the results compare to the previous election of 2020. Many thanks to everyone who sent in questions fo…

By the early 17th century England had finally gained political control over the island of Ireland, but within a few years the whole colonial project had once again collapsed into chaos and bloodshed. In this new edition of our Conquest mini-series, we examine the events leading up to the bloody rebellion of 1641, and explain how Ireland's colonial …

The attention of people around the world has been captured by the presence of Irish soldiers standing in the way of the Israel Defence Forces as they launch an invasion of Lebanon in a bid to defeat militant group Hezbollah. In an area where Irish troops have been stationed so long that some locals have picked up Irish accents, personal ties go dee…

On Ireland's west coast, far from the noise and fury of US partisan politics, presidential contender Donald Trump has been bested by a fearsome foe: a tiny snail no larger than a pin prick. Naomi and Tim dig into the curious links between the Republican candidate and this windswept corner of Ireland, most notably the village of Doonbeg, where the d…

We're on holiday! So please enjoy this classic episode of the podcast first recorded back in 2018. We'll be back soon with all new episodes and Halfpint extra content. == The most popular sports in Ireland are the Gaelic games: uniquely Irish sports with an ancient history and a dramatic political backstory that are finding increasing international…

In the fourth episode of our Conquest miniseries, we take on of the most defining moments in the history of Ireland: the mass-plantation of Ulster. We'll see how the arrival of thousands of colonial settlers in this erstwhile Gaelic stronghold transformed the geopolitical dynamics of Ireland, Scotland, and England alike. We'll look at how the Ulste…

We have made this halfpint bonus episode freely available to all our listeners. If you want to access more than 100 extra-content episodes just like this, you can sign up to support the continued making of the podcast at www.patreon.com/theirishpassport. In this edition of halfpints, we answer questions about the recent EU and local elections in Ir…

In February 2024, Michelle O'Neill assumed the position of first minister of Northern Ireland, making her the first person of an Irish-identifying, Catholic background to hold this most high-profile post in the devolved government. And yet, the difficulty O'Neill faced when trying to take her seat at Stormont highlighted the fact that, for a minori…

The most expensive, most all-consuming war in Elizabethan England was not waged against France or Spain, but against Ireland. In the third instalment in our Conquest series, we see how the great clan chiefs of Ireland united under the banner of "Arch Traitor" Hugh O'Neill to stage a momentous uprising against the colonial English state. From Gaelic…

In this political update, Naomi and Tim sum up the background of the incoming new Taoiseach Simon Harris and discuss the sudden resignation of Leo Varadkar and the different factors behind it. One of them was Ireland's two recent referendums aimed at changing some of the more Catholic-influenced conservative language in the 1937 constitution, which…

Part two of our Conquest mini-series explores the violent occupation of Gaelic Ireland by Elizabethan adventurers between 1560 and 1590, heralding an age of terror and genocide that would ultimately lead to a full-scale war between the Gaelic clans of Ireland and the English crown. From the demise of the Old English Lordships to the tentative plant…

In the period from 1534 to 1653 Ireland was profoundly transformed. At the start, it was almost entirely Gaelic, ruled by Gaelic clans with an ancient way of life, and unique legal and political system. A hundred years later, Ireland was unrecognisable. In this first part of our new mini series, Conquest, Tim and Naomi set the scene for the profoun…

Every year the Irish government and national media lend their full attention to the arrival of Santa Claus on the island of Ireland, and discuss the various logistics of his visit to every child in the country. In this mini bonus episode, we bring you this most important news story of the year, and explain how, for a few days every December, Santa …

Tim published a book! How does nobility work as a power strategy, why does it bear so many curious similarities to the construct of race, and what does all of this have to do with Ireland? We delve into Tim's book, "Nobility and the Making of Race in Eighteenth-Century Britain", published by Bloomsbury Academic this autumn, and uncover the intricat…

As the world reels from the horrific Hamas attack on Israel and its deadly retribution on the Gaza Strip, Ireland has emerged as a prominent player in the European response to the worsening conflict. In this episode, Naomi and Tim sum up the current situation and explain some of the historical context that explains why Ireland has traditionally bee…

We're back and diving straight into breaking politics, as Naomi explains the chilling implications of the UK government's new "Northern Ireland Troubles Legacy Bill". This controversial new law has provoked outrage from across the communities of Northern Ireland, uniting unionist and nationalist political parties against it. But what does this law …

Hi everyone, Naomi here. Like many people I've been reeling since the news of the death of Sinéad O'Connor. I took a moment to share some of my thoughts and a little about Sinéad and who she was - the girl with towering musical gifts who broke out of a Magdalene Laundry to busk on the streets of Dublin and achieved worldwide fame while never losing…

Ireland's strict libel laws and onerously expensive legal system is stacked against journalists and in favour of wealthy people who abuse the situation to censor reporting about them. That's when Naomi discovered in her research for a recent report for press freedom organisation the International Press Institute. She discusses what she found out, w…

What's in a gene? We wade into the world of genetics, to find out all about an extensive DNA mapping project called the Irish DNA Atlas and to see what it can tell us about the history of Ireland. We also take a look at the phenomenon that is at-home DNA ancestry tests, which have exploded in popularity in the past few years, as well as exploring t…

In the second part of our episode on Ireland's lost forests, Naomi travels to the Beara peninsula in Co. Cork to speak to sculptor and author Eoghan Daltun. Eoghan's award-wining book, An Atlantic Rainforest: a Personal Journey into the Magic of Rewilding, recounts how he has brought a sector of ancient Irish woodland back to life by simply making …

A rich political, social and economic history of Ireland can be told by an analysis of its landscape, and specifically through the history of its trees. In this episode, Naomi and Tim delve into the history of deforestation and its tangled associations with colonialism and agriculture, and whether the 'green' image of Ireland is all that it seems. …

Beannachtaí na féile Pádraig oraibh! To celebrate Ireland's national day, please enjoy this classic St. Patrick's Day episode from our archives, originally released in 2018.By Naomi O'Leary and Tim Mc Inerney

After years of deadlock, EU and UK leaders have declared a historic reset in their relations as they reach an agreement on Northern Ireland called the 'Windsor Framework'. Naomi and Tim unpick the details of what is in the deal on Northern Ireland's post-Brexit arrangements, intended to resolve the dispute over the so-called Protocol that came into…

On the 27th of August 1979, the Provisional IRA assassinated one of the best known members of Britain's royal family as he holidayed in County Sligo. But this was just one of 25 killings that took place that day. The events of that afternoon soon came to represent a watershed in the history of Anglo-Irish relations, and a landmark moment of escalat…

From a mystery in rural Ireland that has persisted for over a century, to the little-known link between a World Cup star footballer and the town of Donabate, to the unexpected ways that Hiberno English is spreading in Europe… it’s a story episode for you to enjoy over the holidays as Naomi and Tim share their favourite stories for 2022.Naomi’s imag…

This is a repeat of an Irish Passport classic episode, “Ireland and India: Assassins of Empire”, originally published on June 21 2021. Today, Leo Varadkar takes over as Taoiseach. This means that both Britain and Ireland have governments led by people of Indian heritage, as in London Rishi Sunak took over as prime minister in October.The coincidenc…

Ireland’s dream as it emerged as an independent state was to ‘take its place among the nations of the world’. The principle of international cooperation has therefore always been tightly bound up with Irish nationalism and how the country pursues its goals. In this episode, Naomi and Tim explore Ireland’s quest for recognition, first at the League …

As all Hell breaks loose in the halls of Westminster, Naomi and Tim break down what on earth has just happened in the UK. Why did Prime Minister Liz Truss resign after only 44 days? Who might take over her post? And what are the consequences of all this chaos for the island of Ireland? We hear commentary from Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Luxembourg…

In the final episode of our War of Independence mini-series, Tim and Naomi lay out the historical events that split the emerging Irish nation and led to a civil war. As we pick up on the story, global condemnation has pressured the British government into offering a truce. Following years of gruelling guerilla warfare against the might of the Briti…

Tensions threaten to flare again between Ireland, Britain and the EU with a new UK prime minister who has promised to take a hard line on the Northern Ireland Protocol. The death of Queen Elizabeth however put a pause on developments for the period of mourning, and produced some fascinating moments too as her successor King Charles met with Sinn Fé…

The third installment in Naomi and Tim's series on the War of Independence discusses a landmark of 20th century Irish history: the partition of the island. Tim digs into the backstory to reveal how once again, an unhappy chapter of Irish history is linked to Winston Churchill. This episode lays out the thinking at the time and how the so-called 'Ir…

The second installment of Naomi and Tim’s series on Ireland’s War of Independence focuses on the Black and Tans: the brutal reinforcements sent by Winston Churchill to put down the forces of the revolutionary Irish republic in 1920. Historian Dr Conor Mulvagh of University College Dublin lays out the key role of the women’s movement, Cumann na mBan…

The War of Independence was the moment in which Ireland threw off British rule and emerged as a state. The dramatic events that took place and the beliefs that informed them would shape the emerging nation, and play a role up until the present day. Tim and Naomi break down the events of 1919-1921 in this series of episodes, starting with the establ…

A seismic election in Northern Ireland returned the pro-Irish unity Sinn Féin as the largest party for the first time ever. The Alliance Party, identifying neither as nationalist nor unionist, surged to become the third force in northern politics in another historic first. Desite this, the power-sharing executive has yet to be formed due to the opp…

Since our last episode, Europe's political landscape has been transformed - and that of Ireland along with it. Naomi lays out the facts about Ireland's unique position in the international response to the Ukraine crisis. We find out why debates about military neutrality and NATO membership might once again be coming to the fore, and discuss why Ukr…

This weekend, a group of musicians gathered in O'Briens Irish pub in the Ukranian capital and belted out traditional Irish tunes as a distraction from the threat of war. In this episode we uncover the surprisingly rich common history shared by Ireland and Ukraine, as told by a woman living through the dramatic recent events that have drawn the worl…

From the streets of Brussels, to an office block in Greece, to a bus ride in San Francisco, the Irish language can pop up in some unexpected places. In this episode, we explore some of the new international frontiers of Irish. We speak to people whose knowledge of the language has launched them down far-flung career paths, ask why Irish-speaking mo…

Did you ever hear the one about the bishop and the airport? Or the unlikely group of Irish revolutionaries who ended up changing history through an ill-fated trip to Belgium on a yacht? Naomi and Tim tell some of their favourite, quirkiest stories from Irish history in this special seasonal story-time episode. Huge thanks to our sponsors, Irish at …

This summer, the chaotic fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban left Irish citizens stranded, exposing the state's lack of aircraft large enough to conduct an evacuation. It also highlighted the issue of Ireland's tiny and under-funded defence forces, which force the state to rely on outside forces like Britain and the European Union for day-to-day sec…

In 1939, the young Irish state stood at a crossroads in its history. Europe was descending into war, and the deeply impoverished and weakly defended nation feared its strategic location on Britain's flank could mean invasion - by either side. In this episode, Naomi and Tim describe a moment when two towering figures of 20th century history came hea…

Live from Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland, Naomi and Tim discuss place and power: unpacking how place names, landscape, and architecture contain secret histories hidden within plain sight. Guest Linda Ervine, manager of the Irish language project Turas, explains how learning Irish is helping many in the unionist community to rediscover thei…

Who was the iconic woman depicted on Irish banknotes from 1927-1977? Why was she so integral to the story of Irish independence? And what lies behind her inscrutable stare? In our latest Halfpint episode, we discover the extraordinary life of Lady Lavery - a Chicago-born debutante who would go on to become the face of an independent Ireland. This h…

Food shortages are hitting Britain hard, and things are set to get worse - but why are shelves still fully stocked in Northern Ireland? Naomi explains the ins and outs of Brexit’s effect on UK supply chains, and how traders and consumers are going to have to adapt to some new (and pricey) post-Brexit realities. We also look at how changes to data r…

Special guests Naomi's sister Molly May O'Leary and her musical collaborator Fionn Ó hAlmhain visit the podcast to play songs from and discuss their new album, Lambent Flame. It was recorded with the famed Hothouse Flowers singer and multi-instrumentalist Liam Ó Maonlaí over a difficult period when the Covid-19 pandemic shut down much of the music …

This year, a whistleblower revealed a shocking secret. A popular British holiday camp business kept a 'blacklist' of Irish surnames, distributed to staff to bar customers from booking. In this episode, Naomi and Tim dig into the incident to explore how a policy meant to exclude Travellers inadvertently swept up a large part of the general Irish pop…

Anarchist clubs, public assassinations, and secret rebel meetings in a notorious vegetarian restaurant - all these feature in this fascinating episode on the historical links between Ireland and India at the beginning of the 20th century. UCD's Conor Mulvagh explains why Ireland and India were so symbolically important to the survival of the Britis…