Undercover Irish

Cover Art is a photo of the iconic "Muriel" painting by artist Jeanette Collins. Free Download: Get the free booklet here on Patreon, exploring the history of Cork Military Detention Barracks , "Cork's Kilmainham" ,and the extraordinary stories connected to the surviving site. In Cork's Kilmainham Ep. 6: Women of the War of Independence, we turn to the women whose work surrounded the detention barracks, Victoria Barracks and Cork's revolutionary struggle. From Cumann na mBan intelligence work and prison visits to spies inside British military headquarters, vigils outside the barrack gates, military courts, dispatch carrying and an audacious assassination attempt, this episode looks at the women who were far more than supporting figures in the Irish War of Independence. We revisit Ellen "Nellie" Carroll, Seán Allen's fiancée, whose access to him inside Cork Military Detention Barracks became a channel for intelligence. We follow Josephine Marchment, who worked inside Victoria Barracks while secretly passing…

Watch Davy Holden's excellent video on Cork Military Detention Barracks: https://youtu.be/MhgbDqtgB_o?si=RXX7LIzU5wv7SldP Cork's Kilmainham, Episode 5: X Marks the Cell On the evening of 27 April 1921, Diarmuid O'Leary noticed something on the two prison cells beside his own. Each door had been marked with a large X. His had not. By the following morning, he would understand why. In this episode we follow the aftermath of Clonmult and Mourneabbey into Cork Military Detention Barracks, where Patrick O'Sullivan, Maurice Moore, Patrick Ronayne and eighteen-year-old Sonny Mulcahy waited under sentence of death. We hear from Patrick O'Sullivan's remarkable final letter home, including his description of death as simply "going by an early train." We also follow the story of Major Geoffrey Lee Compton-Smith, the British officer held by the IRA in an attempt to prevent the Cork executions, and Diarmuid O'Leary, the condemned prisoner whose own cell door remained unmarked. The episode then follows Patrick Casey and…

Cork's Kilmainham continues. In Episode 4, the story moves into the darkest period yet for Cork Military Detention Barracks. Following the death of Terence MacSwiney and the introduction of martial law, the barracks moves to the centre of the conflict in Cork. Men captured across the county are brought here, court martialled here and, increasingly, condemned to death here. This episode tells the story of Con Murphy, the first man executed in Cork under the new martial law regime, before moving to the failed Dripsey ambush and the five IRA prisoners who were sentenced to death. We also look at Maria Lindsay, whose warning to the British helped expose the Dripsey ambush, her extraordinary letter to General Strickland, and the unlikely figures who came forward to speak on behalf of the condemned men. The episode culminates on 28 February 1921, when six men were executed by firing squad at Cork Military Detention Barracks while their families and supporters gathered outside the walls. This is also the story of…

Cork's Kilmainham Episode 3: The Chain, the Cell and the Hunger Strike In Episode 3 of Cork's Kilmainham, we follow the extraordinary story of Terence MacSwiney, from prisoner in the aftermath of the 1916 Rising to Lord Mayor of Cork, and finally back into British military custody at the Cork Military Detention Barracks. The episode begins in the shadow of Thomas Kent's execution in May 1916, as Cork Volunteers were arrested, imprisoned and deported. Among them were Tomás MacCurtain and Terence MacSwiney, two men who would go from detention cells to Cork City Hall within four years. We trace the political transformation that followed: the 1918 general election, the establishment of Dáil Éireann, the Democratic Programme, the rise of the Republican courts, and Cork Corporation's decision to recognise the authority of the Irish Republic. Then came the murder of Tomás MacCurtain in March 1920 and MacSwiney's election as Lord Mayor. In August 1920, British forces raided Cork City Hall and arrested MacSwiney. He…

When we think of the executions of 1916, we think of Kilmainham Gaol. But Cork has its own surviving 1916 execution site. In this episode of Undercover Irish, we return to Cork Military Detention Barracks and tell the story of Thomas Kent, the east Cork Volunteer executed there on 9 May 1916 and secretly buried within the military grounds. We trace Kent's life from Castlelyons to Boston, where he became involved in Irish-language and cultural organisations, through the Land War and his imprisonment for land agitation, and into the Irish Volunteers in the years immediately before the Rising. We then follow the events of 1916 in Cork, the gun battle at Bawnard House, Kent's court-martial and execution, and the decision to deny his family his body. The story then turns to another remarkable Cork revolutionary: Tadhg Barry — republican, socialist, trade unionist, journalist, Irish-language activist and major GAA figure. Imprisoned in the same military complex at Christmas 1916, Barry was shown the hidden burial…

Show Notes After far too long away from the podcast, Undercover Irish is back with a new series exploring the extraordinary history of Cork Military Prison, a building I have come to think of as Cork's Kilmainham. Hidden in plain sight, this building has connections to the Great Famine, the Fenians, 1916, hunger strikes, courts martial, executions, the War of Independence and the Civil War. And now it is set to be demolished!!! In this first episode, we go back to the beginning. We look at the prison's construction in the 1840s, the enormous British military presence in Ireland during the Famine years, and the Victorian ideas of discipline and punishment that shaped the building itself. We then explore an early controversy over the appointment of a Catholic chaplain, against the background of the Penal Laws, Protestant Ascendancy and Catholic Emancipation. From there, the story moves into the extraordinary world of Fenian infiltration of the British Army. At the centre of that story is Thomas Darragh, a…

Support on Patreon Undercover Irish — Podcasts on Irish History, Language, Songs and Story. | Patreon What Irish Surnames Remember — Part 2: The Names That Came Ashore Irish surnames are not only a story of Ó, Mac, Ní and Nic. They are also a story of arrival. In Part 2 of What Irish Surnames Remember, we look at the names that came into Ireland through conquest, sea-roads, settlement, exile, work and migration — and how many of them became part of the Irish story. From Norman names like FitzGerald, Burke, Power, Roche and Barry, to Norse-linked names like Doyle, MacAuliffe, MacManus, Cotter and MacIver, this episode explores how surnames can carry memory of contact across water. We also look at names like Lynch, where one spelling can hide more than one history, and Walsh and Joyce, names that show how yesterday's outsider can become tomorrow's local surname. Along the way, we ask: When does a name become Irish? Is it when it begins in Irish? When it has an Ó or a Mac? When it is spoken here? When it is…

Support the podcast: If you enjoy Undercover Irish, you can support the show on Patreon. Patreon helps keep the podcast going and supports the research, writing and production behind each episode. What Irish Surnames Remember — Part 1: Ó, Mac, Ní & Nic Irish surnames are not just family labels. In this episode of Undercover Irish, we look underneath familiar names like O'Brien, Sullivan, McCarthy, Maguire, O'Neill and McBride to explore the older Irish naming system hidden inside them. Before we cross the water into the upcoming Ireland–Scotland series, we pause to ask why names mattered so much: to families, to communities, and to colonial power. We explore how Ó and Mac carry ideas of descent, sonship, clann and lineage — and how women's forms like Ní, Nic, Uí and Mhic reveal a richer grammar of relationship than English surnames usually show. The episode also looks at the pressure of anglicisation: how Irish names were translated, shortened, misspelled, legally challenged, and pushed through…

When Ireland Speaks in a Woman's Voice: From Ériu to Elmes Ireland was named after a woman. Most of us know that Ireland is called Éire in Irish, but far fewer know about Ériu, the mythological figure whose name survives in the very name of the country itself. In this episode of Undercover Irish, we follow the women hidden in Ireland's landscape. From Ériu, Banba and Fódla, to Boann and Sinann, from the holy wells of Brigid and Gobnait to the modern commemorations of Mary Elmes and the women of Cumann na mBan, we explore how women have been remembered on Ireland's map for centuries. Along the way we delve into the Dindshenchas, Ireland's medieval "Lore of Places", uncover the stories behind some of our most famous rivers and placenames, and ask an important question: If women are everywhere in Ireland's oldest landscape, why do they seem so much less visible in the streets and public spaces of modern Ireland? This is a story about memory, mythology, language, landscape and the changing ways Ireland remembers…

Ireland's county names are more than simple labels on a map. They are records of invasion, settlement, religion, trade, conquest, resistance, and survival. In Part 2 of What Irish County Names Really Mean, we explore how saints, Vikings, colonists, and mapmakers left their mark on Ireland's counties — and how older Irish identities survived beneath those layers. Along the way we discover: Why Dublin's Irish and English names describe two completely different places. How Viking settlements helped create Ireland's first true cities. The story behind Waterford, Ireland's oldest city. Why Wexford, Wicklow, and Donegal preserve both Irish and Norse identities. How Saint Brigid, Saint Cainneach, Saint Comán, and Saint Columba became immortalised in county names. The connection between Derry's oak groves and Kildare's sacred oak. Why Edmund Spenser believed language was key to conquering Ireland. How the Ordnance Survey transformed Ireland's placenames. Why Irish placenames are some of the most important historical…

Ireland's counties feel ancient — but the county system itself is surprisingly modern. In this episode of Undercover Irish, we go back before the maps, before English colonisation , and even before Christianity to uncover the real meanings behind Irish county names. From pagan gods and forgotten tribes to marshes, forests, ridges, and sacred landscapes, many Irish counties preserve fragments of a much older Ireland hidden in plain sight. In Part 1, we explore the counties whose names come from: mythology, tribal dynasties, landscape and geography, and ancient meanings now partly lost to history. Along the way we uncover: why County Armagh is named after a goddess, how County Tyrone preserves the legacy of the O'Neills, why County Cork is literally named after a swamp, how County Mayo may preserve a sacred yew landscape, and why nobody fully agrees on what County Limerick originally meant. Counties featured in Part 1: County Armagh County Louth County Kerry County Fermanagh County Tyrone County Offaly County…

Ireland has always faced the water. For thousands of years, the sea shaped life along the Irish coast — feeding communities, destroying harbours, carrying storms inland, and connecting the island to the wider world. But it also left something behind in the language itself. In this episode of Undercover Irish, we explore Ireland's long relationship with the sea through the stories hidden in coastal placenames: from Port na Marbh — "the harbour of the dead" — to An Poll Báite, "the drowned pool," and Carraig na Loinge, "the rock of the ship." These names preserve memories of danger, survival, shipwrecks, crossings, invasion, emigration and loss. We travel from Atlantic fishing communities and the Night of the Big Wind… to Viking longships, Norman arrivals, Armada wrecks, the French landings of 1798, and the harbours that became departure points during An Gorta Mór. Because the Irish coastline was never simply the edge of the country. It was a meeting place between: land and sea, Ireland and the wider world,…

Ireland's Darkest Placenames II: Memory in the Landscape Irish placenames are far more than simple labels on a map. They preserve memory. In this episode of Undercover Irish, we explore how Ireland's landscape became a record of history, folklore, trauma, spirituality, and collective memory — hidden inside names most of us pass every day without noticing. From ancient burial landscapes and famine roads to gallows hills, disease sites, haunted coastlines, and places associated with rebellion and death, this episode looks at how the Irish language preserved stories long after the original events faded from memory. We explore places such as: Oileán na Marbh — the Island of the Dead Sliabh na Caillí — the Mountain of the Hag An Spidéal — "The Hospital" Bloody Bridge Bloody Foreland The Scalp Murder Hole Beach Famine Roads and Black '47 Roads Along the way, we look at: the importance of Irish placenames (logainmneacha) how anglicisation obscured older meanings the relationship between landscape and folklore how…

Ireland is full of placenames that seem ordinary until you translate them. Places called: "The Hill of the Gallows." "The Ford of the Dead." "The Gate of Tears." "The Hole of Death." In this episode of Undercover Irish, Eolan Ryng explores the darker side of the Irish landscape — where placenames preserve memories of execution, famine, exile, mythology, colonial violence, and ancient fear. From the Devil's Bit in Tipperary to the Bridge of Tears in Donegal… from famine graveyards to the Black Pig's Dyke… this episode uncovers how Ireland's landscape became a living archive of memory. Because Irish placenames don't just describe geography. They remember what happened there. Featured Places & Themes Bearnán Éile — The Devil's Bit Cnoc na Croiche — Hill of the Gallows Geata na nDeor / Bridge of Tears Famine graveyards & coffin roads Claí na Muice Duibhe — The Black Pig's Dyke Colonial violence & execution landscapes Irish mythology and fear in the landscape Placenames as cultural memory Themes Explored Irish…

How Irish migrants shaped hockey, club names, and identity from Montreal through Toronto to Vancouver 🇮🇪 Episode Overview In this episode of Undercover Irish, we explore how Irish identity travelled across the Atlantic—and how it evolved through sport in Canada. From famine-era migration to the rise of hockey, from the Montreal Shamrocks to the Toronto St. Patricks (and eventually the Maple Leafs), and all the way to Vancouver's modern Whitecaps and Greencaps, this is a story of identity, adaptation, and belonging. 🧭 What You'll Learn How An Gorta Mór (1845–1852) shaped Irish migration to Canada The role of Grosse Île as a key arrival and burial site for Irish migrants Why Irish migrants were playing hurling in Canada as early as the 1830s–40s The idea of "ice hurley" and its possible influence on early hockey How the Montreal Shamrocks became early hockey champions (Stanley Cup winners in 1899 & 1900) The story of the Toronto St. Patricks and their transformation into the Maple Leafs The influence of the…

🎙️ London Irish, Boston Celtics & the Names We Carry In this episode of Undercover Irish, we follow a simple question—what's in a name?—and uncover a global story of identity, memory, and survival. From the fields of Ireland to the streets of London and the arenas of Boston, this episode explores how Irish identity has been carried, rebuilt, and reimagined through the names of sporting clubs and institutions. We begin at home, with unusual GAA club names like the Four Masters, Cashel King Cormac's, and the Geraldines—names that preserve history, assert legitimacy, and connect communities to Ireland's past. From there, we cross the Irish Sea. In Britain, clubs like Hibernian, Celtic, and London Irish show how Irish migrants rebuilt identity in exile—using names not just to organise sport, but to declare presence and belonging. Then we travel further, across the Atlantic to Boston—one of the most Irish cities in the world. Here, identity doesn't just survive. It becomes part of the mainstream. The Boston…

⭐ Enjoying the podcast? If you're liking Undercover Irish, please take a moment to leave a review on your podcast app—it really helps more people find the show and supports independent Irish storytelling. 🎧 Episode Overview Why is the town of Buttevant called Buttevant? In this episode, we uncover the story behind one of Ireland's most unusual place names—tracing its origins from the Irish Cill na Mullach ("the church of the hilltops") to the Norman French Boutez en avant ("push forward"). But this isn't just a story about a name. It's a story about how language, power, and place intersect—and how Ireland fits into a wider global pattern of colonisation. Drawing on the work of Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o and the writings of Edmund Spenser, we explore how language can be used not just to describe the world—but to reshape it. 🧭 What We Cover The meaning of An Abhainn Bheag (the Awbeg River) The original Irish name: Cill na Mullach The Norman origins of Buttevant (Boutez en avant) The role of the Barry family in shaping…

🎙️ Show Notes LINK TO POEM https://www.patreon.com/posts/155883354?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_fan&utm_content=web_share Cork vs Tipperary 1741 — The First Match Report Was A Poem in Irish This Sunday, Cork and Tipperary meet again. But their rivalry goes back much further than modern hurling. In 1741, one of the earliest recorded clashes between the two was captured—not in a newspaper, not in English—but in a poem, written in Irish. In this episode of Undercover Irish, we explore that poem as one of the first "match reports" in hurling history. What does it tell us about the game? How did people understand rivalry, identity, and competition nearly 300 years ago? And how much of that still feels familiar today? From challenge and conflict, to momentum and belief, to respect in defeat—this isn't just a story about a match. It's a story about how sport is remembered. 🧠 What You'll Hear The story of a 1741 Cork vs Tipperary clash How an Irish-language poem preserves one…

🎙️ Show Notes In this episode of Undercover Irish, we explore how the Great Famine didn't just reshape Ireland—it carried Irish identity across the world. From the streets of Liverpool to the foundations of clubs like Celtic F.C. and Hibernian F.C., we look at how Irish communities used sport to rebuild identity in exile. We examine how club names reflected memory, resistance, and belonging—and how the Irish diaspora left a lasting mark on global sport. 🔍 In this episode: The impact of the Great Hunger on Irish migration Why Liverpool became a centre of Irish life abroad The origins of Irish-named football clubs How Celtic and Hibernian emerged from diaspora communities Sport as identity, survival, and expression in exile 🎯 Key Idea: Irish identity didn't disappear during emigration—it travelled, adapted, and took root in new places. 🎧 Listen if you're interested in: Irish history • GAA • Football history • Diaspora studies • Cultural identity ☘️ About the Podcast Undercover Irish explores the hidden…

🔒 Get Early Access to the Next One Listen to Episodes 2 of this mini series now on Patreon: 👉 https://www.patreon.com/posts/how-great-hunger-155619855?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link In this episode of Undercover Irish, we explore the hidden meaning behind GAA club names—and what they reveal about Irish identity, history, and mythology. From rebels and outlaws to legendary heroes like Cú Chulainn, we uncover how names carry memory, culture, and meaning across generations. Because in Ireland… a name is never just a name. 🔍 In this episode: Why GAA clubs are named after places, patriots, and saints The story behind rebel names like the Rapparees and the Slashers How Irish mythology shapes club identity The meaning of names like Setanta, Fianna, and Cú Chulainn The role of female figures like Grace O'Malley and Deirdre 🎯 Key Idea: Every club name is a choice—about what to remember, what to honour, and what identity to carry forward. 🎧 Listen if…

🎙️ Show Notes The Mountains of Pomeroy: A Love Song from a Broken Land At first listen, The Mountains of Pomeroy sounds like a simple love song — a quiet story of two people divided by circumstance. But beneath the romance lies something deeper. In this episode of Undercover Irish, we explore the world behind the song: The rapparees, outlaws shaped by dispossession and colonisation The story of Shane Bernagh, a real figure who moved through the same Ulster landscape The role of George Sigerson and the Gaelic Revival in reshaping Irish identity And how poets like John Montague help us understand what was lost — not just land, but language and memory From the hills of Tyrone to the terraces of GAA grounds, this episode traces how a song can carry history — even when we no longer fully understand it. 📚 Sources & Further Reading George Sigerson — writings and background John Montague — A Lost Tradition Shane Bernagh — historical accounts and folklore Background on rapparees and post-Plantation Ireland ☘️ Support…

🎙️ How One Town's Four Names Map Different Irelands 📝 Charleville isn't just one name. It's also An Ráth, Rathgogan, and Rathluirc — each one telling a different story about Ireland. In this episode, we follow those names through conquest, plantation, and revival, to see how one place can hold multiple pasts at once. 🎧 Support the Podcast If you're enjoying Undercover Irish, you can support the podcast here: 👉 Undercover Irish | Podcasts on Irish History, Language, Songs and Story. | Patreon

The Story Behind Óró, Sé do Bheatha 'Bhaile: From Jacobite Song to 1916 Rebel Anthem One of the most famous Irish rebel songs, Óró, Sé do Bheatha 'Bhaile, is closely associated with the Easter Rising and the revolutionary poetry of Pádraig Pearse. But the story of the song actually begins centuries earlier. In this episode of Undercover Irish, we explore how one melody travelled through three different political movements, transforming from a Jacobite welcome song into one of the best-known Irish rebel anthems. Originally, the song celebrated Charles Edward Stuart, known in Irish as Searlas Óg, during the Jacobite Rising of 1745. Irish supporters of the Stuart cause saw him as a potential liberator from the Protestant Ascendancy. Over time, the melody survived while the lyrics evolved, reflecting changing political struggles in Ireland. By the early twentieth century, Pearse rewrote the song entirely. In his version, the hero becomes Gráinne Mhaol, the legendary Gaelic leader who returns from across the sea…

🎙️ Why Britain Still Owns Part of Cyprus — And What Ireland Has To Do With It When Cyprus appears in the headlines during a Middle East/West Asia war, most people ask: Why is Britain operating from there? The answer begins long before today's conflict — and it doesn't begin in Cyprus. It begins in Ireland. In this episode, we explore how Ireland's partition and the retention of the Treaty Ports in 1921 reveal a broader imperial strategy — one that reappears in Cyprus in 1960, when Britain granted independence but retained sovereign military bases at Akrotiri and Dhekelia. This isn't a conspiracy. It's a pattern. From the Government of Ireland Act (1920) to the Anglo-Irish Treaty (1921), from the Treaty Ports to the Sovereign Base Areas, we trace how partition and retained military footholds shaped two islands — and how those decisions still echo in today's geopolitics. Because sometimes empire doesn't disappear. Sometimes it leaves behind: A line. A base. A constitutional fault line. In This Episode Why…

🎙️ From Vernon Mount to Vaucluse: Exile, Empire & What Remains Undercover Irish – Episode 2 Henry Browne Hayes was sentenced to transportation for life. But exile did not humble him. In this second part of the series, we follow Hayes from Ireland to Australia — from convict ship to colonial estate — and examine how power adapts even when it is supposedly punished. Along the way, we encounter Irish political prisoners, Freemasonry in the early colony, the Rum Rebellion, a dramatic shipwreck, and the unfinished legacy of both empire and rebellion. And at the centre of it all remains Mary Pike. 🔎 In This Episode The convict ship Atlas and Hayes's bribed passage Irish political prisoners transported after 1798 Tristram Moore and other United Irishmen in New South Wales Early Freemasonry in Australia The attempted lodge of 1803 Vaucluse House and its convict origins The Rum Rebellion (1808) Governor William Bligh and the New South Wales Corps Hayes's exile to Newcastle (Coal River) The role of Governor Lachlan…

🎙️ Henry Browne Hayes: Power, Privilege & the Abduction of Mary Pike Undercover Irish – Episode 1 Undercover Irish | Patreon Eolan Ryng (@undercoverirish) • Instagram photos and videos In late 18th-century Cork, a wealthy magistrate named Henry Browne Hayes stood on the quay and watched Irish prisoners being transported to Australia. A decade later, he would join them. This episode explores one of the most extraordinary criminal cases in Irish history — the 1797 abduction of Mary Pike, a wealthy Cork heiress, and the fall of a man who believed the law existed to serve him. Set against the backdrop of the Protestant Ascendancy, the Penal Laws, and the social hierarchy of pre-Union Ireland, this is a story about power, gender, class, and what happened when privilege finally collided with consequence. 🔎 In This Episode Life in Cork under the Protestant Ascendancy Transportation from Ireland to Australia in the 18th century The case of Michael Lamb — poverty and exile Vernon Mount and the architecture of elite…

▶️ Watch the full three-part video series on YouTube: 👉 https://youtu.be/0KHrtftADsU?si=XkZpK2x22PEZC0dA 👉 https://youtu.be/Eo55vfTsj0o?si=I_PQd3YT79uo7g3B 👉 https://youtu.be/jeRabeYsImA?si=Uq-mao7MQUzI6UlZ ☕ Support the podcast on Patreon: 👉 Undercover Irish | Podcasts on Irish History, Language, Songs and Story. | Patreon 📸 Follow on Instagram for maps, photos & fieldwork: 👉 https://instagram.com/UndercoverIrish Courtaparteen was once a living Irish village. Today, it's hidden beneath forestry. In this episode of Undercover Irish, I explore the lost village of Courtaparteen — tracing it through historic maps, satellite imagery, and on-the-ground exploration to understand how an entire settlement could disappear from view. This episode brings together three strands of investigation: Mapping Courtaparteen on historic Ordnance Survey maps and comparing them with modern satellite imagery Walking the abandoned village, church ruins, holy wells, and graveyard hidden within woodland Analysing how Courtaparteen…

👉 Support the show on Patreon: patreon.com/undercoverirish 📸 Follow on Instagram: @undercoverirish "Last night as I lay dreaming of pleasant days gone by…" That opening line has echoed for more than a century — from kitchens and pubs to ships, emigrant halls, and even the stands of Celtic Park. In this episode of Undercover Irish, we explore Spancil Hill, one of the most powerful emigrant ballads in the Irish tradition — not just as a song, but as a piece of living history. Ballads like this are history from the ground up. They preserve emotion, memory, and ordinary lives that never made it into official records. Using Spancil Hill as our guide, this episode looks at the aisling (dream-vision) tradition in Irish culture, the reality of forced economic emigration under colonial rule, and the folk process that turned one young man's private grief into a song known across the world. Along the way, we uncover the real story behind the lyrics: how "Johnny" was really Michael Considine how "Ned the farmer's…

Roy Keane, Bishop Brennan; Guerilla Gaeilge 2 How Irish Is Alive in the English We Speak Follow & Support Undercover Irish 📸 Instagram Clips, language examples, visuals, and episode updates 👉 instagram.com/undercoverirish ❤️ Patreon Support the podcast, and help keep Undercover Irish independent 👉 patreon.com/undercoverirish What do Roy Keane and Bishop Brennan have in common? More than you might think. In this episode of Undercover Irish, we use two of Ireland's most recognisable voices — one real, one fictional — to explore how the Irish language is undercover inside the English we speak every day. From the rhythm of Roy Keane's interviews to Bishop Brennan's iconic delivery, this episode shows how Gaeilge shapes our English — in grammar, sentence structure, sound, and social meaning. This is Guerilla Gaeilge. What This Episode Explores This episode builds on the idea that Hiberno-English is not broken or incorrect English, but English shaped by centuries of Irish speakers carrying Gaeilge with them. We…

Episode Notes Hunger, Gorta, Troscadh: Cultural Memory, Political Resistance, and Brehon Law Hunger in Irish history is rarely just about food. In this episode, we explore three words — hunger, gorta, and troscadh — and what they reveal about power, memory, and justice in Ireland. From the cultural weight of An Gorta Mór, to fasting as a recognised act within early Irish law, to hunger as a form of political resistance, this episode traces how deprivation could be imposed — and how it could also be chosen. Drawing on language, law, and tradition, this episode asks how hunger moved from catastrophe to weapon, and why these ideas still echo in modern Irish history. Topics include: The difference between hunger and gorta Fasting (troscadh) in early Irish legal tradition Hunger as moral and political pressure Cultural memory and responsibility How language preserves power and resistance Eolan Ryng (@undercoverirish) • Instagram photos and videos Follow Here Undercover Irish | Patreon Support Here

🎥 Watch the Song from this Episode Huge GRMMA to Grace! 🔗 https://youtu.be/BJyO6xRL5KA?si=8dUh09AjWVaT78Ow Christmas in Ireland — Am na Nollag — is not a single tradition. It is a layering of customs: Christian belief laid gently over practices far older than Christianity itself. In this episode of Undercover Irish, we explore how Irish Christmas traditions preserve ideas of survival, fire, hunger, and renewal — stretching back to the solstice and the rebirth of the sun. Using material from the Dúchas Schools' Collection, traditional song, and Irish folklore, this episode traces how Ireland kept not old gods or new gods — but the instructions that worked. At the heart of the episode are two constants: The Kerry Christmas Carol, a song of preparation and fire-keeping An Spideog, the robin — a winter bird spared in Irish tradition Together, they reveal how Irish Christmas still carries the memory of darker winters, lived hunger, and the careful keeping of life. 🔥 What This Episode Explores Why Christmas in…

Guerilla Gaeilge: The Irish Hidden in Our English Undercover Irish Podcast In this episode of Undercover Irish, we explore how Hiberno-English contains hidden grammar, structures, and ways of thinking that come directly from Gaeilge. From phrases like "I do be" and "I'm after doing" to "ye / yiz / youse" and the Irish habit of answering questions without yes or no, this episode argues that Irish is hiding in plain sight inside English. This is not just a linguistic curiosity. It's a story of survival, resistance, mockery, and internalised shame, stretching from colonial schools and the bata scóir to the caricature of the Stage Irishman on the English stage. What This Episode Covers Why "no one I know speaks Irish" isn't actually true What Hiberno-English is — and why it has many influences Why the Gaeilge-derived parts deserve their own name: Guerilla Gaeilge The ember metaphor: Irish as a language that smouldered, not died Grammar features in Irish English that come straight from Gaeilge: "I do be…"…

An Irish Guerrilla Commander and "The Murder Machine" What This Episode Covers In this episode of Undercover Irish, we dig beneath the legendary image of Tom Barry — the famed guerrilla commander of Kilmichael whose tactics are still studied in British and US military circles — and uncover the deeper story hiding in plain sight within his autobiography Guerilla Days in Ireland. We explore how Barry's early life, shaped by the British National School system founded in 1831, reveals the psychological core of colonial rule: the dismantling of Irish national consciousness through language suppression, historical erasure, and identity engineering. Along the way, we examine: Tom Barry's own admission that he "knew no Irish history and had no national consciousness." The British-run national school system and its tools of anglicisation — the bata scóir, the tally stick, and enforced English-only learning. John Montague's devastating poem "A Grafted Tongue" and how it captures the emotional cost of linguistic…

In this episode, we dive into Ireland's Hidden Curriculum through something deceptively ordinary: the names of the months. By shifting your meon — your mindset — we explore how time itself becomes a doorway to the deeper Irish worldview. We look at: Why the English month names are Roman imports that don't match Irish reality How the Irish (Latin-influenced) months begin to re-root the year in our own landscape The powerful native Irish names — Bealtaine, Lúnasa, Samhain — and what they truly mean The older Celtic two-season cycle beneath them How Irish reveals an extraordinary way of seeing time, land, and story By the end, you'll never look at the calendar the same way again. ✨ Support Undercover Irish If you enjoy the podcast and want to help it grow, here are a few ways to support the work: ❤️ Patreon Become a monthly supporter and help keep the stories flowing: 👉 https://patreon.com/UndercoverIrish 🎗 Movember Fundraiser (iDonate) I'm also raising funds for Movember through iDonate — supporting men's…

Erased Leader: Margaret Buckley and Ireland's Counter-Revolution 🎨 Exclusive Artwork for Patrons I've created original artwork based on Margaret Buckley's historic portrait — designed to repopularise her image and bring her back into Ireland's visual memory. Patrons can download, print, share, post, and use the artwork freely. 👉 Download the Margaret Buckley Artwork: https://www.patreon.com/posts/margaret-buckley-143585337?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link 👉 Download the PDF Pack: https://www.patreon.com/posts/downloadable-pdf-143585763?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link Episode Summary In this episode of Undercover Irish, we uncover the story of Margaret Buckley — a woman erased from Ireland's historical record, despite being President of Sinn Féin in 1937 and a central figure of the revolutionary period. We begin by challenging a famous moment from Reeling in the Years, which…

🎧 How the Irish Language Finds Connection in the Dark: Samhain and Uaigneas When the Irish speak of loneliness, they don't just name a feeling — they map it. This episode explores uaigneas, Samhain, and how the Irish language finds connection even in the dark. Show Notes As the fires of Samhain fade and the year exhales, the world feels still — that quiet pause between life and death, light and dark. In Irish, this season is Mí na Samhna, a time to honour the dead, light candles, and remember what connects us. But it's also the season of uaigneas — a word that means far more than loneliness. Uaigneas carries echoes of uaigh (the grave) and uaim (from me), reminding us that even in absence, there's relationship — even in darkness, connection. In this episode of Undercover Irish, we trace the emotional geography of uaigneas: how Irish turns loss into language, and why even in the season of endings, the language itself keeps a light alive. We'll connect this moment of stillness to ideas we've explored before —…

Show Notes: How Cork's Streets Became a Battleground for Ireland's Identity Podcast: Undercover Irish Episode Title: How Cork's Streets Became a Battleground for Ireland's Identity Part 2 AVAILABLE HERE https://www.patreon.com/posts/empire-strikes-142363777?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link Description: In this episode, we journey through the city of Cork — its streets, its story, its struggle — to explore how street names became a contested space in the years of Ireland's path to independence and beyond. What may look like a mundane map of lanes and thoroughfares becomes a battlefield of identity, memory and power. Key Themes We begin with the era of the 1920s and the rising tension in Cork, where colonial-imposed street names served as lingering reminders of domination, even as the city braced for revolution. We follow the tragic figures of Tomás MacCurtain (Lord Mayor of Cork, murdered in March 1920) and Terence MacSwiney (his successor,…

🎙️ Episode Title: How a GAA Crest Leads Us to the Battle of Fontenoy In this episode of Undercover Irish, we follow the trail of a symbol — from the familiar GAA crest of Limerick to the Treaty Stone on the banks of the Shannon, and further still to the cry that echoed through the fields of Fontenoy in 1745: "Cuimhnigh ar Luimneach! Remember Limerick!" What begins as a look at a sporting logo becomes a journey through Irish memory, resilience, and identity — how the imagery on a GAA crest carries centuries of history, from the Treaty of Limerick to the Irish Brigades fighting for France, and how those echoes still find their way into our stadiums and stories today. 🟩 Topics include: The hidden meanings behind GAA county crests The symbolism of the Treaty Stone and Limerick's heritage The Irish Brigades and the Battle of Fontenoy Why "Cuimhnigh ar Luimneach" still resonates in modern Irish identity 🎧 Whether you're a GAA fan, a history nerd, or someone curious about how sport keeps the past alive, this…

🎙️ Episode Title: How Ice Cream is Linked to the Presidential Election In this episode of Undercover Irish, we explore an unexpected but deeply Irish connection — how ice cream and the Presidential Election are linked through language, lore, and story. From the words we use to describe sweetness and celebration, to the symbolic meanings behind Irish terms of leadership and belonging, we uncover how the Irish language shapes not just how we speak, but how we think and feel about who we are. This episode is also a tribute to the late Manchán Magan, whose passing has left a quiet ache in Ireland's cultural soul. Manchán's work helped countless people see the Irish language not as a school subject, but as a living philosophy — a way of seeing the world rooted in connection, spirit, and place. We honour his contribution to the Irish Language, Spirit, and Identity, and reflect on how his ideas continue to inspire us to look deeper. 💭 This is more than a linguistic journey — it's an invitation to relearn the…

What if Ireland wasn't just a land to live on—but a living body itself? In this episode of Undercover Irish, we trace the ancient impulse to personify the landscape, exploring how Indigenous cultures—from Celtic Ireland to Native America and Aboriginal Australia—map meaning onto mountains, rivers, valleys, and plains by imagining them as parts of a living, breathing being. This episode blends mythology, linguistics, and cultural survival in a journey that reawakens our connection to place. Come with us—and learn to read the land as you would a beloved face.

Building Up and Tearing England Down! In this jam-packed episode we dig into Dominic Behan's razor-sharp ballad of the same name, tracing how a few mighty verses capture a century of Irish labour on Britain's building sites and railways. First we pit two iconic renditions against one another—Christy Moore's pub-roar 1969 and The Mary Wallopers' lament of the 2020s. From there we zoom out: Ballads as people's textbooks – Why songs remember the names, jokes and grievances that official syllabi leave out, and how oral tradition keeps working-class history alive. The Irish navvy in Britain – Long journeys, shanty lodgings, "No Dogs, No Blacks, No Irish" signs, and the solidarity forged alongside Caribbean, South Asian and Eastern European co-workers. When labour organises, labour wins – From the mass pickets of the 1972 builders' strike to today's nationwide rail stoppages. Full-circle irony – The modern faces of union militancy in Britain—RMTs Mick Lynch, Eddie Dempsey and Unite's Sharon Graham—all proudly…

🎙️ The Truth about Munster and Meath: Uncovering Ireland's Lost Directions What do a New Zealand haka in Limerick and the ancient kingdoms of Ireland have in common? More than you might think. In this episode of Undercover Irish, we begin with a defining moment in Irish sporting history: the All Blacks performing the haka at Thomond Park in 2008. But have you ever stopped to ask—what does "Thomond" actually mean? And what ancient map of Ireland lies buried beneath the one we know today? We trace a path back through time, cutting through the fog of colonial renaming to reveal the true, original Irish place names and the deeper meanings they held. From Munster to Meath, and through the historic sub-kingdoms of Thomond, Desmond, Ormond, and Westmeath, we explore a landscape where names were more than just labels—they were directional signposts, power structures, and cultural touchstones. In this episode, we uncover: 📜 The forgotten Irish meanings of Munster, Thomond, Desmond, Ormond, Meath, and Westmeath 🗺️ How…

Episode 5 – An Bata Scóir and its International Reach In this powerful and reflective episode of Undercover Irish, we dive into the brutal colonial legacy of language suppression, beginning with the story of An Bata Scóir — the notched tally stick used to punish Irish children for speaking their native tongue. More than a tool of discipline, An Bata Scóir represents the systemic violence inflicted by the British Empire in its efforts to erase the Irish language as part of its wider colonisation strategy. But Ireland wasn't alone. This episode explores how the island served as a testing ground for linguistic oppression — experiments that would later echo across the empire, from Wales to Africa and Aotearoa (New Zealand). We mark the passing of Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, a literary giant who, like Bobby Sands MP, used his native language as a form of resistance behind prison walls. We draw connections between their acts of defiance — between Kikuyu and Gaeilge — and the universal power of indigenous language as both…

In Part 2 of Skorts, Shorts and the Three Stripe Affair That Rocked Cork GAA, Undercover Irish dives into the post-1977 fallout of Cork's All-Ireland hurling triumph. Follow the dramatic twists as Adidas shifts focus to Kerry GAA, O'Neills fights back on the pitch and in the courts, and the battle over branding turns personal. This episode also bridges past and present, spotlighting the modern "Skorts not Shorts" campaign by the Camogie players of Tomás McCurtains GAA in London, and uncovers a striking 1935 parallel in the long history of attempts to control women's sportswear. A gripping blend of sport, style, and social change.

🎧 Skorts, Shorts and the Three Stripe Affair That Rocked Cork GAA – Part 1 | Undercover Irish Podcast In this episode of Undercover Irish, we dive into the headlines of today—and the hidden stories of the past. The current controversy over skorts in Camogie has sparked debate across Ireland, but it's far from the first time sportswear caused uproar in the GAA. In Part 1 of Skorts, Shorts and the Three Stripe Affair, we rewind to the 1970s to explore how global sportswear giant Adidas made its first bold move into the Irish market—and how a clash of tradition, branding, and county pride would trigger chaos on and off the pitch. Focusing on the now-infamous Cork vs. Kerry Munster battles, this episode sets the stage for one of the most unusual and dramatic episodes in GAA history. From style to sponsorship, what we wear on the field has always mattered more than you might think. 👉 Tune in to uncover the forgotten story of how a few stripes shook the GAA to its core. Keywords: Cork GAA, Kerry GAA, Adidas…

Let Erin Remember is a powerful and poetic exploration of environmental and cultural injustice, using the haunting Irish song Let Erin Remember as a guide through the destruction and pollution of Lough Neagh—once a sacred and mythologically rich lake at the heart of Ireland. This podcast unpacks the ecological crisis facing Lough Neagh, contextualizing it as a symptom of deeper colonial legacies. Through the lens of Irish history, myth, and song, we examine the lake's ancient origins as Lough Neathach, tied to the Dagda of Irish mythology, and expose how colonial ownership and mismanagement have devastated this once-pristine body of water. We draw striking parallels to other colonially renamed and claimed landmarks—from Uluru in Aboriginal Australia to Lake Victoria in Africa and Mount Everest in the Himalayas—highlighting the global pattern of erasure and appropriation. We delve into the work of Thomas Moore, whose collection of Irish melodies preserved the cultural soul of a nation, and argue that songs…

"The Irish Were Ahead of the Stoics and Mindfulness: Cognitive Behaviour Therapy in Gaeilge" Episode Summary: In this thought-provoking episode of Undercover Irish, we explore how the Irish language (Gaeilge) encodes emotional intelligence in ways that predate Stoicism, modern mindfulness, and even Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT). Through the lens of linguistic relativism—the idea that language shapes the way we think—we delve into how Gaeilge frames emotions, resilience, and human experience in profoundly unique ways. We begin with a global tour of language and thought: In Guugu Yimithirr (an Aboriginal Australian language), people navigate space using cardinal directions, not egocentric ones like "left" or "right"—a linguistic habit that literally rewires spatial awareness. In Aymara (South America), time flows differently—the past is seen as in front of you, while the future is behind, challenging the assumptions of linear time. In Mandarin Chinese, vertical metaphors influence how speakers understand…