The Irish Passport

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 world’s attention to Kyiv as Russian troops advance. Joining us is listener Nadia Dobrianska, who works in a human rights organisation in her native Kyiv and happens to be an afficionado in Irish culture and history. She unveils a hidden world of historical commonalities between the two countries, who both began asserting their nationhood in the same era, suffered domination from neighbouring power, and still bear the deep scars of famine from that experience. Nadia also has a fascinating personal story to share. She experienced two revolutions in Kyiv before moving to Belfast in 2019 to pursue her love of Irish studies. There, she managed to pick up fluent Gaeilge through lessons on the Falls Road. Now back in Ukraine, those language skills have come in handy: with the world’s attention turned onto her country due to fears of a Russian invasion, Nadia has begun reporting on the situation in Irish for a range of Irish-language media outlets. With her experience of living in Ireland, love for and deep knowledge of Irish culture and history, there’s hardly a better person to explain the Ukranian perspective on the current situation and the country’s unexpected but profound common heritage with Ireland. Bonus episodes are published for our supporters over at www.patreon.com/theirishpassport You can follow us on Facebook and Twitter at @PassportIrish and Nadia at @NadiaDobryanska Huge thanks to our sponsors, Irish at Heart, for backing this episode. Sign up to receive surprise boxes of artisan Irish goods at irish-at-heart.com, and get a special 15% discount off your first box with the discount code IRISHPASSPORT. Here’s the link: https://irish-at-heart.com/ Music in this episode: Maidan sings the anthem of Ukraine, 2013 https://youtu.be/lItPEbc6e-I Nadia Dobrianska: https://twitter.com/NadiaDobryanska/status/1495383843666280453?s=20&t=_ZyNy3-uZBLyZKcEFeNm9A Oy u Kyyevi and Ziydy ZIydy by Ukrainian Village Voices; Chief Boima, Cello Duet No 1 via the Free Music Archive Choir sings hymn in Kyiv metro, captured by Jake Hanrahan https://twitter.com/Jake_Hanrahan/status/1495460993345933312?s=20&t=30yOxSEX42Pa3XrrftF2aw

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 mortgage experts are in demand in the Netherlands, and celebrate some of the people who have begun learning the language thousands of miles away from the island. Huge thanks to our sponsors, Irish at Heart, for backing this episode. Sign up to receive surprise boxes of artisan Irish goods at irish-at-heart.com, and get a special 15% discount off your first box with the discount code IRISHPASSPORT. Here’s the link: https://irish-at-heart.com/ Bonus episodes are published for our supporters over at www.patreon.com/theirishpassport

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? Hear all about it as 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 Heart, for backing this episode. Sign up to receive surprise boxes of artisan Irish goods at irish-at-heart.com, and get a special 15% discount off your first box with the discount code IRISHPASSPORT. The link is here: https://irish-at-heart.com/ Bonus episodes are published for our supporters over at www.patreon.com/theirishpassport

This summer, the chaotic fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban left Irish citizens stranded and exposed the state's lack of an aircraft large enough to conduct an evacuation. It highlighted the issue of Ireland's tiny and under-funded defence forces, which mean we rely on outside forces like Britain and the European Union for day-to-day security in areas like air and maritime patrols and cyber security. From this weak position, Ireland has increasingly been drawn over the last two decades into participating in international defence arrangements that arguably blur the lines of our neutral status. Naomi and Tim lay out what's at stake in an increasingly unstable global order and as the EU debates a shift in defence policy in response. Guest Tom Clonan shares his experience as a soldier and lays out the profound risks to Irish interests posed by gaping holes in national defence. Conor Gallagher of the Irish Times tells us the backstory of how Irish officials worked behind the scenes and leaned on old relationships with allies this summer to get Irish citizens out of Kabul. This is part two of a two-part episode on Irish neutrality. In part one, we explained how the policy was born in the 20th century, at a time when the leadership feared that involvement in the Second World War could crush the fragile new Irish state. You can listen to the episode here: https://www.theirishpassport.com/podcast/neutrality-part-1-escaping-dominion/ Follow us on Facebook and Twitter at @PassportIrish. We'll post the full version of our interview with Tom Clonan for our supporters over at www.patreon.com/theirishpassport Huge thanks to our sponsors, Irish at Heart, for backing this episode. Sign up to receive surprise boxes of artisan Irish goods at irish-at-heart.com, and get a special 15% discount off your first box with the discount code IRISHPASSPORT. The link is here: https://irish-at-heart.com/

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 head-to-head and shaped the fates of Ireland, Britain, and Europe. The Irish revolutionary leader Éamon de Valera and Britain's wartime prime minister Winston Churchill had profoundly different starts in life and world views - and they hated each other. Their bitter personal relations led to a Second World War standoff, and a mysterious late-night telegram from Downing Street thats constitutes one of the great 'what if' questions of Irish history. This is part one of a double episode on Irish military neutrality, explaining how the flagship Irish policy came to be. In part two, we'll dig into what Irish military neutrality means in practice today, and the opportunities and challenges ahead as Europe revisits its strategic security in an era in which the United States is in retreat. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter at @PassportIrish. Bonus episodes are published for our supporters over at www.patreon.com/theirishpassport Huge thanks to our sponsors, Irish at Heart, for backing this episode. Sign up to receive surprise boxes of artisan Irish goods at irish-at-heart.com, and get a special 15% discount off your first box with the discount code IRISHPASSPORT. The link is here: https://irish-at-heart.com/

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 their own local histories, while writer and researcher Claire Mitchell explores how the covert history of the 1798 rebellion is etched into the landscape itself - if you know where to look. This live show was produced as part of the 2021 Hillsborough Castle Centenary Talks programme. Many thanks to the staff and organisers at Hillsborough Castle for their support and warm welcome. If you would like to support the podcast, you can become a Patreon subscriber today at www.patreon.com/theirishpassport

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 halfpint episode would not have been possible without the support of our wonderful patrons. You can find our full archive of Halfpint extra content over on www.patreon.com/theirishpassport, where you can help keep the podcast running by become a Patreon supporter today. This episode features the music tracks “Hopeless Waltz” and “Just a Waltz” by Alena Smirnova.

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 regulation could potentially open a new can of worms on Ireland's border, and we explain why the Tories' tendency to play to a domestic audience might be losing them credibility on the international stage LIVE EVENT: The Irish Passport is delighted to be taking part in the Hillsborough Castle 2021 Centenary Talks Programme. Naomi and Tim will be appearing live as part of the programme at Hillsborough Castle, Co. Down, on the 25th September 2021. They'll be speaking to a selection of special guests to discuss the dynamics of place and power - how place names, landscape, and architecture contain secret histories hidden within plain sight. Tickets are available for purchase online here: https://www.hrp.org.uk/hillsborough-castle/whats-on/irish-passport-podcast-place-and-power/ See you there! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter at @PassportIrish. Bonus episodes are published for our supporters over at www.patreon.com/theirishpassport

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 industry. Molly May talks about how she began writing the songs inspired by Irish folklore and fairy traditions, building on her background in poetry. Fionn, a noted uilleann piper and singer with the Irish National Opera, takes us behind the scenes in the studio into the creative process of recording the album in the Dublin mountains. You can find the album at: www.lambentflame.com Songs featured from Lambent Flame, by Molly May O'Leary, Liam Ó Maonlaí, and Fionn Ó hAlmhain: Biddy Early, Fairy Queen, Cinderella, Aisling, Sun Child, California, Thank you Witches, Little Red Riding Hood, The Wild Swans of Coole. You can check out our prior interview with Molly about the 'wise woman of Clare' Biddy Early here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/44962226

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 population. We hear from a veteran campsite and holiday park worker who tells us the practice of excluding Travellers is rife in the industry across Britain and Ireland. And we speak to Martin Beanz Warde, a comedian, podcaster and host of the Haz Beanz Show about how systemic discrimination works and his own experience of exclusion from venues. Check out the Haz Beanz Show here: https://thehazbeanshow.com/ Follow us on Facebook and Twitter at @PassportIrish. If you enjoyed this episode, do give us a good review in your podcast app and share it with your friends. Bonus episodes are published for our supporters over at www.patreon.com/theirishpassport