The Irish Passport

In this episode Naomi O'Leary and Tim Mc Inerney hear the voices of women who lived through a profound social transformation in Ireland: the coming of electricity. The ability to turn on a light or boil a kettle with just a switch came relatively late to large parts of Ireland, part of an ambitious project by the young state to economically transform Ireland and help it take its place among the nations of the earth. We explore the ways in which this changed people's lives, from the design of their houses to the food they ate, and how this transformation continues to inform social ideas about domestic work to this day. Featuring insights from design historian Sorcha O'Brien of Kingston University, the voices of ordinary women from around the Irish countryside who describe how electricity changed their lives, and material from the ESB archives. Check our our full interview with Dr O'Brien over at: https://www.patreon.com/posts/43027994 We are grateful to the Electric Irish Homes project and to the ESB for their help. Archive clips are copyright ESB and can be found at https://esbarchives.ie/. 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.

It’s return of the clowns as Naomi and Tim dissect the latest Brexit drama and speak to Congressman Brendan Boyle, whose cutting criticism of the British government went viral after the government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson declared it would break international law. Where are we, how did we get here, and what lies ahead? We sum it up ahead of a crunch week in the talks between the European Union and Britain that have extremely high stakes for Ireland. Featuring original music by Michael Fry, who is @BigDirtyFry on Twitter. Support us on Patreon to gain access to our full library of bonus episodes and othe rextra content overat www.Patreon.com/theirishpassport 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.

A golf society dinner for 81 people has thrown the Irish government into chaos. Attended by a host of senior political figures, many at the forefront Ireland’s COVID health strategy, the event appeared to flout the very social distancing regulations some of its guests had devised. This is just the latest in a series of disasters for the recently installed coalition government, which has been struggling to retain public confidence since its inception mere weeks ago. Naomi and Tim investigate why a scandal like this holds such high stakes in the current moment. We hear from listeners about how the restrictions have affected them, and speak to Dr Marc Scully of Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, about how the lives of hundreds and thousands of Irish emigrants have suddenly and dramatically changed in a way that has largely been ignored in Ireland’s public debate about travel restrictions and health policy. You can find our full interview with Marc Scully over on Patreon, where you can become a supporter of the podcast today. You can gain access to our full library of extra content at www.Patreon.com/theirishpassport 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. Dr Scully may soon be recruiting people for a research study into the pandemic and its effect on emigrants. To keep up to date, follow him on Twitter at @marcdonnchadh.

Celtic identity is politically powerful but historically nebulous, a subject of debate among historians and archaeologists, while being a source of inspiration to some and irritation to others. In this episode, Naomi and Tim visit a Celtic music festival in the Netherlands to explore why the concept has such international appeal. Tim explores the political use and abuse of the idea of the Celts in debates about identity and nationalism in Scotland and Ireland. Historian Adrian Martyn tells us why he finds the idea of Celticness insulting, while National Museum of Scotland curator Fraser Hunter breaks down the complex reality of early civilisations on the Atlantic islands and what we know about our ancient ancestors. Check out our archive of bonus content over on Patreon: www.patreon.com/theirishpassport 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. Adrian Martyn’s website is https://adrianmartyn.ie/

After almost half a year of negotiations and political maneuvering, Ireland finally has a government. It’s unlike any that has come before it, and it doesn’t include the party that got the post votes in the last election, Sinn Féin. In this livestreamed podcast, Naomi and Tim answer listener questions with special guests Aoife-Grace Moore, political correspondent with The Irish Examiner, and Darach Ó Séaghdha of the Motherfoclóir podcast. Is the new government’s policy programme really the greenest ever? Why are people calling this the end of the Civil War politics? Are the Green party falling into a trap, and will Sinn Féin ultimately benefit? The new coalition is made up of old rivals Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, with the support of the Green party. The new Taoiseach is Micheál Martin, who is supposed to be in office until the end of 2022 when he will step aside to let outgoing Taoiseach Leo Varadkar assume the role. Watch the video version of this live podcast here: https://youtu.be/E8dnapYnmig To access our full archive of bonus content head on over to our Patreon page and sign up to support the podcast www.patreon.com/theirishpassport If you liked this podcast, do share it with your friends, give us a nice rating in your podcast app, or connect with us on social media. We’re @PassportIrish on Twitter and Facebook.

Young Black people in Ireland have taken to the streets to demand an end to racism and discrimination in the midst of a global uprising inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement. Documentary maker Amanda Adé explores the conversations and momentum for change that is happening in Ireland in the wake of the protests. We hear from Boni Odoemene, the co-founder of the Black and Irish Instagram page, which is unearthing a hidden part of Irish history. The curator of Ireland’s first Black Studies module Dr. Ebun Joseph discusses her research on the nature of racial stratification in Ireland. And Naomi and Tim dig into the complex and interesting crossovers of Black and Irish history, from the dark legacy of empire, to how the US civil rights movement inspired Catholics in 1960s Northern Ireland, to the tearing down of statues. You can check out Black and Irish here: https://www.instagram.com/black_andirish/ Featuring the track BLM (I Can’t Breathe) by Jihfa http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/Jihfa/61807 Check out our archive of bonus content over on Patreon: www.patreon.com/theirishpassport 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. You might be interested in our other episodes: The Irish Slaves Myth: https://www.theirishpassport.com/podcast/episode-10-the-irish-slaves-myth/ Direct Provision: https://www.theirishpassport.com/podcast/direct-provision/ Ireland and America: https://www.theirishpassport.com/podcast/live-show-ireland-and-america-the-long-romance/

Protests against Ireland’s controversial system for housing asylum seekers Direct Provision have been re-ignited as demonstrations against racism sweep the United States. We interviewed Bulelani Mfaco where he lives in Knockalisheen Direct Provision centre on the border of Limerick and Clare for our episode on the system published in January. In this bonus episode made specially to thank our Patreon supporters, we publish the full interview. He tells us about his experience living within the system and why he sees Direct Provision as deliberate marginalisation of migrants and akin to racial segregation. This bonus content was made possible by the continued support of our patrons! Sign up to support the podcast today at www.patreon.com/theirishpassport and gain access to our whole archive of Halfpint extra content. For access to our full archive of bonus content, head on over on our Patreon page www.patreon.com/theirishpassport. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook: @PassportIrish.

In this bonus episode made specially to thank our Patreon supporters, Naomi and Tim catch up on how Europe finds itself at a make-or-break moment. Fundamental questions of democracy and economics are in question, and Ireland will have its role to play in figuring them out as the European Union decides what exactly it wants to be. Plus: why are people still talking about Brexit, and what are the stakes for the island of Ireland? We break it down. This bonus content was made possible by the continued support of our patrons! Sign up to support the podcast today at www.patreon.com/theirishpassport and gain access to our whole archive of Halfpint extra content. For access to our full archive of bonus content, head on over on our Patreon page www.patreon.com/theirishpassport. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook: @PassportIrish.

Ireland shares a fascinating history with the Australian continent – by the 19th century, in fact, about 25% of settlers in Australia were Irish-born. In this episode, we speak to Victoria University’s Diane Hall about the history of the Irish in Australia, Tim meets two generations of Irish Australians who explain what their unique identity means to them, and Naomi explores some of the major issues facing the Irish in Australia today. If you liked this episode, why not give us a rating on whatever podcast app you use – It makes all the difference to us! If you want more bonus content from the Irish Passport Podcast, you can become a Patreon supporter today and gain instant access to our archive of Halfpint episodes. Just head over to www.patreon.com/theirishpassport The music featured in this episode is “Remember Love” by Lobo Loco.

As the Coronavirus hits the Native Americans hard, Irish people have taken the chance to repay a 173-year-old debt. A fundraiser to help the Navajo and Hopi Nations fight one of the worst Covid-19 outbreaks in the United States has taken off in Ireland. Donations have been flooding in, in tribute to an act of kindness during the Great Hunger in Ireland that has never been forgotten. In the worst year of the famine, 1847, the Choctaw people raised what they could and sent it to Ireland as aid. It’s not the only example of solidarity between Irish and Native American people throughout history. In this bonus episode made specially to thank our Patreon supporters, Naomi traces the history of links between Ireland and Native Americans. Did you know that during the struggle for independence, the Chippewa-Ojibwe people made future Irish President Éamon de Valera an honorary chief? You can donate to the Navajo & Hopi Families COVID-19 Relief Fund here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/NHFC19Relief This bonus content was made possible by the continued support of our patrons! Sign up to support the podcast today at www.patreon.com/theirishpassport and gain access to our whole archive of Halfpint extra content. For access to our full archive of bonus content, head on over on our Patreon page www.patreon.com/theirishpassport. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook: @PassportIrish. You can listen to our episode The Great Hunger about the Irish famine and the Choctaw donation here: https://link.chtbl.com/GreatHunger Featuring Cello Duet No. 1 by Chief Boima