Episodes

In this special Irish family history episode we take two letters from our Green Room members. We chat about the approach they should take to uncover more about their respective Irish ancestral homelands. The first letter come...

In this special episode we choose one of our Green Room members (see more about the Green Room here) and accompany them on a genealogical trip back to County Cork. Cathy Abraham lives in Boston, USA and her great-grandparents...

In this episode we look at a very difficult time in Ireland - one that triggered a time of death across the population of the island as well as emigration for many generations afterwards. I'm talking, of course, about "An …

In this episode we look at two of the major family surnames of Ireland - O'Neill and O'Connor. The first story asks if you have Niall of the Nine Hostages DNA?. This Niall was the patriarch of the O'Neills of …

In this musical episode we look at a very personal choice of the eight most unique Irish MALE singing voices. I wonder will you agree? Maybe it will introduce you to a new talent that you have not heard before …

In this episode we tell the story of not one, but two, Irish families that came out of the area surrounding the town of Bantry in West Cork, Ireland. The first story shares the story of Francis O'Neill who emigrated …

In this musical episode we look at a very personal choice of the eight most beautiful Irish femail singing voices. I wonder will you agree? Maybe it will introduce you to a new talent that you have not heard before …

In this episode we travel to that fascinating county at the north-east of the island of Ireland - County Antrim. We explore it's rich heritage and history as well as the most numerous surnames in the county. We then go …

In this episode we celebrate 10 years of the Letter from Ireland! In the summer of 2013, we started to write, and send out, a weekly letter from Ireland. Two years later we started the Letter from Ireland podcast. Today, …

In this episode we look at two different Irish races - one from the 18th century and one from the early 20th century. Our first story charts the origins of that iconic horserace - the Steeplechase - between two towns …

In this episode we look at how the growth of Irish towns and cities was tied to a clean source of water at the time of the Vikings - and how that same water used for the brewing of beer …

In this very special episode we take a trip around Inishmore - the largest of the Aran Islands - in the company of Cyril O'Flaherty. Cyril is a well known local historian and artist and gives a special insight into …

In this episode we take a trip inside the "Hedge Schools" of Ireland - places of learning that were dotted around Ireland right up to the mid-1800s. We also look at the prevalence of so many biblical/latin first names in …

In this episode we cover two infamous real life murder cases in the west of Ireland during the 1800s. The first murder was as a result of mass evictions from an Irish estate during the famine - and the second …

In today's episode we chat about all things Irish - the Irish language that is! The first letter looks at Irish sayings and proverbs in their original Irish, how to pronounce them and what they mean in English. We then …

In this episode we take a musical trip around the nine counties of Ulster: Derry (Londonderry), Antrim, Down, Armagh, Tyrone, Fermanagh, Cavan, Donegal and Monaghan. Alongside the immortal "Danny Boy", we feature at least one...

In this episode we look at the journey a branch of the Vikings took and established a Dukedom in what became known as "Normandy" in northern France. We look at their culture and traditions - traditions that they brought with …

In this episode we look at two different styles of story-telling. First, Carina reads out "Which County did your Irish Ancestor Come from?". This is a letter in a standard essay format - and Carina chats about the formation o...

In this episode we look at how the Celtic Druids of Ireland in pre-christian times evolved into the monks, priests, brehon judges, bards and poets of christian times - and also chat about some of the Irish family surnames ass...

You are most likely familiar with the song Danny Boy - Ireland's unofficial anthem. In this episode we first have a listen to Danny Boy and then choose 5 other songs which are also suitable contenders for the title of …

If you have ever visited Ireland then you have almost certainly visited our capital city of Dublin! There are so many cultural, heritage and historical sites spread around the city - and I'm sure you have a few of your …

As we approach the month of May, we celebrate the coming of summer here in Ireland. The month of May is called "Bealtaine" in the Irish language, which is also the Irish name for the celtic festival that marks the …

In this episode we chat with a native Irish Gaelic Speaker - Eoin Ó Conchúir (Eoin O'Connor) from Ennis in County Clare. Eoin started a company called Bitesize Irish about 12 years ago and in this episode he shares more …

In this episode we visit a field in the wilds of Connemara in County Galway and chat about two significant events - each of which brought about a huge step forward in technology and communications and are associated with this...