The Irish Passport

Mar 04 2025 126 ep. 54 mins 930
The Irish Passport Podcast artwork

A podcast about the culture, history and politics of Ireland by Naomi O’Leary and Tim Mc Inerney. Taking on the knowledge gap since 2017.

  Society & Culture
RSS feed Share
Copy RSS


Subscribe on Podcast Addict


The lost world of Gaelic Ireland

Mar 04 2025 69 mins  
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? Naomi and Tim paint a picture of li

Deporting the Irish

Feb 01 2025 63 mins  
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 on the subject upended much of wh

Chaos, a new government, and the Healy Raes

Jan 27 2025 49 mins  
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 Rae even set for a ministerial posit

Classic Irish Passport: Santa Granted Access to Irish Air Space

Dec 20 2024 21 mins  
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 this mini bonus episode, we bri

Election Breakdown 2024: More of the Same, Please

Dec 02 2024 50 mins  
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 for this episode. You can find ov

Conquest: Daughter of the Antichrist

Nov 16 2024 79 mins  
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 dynamics became central to the civ

Irish Peacekeepers On The Frontline Between Israel And Lebanon

Oct 18 2024 54 mins  
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 deep. The chief of staff of Ireland's

Trump Versus The Snail

Sep 16 2024 48 mins  
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 development of a Trump golf course

Classic Irish Passport: The Gaelic Games

Aug 14 2024 54 mins  
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 success. Tim visits the Paris

Conquest: The Ulster Plantation

Jul 14 2024 77 mins  
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 Ulster project and the settlement of Vi