The Medieval Irish History Podcast

Dec 05 2024 29 ep. 49 mins 135
The Medieval Irish History Podcast artwork

Hosted by Dr. Niamh Wycherley, this podcast shows that medieval Irish history is complex and dynamic — not at all stuffy or static. Via lively and engaging chats with leading experts, it explores aspects of a largely ignored, but commonly evoked, period, and shares new and exciting research on medieval Ireland. [email protected] Twitter X: @EarlyIrishPod Supported by the Dept of Early Irish, Maynooth University, Taighde Éireann (formerly SFI/IRC). Views expressed are speakers' own. Production: Tiago de Oliveira Veloso Silva. Logo design: Matheus de Paula Costa Music: Lexin_Music

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The Material World of Medieval Ireland with Dr Sharon Greene

Dec 05 2024 56 mins  
Today, Dr Sharon Greene tells us how archaeologists explore how people lived in the past, what they believed and so on through the material remains they left behind. This can sometimes confirm or deny what the written records tell us – but most often it adds another layer to our understanding medieval Ireland. We chat about disciplinary challenges, how scholars can work together,

St Columbanus with Dr Alexander O'Hara

Nov 21 2024 54 mins  
Happy anniversary to St Columbanus, famous as a monastic founder, and a symbol of a united Europe, who is remembered as having died on Nov 23rd in the year 615! (Happy birthday also to Dr O'Hara's wife! More info in episode). Columbanus aficionado Dr Alexander O'Hara brings us through Columbanus' auspicious beginnings as a handsome aristocrat in Leinster, his superlative scholarly

Medieval Irish Manuscripts with Dr Chantal Kobel

Nov 07 2024 56 mins  
In this episode, we are joined by Dr Chantal Kobel (Department of Early Irish, Maynooth University) to chat all about medieval Irish manuscripts (literally documents written by hand) and the various specialists skills and tools needed to read these precious historical sources. From palaeography (the study of old handwriting and writing systems) to codicology (study of the actual bo

Muirchertach Ua Briain with Anthony Candon

Oct 24 2024 55 mins  
This week we chat to Anthony Candon about one of the greatest men in Irish history — Muirchertach Ua Briain (c.1050–1119), king of Munster, arguably king of all Ireland, and great-grandson of Brian Bóru. Tony tells us all about Muirchertach's reputation as a great military leader, his influence on the Irish Church, his international status outside of Ireland, the astute marria

An Introduction to Medieval Irish Literature with Dr Elizabeth Boyle

Oct 10 2024 57 mins  
Welcome back to the second season of The Medieval Irish History Podcast! We are very excited to be back with you all! Today, in our very first episode of the new season, we are back with Dr Elizabeth Boyle to talk little bit about Early Irish Literature. You have probably heard about some key figures of medieval Irish literature, such as Cú Chulainn and Queen Medb from Táin Bó C

REPEAT — Adomnán of Iona (St Columba Part 2 with Prof. Thomas Owen Clancy)

Sep 23 2024 49 mins  
ICYMI! In order to celebrate the anniversary of Adomnán on the 23rd of September, we are re-uploading the episode discussing saint Adomnán, one of the successors of Columba and writer of the Vita Columbae, with Prof. Clancy (Professor of Celtic, University of Glasgow). In this episode we focus on his primary monastic foundation, Iona, and his successor abbot Adomnán (d.704), fa

Bonus episode: Saint Brigid at 1500

Sep 09 2024 22 mins  
This episode is excerpted from RTÉ Radio One's The History Show with Myles Dungan September 8th, 2024: https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/clips/22430394/ Thanks a million to Myles, producer Lorcan & the whole team for having Dr Niamh Wycherley on to talk about St Brigid’s legacy, medieval Irish history, women in medieval Ireland, how medieval historians are like detectives

SUMMER REPEAT - Sitric Silkenbeard, King of Dublin, with Prof Alex Woolf

Aug 15 2024 53 mins  
In case you missed it! Inspired by the summer sun and tourist queues at Christchurch Cathedral, Dublinia, the Viking Splash Tour and the National Museum of Ireland (Kildare Street) etc, we bring you a REPEAT of our episode from May 24th dedicated to the man (partly) responsible for it all. In this episode, Dr Niamh Wycherley interviews Prof Alex Woolf (University of St. Andrews) o

Medieval Queens and Queenship with Anne Connon

Jul 25 2024 59 mins  
! Apologies for the poor sound quality! Unfortunately, this was recorded online, but we promise to fix this problem for Season 2 which should begin at the end of September. In the last episode of the season, Dr. Niamh Wycherley interviews Anne Connon on queens and queenship in medieval Ireland, a subject that has underpinned many episodes this season. Queens and noblewomen were an

Queens of Medieval Ireland — Gormlaith (d. 948) with Prof. Máire Ní Mhaonaigh

Jul 11 2024 57 mins  
In our penultimate episode of season 1 we were incredibly lucky to get Prof. Máire Ní Mhaonaigh (Professor of Celtic and Medieval Studies, Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic, University of Cambridge) out to the recording studio in Maynooth University. We chatted all about Gormlaith (died 948), an aristocratic woman, queen, reputed poet, and daughter of famous self procla