Bad Bridget: When American Dreams became Nigh...

In 1922, Ireland gained its independence. The new state promised to revive the Irish language. A century later, English still dominates daily life. What went wrong?In this episode, I speak to John Walsh of the University of Galway, author of One Hundred Years of Irish Language Po ...  Show more

In the 1920s, the newly established Irish Free State embarked on one of the most ambitious engineering projects in its history: the Shannon Scheme at Ardnacrusha.This was a state-of-the-art hydroelectric plant that paved the way for the electrification of Irish society. The schem ...  Show more

The legacy of the Great Famine continues to shape not only Ireland, but the Irish diaspora in America, Canada, and the UK. In the mid-1800s, starving families fled the country in search of survival, gathering at the docks to board “coffins ships” sailing to Liverpool and the east ...  Show more

For centuries, the United States has been a prime destination for migrants hoping for better economic opportunities, fleeing danger in their home countries or just seeking a new life. But has there ever been a moment when Americans were the ones who felt compelled to flee elsewhe ...  Show more

At least 23 of the Presidents of the United States can have their ancestry traced back to Ireland.

So why did this diaspora come to America? What was their reception like? And how have they reached the top of the power structure so regularly?

We are finding ...

Like MLK and Biggie Smalls, Marianne Andle also had a dream. Her dream? That one day she could become Irish. After that plan failed and Marianne had to flee Northern Ireland with the cops hot on her trail, and after a quick name change and return to the US, she found a new dream. ...  Show more