Steinbeck's Life and Times

Featuring: Dr Bernadette Whelan, professor emeritus at the School of History and Geography at the University of Limerick; Dr Colum Kenny, Professor Emeritus, Dublin City University; and Prof Eunan O’Halpin, Fellow Emeritus in History at Trinity College Dublin. 

In this episode: Nationalist Michael Davitt and how he inspired reform movements around the world; the aristocrat who became a champion of Catholic emancipation; and the history of intelligence. Featuring Ciara Daly, curator of the Michael Davitt exhibition at Trinity College Dub ...  Show more

Leading up to the Battle of Kadesh (c.1287 BCE) betwen Ramesses II of Egypt and Muwatalli II of Hatti, we need to understand the background. Why was this city the epicentre of such a major conflict? How did the rulers of Kadesh (Kadeshians?) persistently frustrate pharaohs dating ...  Show more

During World War Two, an unconventional special force was formed. Known as the Chindits, they fought behind enemy lines in Burma, now Myanmar during 1943 and 1944 in the war against Japan.Their leader was the charismatic Orde Wingate, a British Army officer. This programme is mad ...  Show more

Why is the Battle of Kadesh so famous, compared to other ancient conflicts? What can we take away from Ramesses' account in terms of "truth" vs "rhetoric." And what did it all up to, really? Prof. Peter Brand returns to discuss the battle in great detail, from the blow-by-blow mo ...  Show more

Dr Thomas Mills, Senior Lecturer at Lancaster University and Director of the Centre for War and Diplomacy is joined by Patrick Salmon, Chief Historian at the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development office. In his seventeen years in office, Patrick has published a number of volumes ...  Show more