The History and Heritage Podcast

What if the "operating system" for ancient Irish spirituality was actually coded in the Egyptian desert? In this episode, we peel back the layers of a 3,500-year-old bilateral relationship that connects the Nile Valley to the Atlantic coast. This isn't just a story of myths and legends—it is a documentable history of moving people and power.
We dive into the "3–2–1" of this extraordinary connection: three recurring systems (trade, religion, and empire), two things that always move (people and bodies), and one underlying pattern—that these two nations collide every time the global order reshapes itself.
In this episode, we explore:
• The Bronze Age "iPhone": How Egyptian faience beads ended up in a royal grave at Tara, proving that Irish elites were embedded in Mediterranean luxury trade 1,400 years before Christ,.
• The Spiritual Operating System: Why Irish Christianity is structurally Egyptian, from ascetic practices to the literal Egyptian papyrus used to reinforce Irish scripture,.
• The Literal Migration: Meet the seven Egyptian monks recorded living in Ulster in 800 AD—proof that the connection was made of real people, not just symbolic saints.
• Empire & Counter-Insurgency: How the British Empire used Ireland as a "beta-testing lab" for policing methods and personnel that were later exported to Egypt to suppress revolution,.
• From Myths to Modernity: How the relationship evolved from the medieval legend of Scota (an Egyptian ancestor used to claim political legitimacy) to Irish architects designing the Grand Egyptian Museum today,,.
Whether it’s the Book of Kells adopting Coptic styles or a 1990 World Cup match that changed the rules of global football forever, discover why Ireland and Egypt are more "entangled" than you ever imagined,,.
Listen now to uncover the physical reality of this ancient connection.

Did you know South Korea is often called the "Ireland of Asia"? 🇮🇪🇰🇷 From shared struggles for independence to modern classroom innovations, our histories are more connected than you think.
📍 1920: The Tonga Ilbo reported on the massive funeral of Cork Mayor Tomás Mac Curtain, assassinated by British police on March 20, 1920. Just months later, the world mourned the death of hunger striker Terence MacSwiney.
⚔️ 1951: During the Korean War, the Royal Ulster Rifles and 8th King’s Royal Irish Hussars fought the legendary Battle of Happy Valley to protect Seoul. Some Irish soldiers spent over two years in "Bean Camp" before their release in August 1953.
🌱 1954: Father Patrick James McGlinchey arrived on Jeju Island, eventually founding St. Isidore Farm to help residents build self-sufficiency through modern farming.
📚 Today: South Korea’s Free Year Program, launched in 2013, was partially informed by Ireland’s Transition Year, helping students explore their dreams without the pressure of exams.
History isn't just in the past—it’s the bridge to our future. 🕊️
#IrelandInKorea #SharedHistory #JejuIsland #HappyValley #GlobalConnections

Emerald Roots: The Irish Legacy in Argentina
Think you know the Irish diaspora? Think again. Argentina is home to the largest Irish-descended community outside the English-speaking world. From Tomas and Juan Farrell in 1536 to World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister, this episode uncovers the untold stories of Irish settlers, military heroes, rebellious flag-raisers, and cultural icons who shaped Argentina.
Join me on The History and Heritage Podcast as we trace the rhythms of Irish life across the Pampas — sheep farmers, newspapers, shamrocks, and dance.
Listen, discover, and fall in love with Ireland’s far-reaching legacy.

Irish history did not stay in Ireland.

This episode sets the direction for The History & Heritage Podcast in 2026 — not through announcements, but through intent.

The year ahead explores Irish lives under pressure, at home and abroad.
From Irish shepherds on the Argentine pampas, to songs that carried memory when language faded, to the often-unacknowledged Irish influence on British public life.

It also opens space deliberately. Some episodes will be shaped by listener questions, family histories, local stories, and the kind of Irish history you only ever hear in passing — and never see written down.

What travels?
What stays?
What survives?

Same roots. Different soil.

Irish surnames weren’t chosen. They were inherited long before birth — and they told the world exactly where you stood.
Long before much of Europe had fixed family names, Ireland was already encoding kinship, obligation, protection, and memory into language itself.
This episode looks at how Irish surnames actually worked, why they appeared so early, and how conquest and bureaucracy broke their grammar.
It’s not a lesson in genealogy — it’s an attempt to relearn how to read a system that once held Irish society together.