Mohair Suits in the National Ballroom: The Showband Era
This month brings the fiftieth anniversary of the tragic murders of members of The Miami Showband. This band, drawing its members from both sides of the border, was a defining part of the showband scene that withstood the changing musical tastes of the country from one decade into the next. Where did the Showband Scene come from, and what were its lasting impacts on music in Dublin and beyond?
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‘A Perfect Prodigy of Moral Horrors’ - The Donnybrook Fair
The Donnybrook Fair is recalled in ballad and memoir as a notorious and chaotic annual event, but what really went on there? Over centuries, the annual fair drew revellers from near and far to Donnybrook, but a combination of social reformers successfully brought about its demise in the 1850s. In this story, we meet characters as diverse as prize fighter Dan Donnelly, and civic reformer James Haughton. This month marks the twentieth anniversary of the passing of the great Frank Harte, a truly remarkable man and Dubliner, who brought this fair to life in his singing.
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Porter Wars: Patriotism and Pints (with Christina Wade)
Christina Wade’s new history of Irish beer is a masterclass in social and economic history. In the context of Dublin, it tells us a lot, especially about the challenges that faced breweries in turbulent times. In this episode, we look at her chapter ‘Porter Wars’, and how unfair trade laws and domestic and international politics all shaped the producing and selling of beer in Dublin. Filthy Queens: A History of Beer in Ireland is out now.
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From 'Peelers' to Gardaí: How the Dublin Metropolitan Police and An Garda Síochána merged (with Paul Maher)
The first ever Kilkenny Law Fest took place last weekend. On its bill, a discussion with Superintendent Paul Maher of the Garda Historical Society. Paul did so much in the Decade of Centenaries to involve the force, and it was great to talk to him about the 1925 merging of the Dublin Metropolitan Police and AGS. This discussion takes in early Irish policing, as well as looking at what made Dublin unique in policing.
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The Animal Gangs: An Irish Peaky Blinders?
A nice mention for the podcast recently on Crime World inspired me to go back to the subject of the Animal Gang. Seperating fact from folklore, just who made up the so-called Animal Gang of 1930s and 1940s Dublin. Was there one gang, or does the term mean something much broader? What was the relationship between the Animal Gang and the turbulent politics of the time. For more on the Animal Gang, see John Gibney’s Doc On One at https://www.rte.ie/radio/doconone/647163-documentary-podcast-animal-gangs-inner-city-dublin-folklore
Three Castles Burning is a social history podcast, dedicated to the story of the Irish capital. Dublin is a city of many stories, Three Castles Burning tells some of the more forgotten ones.
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