Undercover Irish

• Ireland as a Body: Place Names, Mythology, and Indigenous Worldviews

  What if Ireland wasn’t just a land to live on—but a living body itself? In this episode of Undercover Irish, we trace the ancient impulse to personify the landscape, exploring how Indigenous cultures—from Celtic Ireland to Native America and Aboriginal Australia—map meaning onto mountains, rivers, valleys, and plains by imagining them as parts of a living, breathing being. This episode blends mythology, linguistics, and cultural survival in a journey that reawakens our connection to place. Come with us—and learn to read the land as you would a beloved face.

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• Building Up And Tearing England Down; The Social History In A Ballad

  Building Up and Tearing England Down! In this jam-packed episode we dig into Dominic Behan’s razor-sharp ballad of the same name, tracing how a few mighty verses capture a century of Irish labour on Britain’s building sites and railways. First we pit two iconic renditions against one another—Christy Moore’s pub-roar 1969 and The Mary Wallopers’ lament of the 2020s. From there we zoom out: Ballads as people’s textbooks – Why songs remember the names, jokes and grievances that official syllabi leave out, and how oral tradition keeps working-class history alive. The Irish navvy in Britain – Long journeys, shanty lodgings, “No Dogs, No Blacks, No Irish” signs, and the solidarity forged alongside Caribbean, South Asian and Eastern European co-workers. When labour organises, labour wins – From the mass pickets of the 1972 builders’ strike to today’s nationwide rail stoppages. Full-circle irony – The modern faces of union militancy in Britain—RMTs Mick Lynch, Eddie Dempsey and Unite’s Sharon Graham—all proudly tracing their roots back across the Irish Sea. Whether you’re a folk-music nerd, a student of migration history, or just wondering why “lad culture” still belts out old rebel tunes after closing time, this episode shows how one ballad can tear down myths while building new bridges of solidarity. Tune in, turn it up, and get ready to sing along—and maybe organise—by the final chorus.

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• The Truth about Munster and Meath: Uncovering Ireland’s Lost Directions

  🎙️ The Truth about Munster and Meath: Uncovering Ireland’s Lost Directions What do a New Zealand haka in Limerick and the ancient kingdoms of Ireland have in common? More than you might think. In this episode of Undercover Irish, we begin with a defining moment in Irish sporting history: the All Blacks performing the haka at Thomond Park in 2008. But have you ever stopped to ask—what does "Thomond" actually mean? And what ancient map of Ireland lies buried beneath the one we know today? We trace a path back through time, cutting through the fog of colonial renaming to reveal the true, original Irish place names and the deeper meanings they held. From Munster to Meath, and through the historic sub-kingdoms of Thomond, Desmond, Ormond, and Westmeath, we explore a landscape where names were more than just labels—they were directional signposts, power structures, and cultural touchstones. In this episode, we uncover: 📜 The forgotten Irish meanings of Munster, Thomond, Desmond, Ormond, Meath, and Westmeath 🗺️ How these names reflected direction and geography within the Irish worldview 🧠 Why knowing these meanings reshapes our understanding of Irish identity, history, and land 🔥 How colonisation didn’t just rename places—it redefined reality 🌀 What reclaiming these names can do for cultural consciousness and linguistic revival Whether you're a Gaeilgeoir, a history buff, or just curious about where you really come from, this episode invites you to see Ireland with new eyes and older wisdom. 🔑 Keywords: Irish place names, Thomond meaning, Munster Irish history, Meath etymology, Irish geography, decolonising Ireland, Desmond Ormond Thomond, Westmeath Irish name, ancient Irish provinces, Gaeilge, lost Irish directions 🎧 Listen now to rediscover the Ireland hidden in plain sight.

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• An Bata Scóir and Its International Reach

  Episode 5 – An Bata Scóir and its International Reach In this powerful and reflective episode of Undercover Irish, we dive into the brutal colonial legacy of language suppression, beginning with the story of An Bata Scóir — the notched tally stick used to punish Irish children for speaking their native tongue. More than a tool of discipline, An Bata Scóir represents the systemic violence inflicted by the British Empire in its efforts to erase the Irish language as part of its wider colonisation strategy. But Ireland wasn’t alone. This episode explores how the island served as a testing ground for linguistic oppression — experiments that would later echo across the empire, from Wales to Africa and Aotearoa (New Zealand). We mark the passing of Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, a literary giant who, like Bobby Sands MP, used his native language as a form of resistance behind prison walls. We draw connections between their acts of defiance — between Kikuyu and Gaeilge — and the universal power of indigenous language as both identity and insurrection. Further Reading & Resources: 📰 "Oidhreacht Shaibhir Fágtha" by Róisín Nic Liam – DEARG  A tribute to Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o and the enduring legacy of language activism. 📰 "Irish and Kikuyu – Colonialism and Resistance" by Luke Callinan – An Phoblacht  A thought-provoking article on shared experiences of colonial linguistic suppression in Ireland and Kenya. 📚 "Language, Resistance and Revival: Republican Prisoners and the Irish Language in the North of Ireland" by Feargal Mac Ionnrachtaigh  An essential study of how Gaeilge became a language of resistance in Northern prisons.  🔗 Buy the book here from Pluto Press Subscribe, share, and leave a review if this episode resonated with you. Follow at Instagram @undercoverirish

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• Skorts, Shorts and the Three Stripe Affair That Rocked Cork GAA – Part 2

  In Part 2 of Skorts, Shorts and the Three Stripe Affair That Rocked Cork GAA, Undercover Irish dives into the post-1977 fallout of Cork's All-Ireland hurling triumph. Follow the dramatic twists as Adidas shifts focus to Kerry GAA, O'Neills fights back on the pitch and in the courts, and the battle over branding turns personal. This episode also bridges past and present, spotlighting the modern "Skorts not Shorts" campaign by the Camogie players of Tomás McCurtains GAA in London, and uncovers a striking 1935 parallel in the long history of attempts to control women’s sportswear. A gripping blend of sport, style, and social change.

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