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PODCAST

What Were We Like

Diarmaid Ferriter and Catriona Crowe bring us on a journey through the hidden histories, humanity and humour of our past.

history

All Episodes

51:55

A President Comes to Town - Reagan in Ireland

What Were We Like ·

2026/04/20

June 1984, and Ronald Reagan, the controversial, transformative Republican President of the United States visits Ireland. Opposition is widespread, and an unexpected alliance of lefties and priests man the barricades, with Reagan’s foreign policies the focus of their anger. Diarmaid and Catriona unearth all kinds of paddy-whackery, with the Americans asking the Irish Government if the Pope would say mass (lol), British journalists paying people in Ballyporeen to bring a donkey into a pub and feed it

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37:03

Fianna Fáil: "The Devil" Takes Power (Part 3)

What Were We Like ·

2026/04/13

General election campaigns in the early years of the State were utterly vicious, with fresh cow dung, sticks, and nasty insults being hurled about as Fianna Fáil attempted to wrest power from the pro-Treaty Cumann na nGaedheal. Despite the shouts of “traitor”, “murderer” and “Spanish bastard” on the campaign trail, Dev and the Soldiers of Destiny take power for the first time in 1932. The Brits are not happy – Winston Churchill famously refers to Dev as the “devil”. But he assumes control of

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33:05

Fianna Fáil: Take your seats, but no drinking in the...

What Were We Like ·

2026/04/06

Having won instant success in their first election, the Soldiers Of Destiny are faced with an intractable dilemma – how to take their Dáil seats while also swearing a mandatory oath to the hated King of England. Cunning old Dev solves this by getting a letter from a friendly bishop, which he claims allows his TDs to take the oath without actually meaning it. They enter Leinster House in farcical and dramatic fashion in 1927. But Sean “No Craic” Lemass puts a major downer on things by banning his

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40:45

Fianna Fáil: Hard Men and Blood Sacrifices (Part 1)

What Were We Like ·

2026/03/30

Since the crash, Fianna Fáil has become 'just another political party'. But for nearly a century it was THE leading force in Irish politics, synonymous with power, influence and flash suits; and dominated by outsized personalities like Pee Flynn, Charlie Haughey and Bertie Ahern. In this series, From the Civil War to the Crash, marking the centenary of FiannaFáil, Diarmaid and Catriona trace how The Soldiers Of Destiny built up one of the most successful election machines in the world, and how it

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35:30

Political insults - F*ck you Deputy Stagg, F*CK YOU!

What Were We Like ·

2026/03/23

Political insults part 2/2.The civil war is well in the past, but Irish politicians are still roaring at each other. From Paul Gogarty’s viral, foul-mouthed outburst during the economic crash, to Brian Lenihan Sr. being derided as the ‘13th stroke of Irish political clock’, and the ‘Bismarck of lobster pots’, Diarmaid and Catriona unearth more angry gems from the Dáil archive. What Were We Like is a podcast from RTÉ about modern Irish history co-hosted by Diarmaid Ferriter and Catriona Crowe. It

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31:58

Political insults - From Communist to corner boy

What Were We Like ·

2026/03/23

Political insults part 1/2. Diarmaid Ferriter and Catriona Crowe look at the angriest and most bizarre Irish political insults of the last 100 years. In part one of this catalogue of mudslinging, the civil war dominates. Dev is a ‘Spanish Bastard’, TDs are jealous of Michael Collins’ fame, and one politician is accused of shooting off his own toe to commit pension fraud. It’s no holds-barred madness from start to finish.What Were We Like is a podcast from RTÉ about modern Irish history co-hosted by

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42:19

Ep 5 - Vision, symbolism and the Presidencies of Mary...

What Were We Like ·

2025/10/23

In the final episode of What Were We Like, Diarmaid and Catriona talk about Ireland’s two female Presidents, Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese, and how their visions of the Presidency reflected the events of the day. They talk about Mary Robinson’s harrowing trip to Somalia in 1992, and the crowning diplomatic achievement of Mary McAleese’s Presidency, the visit of Queen Elizabeth II in 2011.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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49:39

Ep 4 - Campaigns, characters and controversies (Part 2)

What Were We Like ·

2025/10/21

In the fourth episode of What Were We Like?, Diarmaid and Catriona talk about Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh’s remarkable offer to swap places with kidnap victim Tiede Herrema while he was in the Áras; and how Garrett Fitzgerald and Noël Browne were being talked up as possible candidates in the 1990 Presidential election.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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38:28

Ep 3 - Campaigns, characters and controversies (Part 1)

What Were We Like ·

2025/10/20

In the third episode of What Were We Like?, Diarmaid and Catriona talk about how Douglas Hyde was removed as a patron by the GAA for attending a soccer match; why Muhammad Ali was not considered a suitable guest at Áras an Uachtaráin; and how Eamon De Valera almost failed to win a second term because he refused to campaign at all. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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38:03

Ep 2 - Brian Lenihan, Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh, and the...

What Were We Like ·

2025/10/14

In episode two of What Were We Like?’s special series on the history of the Presidency, Diarmaid and Catriona take a deep dive into the two most critical powers that the President has, and recall the resignation of Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh and Brian Lenihan’s infamous “mature recollection” moment.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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33:43

Ep 1 - What can the President actually do?

What Were We Like ·

2025/10/14

In the first episode of What Were We Like?’s special five-part series on the history of the Presidency, Diarmaid Ferriter and Catriona Crowe talk about how the office came into being in the first place, Eamon de Valera’s role in shaping its powers, and what the president actually can and cannot do.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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1:47

Preview with Diarmaid Ferriter and Catriona Crowe

What Were We Like ·

2025/10/10

Diarmaid Ferriter and Catriona Crowe bring us on a journey through the hidden histories, humanity and humour of our past. In this first mini series, they’ll explore the history of the presidency, and what it means, as Ireland gets ready to choose its next Uachtarán.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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12 results

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