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PODCAST

The Medieval Irish History Podcast

The Medieval Irish History Podcast

Hosted by Dr Niamh Wycherley, this podcast shows that medieval Irish history is complex and dynamic — not at all stuffy or static. Via lively and engaging chats with leading experts, it explores aspects of a largely ignored, but commonly evoked, period, and shares new and exciting research on medieval Ireland. medievalirishhistory@gmail.com Supported by the Dept of Early Irish, Maynooth University & Taighde Éireann. Views expressed are speakers" own. Production: Tiago de Oliveira Veloso

history

All Episodes

00:58:56

The Viking Paradigm with Prof. Alex Woolf

The Medieval Irish History Podcast ·

2025/11/28

This week we welcome back Prof. Alex Woolf (University of St. Andrews) to the podcast to question whether ‘the Vikings’ is a useful concept that helps us understand history. We explore why certain people left Scandinavia in the late 8th century and what they were called in the various places they raided and eventually settled. Alex warns us against the telescoping of medieval history and argues for more nuance and specificity when dealing with the Scandinavian diaspora in so-called 'Viking Age

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00:56:12

Irish national identity in the early Middle Ages?...

The Medieval Irish History Podcast ·

2025/11/14

Who were the Scotti? The Féni? The Gaels? We were delighted to get Dr Patrick Wadden, from DCU and Belmont Abbey College, NC, USA on the podcast this week to explore the evidence for the existence of the Irish nation as a concept in the early medieval period. Dr Wadden guides us through a variety of texts, in both Latin and the vernacular, which depict the people of Ireland as a community of birth, language, law, religion and, sometimes, politics, from Columbanus, Adomnán and Auraicept na n-Éces the

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00:47:51

Spooky Samhain with Dr Hannah Mac Auliffe

The Medieval Irish History Podcast ·

2025/10/30

"Great was the darkness of that night and its horror, and demons would appear on that night always."Oíche shamhna shona daoibh go léir! Happy Hallowe'en! To accompany you on any trick or treating or early morning/late night wakenings this weekend we bring you our spooky Samhain special! Dr Hannah Mac Auliffe, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Maynooth University, explains how the festival of Samhain appears in medieval Irish literature as a time for feasting and merriment, with the High

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00:54:49

Medieval Medicine with Prof. Deborah Hayden

The Medieval Irish History Podcast ·

2025/10/17

This week Prof. Deborah Hayden, our Head here in the Dept. of Early Irish, Maynooth University, explains what it was like both to go the, or become a, doctor in medieval Ireland! Taking us through a chronological development from the early medico-legal texts through the surge in scientific writing in the later Middle Ages she explains everything from how to cure a broken heart and how much to pay for surgery to where medical knowledge came from and how much more we have to learn from the

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00:52:30

Poets and Poetry with Dr Elizabeth Boyle

The Medieval Irish History Podcast ·

2025/10/03

Welcome back for season three! Hope you missed us as much as we missed recording our chats on all things medieval Ireland! Today we have Dr Elizabeth Boyle back for the first episode of the new season (as is becoming tradition) to learn about poets and poetry. We discuss everything from Poet-President Michael D. Higgins, the power of satire, constrained poetical forms, and the high status of poets to the popularity of the blackbird in Irish poetry (!), Seámus Heaney, whether medieval Irish poetry

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00:56:23

Sin and Penance with Dr Elaine Pereira Farrell

The Medieval Irish History Podcast ·

2025/06/27

Welcome to the last episode of season two! Thank you everyone for their continued support. Today we chat to one of the foremost experts on the Penitentials, Dr Elaine Pereira Farrell, who explains how these prescriptive documents list various sins and the corresponding recommended penances (e.g. fasting, prayers, fines). We learn how the Penitential texts are valuable sources to the historian as they were used by priests engaged in pastoral work and as such can be reflective of societal behaviours,

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00:54:57

National Museum of Ireland Part 2 with Maeve Sikora...

The Medieval Irish History Podcast ·

2025/06/13

We are back this week in the National Museum of Ireland, Archaeology, on Kildare Street, in Dublin City centre, which is open 7 days a week and free to the public. We are joined by Maeve Sikora, Keeper of Irish Antiquities, and Assistant Keeper Matt Seaver. In addition to chatting more about the Words on the Wave exhibition, Maeve and Matt tell us about their jobs preserving Irish material heritage and culture and many of the cool artefacts the public can view in the museum including the Ardagh

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00:58:11

Ireland and St Gallen in Early Medieval Europe with...

The Medieval Irish History Podcast ·

2025/05/30

This week Matt Seaver, Assistant Keeper of Irish Antiquities and Dr Diarmuid Ó Riain, curatorial researcher, welcomed us in to the National Museum of Ireland, Kildare St. to see the unique new exhibition: Words on the Wave. This is an incredible display of precious manuscripts from the Abbey of St Gall, Switzerland — some returning to Ireland for the first time in 1000 years — alongside spectacular objects from the Irish world from which they emerged. Running May 30th to Oct 24th. For more details

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00:49:09

The Royal Irish Academy Library with Barbara McCormack

The Medieval Irish History Podcast ·

2025/05/16

In this episode, we chat about the incredible academic and public resource that is the Library in the Royal Irish Academy. Academy Librarian Barbara McCormack tells us all about the collection of medieval manuscripts including some of Ireland's oldest manuscripts the Cathach of Columba and the Stowe Missal. Please visit the library yourself or check out the collections: https://www.ria.ie/library/visiting-the-library/ and https://www.isos.dias.ie/collection/ria.htmlBarbara is responsible for the

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00:54:21

Castles in Medieval Ireland with Dr Victoria McAlister

The Medieval Irish History Podcast ·

2025/05/02

Dr Victoria McAlister from Towson University, Maryland, on everything you ever wanted to know about castles! Featuring all the big hits, Maynooth Castle, Bunratty, Blarney, Trim, the Rock of Dunamase, Clonard castle, Ferrycarrig, Carrickfergus, Irish castles, Anglo-Norman castles, Tower houses, colonialism, we cover it all. Dr McAlister busts some myths and explains how new advances in technology can assist the archaeologist and historian in their understanding of settlement around castles and the

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00:52:25

Dicuil and Irish scholars at the Carolingian Court...

The Medieval Irish History Podcast ·

2025/04/11

This week we are delighted to talk to the always enlightening Dr Christian Schweizer about his Research Ireland funded research on Dicuil, an Irish scholar who was prominent in the Carolingian Court in Aachen in the early 9th century. Dicuil wrote many fascinating texts covering a variety of disciplines including geography, astronomy and computistics, some of which, Dr Schweizer explains were annual "gifts" owed to King/Emperor Louis the Pious in return for his patronage. We also hear

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00:52:39

Slavery in Medieval Ireland with Dr Janel Fontaine

The Medieval Irish History Podcast ·

2025/03/28

Apologies for the poor sound quality in this episode! This week Dr Janel Fontaine (Treasure Trove Officer, National Museums Scotland) talks us through some of the evidence for slavery in medieval Ireland. From the accounts of St Patrick in the 5th century to Gerald of Wales in the 12th century she explains how slavery was built into the social and economic fabric of Irish society. Suggested reading:- Janel Fontaine, Slave Trading in Early Medieval Europe (Manchester, 2025)- Fergus Kelly, Guide to

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00:56:50

The 'Story' of St Patrick with Dr Elizabeth Dawson

The Medieval Irish History Podcast ·

2025/03/14

It's time for our annual discussion of the man responsible for our national holiday in Ireland, Fáilte Ireland's global greening campaign and J. D. Vance wearing shamrock socks in the White House! Dr Elizabeth Dawson (Carlow College) is the perfect expert guide through over 14 centuries of stories celebrating St Patrick. She explains how Patrick became our patron saint, how traditions around Patrick evolved, why the 3 day weekend actually goes the whole way back to the 8th century, and from where

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00:42:43

Women's Power and Patronage with Tiago Veloso Silva

The Medieval Irish History Podcast ·

2025/02/28

Due to popular demand our podcast producer Tiago de Oliveira Veloso Silva has finally come on to the other side of the mic as one of our expert guests! We chat ‘soft power’, definitions of patronage, Agnes Ní Máelsechlainn ‘An Caillech Mór’ (d.1196), St Mary’s Arrouaisian monastery, Clonard, & reflections on the study of medieval Irish history. Tiago is over half way through his PhD research in the Department of Early Irish, Maynooth University, under the supervision of Dr Wycherley, working on

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00:58:48

Isabel de Clare (d.1220) with Dr John Marshall

The Medieval Irish History Podcast ·

2025/02/14

"I have no claim to anything here save through her". These are the reputed words of one of the most famous knights in English history, William Marshal, describing his wife Isabel, daughter of Aoife and Strongbow. In honour of St Valentine's Day Dr John Marshall (Lancaster University) gives us the full story of Isabel de Clare — a fascinating noblewoman, whose life, inheritance and influence crossed multiple (shifting) territorial boundaries. Dr Marshall offers complex and sometimes

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00:24:09

Bonus episode: Interpreting the 'Anglo-Norman'...

The Medieval Irish History Podcast ·

2025/02/08

As a follow up to our episode on the English Conquest with Dr Colin Veach (University of Hull) we examine the bias inherent in the contemporary sources, including the famous Laudabiliter papal bull, the works of Gerald of Wales (Giraldus Cambrensis/Gerald de Barri) , and the 'Song of Dermot and the Earl'. We also discuss how historians can best approach this complicated period of Irish history.Regular episodes every two weeks (on a Friday).Email: medievalirishhistory@gmail.comX (formerly Twitter):

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00:54:22

1169: The English Conquest of Ireland with Dr Colin...

The Medieval Irish History Podcast ·

2025/01/31

Happy St Brigit's weekend! (For links to Brigit content see below). Instead of Brigit we were eager to release an episode we recorded just before Christmas with the brilliant Dr Colin Veach, from the University of Hull, on the English colonisation of Ireland, which may be known to some of you as the Anglo-Norman Invasion. Today’s episode mostly focusses on the English perspective of the conquest. Whether it was inevitable, how we should frame the events, English or Anglo-Norman etc. We talk Diarmaid

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00:34:32

Fashion and clothing with Mairéad Finnegan

The Medieval Irish History Podcast ·

2025/01/17

In this episode, Niamh Wycherley interviews Mairéad Finnegan, a PhD researcher in Maynooth University, about dress, clothing and fashion in late medieval Ireland (12th to 16th centuries). Mairéad brilliantly paints a vivid picture of how a medieval Irish person would express their ethnic identity, status, gender or community through their clothes and provides a glimpse into the private lives of medieval Irish men and women. Mairéad talks sumptuary laws, tomb effigies and dodgy hairstyles and

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00:52:32

St Columbanus and the Merovingians with Dr Alexander...

The Medieval Irish History Podcast ·

2025/01/03

Happy New Year! To soothe fragile minds after the Christmas break we are easing you in to 2025 with St Columbanus part 2 — a further, more relaxed, reflection, on the career and legacy of Irish monastic founder Columbanus with Dr Alexander O'Hara. Do listen to our previous episode from November 22nd first if you get the chance. In this episode, we hear lots of Columbanus' own words, from his own writings. Dr O'Hara discusses how Columbanus became a dynastic holy man to the Merovingians, high

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00:58:45

Law and Society with Prof. Liam Breatnach

The Medieval Irish History Podcast ·

2024/12/20

Happy Christmas everyone! In today's episode, Professor Liam Breatnach (Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), one of Ireland's leading experts on the Old/Middle Irish language, medieval Irish law (so-called Brehon Law), poets and the Irish language, explains what the law tracts can tell us about medieval Irish society, the intellectual networks and frameworks that influenced and were influenced by the large corpus of legal material, and how the highly stratified Irish society understood itself in

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49 results

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