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Transatlantic: An Irish American History Podcast: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Fin Dwyer & Damian Shiels
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- Yesterday46 min
46. Outsiders: Irish American Radical Women
The individual experiences of ordinary Irish emigrant women in the late 19th and early 20th century can be difficult to reach, with many spending years working long hours in domestic service or on factory floors. But there is a group of these women who left a greater mark in the written record and--sometimes--even left behind their own words. They were the "radical" activists--Irish American women who took the decision to raise their heads above the parapet in an overwhelmingly patriarchal world to fight for the causes they believed in. In this episode, Fin and Damian are joned by Dr Tara McCarthy, the expert on Irish American women's activism during the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. Tara takes us through the background of these women, explains their origins, and highlights the incredible stories of a number of these remarkable individuals. Along the way she charts the importance of the Irish nationalist struggle for the growth in activism, discusses efforts to improve the lot of women in the workplace, and shares the strategems employed to progress the cause of female suffrage. All in all, this is a must-listen show if you want to discover more about the major contribution Irish American women made to activism in the United States during this critical period. Book: Tara M McCarthy, Respectability & Reform: Irish American Women’s Activism, 1880-1920 Syracuse University PressDictionary of Irish Biography: Fanny Isabel ParnellNew York Irish History Roundtable Profile of Marguerite MooreNew York Historical Society Profile of Elizabeth Gurley FlynnTransatlantic Podcast. Episode 8. Mother Jones: The Most Dangerous Woman in America?National Park Service Profile of Leonora O’Reilly Freedomsway.org Profile of Mary Kenney O’SullivanDictionary of Irish Biography: Hanna Sheehy SkeffingtonNational Park Service Profile of Maud MaloneNational Park Service Profile of Margaret FoleyGilder Lehrman Institute Profile of Mary Elizabeth Lease Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- 4 weeks ago59 min
45. An Ulster Scot on the American Frontier: The Extraordinary Life of George Galphin
George Galphin was a married man in his late 20s when he left Armagh for a new life on the American Frontier in 1737. Across the four decades that followed Galphin built an extraordinary personal empire on the frontiers of colonial South Carolina and Georgia. At the heart of his success were his connections with the indigenous Muscogee (Creek) people, amongst whom he lived. In this episode, Fin and Damian are joined by Dr Bryan C. Rindfleisch--an expert on Galphin's life--to discuss this fascinating Ulster Scot emigrant, the people that surrounded him, and the world he inhabited.Bryan outlines for us what life was like on the frontiers of Empire in the 18th century American south-east, and how Galphin found success as the key-go between in the lucrative deerskin trade with Native American peoples. He traces Galphin's Irish origins and how his transatlantic ties influenced him, not least through his efforts to support increased Ulster emigration to the Frontier. We also delve into some of the intimate relationships that were central to Galphin's life, particularly with women such as Metawney, the powerful Muscogee woman who made his career possible, and the enslaved women he held in bondage and with whom he fathered children. Book: Bryan C. Rindfleisch George Galphin's Intimate Empire: The Creek Indians, Family and Colonialism in Early AmericaDiscover Ulster Scots: The Scotch Irish of SavannahWebsite of The Muscogee NationNational Park Service History of The Muscogee NationSilver Bluff Audubon Center and SanctuaryInitial Archaeological Investigations at Silver Bluff Plantation Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Apr 12, 202655 min
44. The GAA in the USA
The Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the defining organisations in modern Irish history. Founded in 1884, it became the bedrock of community life across Ireland and played a significant role in the country’s political and cultural story. Its importance was starkly illustrated on Bloody Sunday in 1920, when Crown forces attacked spectators at a match in Dublin.In this episode, we turn to the history of the GAA in the United States. Bennett Burke, Public Relations Officer of the United States Gaelic Athletic Association, joins Fin and Damian. Their conversation traces the story of Gaelic games in America from their earliest beginnings to the present day. They discuss how the games took root, the challenges they faced, and the role the GAA played in the lives of Irish emigrants and their descendants across the US and North America.The USGAA governs Gaelic football, hurling, and camogie in the United States (except metro NYC), Mexico, and the Caribbean. Visit https://usgaa.org/usgaa-interactive-map/ to find a club near youUS GAA HomepageNew York GAA HomepageThe "Mayo Curse"Video Footage of the 1947 All Ireland Football Final in New YorkMichael O'Hehir speaks about "Just give us five minutes more" during the 1947 All Ireland radio commentaryPaddy Bawn Brosnan & the American Civil War: The Famed Gaelic Footballer's Links to Kerry's Greatest ConflictNew York Make History with Shootout Win Over Leitrim Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Apr 5, 202650 min
43. Death in the Rockies: Irish Silver Miners in Leadville, Colorado
Today a little over 2,500 people live in Leadville, Colorado. But in the late 19th century tens of thousands of people flocked here, trying to eke out a living during the great silver mining boom. A huge number of those people were Irish. Nicknamed "Cloud City" because of its incredible altitude--over 10,000 feet up in the Rockies--there were few more difficult places to live. The harsh climate, shanty accommodation and terrible working conditions sent many to an early grave, with the least fortunate consigned to an unmarked pauper's burial ground. In this episode, Fin and Damian are joined by Professor Jim Walsh of the University of Colorado, Denver, who has worked tirelessly to recover these pauper's names --and their lives. Jim describes for us what life was like for Irish men and women in Leadville during the 1880s and 1890s, sharing their stories and outlining their shocking life expectancies. He also traces the links that tie Leadville to Irish mining communities from Waterford, Tipperary and Allihies in West Cork, and Irish American ones in Pennsylvania's anthracite coal region and Butte, Montana. We also discuss the ongoing work of identifying the names of those interred in the pauper's cemetery, an effort that has led to the creation of the deeply moving Leadville Irish Miners' Memorial. Professor Jim Walsh University of Denver, ColoradoLeadville Irish Miners' MemorialThe Lost Irish Miners of Leadville: PBS DocumentaryBiographies of Leadville PeopleMolly Brown House Museum, DenverTransatlantic Episode 14. The Irish in Pennsylvania Coal CountryIrish Stew Podcast Season 3 Episode 3: Unearthing Diaspora History Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Mar 29, 202654 min
42. The Lowcountry Irish: The Story of Savannah & Charleston
The coastal area of South Carolina and Georgia, known as the "Lowcountry", may not be the first place that springs to mind when it comes to Irish America. But the historic cities of Savannah and Charleston have long, rich histories of Irish immigration that have forged connections which endure to this day. In the case of Savannah, that immigration was so large it saw the Irish population reach a percentage of the city's total white population that was comparable to New York. In this episode Professor David Gleeson makes a return to Transatlantic to discuss Charleston and Savannah's story and offer insights into a part of the U.S. he knows extremely well. We chat about their colonial origins and 18th century Ulster-Scots migrations, the expanding Irish Catholic communities of the 19th century, and the political and cultural legacies of the Irish in Savannah and Charleston in the 20th and 21st centuries. Along the way David introduces us to a fascinating cast of characters and uncovers some of the very specific regional ties the Lowcountry maintained with Ireland.Dr David Gleeson is a Professor of History in the School of of Humanities and Social Sciences at Northumbia University Newcastle. The leading historian of the Irish in the southern United States, among his many publications are The Irish in the South, 1815-1817 and The Green and the Gray: The Irish in the Confederate States of America.You can hear David's previous episode on Transatlantic, discussing the Irish in New Orleans in Episode 10, here.Savannah St Patrick's Day Parade Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Mar 16, 202650 min
41. Over Here: The Americans in Northern Ireland in World War II
The U.S. entry into World War II in 1941 led to the deployment of tens of thousands of American troops to Ireland, just as it had during World War I. But this time they were concentrated only in Northern Ireland, which had remained part of the United Kingdom. The American arrival led to an unparalleled explosion in Northern Ireland's population. In this episode we are joined by Dr James O'Neill to discuss the U.S. military's return to the island. We cover the who, when and why of their presence, and move beyond the military to explore their social impact--covering everything from chewing gum and buying rounds to interactions with local women and racial segregation.Dr James O'Neill is Collections Officer at the Northern Ireland War Memorial Museum in Belfast's Catheral Quarter, which is dedicated to exploring the story of the Second World War in Northern Ireland. Jim is also the leading historian of the Nine Years' War (1593-1603) in Ireland; you can find his books on that here and here. Northern Ireland War Memorial MuseumTransatlantic Episode 3: 1917- The American Invasion of IrelandWar and Navy Departments Washington D.C., 1942: A Pocket Guide to Northern Ireland Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Mar 9, 202651 min
40. The St. Patrick's Day Parade: The Real History
The St. Patrick's Day Parade is the centrepiece of celebrations of Ireland's patron saint the world over. But how did it start--and just who started it? In this episode Fin and Damian are joined by noted historian of the Irish aboard, Dr Cian McMahon, who is currently working on a new history of the Parade. In a far-reaching episode we discuss the Parade's origins, influences and legacy down to contemporary times. Among the nuggets Cian discusses are the misconceptions that ihe Parade's origins are as a Catholic Irish American event, and the idea that Dublin's Parade has been increasingly "Americanised."Cian T. McMahon is Professor of History at the Department of History and Honors College at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. He was the co-editor of The Routledge History of Irish America and is the author The Coffin Ship: Life and Death at Sea during the Great Irish Famine and The Global Dimensions of Irish Identity: Race, Nation and the Popular Press, 1840-1880.Listen to Cian discuss his Coffin Ship book with Fin on the Irish History Podcast hereRead about some early St. Patrick's Day horrors in Temple Bar, involving a giant St. Patrick, a pint, and a plastic bag: https://www.thejournal.ie/st-patrick-temple-bar-pub-6968056-Feb2026/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Mar 2, 202633 min
39. St Patrick: The Man, The Myth, The Legend
As the Irish communities prepare to celebrate St Patrick’s Day, Fin and Damian look at who he was and what we know about his life. From his early days in the late Roman Empire to his time in Ireland as a slave and his role in conversion Ireland to Christianity.Terry O’Hagan’s Vox Hiberionacum https://voxhib.comSt Patrick Dictionary of Irish Biography Entry https://www.dib.ie/biography/patrick-patricius-patraic-padraig-a7225Flechner, R. (2019) Saint Patrick Retold: The Legend of Ireland's Patron SaintPilgrimage in Medieval Ireland Website https://pilgrimagemedievalireland.com/Test of St.Patrick's Confessio https://www.confessio.ie/etexts/confessio_englishTest of St Patrick's Letter to Corotocus: https://www.confessio.ie/etexts/epistola_english Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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About Transatlantic: An Irish American History Podcast
3,000 miles of ocean separate Ireland from the USA, but both countries share a deep and intertwined history. Links between North America and Ireland predate Columbus, stretching back over 1,000 years. Since then, Irish people have shaped the history of the United States. From Ann 'Goody' Glover, who was hanged as a witch in Boston in the 17th century, to JFK, the story of the Irish in the US is fascinating. Join historians Damian Sheils and Fin Dwyer as they join forces to explore the good, the bad, and the ugly of Irish American history.In Season 1 Fin and Damian explore fascinating topics includingWho was the first Irish person to cross the Atlantic?The Story of Goody Glover who was hanged as a witch in Boston.What was it like to emigrate during the Great Famine of the 1840s?How Irish people shaped the US Civil War?And much more...Subscribe and join Fin and Damian on this fascinating journey throu
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