Before the world knew Oscar Wilde, Ireland knew Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde: the son of a famous nationalist poet mother and a pioneering surgeon who grew up at the heart of Ireland's cultural renaissance of the 19th century, between Dublin and famine-ravaged County Mayo. We discuss how Ireland shaped the budding writer and how Irish politics and the context of the time are key to understanding who he was. This is the first episode in a series dedicated to Wilde, a fascinating and pivotal figure for Ireland and the wider world, made available early for Patreon supporters. A bonus episode is available over on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theirishpassport/posts/halfpint-irish-163604289

Last week footage of a shocking stabbing in Belfast went viral. After it emerged that the perpetrator was an asylum seeker originally from Sudan, protests were called that soon devolved into a racist pogrom. Gangs of young men created checkpoints, burnt out cars, and set fire to the homes of people suspected to be migrants. An old friend of the podcast, Matthew O'Toole, got a frontline view to the impact. The constitutency office he now runs as an elected official for the SDLP was converted into a temporary shelter for families fleeing their burning homes. He drove a family in the back of his car to safety in a convoy through Belfast as the violence still raged. Thanks to longtime listener James and to supporter Kathy for suggesting the topic. This is a bonus episode made specially to thank Patreon supporters - due to the urgency of the topic, we've decided to make this one public.

A proposal for the smallest statue in the world to be built in Cork, in honour of the local mosquito that reputedly bit Oliver Cromwell ultimately causing his death, recently went viral. The idea inspired this episode discussing the diverging historical memory of Cromwell in Ireland, where he is remembered as a genocidal murderer, and in Britain, where he retains many admirers. We speak to Green party Cork Councillor Oliver Moran about the inspiration behind his statue proposal, a 'monument to the role of biodiversity in the national struggle' as one wag put it. Naomi and Tim then explore the stark divergences in Irish and British depictions of Cromwell in art and literature going back to the 16th century.

Granuaile or Grace O'Malley: a woman chieftain in 16th century Ireland who ruled the seas with a fleet of ships and was both respected and deeply feared. Daughter of the seafaring Ó Máille Gaelic clan, Gráinne carved out a position of power for herself at a time when there was little recent precedent for doing so. She found herself contending with the encroachment of English invaders, and ended up sailing to London to plead her case directly to Queen Elizabeth I - and she won. Naomi and Tim delve into the remarkable life of Granuaile - the myths, the legends, but also first-hand historical accounts she and her contemporaries left behind - to chart a career that encapsulates the final days of Gaelic Ireland. A Halfpint bonus debrief is available on PAtreon discussing how while written history forgot Granuaile, she was kept alive by oral and cultural traditions that made her an enduring symbol of Irish defiance. https://www.patreon.com/posts/halfpint-debrief-158088547 Recommended reading: Grace O'Malley : The Biography of Ireland's Pirate Queen 1530-1603 by Anne Chambers, to whom we are much indebted for research that allowed for the making of this episode.

For the past week Ireland has been blockaded by protests that have been described as among the largest seen since independence. It's one ripple effect from the US-Israeli attack on Iran, which sent the price of fuel used by farmers, truckers and fishermen soaring. In response protesters blocked motorways, ports, Ireland's only oil refinery, and much of the capital Dublin, demanding the government intervene to lower prices. In this episode, Naomi and Tim dig into the politics behind the protests and the international context. You can find some of previous reporting on the Healy Raes here https://soundcloud.com/theirishpassport/chaos-a-new-government-and-the

Lá Fhéile Pádraig sona daoibh! On this most turbulent of St Patrick’s Day, we cover some of the major events that are dominating news headlines: Gerry Adams in court in London, Mícheál Martin on the Taoiseach’s annual pilgrimage to the White House, and the how Ireland and Europe are reacting to the fallout of the US war with Iran. We’ll be releasing a halfpint with further discussion exclusively for Patreon supporters later in the week. To gain access to more than 100 bonus content episodes, you can sign up today on www.Patreon.com/theirishpassport.

This month marks the official start of spring in Ireland and to mark it Naomi and Tim discuss the figure of Bridget, Brigid or Bríd. A goddess in Gaelic times who became Christianised into Saint Bridget, the stories about this figure reveal fascinating details about the society that produced them. A bonus Halfpint debrief episode is available here for Patreon supporters: https://www.patreon.com/posts/halfpint-debrief-151451289 Here are links to some podcasts we mentioned in the episode that have delived into Bridget and her legacy in Ireland: The Irish History Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7frXuuvcxGMDnDdim5Wv20?si=77qeFMbERYSyD5yP-crldw Talking History: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7LY4tBxJRYSfM6VIwJ3eyn?si=MBNVncl0SuqBjCppl0miww

A strategically-located island in the Atlantic circled by Russian ships and with few of its own defences... Greenland has caught the avaricious eye of the president of the United States and the result is destroying the assumptions that defined the post-WW2 era. As world leaders meet in Davos amid a crumbling world order, Naomi and Tim consider the tumultuous events of recent weeks and what it means for Ireland. Plus: Mercusor. Is the trade deal with Latin American countries a much-needed overture to strengthen alternative alliances, or is the ecological price too high? A bonus Halfpint debrief episode will be available on Patreon in which we discuss the surprising facts and figures behind gun ownership in Ireland.

In this listener questions episode, Naomi and Tim take questions from listeners on everything from Gaelic Ulster, to nomadic patterns of land use, and the quirks of Ireland's postal system. We discuss the long effect of an old law that forced women to quit their jobs once they married. Tim tells the story of the supermarket workers who refused to handle goods from apartheid South Africa, and how they are still remembered today. Listener questions episodes are made to answer the queries and suggestions of Patreon supporters who back us at the €5 level or above. We have released this one as a taster of what you're missing! Patreon has introduced gift memberships for the first time this year. So if you know someone who would love access to 100+ bonus episodes of the Irish Passport, you know what to do! A guide to how to buy a gift membership is here: https://support.patreon.com/hc/en-us/articles/31344987943949-How-to-gift-memberships-to-other-fans Thanks so much to all of you and a big shout out to those listeners who sent in their questions. We'll do another listener questions episode soon!

Naomi and Tim dig into the history of Ireland's Economic War, a challenging period for the early Irish state which ended up transforming the country as it shaped its new independence. We hear from someone who lived through that difficult period of the 1930s, when Britain slapped high tariffs on Ireland and the Irish state retaliated in turn. "The English were starving the Irish people that time," were his stark words. Naomi unpicks how her own family story intersects with Ireland's revolutionary history of land ownership, through the tale of the O'Leary family on the Kerry townland of Readrinagh. Naomi and Tim discuss more of the research behind this episode and reveal more secrets from the archives in a bonus debrief now available for supporters over on Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/posts/halfpint-debrief-144460322