This podcast features Denis O’Neill who is the last in the family line to manage the Winstanley Shoes business which closed in the 1980s. He gives a detailed insight into the business which was based in The Liberties, and illustrates a Dublin business life which has now gone forever. This is the first in a […]
This podcast provides a truly fascinating glimpse of the game of hurling in Kilkenny during the 20th century. You will hear the voices of some of the county’s great hurlers as they recall details of some memorable sporting occasions. Willie Lynch Walsh recounts stories from Civil War days, and Martin White recalls playing in the […]
The wonderful entertainment enjoyed in various venues around Cork city in earlier decades is recalled in this podcast which features the voices of many of the participants and performers. These people were hugely passionate about their craft and provided enormous entertainment, wit, humour and banter in the city, and the memories of those glorious nights […]
Each year on St. Stephen’s Day, December 26th, sees the tradition of people in towns and villages in Ireland dress up in costume which includes a straw head covering, and parade through the streets behind a local band. This is a tradition which has remained unbroken for centuries and is still very strong in […]
This podcast tells a fascinating story about the Irish artist Sean Keating RHA (1889-1977) and his iconic painting Men of the South. The work captures a time of turmoil in Ireland and features men from the North Cork Flying Column as they wait in ambush for a British military group. Keating created the painting at […]
The computer is the single most significant factor to contribute to the world of communications which we inhabit today, but when did this technology arrive in Ireland? In this podcast you will hear the voices of some of those who were instrumental in this endeavour, people such as engineer, Michael Haydon who occupied several top […]
In 2000, an oral history project was undertaken by Irish Life and Lore on the Battle of Jadotville. Some of the survivors of the battle were recorded for the project. Between 1960 and 1964 the Irish Army forces were involved in a peacekeeping mission with the UN in the Congo. On 13th September 1961, A […]
Grattan de Courcy Wheeler, who sadly passed away in August 2020, was brought up at the Drummin family estate near Carbery, Co. Kildare. I met Grattan initially in 2009 while researching for the Irish Country House Oral History Collection, and was immediately taken by his gentle manner and warm hospitality. Drummin House was wonderfully atmospheric […]
The Supernatural encompasses entities, events and places which would fall outside the scope of scientific understanding of the natural laws of nature. Included would be supernatural beings such as the banshee, the fairies, angels, spirits, gods, and the human ability to create magic, experience premonitions and utilise telepathetic messaging. All the people whose voices can […]
Halloween has been celebrated in Ireland for thousands of years, originating from the Pagan festival of Samhain which marked the beginning of the dark half of the year. It was believed that spirits and other unworldly beings could visit our mortal world at Halloween, and roam far and wide around the countryside. The recordings you […]
