Explore how Northern Ireland was created a hundred years ago in the company of Tara Mills and Declan Harvey.Each week a different piece of the story is added.But this is not about 1921, it’s about how we got to 2021.
Latest episodes
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24 min ↗
Episode 48: The Phoenix
Belfast's streets erupt into bloodshed with 30 dead in the space of 5 days. Historian Éamon Phoenix tells Tara and Declan how his grandfather survived World War I only to come clos…
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24 min ↗
Episode 46: The Presence of the Past
Treaty talks are reaching a critical point in London. In Belfast, Tara and Declan delve into the past at the Linenhall Library, while in Cork listener Robert Bogue has been learnin…
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22 min ↗
Episode 25: The District Inspector
Amid death and violence across the island of Ireland at this time, one incident stands out. The McMahon family is targeted one night by a gang believed to have been made up of RIC…
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21 min ↗
Episode 12: The Beautiful Game
As Ireland divides, the game of soccer faces its own split. Declan and Tara learn about events which lead to the creation of a new football association in Dublin – and the impact t…
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31 min ↗
Episode 11: The Barracks Boys
Policing in 1921 is in disarray as the RIC is hit by mass resignations. Enter the Black and Tans, the Auxiliaries and the Ulster Special Constabulary to bolster up policing. Tara a…
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20 min ↗
Episode 3: The Backstop
The fear of Home Rule led to a split in unionism; Irish Unionists who insisted the whole of the island must stay in the United Kingdom and Ulster Unionists who supported a backstop…
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31 min ↗
Episode 18: The Long Fellow
To some people, de Valera was responsible for causing a civil war in Ireland. To others he was instrumental in freeing the country from British rule. A man with a passion for maths…
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21 min ↗
Episode 36: The King's Guard
Her story illustrates how events during 1921 are reflected in the recent Troubles. Meanwhile, 100 years ago, Belfast is struggling under an island-wide boycott of its goods. Crowds…
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35 min ↗
Episode 50: The End of the Beginning
The negotiations end and the deal is done. Declan and Tara learn about Ulster Month, during which the Northern government could opt in to a 32-county Ireland. And they ask whether…
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25 min ↗
Episode 49: The Oath of Allegiance
Divisions emerge within the Irish government as Collins and Griffith return to Dublin to regroup following an ultimatum from the British. The split that emerges at this key Cabinet…
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25 min ↗
Episode 47: The Courting Rituals
The first Lord Chief Justice for the State is Catholic unionist Sir Denis Henry, who faces an enormous task in establishing the framework for a new justice system. Meanwhile, two B…
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19 min ↗
Episode 45: The Food Fight
Meanwhile as pressure grows on the negotiating teams attempting to agree treaty terms, "summit syndrome" takes hold.
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20 min ↗
Episode 44: The Blacklist
Meanwhile, treaty talks continue in London, with the future of some of Ireland's coastal ports up for discussion.
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14 min ↗
Epsiode 43: The Talking Begins Part II
The negotiating teams begin treaty talks but the British side includes some of the sharpest operators around, who have a wealth of experience. But both sides have political conside…
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14 min ↗
Episode 42: The Talking Begins
Declan and Tara visit the National Archives of Ireland to learn more about the Irish delegation's preparations for negotiations - from breakfast menus to the hiring of Rolls Royce…
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16 min ↗
Episode 41: The Parting of the Ways
Issues thrown up by partition lead to the loss of more than 50% of the rail network across Ireland. Tara and Declan hear why the border led to an increase in road travel.
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19 min ↗
Episode 40: The National Treasures
What will happen to key artefacts which were discovered in the north, once the new state is created? Tara and Declan head to Dublin, to look at some of the treasures kept in the Na…
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20 min ↗
Episode 39: The Children of the Revolution
Children were too often victims of the violence which shook Ireland 100 years ago. Historian Liz Gillis compares coverage of their deaths to that of adults who were killed during t…
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20 min ↗
Episode 38: The Lamplighter
The bitter and bloody sectarian violence continues across Belfast. One man is witness to much of that in East Belfast, as he takes his life in his hands to keep his part of the cit…
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21 min ↗
Episode 37: Le Ministre
As term begins in 1921, thousands of children in Belfast still don't have a school place thanks to an education system in desperate need of reform. Enter Lord Londonderry, Northern…