Show Notes
The old gods of Ireland never really died — they went under the hills, and people learned not to say their name. We follow the Tuatha Dé into folklore, where they become the fairies, the Sídhe, the Good People — and take the first step towards the changeling and the 1895 killing of Bridget Cleary.
The episode cover image is a hawthorn tree, famously associated with fairies in Ireland. (Wikimedia Commons/Robin Somes)
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More from The History of Ireland
Here's the second part of our day in the life of Flann Mac Cathasaig. In this episode he leaves the ringfort and heads out into society. We explore what his life would have been like and how he interacted with those around them. Enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Who was the average person in early medieval Ireland? Nobody wrote about them, so we're going to build one. Meet Flann Mac Cathasaig. In this episode we explore his ringfort, his breakfast, his honour price, and the law tract that controlled his life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
A new season — and a new invasion. Or is it? Before the Vikings arrive, we step into Ireland around 800 AD: a country of roughly 150 kings, with no towns and no coins, held together by cattle, clientship, powerful monasteries and Brehon law. This is early medieval Ireland on the eve of the Viking Age.
I'm very excited to share this episode, it is an interview with the author Hannah Kent. Hannah wrote the amazing novel The Good People which is a fictional account of a very real story that took places in the early 19th century. A story very similar to that of Bridget Cleary. Hannah took a very rigorous approach to her work and so I wanted to chat to her about her research and what she learned.
In this episode, up a week early for History Nerds, we look at how Bridget Cleary's last night on earth, how was killed and the wider implications of her court case. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.