Irish History Podcast
Hosted by Irish History
A historian explores the darker, forgotten, and often scandalous corners of Irish social history in short, narrative-driven episodes.
This YouTube channel is a visual companion to the popular audio podcast, offering condensed, unvarnished explorations of Irish history. Rather than grand political narratives, host Fin Dwyer focuses on social history, scandals, and the grim realities of daily life for ordinary people. Episodes tackle topics like disturbing marriage traditions, historical true crime, and the anxieties of pre-modern life, using archival documents and a direct, narrative style.
“The channel stands out by focusing on specific, often grim, social history topics (like murder, famine, and coercion) rather than broad political or military history. The host's credentials as a published historian and archaeologist lend authority to his accessible, narrative-driven storytelling style.”
Who hosts this show
Fin Dwyer is an Irish historian, author, and the creator of the long-running Irish History Podcast. He earned a degree in Archaeology and Greek and Roman Civilisation from University College Dublin, followed by a master's in archaeology. After working as an archaeologist, he launched the podcast in 2010, which now has a global audience and millions of downloads. He focuses on telling history through the stories of people rather than dates, a style that has been described as a 'digital bard' by the Irish Times.
Credentials & credits
- Historian and Author
- MA in Archaeology, University College Dublin
- BA in Archaeology and Greek & Roman Civilisation, University College Dublin
- Author of 'A Lethal Legacy: A History of Ireland in 18 Murders'
- Author of 'Witches, Spies and Stockholm Syndrome: Life in Medieval Ireland'
- Author of '1348 – A Medieval Apocalypse: The Black Death in Ireland'
Other ventures
- Irish History Podcast (main audio podcast)
- Transatlantic: An Irish American History Podcast (co-host)
- Published author of multiple books on Irish history
- Contributor to projects for RTÉ (Ireland's national broadcaster)
What kind of podcast
- Country
- Ireland
- Region
- uk
When new episodes drop
- 01Why Did Your Ancestors Fear Summer in Ireland?Jun 25, 2026 · 10 min
- 02Disturbing Irish Marriage TraditionsJun 17, 2026 · 11 min
- 03Ireland’s Biggest Cover-Up? The Crown Jewels MysteryJun 11, 2026 · 15 min
- 04Ireland's Darkest Scandal: The Maamtrasna MurdersJun 4, 2026 · 26 min
- 05Would You Risk These Traditional Irish Cures?May 28, 2026 · 9 min
- 06How Ireland Became English-SpeakingMay 12, 2026 · 8 min
Notable episodes
- 01Ireland’s Biggest Cover-Up? The Crown Jewels Mystery
A compelling true crime mystery involving a major theft, a royal visit, and a potential cover-up of a gay scandal among aristocrats.
- 02Disturbing Irish Marriage Traditions
Explores the often transactional and coercive nature of historical marriages in Ireland, using the host's own family history as a starting point.
- 03Why Did Your Ancestors Fear Summer in Ireland?
This episode reveals a counter-intuitive aspect of Irish history, explaining how summer was a time of starvation and anxiety known as the 'hungry gap'.
- 04Ireland's Darkest Scandal: The Maamtrasna Murders
A deep dive into a notorious 19th-century murder case that became a major scandal due to language barriers and unreliable witnesses in the subsequent trials.
What you'll be asked on this show
The show is solo-hosted by historian Fin Dwyer, who presents a well-researched narrative directly to the camera. Each video is a short-form documentary, typically under 15 minutes, that delves into a single historical topic or mystery. Dwyer frequently promotes his main 'Irish History Podcast' and often signs off with the Irish word "Slán".
Questions Irish History keeps coming back to
- “Who stole the Irish Crown Jewels and what were the authorities covering up?”
- “Why did your ancestors fear summer in Ireland?”
- “What were the traditional Irish midsummer rituals?”
- “Why was summer the end of childhood for the poor?”
- “Could love exist where unions are formed through coercion or arrangement?”
- “How had someone taken the jewels from such a secure place?”
Signature segments
- · Host introduces himself as 'Fin Dwyer, an Irish historian'.
- · Promotes his main 'Irish History Podcast'.
- · Asks viewers to subscribe to the channel.
- · Signs off with the Irish word 'Slán'.
Topics covered repeatedly
Who gets booked here
The YouTube videos are solo-narrated by Fin Dwyer and do not feature interviews. Guests discussed are historical figures central to the episode's narrative. The main audio podcast, however, does feature interviews with other historians.
- Humphrey O'Sullivanon Why Did Your Ancestors Fear Summer in Ireland?
- Lady Jane Wildeon Why Did Your Ancestors Fear Summer in Ireland?
- Arthur Vicarson Ireland’s Biggest Cover-Up? The Crown Jewels Mystery
- Francis Shackletonon Ireland’s Biggest Cover-Up? The Crown Jewels Mystery
Where to find this show
Audience & reach
Direct ad reads are not present in the evidence, though a logo for 'Shine' was visible on a shelf in one episode, suggesting a possible subtle affiliation (estimated). The primary monetization method appears to be driving traffic to the main podcast, which has a Patreon and premium subscriptions.
Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.
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People also ask
- What is the host's real name and background?
- The host is Fin Dwyer, a professional Irish historian with a Master's degree in archaeology from University College Dublin and the author of several books on Irish history.
- Is this podcast still active?
- Yes, the YouTube channel and the main Irish History Podcast are both actively releasing new episodes.
- What is the difference between the YouTube channel and the audio podcast?
- The YouTube channel features shorter, condensed visual narratives on specific topics. The main audio podcast offers longer, more in-depth series and includes interviews with other historians.
- Where can I listen to the full podcast?
- The full 'Irish History Podcast' is available on major podcast platforms and through the official website, irishhistorypodcast.ie.
- Does the show have interview guests?
- The YouTube videos are solo-narrated by Fin Dwyer. The main audio podcast features interviews with various historians and experts.
Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.
Sources & how this page was built
This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · high confidence
- [01]About — Irish History Podcastirishhistorypodcast.ie
- [02]Fin Dwyer - HarperCollins Publishersharpercollins.com
- [03]A Lethal Legacy: A History of Ireland in 18 Murdersharpercollins.com
- [04]Irish History Podcast (Official Site)irishhistorypodcast.ie
- [05]Fin Dwyer: Irish Podcaster with Worldwide Fan Basethewildegeese.irish
- [06]Transatlantic: An Irish American History Podcastirishhistorypodcast.ie
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