Monday, November 15, 2010

Power struggle over Ireland - Irish History Podcast

In the tenth century Gaelic clans and Vikings struggled for dominance over Ireland and this history is in a very captivating manner told by Fin Dwyer at the Irish History Podcast (feed).

Changing Times in Ireland 902-930 is the fifth episode in this podcast that chronologically takes us through the history of Ireland. Dwyer kicks off in this episode on 902, when the Vikings for a short time had lost power in Ireland and the two major Irish power brokers the O'Neills and the Eoganacht battle it out for dominion over the whole island. As Dwyer frequently emphasizes during this chapter this internal war was to have many unexpected outcomes and would eventually see a deep change in the power balance.

Dwyer produces short episodes (around 30 minutes) with clear breaks within them to make sure the listener does not get distracted, making for a very accessible history. People who would want to learn more about Irish history should not just follow the audio of Irish History Podcast, but read the blog posts as well.

A thing that surprises me until this point in the chronology is how little connection there is between Ireland and the history outside, apart from that of the Vikings. I expected influences from England and Scotland especially, though in these ages, they were also under the Vikings. And while we talk Vikings, I would also recommend the latest issue of BBC's In Our Time, about Vikings, even if it were too short to my taste.

More Irish History:
Conspiracy Trials in Ireland,
Hidden Heritage,
Irish History in Podcasts,
Irish History Podcast.

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