About this episode
This episode discusses the diverging historical memory of Oliver Cromwell in Ireland and Britain, inspired by a proposal for a statue in Cork honoring a mosquito that bit him.
A proposal for the smallest statue in the world to be built in Cork, in honour of the local mosquito that reputedly bit Oliver Cromwell ultimately causing his death, recently went viral. The idea inspired this episode discussing the diverging historical memory of Cromwell in Ireland, where he is remembered as a genocidal murderer, and in Britain, where he retains many admirers. We speak to Green party Cork Councillor Oliver Moran about the inspiration behind his statue proposal, a 'monument to the role of biodiversity in the national struggle' as one wag put it. Naomi and Tim then explore the stark divergences in Irish and British depictions of Cromwell in art and literature going back to the 16th century.
People in this episode
Hosts: Naomi, Tim
Guest: Oliver Moran
Topics covered
- historical memory
- Cromwell
- biodiversity
- Irish history
- British history
- art
- literature
Keywords
- Cromwell
- mosquito
- Cork
- statue
- historical memory
- biodiversity
- Irish history
- British history
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Green party
Places: Cork
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