Transatlantic: An Irish American History Podcast

It is little known that the term United States of America may have been coined by the Irishman, Stephen Moylan. Although a little klnown figure in Ireland, he played a key role in the American revolution. His life story is remarkable. Born into a Catholic family in Cork his experiences in Ireland would form his transformational impact he on US history.In this episode, Fin & Damian speak with historian Victoria Pearson a PhD researcher in Ulster University. The Moylan family is her particular area of expertise and she explains Stephen Moylan’s remarkable journey, his formative early life in Cork and his place in the revolutionary generation of 1776.Dr Pearson’s article, Am I My Brother’s Keeper: The Moylan Family and the American Revolution, will feature in a special edition of History Ireland, out in July/August to mark America 250.Victoria also appears in the upcoming TG4 documentary, The Lost Irish Heroes of the American Revolution, presented by Cormac Ó hEadhra. It will be broadcast in Ireland on 4 July and will also have an international release.You can also listen back to this previous transatlantic episode, where Damian and Fin discuss Irish involvement in the American Revolution more broadly: https://shows.acast.com/transatlantic/episodes/who-did-the-irish-support-in-the- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How did Catholicism develop on America's West Coast during the 19th and 20th centuries, and how did it differ from the experience in the major Eastern cities? What role did Irish Americans Catholics, both women and men, play in the pioneering years of the Golden State's gold rush and the development of California's state capital over the century that followed? These are just some of the questions we explore in our latest episode of Transatlantic: An Irish American History Podcast, taking as our lens the Irish men and women who helped to build, develop and sustain the city of Sacramento. We are joined to discuss this by leading historian of Catholicism in America Father Steven Avella, formerly Professor of History at Marquette University in Wisconsin. Father Avella has written a number of volumes on the history of Sacramento and Catholicism in the city, including Sacramento: Indomitable City, Sacramento and the Catholic Church: Shaping a Catholic CIty and Indomitable Sacramentans: A Social History of Catholics in the State Capital. Father Steven M. Avella Books Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1771 Benjamin Franklin spent more than six weeks traveling through Ireland at a moment when tensions between Britain and her colonies were rising. In this episode Damian and Fin trace his route from Dublin through the Irish countryside and explore the people he met and the conditions he witnessed. Despite being laid low with food poisoning on his first day he quickly became absorbed in what he saw. The poverty of rural Ireland the restrictions placed on Irish trade and the political frustrations of the Protestant elite all left a deep impression on him. These experiences helped shape the ideas he carried back to America and influenced his thinking in the years before the Revolution.Further Reading Carla Mulford, Benjamin Franklin and the Ends of EmpireJames B. Nolan, Benjamin Franklin: In Scotland and Ireland 1759 and 1771 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What can a micro-history of emigration, the story of a single townland, or even a single family, reveal about the wider Irish emigrant experience? In this episode, we trace the remarkable journey of the Clune family of Tyredagh Upper, Co. Clare, whose multigenerational migration to Norwalk, Connecticut offers insight into how local origins shaped settlement patterns in America.We’re joined by Dr. Jane Halloran, historian, genealogist, and founder of Dalcassian Origins, to discuss her research on this chain migration and the powerful community networks that carried families like the Clunes across the Atlantic. Through their story, we uncover how one family’s path could influence patterns of migration from Ireland, and shed light on the wider 19th and early 20th century Irish emigrant experience.Further Reading Dr Jane Halloran Dalcassian Origins: http://www.dalcassianorigins.com/Tyderagh Upper: https://www.townlands.ie/clare/tulla-upper/tulla/newgrove/tyredagh-upper/Norwalk Connecticut: https://www.townlands.ie/clare/tulla-upper/tulla/newgrove/tyredagh-upper/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wisconsin isn't the first state that springs to mind when it comes to the Irish American Diaspora. But though often more associated with Germans (and German beer!), Wisconsin had a notable Irish presence. Today, Milwaukee is even home to Irish Fest, the largest Irish festival in the United States. In this episode, we’re joined by Professor Tim McMahon of Marquette University to uncover the fascinating history of the Irish communities who made Wisconsin their home.We chart their stroy from the early arrivals of the nineteenth century to their lasting influence in the twentieth, tracing how Irish immigrants shaped places like Milwaukee — building neighborhoods, parishes, and a distinct Irish-American identity in the heart of the Midwest.We explore dramatic moments like the tragic Lady Elgin disaster- a maritime catastrophe for both Wisconsin and the Milwaukee Irish- and the later political and cultural connections maintained with Ireland. Tim also discusses Éamon de Valera’s visit, and the story behind that iconic photograph of De Valera in a Native American headdress.Dr Tim McMahon: https://www.marquette.edu/history/directory/timothy-mcmahon.phpMilwaukee Irish Fest: https://irishfest.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the early 1880s, crates of California dynamite found their way to London — not for trade, but for terror. Irish revolutionaries in the United States were plotting bombings in the heart of the British Empire, and San Francisco, with its deep Irish roots, became a key outpost in the transatlantic campaign.In this episode, we speak with renowned author and historian Dr Myles Dungan about his new historical novel The Red Branch, set in 1883 San Francisco and inspired by these real-life dynamiters, secret societies, and British spies. We explore the real history and real characters behind the fiction--along the way charting the story and experience of Irish immigrants in the City by the Bay.Sound by Kate Dunlea.ShownotesMyles Dungan. The Red Branch (Etruscan Press, 2025)The History Show RTÉ Radio OneMyles Dungan WebsiteMyles Dungan Publications  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When most people think of American heiresses marrying into the British or Irish aristocracy, they might picture Cora Crawley from Downton Abbey—the wealthy American who brought her fortune (and a bit of drama) to an English estate. But Cora’s story wasn’t entirely fiction. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, scores of American women crossed the Atlantic, bringing their wealth to some of Ireland’s most iconic estates.In this episode, Fin and Damian explore the real-life stories behind these transatlantic marriages, as the elite of the Gilded Age wed into Victorian Ireland in its twilight years. We focus on three remarkable families who made their homes in mansions along the Wild Atlantic Way: Glenveagh Castle in Donegal, Kylemore House in Galway and Muckross House in Kerry.Sound by Kate Dunlea. ShownotesFurther ReadingIta M. Murphy. Ladies of the Country House: Irish Aristocratic Women, 1870-1918.Muckross House & GardensKylemore AbbeyGlenveagh Castle Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of the most famous Irish American organisations is the Fenians. In this episode, Damian and Fin are joined by Brennan MacDonald to explore the history of this enigmatic group. Brennan reveals how the Fenians harnessed the military experience gained in the US Civil War to challenge British rule in Ireland, and how their transatlantic networks shaped the struggle for Irish independence.Further reading and sourceJohn O'Mahony: Dictionary of Irish BiographyJames Stephens: Dictionary of Irish BiographyThomas Sweeny: Dictionary of Irish BiographyJohn O'Neill: Dictionary of Irish BiographyJeremiah O'Donovan Rossa: Dictionary of Irish BiographyPatrick Egan: Dictionary of Irish Biography1867 Fenian ProclamationBook Chapter: Caleb Richardson: "'The Failure of the Men to Come Up": The Reinvention of Irish AMerican Nationalism" in David Prior (ed.) Reconstruction in a Globalizing WorldBook: Brian Jenkins: Fenians and Anglo-American Relations During ReconstructionBook: Jack Morgan: Through American and Irish Wars: The Life and Times of General Thomas SweenyArticle: Michae Kane:  “American Soldiers in Ireland, 1865–1867.” The Irish Sword 23 (Summer. 2002)Book: Jermiah O'Donovan Rossa: Rossa's Recollections on archive.orgBook: David Brundage: Irish Nationalists in America: The Politics of Exile, 1798-1998Book: Susannah Ural: The Harp and the Eagle: Irish American Volunteers and the Union Army, 1861-1865Book: Lucy Salyer: Under the Starry Flag: How a Band of Irish Americans Joined the Fenian Revolt and Sparked a Crisis in American CitizenshipBook: Francis Carroll: America and the Making of an Independent Ireland Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.