On Ireland’s west coast, far from the noise and fury of US partisan politics, presidential contender Donald Trump has been bested by a fearsome foe: a tiny snail no larger than a pin prick.
Naomi and Tim dig into the curious links between the Republican candidate and this windswept corner of Ireland, most notably the village of Doonbeg, where the development of a Trump golf course transformed local fortunes.
We speak to journalist Kate Demolder about her experience reporting in the town and the local tensions she discovered between economic dependence on Trump, and deep reservations about his politics.
Finally, Naomi and Tim consider what’s at stake for Ireland in the coming US election and whether the relationship between Trump and Doonbeg is a microcosm of Ireland’s policy towards the US.
Naomi recalls her experience reporting on Trump in Scotland in 2016 and the red flags that were evident then in our bonus debrief episode over on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/112180566/
We’re on holiday! So please enjoy this classic episode of the podcast first recorded back in 2018. We’ll be back soon with all new episodes and Halfpint extra content.
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The most popular sports in Ireland are the Gaelic games: uniquely Irish sports with an ancient history and a dramatic political backstory that are finding increasing international success. Tim visits the Paris Gaels to hear why players who have never set foot in Ireland have taken to Gaelic football, while Naomi explores the importance of the intensely local amateur sports to communities in Ireland. We hear from sports historian Paul Rouse of University College Dublin on how the foundation of the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1884 was deeply linked to the nationalist politics of the time. From Bronze Age myths about hurling matches between ancient tribes, to a devastating massacre in Croke Park stadium in 1920, we hear why modern Ireland can’t be understood without the GAA. For bonus episodes, support us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/theirishpassport.
In the fourth episode of our Conquest miniseries, we take on of the most defining moments in the history of Ireland: the mass-plantation of Ulster. We’ll see how the arrival of thousands of colonial settlers in this erstwhile Gaelic stronghold transformed the geopolitical dynamics of Ireland, Scotland, and England alike. We’ll look at how the Ulster project and the settlement of Virginia took inspiration from one another; we’ll explain why the redistribution of land in Ireland became so important to the emerging concept of “Britain”, and we’ll find out why local Gaelic populations were never fully “replaced”.
The texts from the Ulster Plantation Papers can be found here.
Patreon supporters enjoy early access to this episode and also have access to an exclusive after-show debrief where we delve into our topic in more detail. If you would like to support the continued making of the podcast and gain access to over 100 exclusive “halfpint” episodes along the way, you can sign up to be a Patreon supporter at www.patreon.com/theirishpassport
Halfpints: What the EU election results tell us about Ireland
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We have made this halfpint bonus episode freely available to all our listeners. If you want to access more than 100 extra-content episodes just like this, you can sign up to support the continued making of the podcast at www.patreon.com/theirishpassport.
In this edition of halfpints, we answer questions about the recent EU and local elections in Ireland, and break down what the major consequences might be for the Irish and European political landscape.
In February 2024, Michelle O’Neill assumed the position of first minister of Northern Ireland, making her the first person of an Irish-identifying, Catholic background to hold this most high-profile post in the devolved government. And yet, the difficulty O’Neill faced when trying to take her seat at Stormont highlighted the fact that, for a minority in the territory, Catholic nationalist are not seen as having a legitimate role in Northern Ireland’s society. In this episode we look at the phenomenon of “uppity” Catholics – people who have been perceived to rise too far above their station, and who have thereby become targets for abuse and even violence. We speak to Pr Colin Harvey from the Human Rights Centre at Queens University Belfast about becoming a political target in the wake of Brexit, and we hear from Irish Times journalist and Author Martin Doyle about growing up in an aspirational Catholic family during the Troubles whose successes in local business fostered dark resentments in the local community …
Martin Doyle’s award-wining memoir, Dirty Linen, was published by the Irish Academic Press in 2023, and can be purchased here.
Irish Passport Patrons have access to an exclusive extended reading of Martin’s essay, “A ghost estate and an empty grave”. If you would like to support the podcast and access over 100 pieces of extra content, you can become a patreon supporter at www.patreon.com/theirishpassport.
This episode featured ‘The Moon Got Tangled in the Branches’ by Aleksey Chistilin
