Three Castles Burning

Three Castles Burning is a social history podcast, dedicated to the story of the Irish capital. Dublin is a city of many stories, Three Castles Burning tells some of the more forgotten ones.

Irish Food History: From B.C. Times to the Grogan’s Toastie 10/12/2024

Irish Food History: From B.C. Times to the Grogan’s Toastie Irish Food History: A Companion is an extraordinary thing - a moment in Irish publishing history. Coming in around 800 pages, it covers everything from archaeology and food to the pub grub of today. Full of archival images, poetry, recipes and more besides, the book captures the best of what is happening in Irish food research. On this episode, editors Dorothy Cashman and Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire join me to go through this collection. The book is available from: https://booksupstairs.ie/product/irish-food-history-a-companion/ /episode/index/show/threecastlesburning/id/33430117

Paula Meehan: History and Poetry 10/06/2024

Paula Meehan: History and Poetry Paula Meehan is a poet for whom history is a constant source of inspiration. In this discussion at the Dublin Festival of History, she reads a number of poems written throughout the Decade of Centenaries, as well as other work shaped by the past. Paula’s collection, The Solace of Artemis, is available from: https://booksupstairs.ie/product/the-solace-of-artemis/ /episode/index/show/threecastlesburning/id/33344517

Lee Miller: From Hitler’s Bathtub to The Palace Bar 09/26/2024

Lee Miller: From Hitler’s Bathtub to The Palace Bar Lee Miller is best recalled now for her defining images of the Second World War. With Kate Winslet playing the role of Miller in a new film, it seems a good time to explore Miller’s visit to Dublin in the winter of 1946. Sent by Vogue to photograph James Joyce’s Dublin, her images capture scenes like Barney Kiernan’s public house and Belvedere College. /episode/index/show/threecastlesburning/id/33220047

Catriona Crowe in Conversation (Live at the Seán Corcoran Series) 09/14/2024

Catriona Crowe in Conversation (Live at the Seán Corcoran Series) Catriona Crowe is former Head of Special Projects at the National Archives of Ireland. She is Ireland’s most recognisable archivist, and someone to whom all historians of modern Ireland are indebted. At the recent Seán Corcoran Series () we discussed archives, oral history and much more. /episode/index/show/threecastlesburning/id/33051477

The Moore Street Woman who Fought the Nazis (with Clodagh Finn and John Morgan) 09/05/2024

The Moore Street Woman who Fought the Nazis (with Clodagh Finn and John Morgan) Clodagh Finn and John Morgan have produced an important history of the involvement of Irishmen and women in the anti-fascist movements of the Second World War. One of the most extraordinary stories they have uncovered is Catherine Crean, a woman in her sixties originally from Dublin’s Moore Street. She would give everything in defence of democracy and in opposition to Hitlerism. The Irish in the Resistance is out now (Gill Books.) /episode/index/show/threecastlesburning/id/32911307

Destination Anywhere: Getting Around the Hibernian Metropolis 08/31/2024

Destination Anywhere: Getting Around the Hibernian Metropolis This year marks four decades of the DART. Along with that, the Luas has turned twenty. These two services have radically changed how we live in Dublin, but where did they come from and how did Dublin's transport history shape them? This episode explores these things and questions of tomorrow. /episode/index/show/threecastlesburning/id/32820542

A Sensation Once Again: Brian Warfield of the Wolfe Tones (Live at Mindfield, EP) 08/20/2024

A Sensation Once Again: Brian Warfield of the Wolfe Tones (Live at Mindfield, EP) Seeing the inevitable headlines on the horizon around the Wolfe Tones performing at Electric Picnic, I decided to reach out to Brian Warfield for a chat about his book, The Ramblings of an Irish Ballad Singer. Amongst other things, Brian spoke to me about his family origins, why the Tones recorded songs like 'The Sash', and the importance of the English folk music revival for his band. (Original image: Richard Walshe, Mindfield Flickr) /episode/index/show/threecastlesburning/id/32661022

Olympic Glory: Jack B. Yeats and The Liffey Swim 08/10/2024

Olympic Glory: Jack B. Yeats and The Liffey Swim The Liffey Swim is a beloved painting, and one of the most visited works in the National Gallery of Ireland. A century ago, it led to the first Olympic medal of the new Free State. With calls for the creative arts to return as a competitive dimension of the Olympics, this episode explores Jack B. Yeats and the cultural and political context of his win. Support TCB at www.patreon.com/threecastlesburning /episode/index/show/threecastlesburning/id/32525552

Nothing Highfalutin: The Brilliance of Hilary Heron (with Billy Shortall) 07/30/2024

Nothing Highfalutin: The Brilliance of Hilary Heron (with Billy Shortall) At the Irish Museum of Modern Art, a new exhibition explores the life and work of artist Hilary Heron. Like many, I came away from it amazed that this important modernist sculptor was not better known here. Born in Dublin in 1923, her work achieved international recognition in her own lifetime. Dr. Billy Shortall is the author of an essay on Heron in the exhibition catalogue, and has done great work to bring her back to deserved prominence. An article by Billy on Heron can be read at Support TCB: /episode/index/show/threecastlesburning/id/32345687

On Tommie Potts and The Liffey Banks (with Martin Hayes) 07/12/2024

On Tommie Potts and The Liffey Banks (with Martin Hayes) More than just one of Ireland's most beloved musicians, Martin Hayes is also the author of Shared Notes: A Musical Journey. In his memoir he introduces us to a host of brilliant characters, ranging from childhood friends and relations in East Clare to those who would become central to The Gloaming. One figure we meet is Tommie Potts, a Dublin firefighter from the Coombe and a fiddle player. The Liffey Banks remains a beloved record. In this excerpt from a conversation at London's Féile MOTH, Hayes discusses Potts and revisits a tune that means much to him. /episode/index/show/threecastlesburning/id/32110232

Adoration and Protest: Orson Welles and Dublin 07/07/2024

Adoration and Protest: Orson Welles and Dublin Orson Welles made his stage debut in Dublin. To him, The Gate Theatre would always be a part of the story of his own life development and professional career. Later, he returned to scenes of protest against the same theatre for hosting him. In time, all was forgiven and Welles would deliver an astonishing Q and A before a packed Dublin crowd who quizzed him on everything from American politics to the future of cinema. /episode/index/show/threecastlesburning/id/32035077

Red Roses For Me (with Spider Stacy and James Fearnley) 06/19/2024

Red Roses For Me (with Spider Stacy and James Fearnley) This year marks the 40th anniversary of Red Roses For Me, the first album from The Pogues. Borrowing its title from Sean O'Casey, it also carries literary influences like Ulysses and Brendan Behan proudly. As an exhibition on the London-Irish currently runs in Dublin's EPIC emigration museum, what better time to discuss this defining London-Irish band who still mean so much? Here Comes Everybody by James Fearnley (Faber & Faber) is available now. /episode/index/show/threecastlesburning/id/31807187

On a quiet street where old ghosts meet 06/13/2024

On a quiet street where old ghosts meet We know it as ‘On Raglan Road’, but the journey of the song that began life as a poem tells us a lot about Bohemian Dublin in an earlier time. In the Bailey tent at the Luke Kelly Festival, playwright Jimmy Murphy takes us through the story of the Kavanagh masterpiece Luke Kelly made his own. We also get a great rendition from Fergus Whelan (with a little help from Patrick Kavanagh in the recording!). /episode/index/show/threecastlesburning/id/31732232

Remembering The Dubliners (with Brian Hand and Phelim Drew) 05/29/2024

Remembering The Dubliners (with Brian Hand and Phelim Drew) Like his father Jim Hand before him, promoter Brian Hand would build a real and lasting relationship with The Dubliners over many years. For singer and actor Phelim Drew, the band were like an extension of family. In this discussion, recorded live at the Luke Kelly Festival, we get into great personal memories of The Dubliners and what the band still mean today. Contains some bad language. /episode/index/show/threecastlesburning/id/31513272

The Anatomy of a Massacre 05/17/2024

The Anatomy of a Massacre Fifty years ago today, a series of no-warning car bombs erupted across Dublin and Monaghan. This would prove to be the bloodiest day of the Troubles. Immediately, questions were raised about how this event had come to pass. In a new documentary, director Joe Lee and producer Fergus Dowd explore what happened on 17 May 1974. Warning: This episode is quite graphic in describing the day. This episode of the podcast is dedicated to the memory of Derek Byrne. /episode/index/show/threecastlesburning/id/31349192

Portals, Clocks and Cows 05/15/2024

Portals, Clocks and Cows Temporary interventions into the Dublin streetscape have a curious history. This week, the livestream portal with New York made international headlines. For me, it recalled the CowParade, Bowl of Light and other such things. When you put something out there on the street, there's no way of telling how people will respond. Support TCB: www.patreon.com/threecastlesburning /episode/index/show/threecastlesburning/id/31302107

The Isle of Wight on Emmet Road 04/26/2024

The Isle of Wight on Emmet Road In 1970, the outdoor rock festival was a totally new idea in Ireland. Amidst press coverage of Woodstock and the Isle of Wight, focused on LSD and exagerated crowd trouble, the booking of Mungo Jerry, Thin Lizzy and others for Richmond Park would be the first Dublin experience of such a festival here. Why did this festival fail? And how, just a few short years later, had the festival become such an integral part of Irish youth culture? /episode/index/show/threecastlesburning/id/30997843

The Battle of Tallaght: 'Yankee Fenians' and 1867 04/12/2024

The Battle of Tallaght: 'Yankee Fenians' and 1867 To the Dublin press, the American Civil War veterans in Dublin cut an unusual shape. These ‘Yankee’ characters looked different, but they also behaved differently. Under the direction of Captain Thomas J. Kelly, these men would be centrally important to the Fenian uprising of 1867. While history remembers this as a skirmish on a hill in Tallaght, much more happened in March 1867 than that. /episode/index/show/threecastlesburning/id/30799188

'Then Mount Jerome for the Protestants.' 03/30/2024

'Then Mount Jerome for the Protestants.' The story of Mount Jerome Cemetery is the story of Victorian Dublin. There, many of the great innovaters of the city are at rest. If Glasnevin brings to mind the Irish revolution, Mount Jerome instead makes us think of the nineteenth century. Still, there is great diversity in who is (and isn't) buied there. This is a story that touches on everyone from Charles Stewart Parnell to the so-called 'General.' Thanks to Patrons of the podcast whose support made this research possible. /episode/index/show/threecastlesburning/id/30604838

The Divine Mission of Discontent (Jim Larkin Part II) 03/12/2024

The Divine Mission of Discontent (Jim Larkin Part II) The labour leader Jim Larkin was international news when he departed Ireland in 1914. In America, Larkin would cross paths with the FBI founder J. Edgar Hoover, landing in prison for 'Criminal Anarchy'. What did all of this mean back in Dublin? My guest is Ronan Burtenshaw, author of a recent piece on Larkin for Jacobin magazine: https://jacobin.com/2024/01/jim-larkin-ireland-labor-150 /episode/index/show/threecastlesburning/id/30337183

The Rising of the Moon (Jim Larkin Part I) 02/23/2024

The Rising of the Moon (Jim Larkin Part I) This year marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Jim Larkin. In this two-part special, Ronan Burtenshaw (author of a recent piece exploring Larkin for Jacobin magazine) joins me to discuss this important and divisive revolutionary figure. Larkin in Dublin means 1913, but where did he come from? This story brings us from Liverpool Cathedral to the streets of West Belfast. Ronan's piece: /episode/index/show/threecastlesburning/id/30078528

Before Mosley: The British Fascisti in Dublin 02/02/2024

Before Mosley: The British Fascisti in Dublin Pádraig Óg Ó Ruairc is no stranger to this podcast. While his latest book explores 'The Disappeared' (launching this month from Merrion Press), he has also been undertaking a study of the far-right in Ireland historically. Moving beyond the familiar, like the Army Comrades Association ('the Blueshirts'), Pádraig's study begins with some more overlooked groups. Even before Oswald Mosley, the British Fascisti were a force with surprising connections to Dublin, and an active branch in the city. /episode/index/show/threecastlesburning/id/29772188

Flying Fists and Union Jacks 01/14/2024

Flying Fists and Union Jacks SEASON 3! A recent television debate on the Irish language in schools reminded me of a curious story from history. The Language Freedom Movement touches on many widely known figures in 1960s Ireland, including John B. Keane and the broadcaster Gay Byrne. In the Mansion House, a meeting descended into chaos. /episode/index/show/threecastlesburning/id/29482028

From Ten Till Dusk: 200 Years of the RHA (with Cristín Leach) 12/22/2023

From Ten Till Dusk: 200 Years of the RHA (with Cristín Leach) 2023 marks the 200th anniversary of the Royal Hibernian Academy, an institution which has moved across the Liffey owing to the flames of Easter Week, and which has championed the visual arts through an ever-changing Ireland. Cristín Leach is the author of a new creative study of the body, which weaves history and art to tell the story. /episode/index/show/threecastlesburning/id/29198033

There Is a Light That Never Goes Out 12/19/2023

There Is a Light That Never Goes Out Over five generations, one family have played a unique role in the story of the Phoenix Park. More than that, the Flanagan family have a history that stretches back even earlier in the story of this beloved space. Joyce maintained that in the particular is contained the universal - can we tell the story of a place through this one unique tale? The Lamplighters of the Phoenix Park is available now from all good bookshops. /episode/index/show/threecastlesburning/id/29145883

Asylum: Inside Grangegorman 12/14/2023

Asylum: Inside Grangegorman Brendan Kelly is the author of a new history of Grangegorman and the asylum located there for generations. This conversation was recorded within the grounds of the site. What was the life of a patient in an asylum really like? Through letters, medical records and doctors' notes, Brendan Kelly gives us a glimpse inside Grangegorman and the lives of those who lived and worked there. Not a particularly easy listen at times - and please note that some of the language, drawn from primary sources, reflects very different times. /episode/index/show/threecastlesburning/id/29076218

Napoleon's Toothbrush 12/11/2023

Napoleon's Toothbrush Ridley Scott doesn't seem to get on with historians, but here is a nice little story all about Napoleon and his surprising Dublin connections. One of the most revealing and personal insights into Napoleon came from a Dublin doctor who spent time with him on the island of St Helena. My Name Is Napoleon Bonaparte by Dónal Lunny and Frank Harte was released in 2001. /episode/index/show/threecastlesburning/id/29026528

Bringing Light to O'Connell Street (with Nicola Pierce) 12/08/2023

Bringing Light to O'Connell Street (with Nicola Pierce) Nicola Pierce is the author of O'Connell Street: The History and Life of Dublin's O'Connell Street. It is a book as much about people as buildings, which charts the unique story of Ireland's most famous street. Now illuminated in a unique way as part of Dublin Winter Lights, we walked the street together on a busy evening chatting about its statues and landmarks. Thanks to the team at Dublin Winter Lights (www.dublinwinterlights.ie) /episode/index/show/threecastlesburning/id/28986678

'And Beckett plays the gong.' 12/01/2023

'And Beckett plays the gong.' James Morrissey has produced a beautiful and important book exploring the history of Claddagh Records and Garech Browne. 'Real to Reel' explores a record label which championed not only Irish folk and traditional music, but also poetry and the visual arts. Now, the label has returned with great new talents including OXN. Both me and James Morrissey will be appearing at 'Banter' at Other Voices this weekend. Thanks for your patience. We raised thousands of euro towards a good cause, as mentioned in the introduction here. /episode/index/show/threecastlesburning/id/28881833

Roger Doyle: The Godfather of Irish Electronic Music 11/11/2023

Roger Doyle: The Godfather of Irish Electronic Music Roger Doyle has made an incredible contribution to Irish music across decades. In this discussion he talks about everything from his own musical beginnings to Operating Theatre, and from The Diceman (Thom McGinty) to James Joyce. Roger Doyle's music is available from This edition of the podcast is dedicated to the memory of my friend Hughie Friel. (Image Credit: The cover of 'Spring is Coming with a Strawberry in the Mouth' by All City Records, image by Amelia Stein) /episode/index/show/threecastlesburning/id/28593423

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