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.
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Nov 14, 2026 · 31:10
A day spent with Jack Roche on Meath Street is a day of much learning. Beloved greengrocer over decades, Jack knows the people of the Liberties better than most. In this chat, he…
Oct 29, 2026 · 54:38
Historian Warren Farrell is the author of the forthcoming Curious Ireland , a follow-up to his best-selling social history of Glasnevin Cemetery. A tour guide at the cemetery…
Oct 14, 2026 · 37:25
Vincent Browne's Magill magazine remains one of the most important publications of its kind in Irish history. Joined by Kevin Rafter (author of Fearless, a new history of the…
Sep 24, 2026 · 30:52
In the Victorian age, the entertainer Dan Lowrey created a truly special theatre, music hall and Palace of Varieties in the laneway of Crampton Court. Today, it has grown into…
Sep 7, 2026 · 35:32
Marking the passing of one of the most significant commentators on the past and present of Dublin city, this episode draws from a different discussion with McDonald from the one…
Aug 22, 2026 · 33:12
Albert Pierrepoint was a household name in his own lifetime, even penning the best-selling memoir Executioner. A hangman who followed in the footsteps of his father and uncle,…
Aug 7, 2026 · 28:39
In the early nineteenth century, Madame Tussaud spent several years in Dublin. Her waxworks and relics of the French Revolution proved a big draw for crowds here, packing out a…
Jul 22, 2026 · 56:35
In Ulysses , the pub we know as J & M Cleary's appears as The Signal House. It seemed a good location to explore food in the time of James Joyce. Ann Marie Duffin's fantastic…
Jul 6, 2026 · 43:13
At the recent Luke Kelly Festival, I was delighted to speak with Sabina Higgins (née Coyne) all about the Focus Theatre and Deirdre O'Connell. Bringing the Stanislavski acting…
Jun 22, 2026 · 32:44
In October 1955, the visit of Yugoslavia to Dublin caused real division in Irish society. A top-class football side on the world stage, opposition to communism led Archbishop…
Jun 6, 2026 · 1:06:33
There could be nowhere more fitting to discuss the life of Edward Fitzgerald than upstairs in the Lord Edward, as part of Culture Date with Dublin 8. That he was born into…
May 27, 2026 · 31:56
John Gibney is co-editor of The Story of Us: Independent Ireland and the 1926 Census. On a sunny day, we sat on a bench dedicated in part to a man you'll find in that census, and…
May 11, 2026 · 24:22
It would seem everyone in the city has an opinion on the shopping centre at the top of Grafton Street. With that in mind, it seems a good time for a potted history of it and the…
Apr 30, 2026 · 31:16
In 1965, the body of Roger Casement was returned to Ireland. No longer condemned to the grounds of Pentonville Prison, he would be buried in Dublin's Glasnevin Cemetery, where he…
Apr 13, 2026 · 31:04
Today marks the 120th birthday of Samuel Beckett. Inspired both by this milestone anniversary and by the wonderful new exhibition of the work of photographer John Minihan in the…
Mar 30, 2026 · 31:59
With the 110th anniversary of the Easter Rising upon us, it seems a good time to look at one of the less familiar figures of the story. Somewhat in the shadows, Éamonn Ceannt was…
Mar 16, 2026 · 29:59
In 1903, Saint Patrick's Day formally became a national holiday in Ireland, following a push from the Gaelic League. In the pages of their newspaper, An Claidheamh Soluis, a…
Feb 27, 2026 · 44:12
In 1997, David Bowie released Earthling, an album deeply influenced by the sound of drum and bass and industrial electronic music. Spending time in Dublin city, Bowie befriended…
Feb 15, 2026 · 31:04
The release of the 1926 census from the National Archives of Ireland is now imminent. These returns should give us fascinating insights into a post-revolutionary Ireland. In this…
Jan 28, 2026 · 30:14
SERIES 4, EPISODE 1. Welcome back to a new series. Emmett Grogan was one of the defining figures of American counterculture in the 1960s. Though his name is almost completely…
Dec 22, 2025 · 28:51
One of Dublin's Historians in Residence, Elizabeth Kehoe has developed a walking tour of Parnell Square which shines a lot on many aspects of its history. Walking around it, we…
Dec 19, 2025 · 30:27
James Earley comes from a family rooted in the story of Irish stained glass. As an artist, his work often pays homage to Earley Studios and those who came before him. As part of…
Dec 14, 2025 · 46:46
More than just a resident of Oliver Bond House, Gayle Cullen Doyle is a vital voice within her community, advocating for and representing her neighbours. Eoin Ó Broin is the new…
Dec 6, 2025 · 18:31
On three occasions, Charles Dickens would speak in Dublin. Each time huge crowds came to hear him speak in the Rotunda, with the crowds spilling out into Sackville Street and…
Nov 30, 2025 · 32:05
Cormac Murray is the author of a new study of the US Embassy in Ballsbridge. A visual feast, it explores one of Dublin's most unusual buildings in its architectural, social,…
Nov 15, 2025 · 30:28
The story of Guinness is one of great success, yes, but also turbulence. Together with historian Antonia Hart, Ned Guinness has produced a family history that doesn't shy away…
Oct 26, 2025 · 30:06
Lord Leitrim, John Twiss and the songs of our year (with Michael Steen) This edition of the podcast is dedicated to the memory of Manchán Magan. Singer Michael Steen (a member of…
Sep 30, 2025 · 57:36
At a packed Oak Room in the Mansion House, a celebration of the life of the journalist Con Houlihan last Saturday brought the audience on a journey into the work and passions of…
Sep 10, 2025 · 1:00:56
Shaffrey Architects was established in 1967 by Patrick and Maura Shaffrey. Based on Ormond Quay,the practice has made a real and meaningful contribution to Dublin and beyond,…
Sep 1, 2025 · 55:29
Brian Kerr's voice is instantly familiar as a broadcaster, and his contribution to Irish football is extraordinary. Born in 1953, his first coaching role came while barely a…
Aug 24, 2025 · 34:58
Padraic X. Scanlan is the author of Rot: A History of the Irish Famine. Framing the crisis in Ireland within the broader picture of Empire, this book brings much to how we…
Aug 12, 2025 · 33:16
In 1860, a blaze in the Kildare Street Club led to the death of three workers and the destruction of an institution. Together with other fires of the era, this provided the…
Jul 26, 2025 · 29:22
Niamh Hassett and Sean Nugent join me in this special edition of the podcast, exploring a wonderful Tipperary tradition on Dublin's Talbot Street. When the Premier County reach…
Jul 15, 2025 · 31:33
This month brings the fiftieth anniversary of the tragic murders of members of The Miami Showband. This band, drawing its members from both sides of the border, was a defining…
Jun 30, 2025 · 35:11
The Donnybrook Fair is recalled in ballad and memoir as a notorious and chaotic annual event, but what really went on there? Over centuries, the annual fair drew revellers from…
Jun 13, 2025 · 34:11
Christina Wade's new history of Irish beer is a masterclass in social and economic history. In the context of Dublin, it tells us a lot, especially about the challenges that…
May 23, 2025 · 52:39
The first ever Kilkenny Law Fest took place last weekend. On its bill, a discussion with Superintendent Paul Maher of the Garda Historical Society. Paul did so much in the Decade…
May 9, 2025 · 37:02
A nice mention for the podcast recently on Crime World inspired me to go back to the subject of the Animal Gang. Seperating fact from folklore, just who made up the so-called…
Apr 23, 2025 · 32:11
Tony Gregory remains one of the most beloved TD's in the history of the city. Lately, talk of the Molly Malone monument has reminded me of the story of Gregory's activism on…
Apr 2, 2025 · 32:37
Historian Pádraig Óg Ó Ruairc has just produced Burn Them Out, a history of the Irish far-right. One of its most intriguing chapters studies the Blueshirt movement, tracing its…
Mar 30, 2025 · 23:00
Both Patrick Leo Burdock and Ivan Beshoff were revolutionaries, though in very different circumstances. These two names remain stalwarts of the Dublin chipper landscape, but did…
Mar 19, 2025 · 1:23:39
This edition of the podcast contains adult language and themes and is not suitable for younger listeners. This special live edition of the podcast was part of Abair, an annual…
Feb 28, 2025 · 32:05
In Dublin, just a handful of public houses now open at seven o'clock in the morning. Where did these early houses come from, and what has influenced their decline? On this…
Jan 26, 2025 · 28:38
Bob Dylan's 1966 visit to the Adelphi Cinema is a concert on which there is very little agreement. Torn apart by one Dublin reviewer, many who were there describe the gig in…
Jan 11, 2025 · 30:58
Described by The Irish Times as 'raucous, bawdy, reflective and wistful in turn', Traditional Singing from Dublin is more than just an album of songs. Inspired by figures as…
Dec 20, 2024 · 35:17
In Glasnevin Cemetery, James Clarence Mangan's grave lists him as 'Ireland's National Poet.' Today, he is a curiously overlooked character. His influence on figures as diverse as…
Dec 17, 2024 · 31:54
In 1898, tens of thousands of people paraded in Dublin for the unveiling of a foundation stone to a Wolfe Tone statue. So why did it not happen? Only in 1967 did Edward Delaney's…
Dec 2, 2024 · 35:16
These are exciting times at the Collins Barracks branch of the National Museum of Ireland. This week, the first Harry Clarke display at the museum opens, showcasing six works by…
Nov 29, 2024 · 56:50
The story of Michael Healy is one that tells us much about the Dublin of his time. Born into a working class inner-city family in 1873, Healy was shaped by the artistic and…
Nov 8, 2024 · 41:02
In the heart of Dublin's north inner-city, the SFX was one of the defining venues of Dublin's music scene. U2, The Smiths, New Order, Siouxsie and the Banshees and The Pogues are…
Oct 30, 2024 · 1:03:02
Bram Stoker's life and career was shaped by the strong women around him. Charlotte Stoker, his mother, raised him on folklore and stories of her own youth, while Speranza (Lady…
Oct 12, 2024 · 1:02:22
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…
Oct 6, 2024 · 1:06:21
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…
Sep 26, 2024 · 30:06
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…
Sep 14, 2024 · 1:01:15
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…
Sep 5, 2024 · 34:32
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…
Aug 31, 2024 · 34:01
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…
Aug 20, 2024 · 47:35
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…
Aug 10, 2024 · 30:39
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…
Jul 30, 2024 · 30:20
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…
Jul 12, 2024 · 18:40
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…
Jul 7, 2024 · 40:08
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…
Jun 19, 2024 · 1:21:17
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…
Jun 13, 2024 · 53:04
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…
May 29, 2024 · 55:47
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…
May 17, 2024 · 30:39
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…
May 15, 2024 · 29:51
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…
Apr 26, 2024 · 31:46
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…
Apr 12, 2024 · 40:09
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…
Mar 30, 2024 · 45:11
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…
Mar 12, 2024 · 45:35
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…
Feb 23, 2024 · 34:51
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)…
Feb 2, 2024 · 41:52
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…
Jan 14, 2024 · 24:08
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…
Dec 22, 2023 · 34:36
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…
Dec 19, 2023 · 28:25
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…
Dec 14, 2023 · 28:53
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…
Dec 11, 2023 · 19:28
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…
Dec 8, 2023 · 31:03
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…
Dec 1, 2023 · 34:13
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…
Nov 11, 2023 · 46:37
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,…
Nov 5, 2023 · 1:05:17
Irish supernatural writing did not begin or end with the great Bram Stoker. Indeed, even within Stoker's own family there were other great writers. In this very special edition…
Oct 19, 2023 · 55:41
This December - most likely - marks the centenary of the birth of Anthony Cronin. His memoir of Bohemian Dublin, Dead As Doornails (1976), remains a masterpiece. With Jimmy…
Oct 6, 2023 · 44:39
Did you learn much about yourself in Lockdown times? Dermot Bolger (poet, publisher, playwright and more besides) discovered some of the incredible people who lived in his…
Sep 27, 2023 · 29:31
Geographer Joseph Brady is the co-producer of a new study of Dublin in maps. This journey begins with the earliest depictions of the Irish capital, but brings us through some…
Sep 17, 2023 · 50:50
There are few careers in Irish music as extraordinary as that of Dónal Lunny. His name will forever be connected with the groups Emmet Spiceland, Planxty, The Bothy Band and…
Sep 4, 2023 · 50:26
A real privilege to talk to an artist who first emerged in the 1960s, and who is still making fantastic work today. Any discussion with Jim Fitzpatrick passes through subjects as…
Aug 30, 2023 · 38:03
Seán O'Casey had a turbulent relationship with the Abbey Theatre. Now, his Dublin trilogy is back on the stage of the national theatre. Championed with his arrival on the stage…
Aug 16, 2023 · 47:06
Peig McManus was born into a life in tenement Dublin in the late 1930s. In subsequent decades, she became one of Ireland's most recognisable voices for educational reform. In her…
Aug 9, 2023 · 29:25
The body of Daniel O'Connell is at rest in Glasnevin Cemetery, an institution with which he is eternally linked. His heart? Well, that has been something of a mystery. Dublin…
Jul 31, 2023 · 30:10
This episode is dedicated to the memory of Sinéad O'Connor. The Foggy Dew is in itself a historic document. Written in 1919, this story of the Easter Rising and the contrasting…
Jul 9, 2023 · 29:27
The National Stadium on the South Circular Road has witnessed some really incredible nights. To some, it is the home of Irish boxing, a story that's connected to the sporting…
Jun 30, 2023 · 30:42
In June 1963, President John F. Kennedy arrived into a city in crisis. As Dublin tenements seemed to be collapsing to the touch, the visit of a U.S President was a welcome…
Jun 20, 2023 · 57:58
Sincere thanks to the Dalkey Book Festival for the invitation to interview Roddy Doyle. This was a chance to talk about things as diverse as Maeve Brennan, the impact of the 1974…
Jun 15, 2023 · 24:01
Bloomsday as we know it owes its existence to Brian O'Nolan, otherwise Myles na gCopaleen, otherwise Flann O'Brien. In 1954, he was the catalyst for gathering together a number…
Jun 4, 2023 · 33:29
This week, we got some data from the 2022 Census. It seems a good time to look into the past. The census has always given us unusual insights into Ireland. We can find humour and…
May 25, 2023 · 42:03
The Phoenix Park assassinations of May 1882 shook British politics. All had heard of the Fenians, but who were the Invincibles? Today, a cross in the grass on Chesterfield Avenue…
May 18, 2023 · 31:13
Thanks for your patience! This new episode explores the incredible life and influence of Peadar Kearney, a key figure in the Cultural Revival then, and the folk revival now. My…
Apr 25, 2023 · 31:17
The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists is a book that had a massive impact on British society. Some say it helped win a General Election, George Orwell called it essential reading.…
Apr 17, 2023 · 31:42
The area between Smithfield and Capel Street has historically been known as 'The Markets'. A recent event gave some idea of what this area could be. Today, we're exploring it…
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