I’ve tried to educate myself on the troubles before and always found it’s difficult and overwhelming to scratch anything past the surface. This is a great and objective way to learn and I’ve almost listened to every episode now! Thanks Oisin🫡

Really great show about an important topic most people unfortunately don’t know about ☯️🇮🇪 this podcast is changing that

I absolutely love this podcast! I grew up in the states in the 80s and I remember hearing about the troubles back then. The information provided has spurred my interest even more. I am glad you’re able to continue with your work!

This was one podcast I was drawn to as I am born and raised in Northern Ireland during this period. I also anticipated a heavily biased commentary as few people can speak on the subject impartially. But I have to applaud Oisin provides a balanced account that helps me listen, and re-live and better understand the insanity of what people went through. I hope his listeners can better understand that as far as the troubles are concerned there is no right and wrong or black and white only many shades of grey… and red.

I am absolutely hooked on this podcast. I am learning history but it is being told more as a story without fabricated dialogue which many history type podcasts try doing. I highly recommend this podcast!! I listen on my drive too and from work and don’t even want to get out of my car because these stories are told so well. William USA

Love this dive into the history of England’s settler colonialism in Ireland. Well done.

This podcast delves into a part of history that I find fascinating. Wanting to learn more about the vents that took place, this podcast is full of facts and no chitter chatter which is appreciated.

I’m a big fan of your podcast, but the contrast in volume between the show and the ads is drastic and jarring. I would enjoy it more if the volume was more consistent

The host of the show does an excellent job of recounting major events that take place during the period of the Troubles. It is a well researched show and I commend the host for balancing the informative narrative he takes on while making space for the pain of the victims and survivors of the Troubles.

I actually cannot stop listening to this podcast. The production, writing, and research are beautifully done and expertly delivered. I am so grateful to the creator of this show for their passion in prioritizing education on this topic in history as it is still so incredibly relevant today. This show has reached as far as New Mexico, USA and I hope that everyone, at some point, gets to experience the pleasure and privilege of tuning into this show. 🧡🤍💚

I grew up in America seeing the troubles on TV but not knowing much about it. I visited London in 1982 and there were warnings everywhere about unaccompanied packages, but I didn’t really understand the issues. This podcast gives logical history lesson and makes does a good job of simplifying a very complex situation and characters.

I previously knew little about the Troubles. One episode of this podcast and I was hooked. Thank you for the work you do!

Compelling & very well researched, put together, and delivered. Especially prescient these days, great learning

Is it coming back? I miss this podcast - excellent writing and delivery and without bias or favoritism. Highly recommend!

Just returned from a trip to Ireland that included Belfast. I had a very cursory understanding of The Troubles, and growing up in the 1970s in the States, one heard occasional news about unrest. I’m not Irish, nor a Catholic or a Protestant, but I cannot imagine how stressful and scary it was for everybody. I have listened to the first five episodes and I cannot put this podcast out of my head. It is a fascinating, educational and truly compelling podcast for which I am thankful I found.

I grew up during the troubles and I’ll tell ya, this guy has done his homework. Fantastic podcast. No fluff, no bias, just facts. Thanks for keeping the memory of this horrible time alive so that others can learn about it

So informative, detailed, balanced; and presents incredible storytelling. As someone from a very politically-minded Irish-American family, I couldn’t appreciate the amount of well-researched narrative and firsthand accounts more. Well done for preserving so much history. Highly recommend to anyone: Irish diaspora or not.

By far my favorite N. Irish pod. I actually get a bit sad when you are on break for research for the pod! As a 2nd generation Irish-American ‘The Troubles’We’re talked about nearly every day at my grannies house during my young childhood/1980s. My mom was a proud member of Irish northern Aid, here in the states.One such political prisoner had last name Walsh which was my mothers great grandmother’s maiden name. Inteshe wrote a letter with family tree of her side and my father’s side (in the off chance if we were related).Ironically my mother was not related to Walsh at all but through coincidence my father and myself were! Sienna Walsh was grandson to my grannies first cousin, E. Greer (so we shared common great grandparents. Anyway, I first visited Belfast for two weeks in 1992 after my father had passed. My mother had neglected to tell me that she was bringing a 9 year old to what seemed like a war zone in the Twinbrook estate in Dunmurray-staying w these cousins (Sienna was back in long kesh though). My interest in the history of the area started at that visit and grew exponentially! When the IRA announced complete cease-fire my cousin was the first member to appear publicly without face covering or camouflage, a member of Belfast town Council, and operates a James Connolly visiting center.Despite the torture, dirty and blanket protests and as OC/operating commander inside LK I find him as living proof that violence can and should be avoided at all costs. Enough of my banter! Please give this pod five stars it’s historical intrigue, presented extremely fairly as one side is not taken over the other which is done in a unique and thoughtful way. Slainte, Tom

Great pod cast so for I’ve learned a lot

I really enjoy this podcast. Some episodes in particular are very biased so you can’t say it gives a balanced picture. The interviewer definitely has his sympathies and that comes across with the sometimes very ‘sweet’ interviewing of Jim Auld for example, which means probing questions don’t get asked. But despite that, it’s an interesting podcast with some stand out episodes, and good use of music. I learned a lot about the Troubles from a Republican/IRA point of view.

This podcast is an invaluable historical resource for understanding The Troubles and a wonderful example of what a history podcast should be. I am a long time left wing organizer and have my biases when it comes to Northern Ireland and what I particularly love about this podcast is how it allows me to reflect on the strategy used by both sides and all the factions involved. I started out listening for my own fascination with republicanism and quickly found every episode regardless of focus deeply insightful. Oisin’s focus on the humanity of all parties involved is evident and it also provides a level of understand on the lives, thoughts, feelings and motivations for everyone involved, especially the civilian populations in both communities.

Incredibly interesting, well reasoned, researched and presented.

I’m so happy to have discovered this podcast. I’ve always loved Ireland and have been fascinated by the Troubles period, which was active until I was a young adult. I love the layout of this show with each episode focusing on one topic. The research is too notch, and presented in a neutral way which can be very challenging when covering such polarizing topics. Thank you, please keep up the fine work!

All good. Educational, interesting. Anyone interested in learning how a leader should not act needs to learn from this episode. The only one thing I can say, is that the comparison to Martin Luther King makes zero sense I wish it was not part of the episode Edward Carson would be more similar then anyone else I can think of, thank you.

Really enjoying learning about this time in history and putting context around the news stories and events I remembered hearing about as a teen. Going to Ireland next year and wanted to understand more before our trip. Thanks!!!

There’s good info here and the narrator does a good job, but no surprise by his name he is biased to the Republican side. The loyalist side is always presented in a black and white manner but then atrocities by republicans are always given a nuanced approach. I’m sure I would be biased as well if I made this podcast though, so I can’t fault it. Being almost blown up by an IRA bomb on August 1, 1998 in Banbridge will do that to you. The story telling would also benefit from musical changes throughout, but overall a very decent podcast.

As an academic researching the Troubles, it doesn't take long to realize that of the three combantant groupings (Republican, Loyalist, and British state security services) two of these made attempts - with varying degrees of success, to be sure - to avoid civilian casualties. Those same two groups maintained explicict rules prohibiting the purposeful targeting of innocents, with an implicit understanding that it was bad for business, to turn a phrase. However, the third member group, was sectarian to a degree reminiscent of Islamic terorr. From the Shankhill Butchers to Johnny Mad Dog Adair, their stated, unabashed goal was to terrorize the terrorists by terrorizing the communities to which they belonged. Hence, kill a Catholic, any Catholic, so long as they're Catholic was not both the prevailing tactic and strategy of Loyalist Paramilitaries. Recognizing this, Gusty Spence later helped steer them away, so they weren't all sectarian "serial killers" to quote an RUC officer, but a dissproportionate amount were. The CAIN (Conflict Archive on the Internet) scholarly database (launched in 1997 at Ulster University on Magee campus) lists Malcolm Sutton's Index of Deaths from the Conflict in Ireland from 1969-1993 as follows: Sectarian Killings (defined as the deliberate killing of civilians based on his/her religion): IRA 151 Loyalist Paramilitaries: 713 Unintentional Deaths (primarily victims of gun battles and bombs for which they were non-participants, but this number also includes a small number of Loyalist and Republican paramilitaries who died accidentally as a result of premature explosions): IRA: 406 Loyalist Paramilitaries: 32 Whatbthis means — and was not addressed jn this podcast — is that both as a percentage of their killings, and in actual numbers, loyalist paramilitary organizations killed more civilians in total and more civilians on purpose. In other words, it would seem that for the IRA and the British State's Security Services, collateral damage was just that; whereas for Loyalist Paramilitaries, collateral damage was the point. Strategically, one can make the argument that this was inevitable because IRA were more readily able to target their primary non-civilian enemy (i.e. British state security services) given that British military and police were easy to identify and find. Conversely, Loyalist paramilitaries, in terms of targeting their stated primary enemy (IRA members), were at a disadvantage because by its very nature, the IRA was covert, hidden amongst the civilian population. However, this argument is somewhat undercut when comparing the single largest bombing days of each organization. In 1972 the IRA set off 18 of 23 intended bombs in 90 minutes throughout Belfast, most within the first half hour. Nearly a thousand pounds of explosives detonating near simultaneously. If they had been targeting civilians (as opposed to transportation and various other infrastructure), hundreds, if not thousands, of civilians would have died. Instead the total deaths stood at 9. Of those, 5 were civilian, most at Cavehill. And there the RUC later confirmed that IRA members offered a one hour bomb warning (code-word verified warnings were the standard for IRA attacks where civilian casualties were a concern). But in all the chaos, no police units could respond to Cavehill and the area wasn't cleared as IRA intended. Make no mistake, those civilian deaths are 100% on the IRA, no one denies this (not even them, as of 2001). What this illustrates however, is that a great deal of effort and attention was paid to keeping civilian deaths at a minimum. Compare that with the single largest Loyalist bombing day, two years later. 4 bombs detonated in Dublin and Monogham, killing 35, all civilians. Each of those bombs were placed for maximum civilian casualties and there was no warning issued to police. I'll offer the standard every death is a tragedy qualifier primarily because it is true, but secondarily so that no one wastes their time interpreting this review as a defense of IRA attacks or a case for treating the loss of human life as mere statistics. It is neither. It is, however, a defense of numbers, and how those numbers can and should trump a presenter's desire to find and declare a parody between combatants that simply does not exist by way pf reading off technical details and highlighting internal disputes.

Informative history and breakdown of origins and differences between UDA and UVF: simply told analysis, fascinating and exciting

This is a great podcast that really explores the times.

Really enjoy this podcast. I think it really tries to be unbiased (I think there is a bias but it is very subtle and mostly in choices of vocabulary, who’s heinous actions are justified or not justified, and time spent on presenting one side as opposed to the other side. I also don’t think it is an intentional bias. I say this as someone with no dog in the game so I don’t have a side but noticed the discrepancy). I find it a fantastic listen

Such a fantastic non-partisan view of The Troubles. Thank you for the work you’re doing to make sure the generations born after the Good Friday Agreement can understand why this period is so important.

This podcast is very well done and provides a fact based look at the conflict in Northern Ireland.

Even handed, level headed, insightful, factual and accurate. Well researched and well presented. THANKS!!!

Always knew IRA never knew UDF. Gives an unbiased account of both sides in this tragedy. Even better have bought several books for deeper dives.

This is one of my all time favorite podcasts. Oisin does excellent research and unpacks dense and dark material in an unbiased and inspiring way. I recently listened to the Children of the Troubles episode where Oisin interviews Richard Moore and it is one of the most inspiring interviews I’ve ever heard. Do yourself a favor and start binge listening to this podcast right now.

I try to bracket any journalistic accounts of The Troubles that feel like the author has chosen a side. I have my own biases on the subject, so I’m never certain I can detect a fair explanation of any aspect of it, but this one feels like it is a sincere attempt to simply report a series of people and events that grows more and more comprehensive. Well done.

Is there a way to shut off the music that constantly plays in the background? It’s like trying to listen to the narrator - and to the fascinating information he shares - while being on hold listening to the same short track of music playing over and over and over (and over and over and over) again.

I have really enjoyed the approach to this topic. I’m a millennial American who has been curious about the Troubles, but never really knew where to start learning about it. The host does such a fantastic job of presenting events with a straightforward approach, telling both sides, and seems to do his best to keep personal biases out of his storytelling. The story of Richard Moore (told by Richard Moore himself) brought me to tears. Can’t recommend highly enough.

Well researched and presented. There is an issue with the audio for me. The quality of the broadcast is difficult for me to hear and understand. It would help if the narrator would speak instead of whispering.

Very in depth yet accessible podcast covering a region and era that I know little about. Looking forward to more.

Such a well rounded look at this time period. Thanks Oisin!

Provides a great summary outline of events during the troubles for any of us who’ve ever struggled to understand the situation.

I love your podcast. I’m of Irish Catholic descent... my parents/grandparents always talked about the troubles.. it’s so interesting to hear the stories. Thank you for sharing and I love your voice! Can’t wait to hear more stories.

Unbelievable. Very great

I have learned so much!!!!

The Troubles podcast is very very informative...tells just the events ..doesn’t take a side or justify actions. This is The Top podcast on this very divisive and potentially explosive emotionally subject.I can not recommend this high enough!

This is well made account of the touchstone incidents in the troubles. Concise but informative episodes.

This podcast is extensively researched and extremely well presented. Anyone with an interest in this period of Irish / UK history or even in current events in Ireland should listen to this podcast series as it provides deep context that is clearly explained.

My mom grew up in Northern Ireland in the 70s and I was recently motivated to learn more about the Troubles to connect with her history, especially after watching Derry Girls and The Crown with her. This podcast is an amazing overview of the violence on both sides of the conflict. It’s incredibly well researched and presented; Oisin has an engaging voice and tone. Highly recommend to anyone interested in learning more about this time period.

the episodes are concise, well written and researched scenes of irish history that are easily digestible. the narrators pleasant voice and storytelling pace will keep from putting you to sleep. definitely worth while, the patreon provides additional recommendations and information if any particular topic peaks your interest.