BBC Radio Podcasts from Year ‘21
Episode 48: The Phoenix
Dr Éamon Phoenix reveals how his grandfather nearly died in the violence of 1921
Episode 46: The Presence of the Past
As Armistice Day approaches the poppy emerges as a symbol of remembrance - and division.
Episode 25: The District Inspector
Meet DI Nixon- alleged to be the head of a police gang carrying out reprisals in 1921
Episode 12: The Beautiful Game
One hundred years ago, soccer became a political football in the run up to partition.
Episode 11: The Barracks Boys
Who was in charge of policing in Ireland in 1921?
Episode 3: The Backstop
How the threat of Home Rule led to a divide in unionism in Ireland
Episode 18: The Long Fellow
Hero or villain, it’s impossible to overestimate the influence of Eamon de Valera
Episode 36: The King's Guard
Listener Mary Kiely recalls her family's past brush with royalty and present-day tragedy.
Episode 50: The End of the Beginning
The Irish delegation agrees to sign up to the Anglo-Irish Treaty.
Episode 49: The Oath of Allegiance
It’s crunch time in the Treaty talks – can the Irish agree to an Oath of Allegiance?
Episode 47: The Courting Rituals
As legal powers transfer to Northern Ireland Declan and Tara find themselves in court.
Episode 45: The Food Fight
Prime Minister Lloyd George is forced into transferring powers to Stormont
Episode 44: The Blacklist
The Belfast Boycott begins to bite with many businesses struggling to stay afloat.
Epsiode 43: The Talking Begins Part II
As talks begin, it is clear one side is vastly more experienced than the other
Episode 42: The Talking Begins
The Irish arrive in London for treaty talks - and leave a fascinating record of the trip.
Episode 41: The Parting of the Ways
The new border poses a particular problem for the rail networks
Episode 40: The National Treasures
Irish leader de Valera accepts an invitation to peace talks with the British in London
Episode 39: The Children of the Revolution
Until now, little has been known about how children were affected by the turmoil of 1921
Episode 38: The Lamplighter
A man employed to keep streetlamps lit in Belfast tells of his narrow brushes with death
Episode 37: Le Ministre
NI's first Minister of Education takes charge of a schooling system in crisis
Episode 35: The Southern Protestants
Why did so many Protestants leave Southern Ireland after partition?
Episode 34: The Religious Divide
How important was the influence of the churches in the partition of Ireland?
Episode 33: The Other Women
The history books have little to say about 1921's women. These are some of their stories.
Episode 32: The Spies
Men and women spying for Ireland get to the heart of British government
Episode 31: The Pharmacist
1921 changes everything for thousands of Irish citizens- including a Belfast pharmacist
Episode 30: The Prison Camp
Ballykinlar is chosen as the first internment camp in Ireland
Episode 29: The Truce and the Twelfth
A truce is agreed in the War of Independence as the Orange Order celebrates the Twelfth
Episode 28: The Bloodiest Day in Belfast
Seventeen die in battles between the IRA, police and loyalists in Belfast's Bloody Sunday
Episode 27: The Ambush
Four men and dozens of horses are killed in an IRA ambush near the south Armagh border
Episode 26: The King's Speech
A momentuous day for Northern Ireland as the King attends the State opening of parliament
Episode 24: The First Sitting
Northern Ireland's new MPs gather for the first sitting of the new Parliament in Belfast.
Episode 23: The Burning of the Custom House
A vivid eyewitness account to a key event in Ireland's War of Independence
Episode 22: The North Poll
The people of Northern Ireland finally get their say in the State's very first election
Episode 21: The Periodicals
As elections are being held north and south, how are British newspapers reporting events?
Episode 20: The Numbers Game
Politicians are preparing for an election. Well, two, actually…one for each parliament
Episode 19: The Big Day?
On the week in which some historians say NI came into being, Craig and de Valera meet.
Episode 17: The Lawmakers and the Lawbreakers
Politicians in Westminster breathe a sigh of relief over “The Irish Question”
Episode 16: The Belfast Pogrom
Belfast is midway through a terror campaign in which almost 500 people will die
Episode 15: The First PM
How James Craig came to be the architect and the first Prime Minister of Northern Ireland
Episode 14: The Yard
The expulsion of thousands of workers from Belfast shipyard sparks sectarian warfare
Episode 13: The 'Lost' Counties
Why three counties of Ulster are left behind as the new Northern Ireland is created.
Episode 10: The Big Fellow
Revolutionary, soldier, strategist, politician - the many sides of Michael Collins
Episode 9: The Doctor and the Lion King
Tara and Declan learn about those involved in the spiralling violence across Ireland.
Episode 8: The Big Picture
Tara and Declan go to the cinema – not for the main feature, but to watch the newsreels.
Episode 7: The Priest Hunter
The rise and fall of the political career of leading light of nationalism, Joseph Devlin
Episode 6: The Lady
Tara and Declan hear about the English aristocrat who travelled to the Shankill Road
Episode 5: The Witness
Three policemen are shot in an attack key to the growth of the IRA in Belfast
Episode 4: The Uncrowned King of Ulster
Declan and Tara look back at the life and death of Sir Edward Carson.
Episode 2: The Midwife
The story of how a little-known civil servant was key to creating Northern Ireland
Episode 1: The Table
Declan Harvey and Tara Mills tell the story of the creation of Northern Ireland.
Rules of Engagement
A guide for how to enjoy Year ‘21