Wellington and Ireland
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Talking History with Patrick Gagan. Вис Is news talk? We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight in the hills, we shall never surrender. And out of that silence came thousands of voices. A strategy of the white man has always been divided countries. That's one small step for man. А уктирой агас. I call you.
Good evening and welcome. We're Talking History on News Talk 106 108 with me, Patrick Gagan. In tonight's show, we're exploring the life and times of the Irish man who defeated Napoleon and became Prime Minister of Britain, the Duke of Wellington, and we'll be debating his complicated relationship with this country. You can send us your thoughts and comments to talkinghistory at newstalk.com. This year is the one hundred and sixty-fifth anniversary of The opening of the Wellington Monument in Dublin, and in tonight's show we want to explore the life, legacy, and relationship with Ireland of the Duke of Wellington. Arthur Wellesley, later the Duke of Wellington, was born in Dublin in 1769 into the Anglo Irish Protestant ascendancy.
He would go on to become one of the most famous military commanders in European history, defeating Napoleon at Waterloo in 1855. And becoming one of the defining figures of 19th century Britain. But Ireland never entirely disappeared from his story. He served as Chief Secretary for Ireland and as Prime Minister forced through Catholic emancipation in 1829. And so in tonight's show, we want to explore the life, legacy, and complicated relationship with Ireland of the Duke of Wellington. And to help me do this, I'm delighted to To welcome our panel of experts. Dr. Sheila McGuckian is an historian and lawyer with a D Phil from Oxford and a PhD in history from University College Dublin. She's the author of the wonderful new book Anglesey in Ireland, 1828 to 1833.
Gareth Glover is a former Royal Navy officer and one of the leading military historians of the Napoleonic Wars, with more than 40 years spent studying Wellington and his armies. He is the author of numerous acclaimed works, including With Wellington's Cavalry, Waterloo Myth and Reality, and the multi-volume The Waterloo Archive. Professor Michael Browers is emeritus professor of Western European history at Lady Margaret Hall at the University of Oxford and is one of the world's leading historians of Napoleonic Europe. He is the author of the acclaimed three-volume biography Napoleon, as well as Europe under Napoleon. And he's also the editor of Volume One of the Cambridge History of the Napoleonic Wars.
Well, you're all very welcome. And Sheila, I might begin with you, and I might begin with the Irishness of Wellington. Because despite being born in Ireland, he's never really recognized as an as an Irishman. But it's something that I think hangs over. It's a shadow that hangs over his legacy.
I think that's very true. Um he certainly didn't say it, and it wouldn't have reflected his sympathies or his opinions at all. He was one one of the issues with him in in Ireland in recent years was the fact that he was part of the Anglo Irish, the Protestant minority class that was ruling Ireland at that time. And he did actually spend uh of his first forty years, Ireland was. was very much his centre of gravity, although during those years he you know, he spent seven years in India where he really made his reputation, and he also was educated Partly. He was in initially educated in Ireland and actually In White's Academy, uh down on Grafton Street, where Beauley's is now very close to us here. But he then did his secondary education, firstly in Eton in London, and then in umges in France at a military academy.
But on every occasion he came back to Ireland at that time, because although the family was disengaging from Ireland because they had lost uh their father had lost his money and they had to sell their estate. It was still the place where they had most influence and most connections. So, you know, over those years um he he would go abroad, he he quite often would end up um actually fighting battles, but when they were done, the place to which he came back was Ireland.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:01–6:37
2
What is the background of Arthur Wellesley’s early life and Irish upbringing?
6:37–17:38
3
How did Wellington’s Irish education and early appointments shape his career?
17:38–29:43
4
What were the key differences between Wellington’s and Napoleon’s military strategies?
29:43–46:32
5
How did Wellington’s tactics and logistics lead to victory at Waterloo?
46:32–52:13