What Were We Like
Episodes
The Fearsome Ruler of Catholic Ireland: John Charles McQuaid (Part 1)
01 Jun 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The powerful and fearsome John Charles McQuaid was the archbishop of Dublin from 1940 to the early 1970s, and was described as the ruler of Catholic I...
By Elections That Shaped Ireland (Part 2)
23 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
More giants of Irish politics feature in this episode. Enda Kenny – was he lucky, was he devoid of strong convictions, was he Fine Gael's most succe...
The Bi-Elections That Shaped Ireland (Part 1)
18 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
With by-elections in the air, Diarmaid and Catriona look back at some of the most significant ones in Irish history. Part one features big beasts Sean...
The History of The Tricolour (Part 3)
11 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This episode charts the Tricolour's 20th Century evolution: its formal adoption in 1937; getting the Brits to return the Tricolour that flew over the ...
The History of The Tricolour (Part 2)
04 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Patrick Pearse’s dramatic ‘The fools, the fools’ speech at Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa’s funeral was a key moment in the story of Ireland’s f...
The History of The Tricolour (Part 1)
27 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Who owns The Tricolour? Over the last year it has appeared on polls and lampposts all over Ireland – put there by anti-immigration campaigners, caus...
A President Comes to Town - Reagan in Ireland
20 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
June 1984, and Ronald Reagan, the controversial, transformative Republican President of the United States visits Ireland. Opposition is widespread, an...
Fianna Fáil: "The Devil" Takes Power (Part 3)
13 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
General election campaigns in the early years of the State were utterly vicious, with fresh cow dung, sticks, and nasty insults being hurled about as ...
Fianna Fáil: Take your seats, but no drinking in the Dáil bar (Part 2)
06 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Having won instant success in their first election, the Soldiers Of Destiny are faced with an intractable dilemma – how to take their Dáil seats wh...
Hard men and blood sacrifices: the birth of Fianna Fáil
30 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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Political insults - F*ck you Deputy Stagg, F*CK YOU!
23 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Political insults part 2/2. The civil war is well in the past, but Irish politicians are still roaring at each other. From Paul Gogarty’s viral...
Political insults - From Communist to Corner boy
23 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Political insults part 1/2. Diarmaid Ferriter and Catriona Crowe look at the angriest and most bizarre Irish political insults of the last 100 years. ...
Ep 5 - Vision, symbolism and the Presidencies of Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese
23 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the final episode of What Were We Like, Diarmaid and Catriona talk about Ireland’s two female Presidents, Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese, and ho...
Ep 4 - Campaigns, characters and controversies (Part 2)
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the fourth episode of What Were We Like?, Diarmaid and Catriona talk about Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh’s remarkable offer to swap places with kidnap vi...
Ep 3 - Campaigns, characters and controversies (Part 1)
20 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the third episode of What Were We Like?, Diarmaid and Catriona talk about how Douglas Hyde was removed as a patron by the GAA for attending a socce...
Ep 2 - Brian Lenihan, Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh, and the two most important powers the President has
14 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In episode two of What Were We Like?’s special series on the history of the Presidency, Diarmaid and Catriona take a deep dive into the two most cri...
Ep 1 - What can the President actually do?
14 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the first episode of What Were We Like?’s special five-part series on the history of the Presidency, Diarmaid Ferriter and Catriona Crowe talk ab...
Preview with Diarmaid Ferriter and Catriona Crowe
10 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Diarmaid Ferriter and Catriona Crowe bring us on a journey through the hidden histories, humanity and humour of our past. In this first mini series, t...