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Undercover Irish

Eolan Ryng

Undercover Irish is a podcast about Ireland's history, language, placenames and the stories that often get left out.

Named one of the Irish Examiner's Top 10 Irish Podcasts of 2025.

Episodes explore everything from forgotten places and revolutionary history to Gaeilge, Irish words and names, emigration, folklore and the links between Ireland and the wider world.

Undercover Irish; Uncovering Ireland's Hidden Curriculum.

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  • 23 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 30 min
  • English

Episodes 23

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  • S7 · E1
    March 3 · 23 min

    Why Britain Still Owns Part of Cyprus — And What Ireland Has To Do With It

    🎙️ Why Britain Still Owns Part of Cyprus — And What Ireland Has To Do With It When Cyprus appears in the headlines during a Middle East/West Asia war, most people ask: Why is Britain operating from there? The answer begins long before today's conflict — and it doesn't begin in Cyprus. It begins in Ireland. In this episode, we explore how Ireland's partition and the retention of the Treaty Ports in 1921 reveal a broader imperial strategy — one that reappears in Cyprus in 1960, when Britain granted independence but retained sovereign military bases at Akrotiri and Dhekelia. This isn't a conspiracy. It's a pattern. From the Government of Ireland Act (1920) to the Anglo-Irish Treaty (1921), from the Treaty Ports to the Sovereign Base Areas, we trace how partition and retained military footholds shaped two islands — and how those decisions still echo in today's geopolitics. Because sometimes empire doesn't disappear. Sometimes it leaves behind: A line. A base. A constitutional fault line. In This Episode Why Britain still controls territory in Cyprus The Government of Ireland Act (1920) and partition The Anglo-Irish Treaty (1921) and the Treaty Ports Why Ireland didn't control its full coastline until 1938 Cyprus under British rule (1878–1960) The Zurich & London Agreements (1959–1960) The creation of the Sovereign Base Areas The 1974 Turkish invasion and the Green Line How "minority protection" becomes political architecture What sovereignty really means Key Dates 1801 – Act of Union 1920 – Government of Ireland Act 1921 – Anglo-Irish Treaty 1922 – Irish Free State established 1938 – Treaty Ports returned 1878 – Britain assumes control of Cyprus 1960 – Cyprus independence & Sovereign Base Areas retained 1974 – Turkish invasion & effective partition 1983 – Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus declared Why This Matters Now Cyprus remains strategically vital in modern conflicts. But its importance isn't new. It's the continuation of a withdrawal strategy first visible in Ireland — where independence came with conditions, and sovereignty arrived in stages. Understanding Ireland helps us understand Cyprus. And understanding both helps us understand how empires leave. Support the Podcast If you enjoy Undercover Irish, please: Follow / Subscribe Leave a rating or review Share the episode with someone who thinks partition was inevitable

  • S6 · E2
    February 14 · 30 min

    Henry Browne Hayes: From Vernon Mount to Vaucluse (Part 2)

    🎙️ From Vernon Mount to Vaucluse: Exile, Empire & What Remains Undercover Irish – Episode 2 Henry Browne Hayes was sentenced to transportation for life. But exile did not humble him. In this second part of the series, we follow Hayes from Ireland to Australia — from convict ship to colonial estate — and examine how power adapts even when it is supposedly punished. Along the way, we encounter Irish political prisoners, Freemasonry in the early colony, the Rum Rebellion, a dramatic shipwreck, and the unfinished legacy of both empire and rebellion. And at the centre of it all remains Mary Pike. 🔎 In This Episode The convict ship Atlas and Hayes's bribed passage Irish political prisoners transported after 1798 Tristram Moore and other United Irishmen in New South Wales Early Freemasonry in Australia The attempted lodge of 1803 Vaucluse House and its convict origins The Rum Rebellion (1808) Governor William Bligh and the New South Wales Corps Hayes's exile to Newcastle (Coal River) The role of Governor Lachlan Macquarie The controversial pardon The wreck of the Isabella in 1813 Joseph Holt's account of the disaster Hayes's return to Cork The long shadow over Mary Pike's life Modern-day legacies in Ireland and Australia

  • S6 · E1
    February 14 · 35 min

    Henry Browne Hayes: Power, Privilege and The Abduction of Mary Pike (Part 1)

    🎙️ Henry Browne Hayes: Power, Privilege & the Abduction of Mary Pike Undercover Irish – Episode 1 Undercover Irish | Patreon Eolan Ryng (@undercoverirish) • Instagram photos and videos In late 18th-century Cork, a wealthy magistrate named Henry Browne Hayes stood on the quay and watched Irish prisoners being transported to Australia. A decade later, he would join them. This episode explores one of the most extraordinary criminal cases in Irish history — the 1797 abduction of Mary Pike, a wealthy Cork heiress, and the fall of a man who believed the law existed to serve him. Set against the backdrop of the Protestant Ascendancy, the Penal Laws, and the social hierarchy of pre-Union Ireland, this is a story about power, gender, class, and what happened when privilege finally collided with consequence. 🔎 In This Episode Life in Cork under the Protestant Ascendancy Transportation from Ireland to Australia in the 18th century The case of Michael Lamb — poverty and exile Vernon Mount and the architecture of elite power Financial decline and social pressure among Ascendancy families The abduction of Mary Pike in 1797 The culture of "abduction clubs" among wealthy Irish men The pursuit led by Cooper Penrose The role of barber Coghlan and the Grand Parade reward houses The courtroom battle led by John Philpot Curran The precedent of Strange & Byrne The guilty verdict The sentence: transportation for life ⚖️ The Crime That Shocked Cork Mary Pike was not just any young woman. She was one of the wealthiest heiresses in Cork — connected to powerful mercantile families. When Henry Browne Hayes abducted her in an attempt to force a marriage, he assumed status would shield him. He was wrong. The case electrified Cork society. It raised uncomfortable questions about class, entitlement, and the treatment of women in 18th-century Ireland. If this could happen to an heiress — what happened to women without wealth or influence? 🏛️ Ireland Under the Protestant Ascendancy This episode also explores the wider social order that shaped Hayes: Land confiscation and elite control The Penal Laws The justice system's uneven application The intersection of gender and class Henry Browne Hayes was not simply an individual criminal. He was a product of a political system that concentrated power — and protected its own. ⚓ Transportation to Australia Long before Hayes became a convict, he oversaw the transportation of others. Irish prisoners — many convicted for poverty-driven crimes — were sent to New South Wales as part of Britain's expanding penal empire. In one of history's sharpest ironies, Hayes would later be sentenced to the same fate. 📍 Locations Mentioned Vernon Mount, Cork Grand Parade (Sráid an Chapaill Buí), Cork Christ Church, South Main Street Shandon Street Early transport ships from Ireland to Australia 🎧 Why This Story Matters This is not just a tale of scandal. It is a case study in how power behaves when challenged. It forces us to ask: Was the law applied equally? Did wealth soften consequences? How were working-class women treated in the same society? And how much of that logic survives today? 🔔 Next Episode Henry Browne Hayes is found guilty and sentenced to transportation for life. But exile is not the end of his story. Next time: Australia, Freemasonry, the Rum Rebellion, a shipwreck in the South Atlantic — and the long shadow of Mary Pike. If you enjoy Undercover Irish and want to support independent Irish history storytelling, you can support the show on Patreon.

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