Irish Imperial Lives

RTÉ Radio 1•www.rte.ie

From workhouse girls to colonial Governors, and from Tangiers to Tasmania, Kate O'Malley and Abie Philbin Bowman uncover the fascinating stories of Irish people whose lives were shaped by their service in, or agitation against, the British Empire.

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Episodes

Lambert Blair: Teenage Trader to Slave Plantation Owner

Aug 22, 2025•28 min

Richard Wellesley: Ireland’s Forgotten Napoleon

Abie Philbin Bowman and Kate O’Malley uncover the story of Richard Wellesley, a Meath man who conquered more of India than Napoleon did in Europe. A supporter of Catholic Emancipation and opponent of slavery, he was later overshadowed by his brother. His legacy includes ties to King Charles III and Daniel O’Connell’s Ireland.

Aug 15, 2025•29 min

Musketeers, Maids and Memoirists: The Irish in Imperial Russia

Abie Philbin Bowman and Kate O’Malley explore the Irish who shaped Romanov Russia, from General Peter de Lacy’s bold campaigns to the Wilmot sisters of Cork, who bonded with Enlightenment figure Princess Dashkova. They also uncover servant Eleanor Cavanagh’s letters describing life among Russia’s serfs and palaces.

Aug 08, 2025•28 min

Grace O’Malley: Pirate, Chieftain, Traitor?

Kate O’Malley and Abie Philbin Bowman explore the fact, fiction and folklore of ‘Pirate Queen’ Grace O’Malley. Did she meet Queen Elizabeth I? Kidnap a lord’s grandson? How did she handle growing British power, and how many marriages did Gaelic law allow? From Trad Wife to Girl Boss, Grace’s story is full of surprises.

Aug 01, 2025•28 min

Kamala Harris's link to Irish slave owner Hamilton Brown

We explore a family link acknowledged by Kamala Harris's father, to Hamilton Brown. Brown travelled from Ireland to Jamaica in the 1700s to work as a bookkeeper. He acquired several plantations farmed by enslaved people. As momentum built to abolish the trade, Brown strove to undermine the abolitionist cause and was paid considerable compensation.

Aug 20, 2024•12 min

Charles Tegart, Police Intelligence Officer

Born in Derry, Charles Tegart abandoned his studies in TCD, to join the Indian Police. A keen linguist and master of disguise, Tegart frequently met his contacts at night, dressed in turban and beard as a Sikh taxi driver. He survived multiple assassination attempts. Later his work took him to War of Independence Ireland and Palestine.

Aug 06, 2024•28 min

Charles Gavan Duffy, Premier of Victoria

Born to a poor Catholic family in Monaghan, Charles Gavan Duffy worked as a journalist, agitator for tenants’ rights, and MP. His failing health and political influence, led him to emigrate to Australia in the 1850s. Greeted as a political celebrity, he was elected to the Parliament of Victoria, serving as a Minister, State Premier and Speaker.

Jul 30, 2024•28 min

The Irish of The Caribbean: Slave Owners and Whistle Blowers

Kerryman David Tuohy captained four ships transporting enslaved Africans to the Caribbean. Dublin sailor James Field Stanfield provided testimony to the abolitionists. As Governor of Jamaica, Howe Peter Browne tried to end enslavement. Kay Donnellan and Frances Cahill went to Trinidad to teach, but were imprisoned for political agitation.

Jul 23, 2024•28 min

Commodore John Barry

Wexford born John Barry fled the Penal Laws as a cabin boy aboard his uncle’s ship. At 15 he sailed to Philadelphia. When the 13 colonies declared independence, Barry captured the first British Navy ship for the Americans, rescued vital supplies of gunpowder and led a stealth mission to resupply George Washington’s starving army at Valley Forge.

Jul 16, 2024•28 min

The Famine Orphan Girls sent to Australia

Between 1848 and 1850 over 4,000 girls were sent from Irish workhouses out to Australia, as part of a British scheme to help populate the colony. They were met with prejudice and hostility, described as ‘ignorant creatures' barely able 'to distinguishing the inside from the outside of a potato’. We trace the story of one, Eliza Fraiser.

Jul 09, 2024•28 min

William O’Brien, Second Earl of Inchiquin

Born in Cork, O'Brien was imprisoned in the Tower of London as a child. Fighting for the French in Catalonia, he was captured by Algerian pirates, lost an eye and was taken hostage. Later he served as Governor of two imperial outposts: Tangiers, which he struggled to defend, and Jamaica, where he faced a revolt by enslaved workers.

Jul 02, 2024•28 min

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