LISTEN: Irish revolutionary airbrushed out of history, Muriel MacSwiney

The fascinating, intriguing and complex figure who was an Irish revolutionary and a communists but Muriel MacSwiney is today only remembered as the wife of Lord Mayor of Cork, Terence.

The Irish revolutionary  and communist Muriel MacSwiney has been airbrushed from history. She is today remembered for one thing - her marriage to the famous Lord Mayor of Cork Terence McSwiney.

However Muriel herself was a fascinating, intriguing and complex figure. This podcast looks at her life story from her early years in a wealthy Cork family through her experiences of World War I which radicalized her.

Indeed while she is a neglected figure today, in 1920 Muriel was a world famous figure. Huge crowds turned out to greet her when she arrived in the USA in 1920. She would even become the first woman to receive the freedom of New York.

While she would become a militant Irish republican and communist, Muriel's life had very different origins. She was born in 1892 into an extremely wealthy Cork family and grew up surrounded by wealth and servants. However in 1915 she rejected the life privilege that lay ahead of her. In the following years she would throw herself into the struggle for Irish Independence. In 1920 she would become a central figure in a hunger strike in 1920 that was a pivotal moment in the war of Independence.

This podcast, the first of two which look at the forgotten life of Muriel MacSwiney, focuses on her early years and politicization. Next weeks show will look at her later life.

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Created by Fin Dwyer, “This Week in Irish History” is Ireland's newest podcast series. Released weekly the podcast covers sieges, battles, assassinations, and scandals from the last thousand years of our history. Next week the topic is the first English royal visit to Ireland which took place in 1171. This is a fascinating story which would prove to be one of the most important events in Irish history. You can subscribe to 'This Week in Irish History' today via iTunes or Spotify.

Read more: Three Irish podcasts to make your fall commute easier

* Fin Dwyer is a historian, author, and creator of The Irish History Podcast. Over the last seven years, he has been creating free podcasts which makes Irish history accessible to new audiences. He has covered diverse topics from the Middle Ages to the modern history. He is currently focusing on the story of the Great Hunger. With over three million individual downloads, the show is one of Ireland's most popular podcasts. You can find his podcast on iTunes.

This article was submitted to the IrishCentral contributors network by a member of the global Irish community. To become an IrishCentral contributor click here.

This article was submitted to the IrishCentral contributors network by a member of the global Irish community. To become an IrishCentral contributor click here.