580. The Irish Civil War: The Assassination of Sir Henry Wilson (Part 1)

The Rest Is History

Goalhanger

History

4.6 • 18.6K Ratings

🗓️ 6 July 2025

⏱️ 49 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Who was Sir Henry Wilson, and how was he shockingly murdered in 1922? Who ordered it? What was his attitude to the question of Irish Home Rule? Why has death been compared to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, whose death triggered the First World War? How did he garner the undying enmity of British Prime Minister, Herbert Henry Asquith? What was Wilson’s reputation in Ireland then, and how has it endured to this day? And, how did Wilson’s unexpected death impact the future of Irish independence? In this week’s episode, Tom and Dominic are joined by historian Ronan McGreevy, to discuss the pivotal assassination of Sir Henry Wilson, whose death launched the tumultuous Irish Civil War. The Rest Is History Club: Become a member for exclusive bonus content, early access to full series and live show tickets, ad-free listening, our exclusive newsletter, discount book prices on titles mentioned on the pod, and our members’ chatroom on Discord. Just head to therestishistory.com to sign up, or start a free trial today on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/therestishistory. For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett + Aaliyah Akude Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Thank you for listening to The Rest is History. For weekly bonus episodes, add free listening,
0:05.3	early access to series and membership of our much-loved chat community, go to the rest is history.com
0:12.1	and join the club. That is the rest is history.com.
0:17.8	Hello, I'm David Olusioga, and I host the Journey Through Time podcast with Professor Sarah Churchwell, which is proudly sponsored by Find My Past.
0:27.4	Each week, we delve into the past to explore how history has shaped the world today.
0:32.5	But history doesn't just live in books or archives. It lives in your bloodline, in the names passed down,
0:39.0	a signature on a wartime enlistment form, in records waiting to be found. That's why we've partnered
0:45.1	with Find My Past, a platform that helps uncover your family's place in history, with exclusive
0:51.8	access to British records that you won't find anywhere else,
0:55.6	from parish books, passenger lists and military roles to centuries of newspaper archives,
1:02.0	they bring real context to your past. Each record holds a detail. The detail brings life to light.
1:09.0	We've also launched a short survey to understand how people research their stories.
1:15.0	Your answers will help shape the next generation of family history tools.
1:20.1	To take part or start exploring, visit findmypassed.co.com.
1:24.1	U.K.
1:25.0	forward slash journey-th journey through hyphen time.
1:29.0	Your past is waiting.
1:30.5	It's time to meet it.
1:32.2	Rated T for teen.
1:33.5	Each year, thousands of adults lose their shred.
1:37.2	It's an epidemic simply known as shred loss,
1:39.7	but it doesn't have to be this way.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Goalhanger, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Goalhanger and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.