Hello and welcome to the Irish History Podcast. My name is Finn DeWire.

There's a 1916 rising. Remains one of the most important events in Irish history, but

it's easy to forget that it took place in a city that over 300,000 people called home.

In this podcast originally released over three years ago, I explored the city on the

eve of the rising, revealing what it was like to live in early 20th century Dublin. We

would hear what the city sounded like, what it looked like, even how it smelled by following

the city corner, Dr. Louis A. Byrne, as he went about a day's work. He and his contemporaries

would find Dublin in the 2020s almost unrecognizable, but as you are about to hear over the next

30 minutes, their Dublin would have been as equally strange and bewildering to us.

Now last week, I mentioned my new walking tour that takes place in Wardford,

a city packed with history, where some of the most important events in our past took place.

Wardford was, after all, where the Vikings established a key foothold back all the way in 914.

It was stormed by strongbo in the early stages of the Norman Conquest. Then Cromwell's

armies would lay siege to the city, not once, but twice. During this fascinating tour,

we'll visit the city walls, graveyards, and even some of Wardford's more notorious slums

of the early 20th century. Now this would be more than just a normal walking tour,

it's an experience that allows you to immerse yourself in the past for two hours.

At the start of the tour, you'll be given a wireless device and headset,

so as we explore the city, you'll hear the sounds of Wardford, as it was in the past,

and hear the voices of the people who shaped its history. All told, it's a pretty unique experience.

You can get tickets and check out a video that explores some of the stops,

at the link in the show notes below. The first tour takes place on Saturday, June 24th,

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