The First Modern Royal Visit to Ireland
Irish History Podcast
Fin Dwyer
4.7 • 1.8K Ratings
🗓️ 6 September 2023
⏱️ 23 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In 1821 George IV was the first British monarch to visit Ireland in modern times. It was a historic occasion for multiple reasons. Not only was he the first king to set foot on Irish soil since the 17th century but he was the first to do so without an army.
Many held out hope the king's arrival might usher in a new era in Irish history.
However George himself had other ideas. Beginning as he meant to continue, George was dead drunk on arrival. The following weeks were defined by pomp, ceremony and scandal - everything we have come to expect from a modern royal visit.
This show is based on research for my upcoming book that never made the final cut.
The book, A Lethal Legacy - A History of Ireland in 18 Murders, will be released on 14 September. You can still pre-order your copy today and get 10% off when you use the code FD10 at Eason.com.
The article referenced in the show by Karina Holton is entitled ‘All our joys will be complated’: The visit of George IV to Ireland, 1821. Its available in Irish Historical Studies, 44(166), 248-269.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Hey folks, just a quick heads up before you dive into the episode. |
| 0:03.6 | My new book, Alita Legacy, a history of Ireland in 18 murders is coming out on September |
| 0:08.4 | the 14th. |
| 0:09.5 | You can still pre-order your copy today, or if you're going to be in Dublin next week, |
| 0:13.8 | it will be great to see you at the launch. |
| 0:15.8 | It's on at 6pm on Thursday, September the 14th in Hodges figures. |
| 0:20.8 | That's 6pm on September the 14th in Hodges figures on Dawson Street in the city center. |
| 0:26.2 | Swing in on your way home from work, it'll be a great event. |
| 0:28.8 | Sure, see you there. |
| 0:59.7 | Feel good, travel. |
| 1:14.3 | As the sun rose on Sunday, August 12th, 1821, Dublin prepared for what promised to be |
| 1:21.3 | one of the largest celebrations in the city in living memory. |
| 1:25.5 | It had been over a century since a raining British Mara could set foot on Irish soil, |
| 1:31.0 | but King George IV was expected to arrive in the port of Donnery later that afternoon. |
| 1:37.5 | Throughout that Sunday morning, a constant stream of people could be seen leaving the city |
| 1:42.4 | and making the seven mile trek to the port where the Royal Flotilla was due to dock. |
| 1:48.6 | First on, the pageantry and sense of occasion was molded enough, but for the more politically |
| 1:54.2 | minded, they made the journey in anticipation that the King's arrival potentially hurled |
| 1:59.2 | it a new era in Irish history. |
| 2:02.4 | George IV would be the first British monarch to visit Ireland without an army, and for |
| 2:08.2 | some at least this infused deep political symbolism in the event. |
| 2:13.4 | They saw the potential that his arrival could begin a new peaceful chapter in Anglo-Irish |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Fin Dwyer, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Fin Dwyer and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.