The IRA & the Battle for America

Irish History Podcast

Fin Dwyer

History, Interviews, War Of Independence, Ireland, Norman Invasion, Vikings, Great Famine, Great Hunger, Irish History

4.7 • 1.8K Ratings

🗓️ 27 March 2026

⏱️ 38 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

“Keep handing it to the Micks. The Roman Catholic Irish are, and always have been, the only un-Americanised people in the United States.”

These words came from a supporter of Admiral William S. Sims, an ardent opponent of Irish republicans in the United States in the 1920s. This episode of Brothers in Pain explores the crucial battle for American public opinion during the Irish War of Independence.

While the equivalent of over one hundred million dollars was raised for republican organisations and for victims of the war of independence in Ireland, there was also strong opposition to Irish independence in the United States. Leading American politicians regarded Britain as a key ally, while groups like the Ku Klux Klan despised what they saw as immigrant politics. This podcast tells the history of this crucial battleground in the Irish War of Independence. Brothers in Pain is a groundbreaking series by Dr Brian Hanley that explores the international dimensions of the Irish War of Independence.

Written, Researched & Narrated by Dr Brian Hanley

Producer Fin Dwyer

Sound Kate Dunlea

Note from Brian :

In researching these episodes I have been indebted to the work of the following scholars;

Anna Lively, Sam McGrath, Bruce Nelson, Terry Dunne, David Brundage, Niamh Coffey, Gerard Shannon, Maurice Casey, Kelly Anne Reynolds, Chris McNickle, Joe Doyle, Liz Gillis, FM Carroll, Patrick Mannion, Jimmy Yann, Niall Cullen, Pádraig Óg Ó Ruairc, Keith Jeffrey, Arthur Mitchell, John Borgonovo, Kate O’Malley, Michael Doorley, Robin Adams, Kevin Kenny, Fearghal McGarry, Catherine M. Burns, Síobhra Aiken, Patrick J. Mahony, Darragh Gannon, Matthew Pratt Guterl and James R. Barrett.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Kill Michael, Solahead Begg and Bloody Sunday are among some of the most famous events in the Irish War of Independence.
0:11.0	However, at the time in the 1920s, Irish Republicans saw the battle for American public opinion as equally important as any engagement in Ireland.
0:27.2	Now this aspect of the conflict is often presented as a fair complie as if American support for Irish republicanism was inevitable.
0:30.7	In reality, that's far too simplistic.
0:33.8	And this episode explores the phenomenal support Irish Republicans did receive in America,
0:39.0	but also the opposition they faced. For example, in Washington, many American politicians
0:44.7	viewed the United Kingdom as their natural ally. Meanwhile, Irish Republicans also faced
0:50.5	resistance from the Ku Klux Klan, which was at the height of its power in the early
0:54.8	20s, while Irish Unionists were also active in the United States seeking support for their
1:00.6	cause. Now this podcast also explores how Irish Republicans had to appeal not only to Irish
1:06.7	America, but also to Chinese, Jewish and African American communities, many of whom rallied
1:12.6	to their cause. The story of the Irish War of Independence in the US, as you're about to hear,
1:18.9	is a lot more complicated than we often imagine.
1:26.9	Hello and welcome to the Irish History podcast. My name is Finn DeWire and this is the second episode in the groundbreaking series Brothers in Pain.
1:36.3	Presented by Dr Brian Hanley, the series explores the global dimensions to the Irish War of Independence and how the IRA sought allies beyond Ireland.
1:46.2	Much of the series is framed by the aftermath of the First World War and while this episode
1:51.3	looks at the role of the United States, the next show examines the other side of that story
1:57.7	in many respects as we travel east to the Soviet Union where centuries of Roman
2:02.8	rule have been swept aside in the Russian Revolution and other direct consequence of the
2:08.4	First World War. Make sure you're subscribed to the podcast to get that episode when it drops.
2:14.5	Now this series is presented by Dr. Brian Hanley of Trinity College Dublin. Brian is a
2:19.4	widely acclaimed historian of the Irish Republican movement in the 20th century and he's published
	...

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