Irish history is dominated by political upheaval, war and revolution, arguably for good reason.

But one of the things I love about making this show is that it gives me the chance to explore lesser known corners of our past.

And today's episode is exactly one of those,

because we're going to dive into the history of menageries in Ireland.

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, these were travelling exhibitions of wild animals,

which toured towns and cities across the country. As you'll hear, these weren't quite zoos nor circuses, but they did

bring lions, tigers, elephants and other animals from across the world into marketplaces,

fairgrounds and urban streets in Ireland. For many people, these were the first and often only

glimpse they would get of what were considered far-flung regions.

Now the story of these menageries opens a fascinating window onto entertainment in Ireland at the time.

It also touches on bigger themes such as empire, popular curiosity about distant nans,

along with the risks of keeping dangerous animals in crowded streets and also the beginnings of concern around animal welfare.

Hello and welcome to the Irish History podcast.

My name is Fenduer.

Now my guest today is historian Karina Holton.

Karina completed her PhD at DCU and has published widely on 18th and 19th century Ireland.

She's the author of Valentine Lawless Lord Cloncurry 1773 to 1853, from United Irishman to liberal politician.

I'll link that in the show notes below. But today's episode is based on a fascinating article she wrote,

entitled A Most Curious Collection of Foreign Beasts, Menageries in Ireland, 1790 to 1840.

Now, until I read that article, I knew very little about the world of travelling animal exhibitions.

But once I did read it, I knew I had to get Carina on the show. It's a really fascinating subject.

Now, if you do want to read Carina's article, I also have that linked in the show notes below.

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