Today my guest is award winning author and journalist Clodagh Finn. Clodagh has worked for various Irish newspapers, including the Irish Examiner and the Irish Independent and she is known for her insightful writing on social issues, culture, and current affairs. Clodagh has recently written Through Her Eyes – A New History of Ireland in 21 Women which tells the story of twenty-one remarkable women who have helped shape Ireland’s history. Clodagh’s book is an inspiring read and I was keen to have her on as a guest, so I hope you are sitting comfortably and happy to stay with us.
We started our chat with Clodagh explaining the story behind her book (03:42), why she wanted to tell the story not only of the women themselves, but also of the world they lived in (07:41), and how she decided on whom to include or leave out (11:04). We then focused on three of the twenty-one women featured in Clodagh’s book, with our first woman being the Woman of the Burren who lived in the west of Ireland over five thousand years ago (14:00). We then moved on to the story of Aoife MacMurrough who was an Irish noblewoman, Princess of Leinster and daughter of Dermot MacMurrough, King of Leinster in the 12th century (23:10), and we finished with Jennie Hodgers who lived most of her life as a man called Albert Cashier and served in the American Civil War (34:30). Towards the end of our chat I asked Clodagh about her future projects (44:22) and what she is reading and watching at the moment (44:57).
Show Notes
- History Through her Eyes at Gill Books
- Clodagh at The Irish Examiner Newspaper
- Clodagh on Instagram
- Clodagh on Twitter
- For more, hear my conversations with Shannon Tobin, Prof. Jennie Batchelor and Prof. Pat O’Connor
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