The By-Elections That Shaped Ireland (Part 1) episode artwork

EPISODE · May 18, 2026 · 37 MIN

The By-Elections That Shaped Ireland (Part 1)

from What Were We Like · host RTÉ

With by-elections in the air, Diarmaid and Catriona look back at some of the most significant ones in Irish history. Part one features big beasts Sean Lemass and Sean MacBride, as well as Ireland's most handsome communist. Lemass succeeded Dev and is credited with modernising Ireland, as well as smoking vast amounts of tobacco through a pipe. The more “exotic” MacBride founded Clann Na Poblachta and Amnesty International, but his abilities as a politician are questioned, and the roots of his unusual French accent considered. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published May 18, 2026

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The By-Elections That Shaped Ireland (Part 1)

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