Pegasus Media, the team behind RTÉ’s History Show, is proud to present two special anniversary lecture series new for 2026.
- 1916 And All That – 110 years after the Easter Rising, a reappraisal based on new research of the pivotal event in Ireland’s history.
- America At 250 – two and a half centuries after the 1776 Declaration of Independence, expert analysts consider the contribution made by an overwhelmingly migrant society to the political, military, economic, cultural, literary, social and sporting life of the world.
Heading the presenting team for the 2026 History Roadshow are Dr. Myles Dungan (RTÉ History Show), Flor Mac Carthy (Oireachtas TV; From Ireland to the Stars, RTÉ Radio), Dr. David McCullagh (Today Show, RTÉ), Professor Diarmaid Ferriter (UCD), Caitríona Perry (BBC News, Washington) and historian John Dorney, editor of The Irish Story website.
THE EASTER RISING – A REAPPRAISAL 1916 And All That takes advantage of new research published in the lead-up to the Decade of Centenaries to look in-depth at the background to the insurrection, the events of Easter Week, the aftermath of the surrender and the long term impact of the volunteer executions. Lectures include…
The Coming Storm (Dr. Myles Dungan)
This lecture looks at the background to the insurrection by examining the role of the Irish Republican brotherhood, the vital Irish American input and funding, the IRB Military Council and the efforts to enlist the aid of Germany. It will also examine the events of the weeks leading up to the rebellion – including the controversial countermanding order- and the role of Volunteer, Irish Citizens Army, and IRB leaders such as Patrick Pearse, James Connolly, Roger Casement, Tom Clarke, Sean McDiarmada and Eoin MacNeill.
Dublin, Easter Week 1916 (Liz Gillis)
An account of the events of Easter Week in Dublin from the mobilisation on Easter Monday (24 April) to the final surrender on 29 April, including the reading of the proclamation, the encirclement of the Volunteers by British forces, the ambush of the Sherwood Foresters at Mount Street Bridge, the shelling of the city centre by the Helga, the evacuation of the GPO, and the courage of Nurse Elizabeth O’Farrell.
The Courts Martial & Executions (Dr. Myles Dungan)
The aftermath of the Volunteer surrender. Death sentences are handed down on almost 100 Volunteers and Citizens’ Army members. The dubious structure of the courts martial. The Dublin executions, exacerbated by the subsequent trial of Roger Casement in London. The long term impact of the bloodletting.
Dead of the Irish Revolution (John Dorney)
Historian John Dorney, editor of The Irish Story website and co-author of The Irish Civil War Fatalities Project, reports on new work showing the full scale of casualties from 1916-21.
AMERICA AT 250
In the summer of 1776 Thomas Jefferson sat down to draft the American Declaration of Independence, a rousing document that would underpin the separation of the thirteen British colonies of North America from King George III. He, and the other ‘Founding Fathers’ of the United States, could have had no idea what would become of their fledgling democracy over the next two and a half centuries.
How did the United States of America progress from this to the most powerful country on the planet? Our team of experts, who have all shared in the American experience, will examine some of the positive decisions and egregious mistakes made across generations, while celebrating the contribution of an overwhelmingly migrant society to the political, military, economic, cultural, literary, social and sporting life of the world.
Lectures include…
By Dr. Myles Dungan…
How the Irish won the West
How not to celebrate a centennial – the 1876 fiasco of the Battle of the Little Bighorn The Strange Death of the American Western
The Golden Age of American Journalism
Hardboiled: American Crime Fiction from Chandler to Highsmith
‘Our Thing’: the rise of the American Mafia
Gangbusters: from the Pinkertons to the FBI
From Wild Bill to Mild Bill: the CIA and American intelligence
The Iron Horse: Building the transcontinental railroad
The Muckrakers: the early years of American investigative journalism
The Lincoln County War: Billy the Kid and the Irish Land War
Gunfighter Nation: Violence in the American West
‘The only good Injun…’ How the West was lost
‘Boots and Saddles’: the Army in the American West
Printing the legend: the writer and artists who created the myth of the American West
Twice a Fulbright scholar (U.C. Berkeley, 2007 & 2011) Myles Dungan holds a PhD in History from Trinity College, Dublin (2012). He is the presenter of The History Show on RTE Radio 1, Ireland’s national radio station and has authored many books on 19th century Irish history, the American west and the Great War. He is also Programme Director of the Hinterland Festival.
By Professor Diarmaid Ferriter…
“The Vanishing Irish: Emigration and Modern Irish History”
For the full HISTORY TALKS PROGRAMME 2026, contact info
Professor Diarmaid Ferriter
Between Two Hells: The Irish Civil War
The Revelation of Ireland, 1995-2020
Eamon de Valera: Life and Legacy
Occasions of Sin: Sex and Society in Modern Ireland
The Vanishing Irish: Emigration and Modern Irish History A Nation and Not a Rabble? The Irish Revolution 1913-1923 John Charles McQuaid’s Ireland
From Cullen to Connell: The Rise and Fall of the Irish Catholic Church Pig-ignorant slurry? Ireland in the 1980s
The Border: The Legacy of a Century of Anglo-Irish Relations
Scrambling for the Bones of the Patriot Dead: Commemorating the 1916 Rising Seán O’Casey and the Dublin that Made Him
The Irish Presidency: A tedious honour?
“Stepping Stones Out of Europe”: The Islands of the West
Diarmaid Ferriter is professor of modern Irish history at University College Dublin, and the author of multiple books on Irish history, including the 2024 best-seller, The Revelation Of Ireland 1995-2020.
Flor Mac Carthy
From Ireland to the Stars
This year, 2026, Mayo native Dr. Norah Patten is set to become the first person from Ireland to go to space, as part of an international spaceflight mission. Patten, an aeronautical and bioastronautics expert, will join an all- woman crew aboard Virgin Galactic Delta in a space mission organised by the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences. From Ireland to the Stars, now also an RTÉ radio series, celebrates this historic achievement, and highlights our island’s enduring connection to the cosmos, from ancient sites like Newgrange to modern breakthroughs including EIRSAT-1 and the James Webb Space Telescope.
President To President
Details of correspondence between Presidents of Ireland and US Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Carter, Reagan and GW Bush. Learn about US President Ronald Reagan’s stay at Ashford Castle and recent correspondence between two West of Ireland men, US President Joseph R. Biden and President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins. This talk includes detail on US involvement in the Northern Ireland peace process.
The Princess and the Presidents
The first ever State Visit to Ireland was by HSH Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco in 1961. Based on her bestselling book The Presidents’ Letters: An Unexpected History of Ireland, and with new research from the Princess Grace Irish Library in Monaco, Flor presents an illustrated talk on the relationship between the iconic Irish-American and successive Irish presidents.
The Kennedy Letters
President Kennedy visited Ireland, his ancestral home, in the summer of 1963. As he boarded Airforce One at Shannon Airport, he received a parting telegram from President de Valera, wishing him: “Long life, health and happiness”. JFK replied, saying he would “never forget the wonderful reception” he received in Ireland and speaking about how the gifts he brought home – “a little bit of Ireland”.
Flor MacCarthy is a journalist and author. Her bestselling book, The Presidents’ Letters, was shortlisted for Best Irish-Published Book 2021. She presents political debates on Oireachtas TV from Leinster House and the European Parliament, and is a former news reporter and television presenter with RTÉ.
Dr. David McCullagh
50 Years: Ireland & The EU
A timely talk on Ireland’s relations with the EU, the UK – and how 50 years of EU membership has changed us.
From Crown to Harp: how the Anglo-Irish Treaty was undone
When the Treaty was signed in 1921, the British government and anti-Treaty republicans believed it would last forever, keeping the emerging Irish State within the British Empire, subject to the Crown. And yet, in less than three decades, successive Irish governments dismantled the Treaty piece by piece, until the Republic was finally declared in 1949. This is the story of how complete independence was achieved – without firing a shot.
De Valera: Rise, 1882-1932
This is the story of Éamon de Valera’s climb from obscurity to national leadership, from humble beginnings among the rural working class to leadership of the independence movement. It is also the story of a stunning fall from grace during the Treaty split, and how he rebuilt his career from the ashes of the Civil War to lead Fianna Fáil to electoral victory in 1932.
De Valera: Rule, 1932-1975
No other politician lasted as long in office, or had so much influence on the shaping of the Irish State. Éamon de Valera asserted Ireland’s independence on the world stage in the 1930s, kept Ireland neutral in the 1940s, and remained a leading figure during the stagnation of the 1950s. This is the story of his successes – and his failures.
“Reaching for the stars” – de Valera and America
America was central to the life and the career of former Taoiseach and President Éamon de Valera. It wasn’t just the land of his birth. Throughout his life, the United States was incredibly important, giving him political support to help defeat his rivals and financial support to fight elections and establish The Irish Press.
Dr. David McCullagh, the presenter of the Today show on RTE Radio, has a PhD in politics from University College Dublin. He is the author of multiple books on Irish history, including 2025’s From Crown to Harp: How the Anglo-Irish treaty was undone 1920-1949.
Caitríona Perry
Stars, Stripes and Shamrocks: the Irish Influence in US Politics (Online Talk)
From Kennedy to Biden, Irish Americans have long played a pivotal role in US politics. But things may change, significantly, under Donald Trump’s new presidency. Caitríona Perry reports from Washington on how the Irish have long wielded valuable soft power at the highest levels, the role of Irish Americans in the modern US political system – and reveals what really goes on in the White House on St Patrick’s Day.
The White House in Ireland (Online Talk)
Caitríona Perry offers a potted history of visits by US presidents to Ireland.
Caitríona Perry is a multi-award-winning Irish journalist and the chief presenter for the BBC News channel in Washington DC. Her books include The Tribe: The Inside Story on Irish Power and Influence in US Politics.
John Dorney
The foundation of Fianna Fail
100 years ago, in 1926, Eamon de Valera split with Sinn Fein to form a new ‘slightly constitutional’ party.
Dead of the Irish Revolution
Incorporating the UCC Civil War fatalities project and other work done on casualties 1916-21.
How trade warfare rewrote the Anglo-Irish Treaty – The Economic War 1932-38 The Big House and the Irish Civil War, 1919-23
Historian John Dorney is editor of The Irish Story website.
The Pegasus History Roadshow series has toured since 2010, visiting festivals, historic houses, county libraries and premier venues with The Fighting Irish (2010-); The Great War Roadshow (2014/15); Paths To Freedom (2016/17); Mná na hÉireann (2018); De Valera & The First Dáil (2019); 1920: Year Of Terror (2020); The Long Decade (2021- 23); Great Irish History (2022-) and Irish-America (2024).
