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Episode Notes
On tonight's show: The Irish Jacobite Army; The role of America's First Ladies; and the history of sex and Christianity.
The Irish Jacobite Army
For three years, from 1689 to 1691, Ireland was a significant theatre in the early stages of a major European war. Multi-national armies campaigned across the island, fighting pitched battles and besieging towns and cities.
In Ireland those three years are known by a variety of titles: as the Williamite War, the Jacobite War, the War of the Two Kings and, more recently, the War of the Three Kings.
The forces involved were immense: in 1690 over 60,000 soldiers were present at the battle of the Boyne and a year later perhaps 40,000 fought at the battle of Aughrim. At the centre of those battles was the Irish Jacobite Army, a force comprised mostly of Catholic Irish soldiers.
To learn more, Myles is joined by author and historian Dr Harman Murtagh, whose new book The Irish Jacobite Army contextualises the varied and remarkable stories of those soldiers. The book is published by Four Courts Press.
U.S. First Ladies: Making History and Leaving Legacies
In American history, the role of the First Lady – the spouse of the President, which has to date always been a woman - has evolved from a largely ceremonial position to one of significant influence. Many of these women have shaped US government policy, and led social movements.
Colm Flynn takes a closer look at this American institution, and how it has transformed over time, from the early days of Martha Washington right up to the modern era. He speaks to Anita McBride, co-author of the book U.S. First Ladies: Making History and Leaving Legacies
Lower than the Angels: A History of Sex and Christianity
Now we're looking at the complex history of sex and Christianity. The new book Lower Than The Angels is a historical exploration of the religion’s complex relationship with gender, sex and sexuality.
It’s written by the academic historian, author – and a church organist on most Sundays - Diarmaid MacCulloch, who is Professor of the History of the Church at Oxford University. Diarmaid joins Myles on the line from the UK. The book is published by Penguin