This week: The Little Rock Nine; The Grangegorman Histories Project; and how Espionage Fiction can reflect real life history

The Little Rock Nine

In the Autumn of 1957, in the city of Little Rock, Arkansas, nine African-American teenagers were preparing to do something no one in their community had ever done before. They were about to make history by entering an all white school.

The "Little Rock Nine", as they would come to be known, had volunteered to integrate into the Little Rock Central High School, after the Brown Vs The Board of Education Supreme Court ruling declared racial segregation in US public schools to be unconstitutional.

One of those students was 15-year-old Melba Pattillo Beals. She had grown up in Little Rock, where all she knew was segregation. Now 83, she's lived a life of education, activism and writing – a journey that began in the deeply segregated south. Melba spoke to our reporter, Colm Flynn about her experience – not just at Central High, but growing up in a world where everyday moments were marked by fear and exclusion.

Then, historian Cecelia Hartsell joins Myles in studio to talk more about this period in the American Civil Rights movement.

The Grangegorman Histories Project

For about two hundred years, Grangegorman in Dublin was home to a psychiatric hospital, famous for its size, and the scale of its ambition in treating mental illness. (We've heard before on this programme about the Richmond War Hospital, located on this site - noted for its pioneering treatment of soldiers who went through traumatic experiences in World War One.)

The Grangegorman Histories Project is a public history initiative, covering the entire history of this site - exploring, cataloguing, and reflecting on the eventful history of the area. While historians document this complex past, artists use creativity to illuminate what official records leave unspoken.

In this piece, our reporter - writer and publisher Jonathan Creasy - explores the intersection of poetry and archives - revealing how verse can uncover the hidden history of this institution.

He talks to Dr Brendan Kelly, Consultant Psychiatrist in Tallaght Hospital, Professor of Psychiatry in Trinity College Dublin, and author of Asylum: Inside Grangegorman.

We also hear from poet and playwright Lianne O’Hara, whose new book The Patients All Seemed Happy is a poetic exploration of voices from the stories from the historic Grangegorman Asylum.

Lianne O’Hara’s book is launched on Monday 7th April at 6PM at the Royal Irish Academy.

Reading Espionage Fiction

Espionage has shaped the course of history—from the secret agents and codebreakers of World War 2, to the double agents and defections of the Cold War. Intelligence operations have influenced diplomacy, fuelled conflicts, and decided the fates of nations.

But beyond the real-world spycraft, espionage fiction can be a useful historical source – as this popular genre mirrors the various ideologies and political tensions of the 20th century.

That's according to Martin Griffin, who joins Myles on the line from Knoxville. He’s an Associate Professor in the Department of English at The University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

He’s also the author of the book Reading Espionage Fiction - Narrative, Conflict and Commitment from World War I to the Contemporary Era, published by Edinburgh University Press. (The book will be published in paperback in the summer)