The story of Fr James Coyle and his clash with the KKK in Birmingham, Alabama; The burning of coastguard stations in North Dublin in mid 1921; and the history of the Irish pharmaceutical industry.

Father James Coyle and the KKK

Now we're going back to the early twentieth century, and visiting Birmingham, Alabama – a hotbed of Ku Klux Klan activity and, as we’ll hear, virulent anti-Catholic sentiment. It was against this backdrop that Father James Coyle, a priest originally from County Roscommon, stood up for his parishioners and his faith - at a great cost.

Sheila Killian is the author of the recently published novel Something Bigger which tells this story. She joins Myles from our studio in Limerick to talk about the real life characters and the history that underpins her novel.

The novel Something Bigger is published by Caritas Press.

A Burning Tide

Conor Sweetman reports on the IRA's burning of coastguard stations on the North Dublin coast in June 1921, and a recent art project to commemorate this event.

We hear from Archivist at Fingal County Council Karen De Lacy; poet Enda Coyle-Greene; and Caroline Cowley who is Public art co-ordinator with Fingal County Council.

The Irish Pharmaceutical Industry

Ireland is a key production centre for the global pharmaceutical market – it's the backbone of our manufacturing sector, supplying Europe and the wider world. The Irish industry evolved from small firms doing business domestically, to becoming a home to some of the world’s biggest pharma companies.

This story is told in the book A history of the Irish Pharmaceutical Industry: Making Medicines for the World – the author is Pat McCarthy, who joins Myles. Pat's book is published by Four Courts Press.