Today, May 22nd, marks the birthday of George Best - one of the greatest footballers of his or any other age. Voted European Footballer of the Year in 1968, it seems almost unimaginable that the following decade would bring him Leeside, and to Cork Celtic Football Club. What followed was something of a farce, that said much about the direction of domestic football in the 1970s. Gavan was joined by Donal Fallon for another episode of Hidden Histories to discuss.

The Irish Museum of Modern Art, also known as IMMA, turns 30 this year. Resting in an unlikely symbol of the old order - the 17th century Royal Hospital Kilmainham, since it first opened it has championed both Irish and international modern art. Donal Fallon, joined Gavan to explain how they chose the grounds, and he also shared tales of some of the unusual burials that have taken place there. On The Record with Gavan Reilly Listen and subscribe to On The Record with Gavan Reilly on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.      Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App.    You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

A hundred years ago this weekend, three armed men lured a young Irishman from his home in Galway - days later his body was found in a bog having been shot through the head. His name was Michael Griffin, and he was just 28 years old. Keeping in mind the broader political picture in Ireland at the time one might be forgiven for thinking he was perhaps an IRA gunman but he wasn't -  he was a Catholic priest. In fact his strange death made it to the front of The New York Times and will even be commemorated this weekend in the west. So who was Fr. Michael Griffin? Gavan Reilly is joined by Donal Fallon for another episode of Hidden Histories to find out. Listen and subscribe to On The Record with Gavan Reilly on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.      Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App.    You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

Not everyone’s so pleased with the result of the election in the U S - you might have seen Sammy Wilson, the DUP MP, tweet during the week that “Joe Biden is a parrot for Irish Nationalism and their falsehoods regarding the Belfast Agreement”, while a Tory backbencher highlighted “His Irish republican sympathies and ignorant comments on Brexit.” This is not the first time, in the long history of 46 US Presidents, that a man in office has caused fear on our neighbouring island. From Washington to Woodrow Wilson, London’s view of what Washington means for Ireland has long been documented. Listen and subscribe to On The Record with Gavan Reilly on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.      Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App.    You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

What links Bjorn from ABBA, Paul Robeson, and Leonard Cohen? The answer is young Irish revolutionary, Kevin Barry, hanged a century ago on this day in Mountjoy Prison. The song he inspired would become one of the most enduring songs of Irish history, but how did it come to such international prominence, and was Barry really just a boy, as the song recounts, or a young man of committed ideas? Donal Fallon joins Gavan Reilly for another episode of Hidden Histories to discuss. Listen and subscribe to On The Record with Gavan Reilly on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.      Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App.    You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

Imagine you find yourself in the private library of William Ewert Gladstone, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and you go leafing through his shelves and find a signed copy of a literary masterpiece by an Irishman. You might think James Joyce, George Bernard Shaw or Oscar Wilde but you'd be wrong on all counts. It’s Bram Stoker, who signed a copy of Dracula for the Prime Minister at a time he was hoping Ireland could finally be allowed to determine its own affairs. At this time of year, there is an awful lot of focus on Stoker’s work - a book which we all know a bit about, but which might actually draw heavily on Stoker's own mother’s tales of a nineteenth century pandemic in the West of Ireland. Gavan Reilly is joined by Donal Fallon for another episode of Hidden Histories to discuss. Listen and subscribe to On The Record with Gavan Reilly on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.      Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App.    You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

This week marked the birthday of Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde, who was born at Dublin’s Westland Row and is today buried in the impressive Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris. An international celebrity and among the first such generation of stars, Wilde’s story is well known. But little known is the tale of how he launched himself onto the world stage - embarking on a year long tour of the United States in 1882. To him, “America is not a country, it is a world.” he said. Donal Fallon joins Gavan Reilly for another episode of Hidden Histories to discuss. Listen and subscribe to On The Record with Gavan Reilly on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.      Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App.    You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

The name ‘Fergus McCabe’ might not mean much to a lot of people, especially if you’re not a Dubliner but if you’re from the northside of the Liffey it’s a name that might matter a great deal. In fact northside residents like Mary Lou McDonald, Paschal Donohoe, Gary Gannon and even a man who lives in the Phoenix Park called Michael D. Higgins all paid tribute to him when his death was announced this week. His was a name which wasn’t widely known outside of his own community - Dublin’s North Inner-City - but he was a serious player in Irish politics in the closing decades of the twentieth century who was at the heart of the ‘Gregory Deal’ - a landmark moment in Irish political history. Donal Fallon joins Gavan Reilly for another episode of Hidden Histories to discuss. Listen and subscribe to On The Record with Gavan Reilly on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.      Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App.    You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

A century ago this weekend, events took place in Ireland which sound like the stuff of a hollywood movie. A man was tracked down across the country, shot using a gun belonging to a man he himself had allegedly overseen the killing of just a few months earlier. The whole affair would prompt sectarian riots and became a serious turning point in the turbulent tribal history of Ireland. The man’s name was District Inspector Oswald Swanzy. To discuss further, Donal Fallon joins Gavan for another episode of Hidden Histories. Listen and subscribe to On The Record with Gavan Reilly on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.      Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App.     You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

This week, the press reported on the death of Elizabeth Ann-Dwyer, Dubliner and mother of Morrissey, singer from The Smiths. Her passing was a reminder of the enormous contribution of Irish blood to British popular music - of the eight parents of the musicians in The Smiths, only one was not born on the island of Ireland. From The Smiths to Dexy’s Midnight Runners - and through to Oasis - the contribution of Ireland’s Diaspora to Britain’s popular culture was extraordinary. To discuss further, Donal Fallon joins Sean Defoe this week for another episode of Hidden Histories. Listen and subscribe to On The Record with Gavan Reilly on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.      Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App.     You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

It’s not every week a striking piece of early 20th century Irish art makes it to the upper-echelons of the British popular music charts, but so it was this week with Oliver Sheppard’s remarkable The Death of Cuchullain, bracing the front of the new Fontaines DC record. Denied by Taylor Swift there - and the Coronas at home - the album cover has reignited interest in one of Ireland’s great artists who helped shape our collective identity of what it meant to be Irish, and whose incredible statue gazes on us from the window of the GPO. To discuss further, Donal Fallon joins Sean Defoe this week for another episode of Hidden Histories. Listen and subscribe to On The Record with Gavan Reilly on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.      Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App.     You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

The sad passing of Alan Parker during the week has led to much reflection on the English directors contribution to cinematic history, leaving behind a rich legacy of films spanning genres and themes. But perhaps his greatest legacy was what he did for Irish cinema - on its knees - with the incredible 1991 success of The Commitments. The film achieved immediate cult success - but the critics tended not to like it - and paved the way for a 1990s film revival in Ireland. To discuss further, Donal Fallon joins Gavan for another episode of Hidden Histories. Listen and subscribe to On The Record with Gavan Reilly on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.      Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App.     You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

Right now, we should be watching the Olympics. Alas, in what is another twist in the Olympic Games' long and storied past, Tokyo 2020 has been postponed until 2021 meaning we'll have to wait a little longer to revel in one the world's most celebrated sporting events. Indeed, Ireland’s own Olympic history is a curious story in and of itself with victories under a colonial flag and victories against it, successful diaspora hammer-throwers, and even medals in poetry and portrait painting. Much like association football and cycling, there has been plenty of wrangling about just who represents Ireland, but there has been a surprising amount of joy for an Irish sporting story too. To take us through a whistlestop history of Ireland's Olympic exploits, Donal Fallon joins Gavan for another episode of Hidden Histories. Listen and subscribe to On The Record with Gavan Reilly on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.      Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App.    You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

The word of the summer appears to be ‘Staycation’. So across the island of Ireland, hundreds of thousands of us will holiday at home. But this is nothing new - indeed, going back a mere generation or two, it was standard practice.  The history of Irish tourism - both in and out of the island - is a curious tale that tells us much about the broader story of life in twentieth century Ireland. Imagine getting on a train with no clue where it’s going - this was the Irish Staycation. Sean Defoe is joined by Donal Fallon for another episode of Hidden Histories to discuss. Listen and subscribe to On The Record with Gavan Reilly on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.      Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App.     You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

The future of the Green Party is somewhat uncertain, but its past is fascinating. Born as the 'Ecology Party' - later becoming 'Green Alliance' - the story of the party is entangled in the bigger picture of 1980s Ireland. Rumours of their demise, on more than one occasion, have been greatly exaggerated before and their history includes arrested TDs, environmental campaigns, and more besides. Gavan is joined by Donal Fallon for another episode of Hidden Histories to discuss. Listen and subscribe to On The Record with Gavan Reilly on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.      Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App.     You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

With scenes of violence on the streets of London, the issue surrounding statues and the commemoration of controversial historical figures has reared its head once more and here at home there has been particular focus on one statue - John Mitchel in Newry. The radical Irish nationalist turned Confederacy supporter and slavery advocate is not a widely known name today but there was a time when he was among the most famous Irishmen in the world. The current debate raises interesting questions for the GAA with clubs right across the island of Ireland named after Mitchel. But should the name stay or go? Gavan Reilly is joined by Donal Fallon for another episode of Hidden Histories to discuss. Listen and subscribe to On The Record with Gavan Reilly on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.      Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App.    You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

The idea of slavery is of course inextricably linked to the idea of race, especially in the U.S. But when it comes to Ireland, the story of Irish involvement in the anti-slavery movement is embodied by the relationship between Daniel O’Connell and a man whose name you’ve probably heard: Frederick Douglass. In fact, such was their relationship that it was even recalled by Barack Obama during his speech at College Green in Dublin in 2011. Yet the story of Ireland’s opposition to slavery neither began nor ended with O’Connell, and many of the key names are totally forgotten. Donal Fallon joins Gavan for another episode of Hidden Histories to discuss. Listen and subscribe to On The Record with Gavan Reilly on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.      Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App.     You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

Vera Klute’s Luke Kelly monument has been vandalised yet again - that is five times in a single year, making it one of the most vandalised monuments in the history of the capital, and Ireland more broadly. But why do these things happen? For as long as there have been monuments and art works in our public spaces they have been targeted, and not merely political works, but even fiberglass cows. Donal Fallon joins Gavan for another episode of Hidden Histories to discuss the peculiar phenomenon of defacing, damaging, and sometimes destroying monuments in this country. Listen and subscribe to On The Record with Gavan Reilly on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.      Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App.     You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

There was curious breaking news this week - concerning the legendary Red Hugh O’Donnell.  Despite dying in 1602, he has propelled himself back into the news cycle - both in Ireland and Spain - as archaeologists in the Spanish City of Valladolid are hopeful they may find his bones in the week ahead. It is news that will be followed especially closely in Donegal, and for one Spanish City, it has been a welcome distraction from other things. Donal Fallon joins us with another edition of Hidden Histories.   Listen and subscribe to On The Record with Gavan Reilly on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.      Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App.    You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.  

You may have heard this week about the death of Argentina’s Ambassador to Ireland, Laura Bernal, who was laid to rest a few days ago.  Of course given the current circumstances her funeral was much more muted and reserved than it might otherwise have been for a foreign diplomat. But even still, the circumstances of her burial are unusual - because she was not returned to Argentina to be laid to rest in her home country… she was instead buried in Foxford in Mayo. Why’s that? Well it’s because Foxford holds a special place in the history of Argentina… so much so that the Argentinian Navy even marched through the town last year. Donal Fallon is here to explain all.   On The Record with Gavan Reilly Listen and subscribe to On The Record with Gavan Reilly on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.      Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App.    You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.