In this episode: Irish First Ladies & First Gentlemen, 1919-2011, by Dr Bernadette Whelan; Cartomania: Celebrity & Photography in the 19th Century, by Paul Frecker; and Brian Friel: Beginnings by Dr Kelly Matthews.

In the aftermath of the assassination attempt on former US president Donald Trump, we will be looking at shootings in American presidential history as we find out about US presidents, and presidential candidates, who faced the shadow of the gunman.

President Biden has since announced his decision to drop out of the presidential race.

Joining Patrick Geoghegan is Michael Cullinane, the Lowman Walton Chair of Theodore Roosevelt Studies at Dickinson State University, Public Historian for the Theodore Roosevelt Association, author of 'Remembering Theodore Roosevelt', and contributor to the design and curation of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library due to open in 2026; Daniel Mulhall, former Ambassador of Ireland to the United States; Sean Defoe, Political Correspondent for Bauer Media; and Dr Sandra Scanlon, who lectures in American history in the UCD School of History and is an expert on American political culture and its relationship with US foreign policy during the Cold War.

Patrick and his panel reflect on the early history of the Olympic Games, from ancient Greece to the revival in more modern times, discussing their historical significance, cultural impact and enduring legacy. Featuring Nigel Crowther, Emeritus Professor in Department of Classical Studies at University of Western Ontario; Supervising Professor at International Olympic Academy, Olympia, Greece (2004-05); Former Director of the International Centre for Olympic Studies; Dr Siobhán Doyle, Curatorial Researcher at the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks; Dr Jim Parry, Visiting Professor, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, Charles University, Prague; and Dr Nigel Spivey, Senior Lecturer in Classical Art and Archaeology in the Faculty of Classics, University of Cambridge.

Joining Patrick Geoghegan to delve into the lives and works of the Yeats sisters are: Dr Róisín Kennedy, Assistant Professor, School of Art History and Cultural Policy, UCD; Dr Caoilfhionn Ní Bheacháin, Associate Professor in Communications, University of Limerick; Susan O’Keeffe, Director of Yeats Society Sligo; and Dr Billy Shortall of Trinity College Dublin, who worked on the Cuala Press Project.

Ahead of the reopening of Notre Dame later this year, Patrick Geoghegan looks at the construction and re-construction of one of the most iconic cathedrals in the world. Joining him are: Dr Emily Guerry, Senior Lecturer in Medieval European History at the University of Kent, Dr Caroline Bruzelius, Professor Emerita of Art and Art History at Duke University, Dr Jennifer M. Feltman, Associate Professor of Art History and Medieval Art at the University of Alabama, and Dr Meredith Cohen, Associate Professor of Medieval Art and Architecture at UCLA.

From the marriage bar to unequal pay - we're finding out about the status and position of women in the independent Irish state and the long fight for equality. Patrick is joined by Dr Mary McAuliffe, Assistant Professor in the School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice, and Director of Gender Studies at UCD, Dr Deirdre Foley, Irish Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of History, Trinity College Dublin, and Dr Sarah-Anne Buckley, Associate Professor in History at the University of Galway.

In this episode of Newstalk's Talking History: From Tudor to Stuart: The Regime Change from Elizabeth I to James I, by Susan Doran, Professor of Early Modern British History at the University of Oxford; The Great Potato Famine and the Making of Irish New York, with Prof Tyler Anbinder, formerly of the Department of History, George Washington University; and ‘Reeling in the Queers – Tales of Ireland’s LGBTQ Past’, with Dr Páraic Kerrigan, Assistant Professor in the School of Information and Communication Studies at University College Dublin.

In this episode of Talking History on Newstalk, we're looking at the history of the Leaving Certificate - 100 years old this year - and debating its impact on Irish education .

Featuring: Dr Orla McCormack, Senior Lecturer in the School of Education at the University of Limerick; Deirdre Mac Mathuna, Past President and now Public Relations Officer for the History Teachers’ Association of Ireland and a lecturer at Trinity College Dublin in History Pedagogy; Dr Hazel Murray, cybersecurity lecturer at Munster Technological University; and Dr Colm Mac Gearailt, postdoctoral researcher on the ‘Cartlann’ archive at University of Galway.