00:00 The Act of Union between Britain and Ireland did not work due to the rejection of Catholic emancipation, but it was eventually passed in 1829 with the help of Daniel O'Connell.

04:53 The podcast discusses the Duke of Wellington's connection to Ireland, including his involvement in the first organized cricket match in Ireland and the monument constructed in his honor, as well as the destruction of the Horacio Nelson statue in Dublin. It also explores the changing dynamics of the Anglo-Irish relationship in the 19th century, with some Irish people being loyal to the United Kingdom while others faced extreme poverty, leading to significant Irish recruitment in the British army. The population of Ireland grew from 3 million in 1750 to 8.4 million on the eve of the famine in 1845, which had a devastating impact on the country and reshaped its population. The British government's culpability in the famine's effects is discussed, with the caveat that it should be judged by the standards of the mid-19th century.

09:29 The potato crop failure in Ireland from 1845-1849 led to devastating consequences, including the death of over one million people from starvation and illness, and the emigration of over a million people who blamed the British government for the famine.

14:04 The British government's response to the famine in Ireland suggests a genuine desire among some policymakers to pursue a policy of extermination, influenced by Malthusian ideas of population and a long-standing disdain for the Irish people.

18:22 The scale of immigration caused by the famine in Ireland created a community of Irish people abroad who rejected the idea of the United Kingdom, but contrary to popular belief, the majority of Irish nationalism after the famine accepted the Union and sought home rule rather than complete independence.

22:58 The process of home rule becomes the focus of Irish political energies in the second half of the 19th century, with the Irish parliamentary party becoming a dominant force in the House of Commons.

27:27 The idea of home rule in Ireland meant a limited amount of powers and was seen as a stepping stone towards greater self-determination, but there was an underestimate of the rejection of independence by Ulster Unionists and Loyalists, leading to the failure to address the problem of sectarianism in Irish nationalism.

31:52 The idea of home rule in Ireland led to the implementation of land reform and the passing of the Windham Act in 1903, which gave Irish tenant farmers better rights than tenant farmers in the rest of the UK, as a way to address grievances and discourage the desire for independence.

36:06 The fall of Parnell due to a scandal involving Catherine O'Shea and the subsequent split in the party leads to a turning away from politics and a resurgence of Irish culture, ultimately leading to a resurgence in the agenda for Home Rule in the 20th century.

40:52 John Redmond's role in allowing for the Parliament Act of 1911, which limited the House of Lords' power to stop a bill, is largely overlooked in both Irish nationalist and British history, despite its significant implications for Home Rule.

45:08 The Home Rule Bill was brought in multiple times between 1912 and 1914, eventually passing in 1915, but there was strong opposition in Ireland, particularly in Ulster, where people saw their prosperity and freedom as tied to remaining part of the United Kingdom, leading to the possibility of civil war.