One Man's War

The story of the Irish War of Independence is dominated by people like Dan Breen, Michael Collins, Constance Markievicz or Eamon DeValera who played central roles in the conflict. Their names feature heavily in the histories of the conflict and their lives were changed by their experiences.

However some people find themselves dragged into larger events by accident when they happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time or perhaps say the wrong thing. This podcast looks at one such person. Joseph Shaw is not a man you will read about in history books. However on July 31st 1920 he briefly took centre stage in the Irish War of Independence while on a trip to New York. He did not alter the outcome of the war but for Shaw it was an unforgettable experience...