The Enigma of Arthur Griffith - Colum Kenny - Ryan Research Podcast Ep. 24
Colum Kenny is a journalist, barrister and historian. He is Emeritus Professor at Dublin City University (DCU), in Dublin, Ireland. He was formerly chair of the Masters in Journalism programme at DCU in the School of Communications 1982-2015. He is the author of a variety books and essays. Most relevant to this podcast episode are his 2020 book “The Enigma of Arthur Griffith” and his 2022 essay “‘A Man Who Has Both Arms’: Arthur Griffith, the Economy and the Anglo-Irish Treaty Agreement 1921.”
Here is the link to buy Kenny’s book on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Enigma-Arthur-Griffith-Father-All/dp/B07Y4K7CPW
Kenny was a member of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland 2010-2015 and of the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland/IRTC 1998-2003. A former employee of RTE, he was a founding board member of the E.U. Media Desk in Ireland and is a council member of the Irish Legal History Society. He was a member of the Media Mergers Advisory Group that reported to the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment in 2008. The author of many academic articles on cultural and media matters, he is also a member of the National Union of Journalists and a frequent contributor to media debates and a consultant on communications.
In our chat, we discuss why Kenny was led to write a book about one of Ireland’s most influential yet under-examined nationalist leader, why Griffith and his ideas have been neglected, what Griffith’s ideology was, Griffith’s more nuanced economic doctrines, and why Griffith matters for present-day Ireland and its future.
Listen to the audio version here and on all major podcast platforms:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1455961/episodes/17856697
Other relevant writings referenced in the chat were:
Irish Anti-Imperialist and Nationalist Economics
After a year of deep research, I’m proud to present my M.A. dissertation on Irish economic history. This compiles and expands on thoughts I’ve written about previously. I hope you better understand imperialism, nationalism, and economics after reading this. If you like this content, I hope you will support my pursuits to turn it into a larger book. The …
What Ireland's Mainstream Narrative Gets Wrong About Irish Economic History
The mainstream narrative of Irish economic history poorly explains reality yet is leveraged to justify present policies. The narrative coveys a simple before and after story of two sides, but the reality is far more nuanced. The ultimate aim of the narrative is to delegitimize protectionism in favor of free trad…



