What's the Matter with Ireland?

In this vivid, first‑person account, the author journeys into Dublin’s back‑streets and the bustling labor offices of post‑war Ireland, posing a simple question: why does a land of fertile fields and rich culture remain so impoverished? By posing as a working‑class woman, she experiences the daily grind of job scarcity, cramped housing, and the dread of being shipped off to English farms or factories. Encounters with hopeful youths and weary mothers illustrate how unemployment drives a relentless tide of migration and desperation.

Beyond the personal stories, the narrative weaves together the wider political currents stirring the island: the rise of Sinn Fein, the push for a workers’ republic, and the uneasy alliance of laborers and clergy seeking self‑determination. The author’s observations reveal how economic deprivation fuels revolutionary sentiment, while also exposing the contradictions within various nationalist and socialist visions. Listeners will find a compelling snapshot of a society at a crossroads, where ordinary lives intersect with the fervor of a nation striving to define its future.