Opens in a new tab

Broadcast

A Broadcasting Legacy: Éamon Phoenix

As well as being a historian and academic, Dr Éamon Phoenix was a renowned broadcaster, appearing in countless TV and radio programmes, documentaries and news/current affairs reports.

This page contains links to many programmes, and also signposts where you might find many of his TV and radio appearances.

Some of the material is publicly available but unfortunately some currently is not, and you may need to ask the publisher for access.

Can you help us add to this collection? Please email with your suggested links.

Dr Éamon Phoenix broadcast

TV news and current affairs appearances: Peter Heathwood Collection

Dr Phoenix made countless appearances on TV and radio news programmes down the years, particularly since 1998.

It’s not possible to link to all these, however thanks to the remarkable Peter Heathwood Collection of Television Programmes 1997– 2015 at the CAIN archive, it is possible to search for, and read notes of, the content of many of his broadcast appearances locally.

Visit this link and input ‘Éamon Phoenix’ into the search function.

The BBC Year 21 Podcast Collection

For the Centenary of Northern Ireland, the BBC created a series of 50 podcasts.

Éamon Phoenix was, as the BBC presenters Tara Mills and Declan Harvey themselves described, “our guide, companion and chief storyteller this year” for the series.

Episode 48 held particular significance for Éamon. As Tara and Declan write in this episode, he “turned to a story about his own family – that of his grandfather Hugh Napier.

“He’d fought in Gallipoli and returned disabled before being given a job in the Rope Works in Belfast. During 1921, he was forced out, chased and beaten by a mob.

“He survived thanks to the bravery of a woman who heard the commotion and intervened, chasing the crowd away. But for her actions, Eamon Phoenix might not be here today.”

Links:

Homepage BBC Year 21 Podcast Collection

List of all episodes

Episode 48: The Phoenix

Éamon’s broadcast appearances

In no particular order, here are links to many of Éamon’s broadcast appearances – if you know of any more, do get in touch

The Ulster Covenant

Produced by Doubleband Films, 2012

Éamon was a contributor to this William Crawley film exploring the signing of the Ulster Covenant in September 1912.

Titanic Belfast: Birthplace of a Legend

Commercial owner unknown at present, 2012

Éamon contributed to this film tracing Belfast’s emergence as a shipbuilding powerhouse and the construction of the Titanic.

Radio Ulster Hidden History series x 2

Produced by BBC, 2012+

Dr Éamon Phoenix unearths hidden Ulster-Scots history in a series of fascinating journeys of exploration through Ulster’s byways and historic sites. Some publicly available.

What does Ulster-Scots mean to you?

Produced by BBC, 2011

Dr Éamon Phoenix, Head of History at Stranmillis University College, Belfast, discusses what Ulster-Scots means to him.

NI 100 series

Produced by BBC, 2021

A BBC multimedia series on the centenary of Northern Ireland, in which Éamon made various appearances.

Finding a way out of the darkness was Hume’s mission

Produced by RTE, 2020

Dr Éamon Phoenix, political historian discusses the legacy of John Hume.

100th anniversary of Northern Ireland

Produced by RTÉ, 2020

Éamon Phoenix, political historian and member of the Taoiseach’s advisory group on commemorations, on Boris Johnson’s announcement today of a plan to commemorate the centenary of the foundation of Northern Ireland.

The History Show Sunday 16 May 2021

Produced by RTÉ, 2021

Éamon joins presenter Myles Dungan to in an edition that The complex and contested centenary of the creation of Northern Ireland; and a look back at Eurovision 1990.

RTÉ History Show – Northern Ireland Centenary

Produced by RTÉ, 2022

Éamon joins Cormac Moore, Laura McAtackney and Myles Dungan to talk about this complex and contested anniversary.

Church leaders only aware of President’s concerns over NI service this week

Produced by RTÉ, 2021

Archbishop Éamon Martin, Catholic Primate of All Ireland and Archbishop John McDowell, the Church of Ireland’s Primate of All Ireland discuss the invitation they sent to President Michael D Higgins to attend a church service marking the foundation of Northern Ireland. Also, Éamon Phoenix, political historian, discusses the story.

Enterprise – A Track Record

Produced by UTV, 2021

UTV’s ‘Enterprise – A Track Record’, told the story of the Belfast-Dublin train service through the years and featured an interview with Éamon Phoenix. It included in-depth interviews & “breath-taking” footage from the UTV archive.