Ireland's Witchcraft Trials

Not Just the Tudors

History Hit

History

4.8 • 3K Ratings

🗓️ 10 March 2025

⏱️ 47 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In 1711, a wave of terror gripped the Islandmagee peninsula in County Antrim. First there was the haunting and supernatural murder of a local clergyman's wife. Then 18-year-old Mary Dunbar suffered violent convulsions, levitation and vomiting of pins, feathers, and buttons, sparking accusations against eight local women. After Mary’s sudden death, the trial took an unprecedented turn when one William Sellar was put on trial.

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb finds out more from Dr. Andrew Sneddon about this chilling true story of possession, witchcraft accusations, and Ireland’s only recorded execution of a man for witchcraft.

Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Alice Smith. Edited by Amy Haddow. Produced by Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, I'm Professor Susanna Lipscomb.
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0:22.1	Sign up now by visiting historyhit.com forward slash subscribe.
0:26.6	This episode of Not Just the Tudors is brought to you by Audible, because there's more to
0:31.5	imagine when you listen.
0:33.1	As a historian, I love stumbling across hidden stories from the past, and Audible lets
0:37.2	me do just that.
0:38.5	My latest discovery? Hidden Histories, with Nova Reed, a remarkable series exploring the unsung
0:44.6	black women who shaped history. In one episode, Nova takes a look at the hidden histories
0:49.5	of disobedient women, the resistance of nameless enslaved women who stood up for themselves through
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1:13.5	UK for terms.
1:17.2	Hello, I'm Professor Susanna Lipscomb.
1:19.9	And welcome to Not Just the Tudors from History Hit.
	...

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