Youghal, County Cork, has a long history which predates most other towns in Ireland. The area was settled by Vikings and subsequently fortified by the Normans in the 1100s. For centuries after, the town was a hub of trading activity and a vital port during the early stages of the English Empire's expansion. Irish Heart, English Blood looks at a period which saw all the elements and dynamics of this history come together in Youghal, from the 1569 and 1579 Munster rebellions to the witch-trial of Florence Newton in 1661, taking in en route, Walter Raleigh, Richard Boyle (the first millionaire colonialist), the Civil Wars, the 'burnings' by Lord Inchiquin and the invasion of Oliver Cromwell, revealing how its ordinary citizens survived extraordinary social, religious and political change.
