It's no secret that Britain achieved its empire through forceful, and often brutal, methods. Many nations are still grappling with the dark legacy of colonisation. Des Ekin lays out some of the worst atrocities perpetrated by the British and explores the justifications used for such violent actions.

A fascinating new insight into the epic conflicts between Spain’s Philip III and Elizabeth I of England, culminating in the Spanish invasion of Ireland, the fateful Battle of Kinsale and the downfall of the Gaelic insurgent chieftains O’Neill and O’Donnell.

In 1631 Barbary pirates kidnapped the inhabitants of Baltimore, West Cork in a daring night time raid. Only two of them ever returned. Here is the story of their kidnap, sale in the slave markets of Algiers and the political fallout from the attack.