Believe it or not the first Irish person to visit China left Europe in 1318 arriving. His fascinating journey would take several years. Known only as 'James of Ireland' this a story embroiled in the rise of the Mongols, medieval papal diplomacy and the tediously slow world of medieval travel. Hear his story in this podcast...Outsiders is a short mini series I am making over Christmas - I will be returning to the story of the Great Famine in mid January 2018. This podcast is brought to you by Irishnewspaperarchives.com/podcast the gateway to Ireland's great historical past. With over 70 titles some of which stretch back to the 18th century a subscription will make the ideal Christmas gift for the history buff in your family.  You can get 30% of monthly and yearly packages today at Irishnewspaperarchives.com/podcast and use the coupon code Pod30. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy