https://tortoiseshack.ie/feed/podcast/

Banias is a wonderful a 8-year old child living in Gaza, now displaced in Al-Zawayda. She joins us to speak of the dreams that she still carries and the life that she left behind in her home, now destroyed, in Gaza city, Banias shares her hopes for the new year, talks about rebuilding Gaza, wanting to visit New York, her favourite Christmas film, Home Alone, and how much she wants to see an end to...

In this wrap of 2024 we skip over the Irish Sea to talk with listener favourite, Prof Richard Murphy, about the UK’s year of turmoil and the stability of having a politics of not very much ambition. Richard talks about how the Labour Party had continued to impose rules upon itself under the guise of fiscal prudence, whilst offering a seat at the table to some of the biggest capitalist predators in...

In this wrap of 2024 we are joined by the dream team of Shamim Malekmian and Harry McEvansoneya, to look back over 2024, share a few laughs and worry about the direction of travel in too much of global politics. We talk heroes, villains and the stories that included both of those. All Hail the Bike Shed. Happy Christmas from Donna Blitzen! 

Listeners will remember Ann Marie Flanagan from our No on the Care Referendum podcast. Well she’s decided that the best way for to see the promises made after the referendum is for her to be at the table where the legislation gets written and negotiated. So she’s running for the Seanad and joins us to talk all about her ambitions for the work and representing the disabled community as a member of...

In this review of 2024 we sat down with journalist with El Pais in Mexico City, Nicholas Dale Leal, who brought us on both a geographical and ideological tour of the continent from Milei’s anarcho-capitalist Argentina to Sheinbaum’s socially-democratic-with-a-side-of-cartel Mexico and everything in between. The great breakdown of Latin America that you didn’t know you needed to hear. Happy Christm...

Dr. Mahmoud Alhirthani is an Associate Professor of Translation and Intercultural Studies at Alaqsa University, Gaza. Author of Utopia of Existence: Prospects of the One State Solution in Palestine (in Arabic), Alhirthani is also a translator with specific focus on International Law and Human Rights in Palestine. His Arabic translation of Brownlie's Principles of Public International Law (2022) wo...

In this episode of Sparks Will Fly, Ray is joined by Mark Healy of Irish Indie-Electro band SKANGER to talk love, art emerging post-pandemic, music we want to leave for our kids, the streets of San Fransico and making a holy show of themselves at music festivals. Listen to Change the World here: https://skanger1.bandcamp.com/

This is more like the two of us just going full Statler and Waldorf, only those two Muppets are funny and more cogent in their thinking. God Only Knows...

Martin went to the WRC to represent RTE worker Joey Kelly vs Arthur Cox who are representing RTE. It was standing room only and despite the attempts to have the case dismissed, what was revealed shows that RTE is not taking steps to resolve its mistreatment of workers. If anything the company is speaking out of both sides of its State-Funded mouth.

In this must hear podcast journalist and tortoise shack regular Gareth Browne joined us from Syria to describe what he has witnessed since being one of the first western journalists to enter Damascus as the Assad regime was collapsing. This podcast includes descriptions that some listeners may find disturbing. But, and it is a big but, I think it’s ultimately a hopeful conversation. We all wish fo...

This is the live recording of the Remembering Refaat memorial that took place on the one year anniversary of his killing by the Israeli military. If I Must Die The book is available now here: https://orbooks.com/catalog/if-i-must-die/

Human Rights Lawyer, Saoirse Brady is the Executive Director of the Irish Penal Reform Trust ( https://iprt.ie) and she kindly sat down with us in the tortoise shack to talk about our prison system, restorative justice, community sanctions, ending secondary punishments and much more. I really got a lot out of this podcast. Please give it a listen

Note: This was recorded an hour before we found out that Owen Hayes was being economical with the truth… A short member-only podcast on an exciting work in the fight for workers rights and some of the absolute nonsense around the government formation Christmas Panto. Martin's statement: https://x.com/williamhboney1/status/1866301049448919477 For Ferg, a bit of Better Man

I won't lie, I wanted to see PBP Cllr Conor Reddy get into the Dáil. But that's the democratic process and his (and my) disappointment is as Conor outlines is a waste of time when the work on the ground continues. We also discuss his important scientific work with Inclusion Services and his PhD that first introduced me to the lad from Finglas. You don't need a Dáil seat to make a difference. Oh an...

Dubliner Will Holden has spent over a decade building and supporting Emergency Supply Chains in some of the worlds most challenging situations. For over a decade he has worked in Syria, Iraq and the Kurdish autonomous region. So I thought I'd ask him to join us for a chat about the country and people who he knows and loves, the sense of joy at the fall of the Assad regime, the fears of further vio...

A bit of Martin and Tony talking news of the week including some stories that might have made the papers, but deserved a lot more attention. Yup! Lets go fly a kite, kids!

In this post GE2024 podcast we are joined by Sinn Féin poll topper Mairéad Farrell, to discuss her party's disappointment or satisfaction with the election results, her term as a first time TD, the chances of a female led broad left opposition and plenty more. The My Chemical Romance trip down Desolation... RIP Refaat Alareer. Missed every day!

In this Post GE Podcast we talk with newly re-elected Soc Dem TD for Dublin Central, Gary Gannon. He talks about the mistakes he made in his first term, the need to stay grounded in the area he represents and what he thinks both the next Government and Opposition will look like. And the cover at the end will make you believe in a thing called... Keep the covers recs coming, thanks 

In this extended podcast we are joined by recently re-elected PBP TD Paul Murphy for a chat about his last few years in the politics, the positives we could see in a genuine Left vs Right polarised Dáil and the ways the Left can unite, while still not agreeing on everything. Then at 34 mins just for you, Martin and meself chat FFG's fake squabbles and the nonsense of dragging out Govt formation. W...

Another short GE fallout podcast. We talk Soc Dems, Labour and the mudguard vacancy. We discuss the up to 500k people on incorrectly on the Electoral Register and then Martin uses his Presidential powers to pardon me of all my crimes. I can't get no...

The situation in Gaza is getting worse. Three women were crushed to death by men who lined up to get aid in Central Gaza. Israel continues to expand the Netzarim Corridor and attack family homes full of displaced people. More people are getting hungrier each day. At this year’s conference on Palestine Studies at Universiti Malaya, Palestinian scholars and activists spoke of their vision for Gaza a...

A wrap of the day, FFG's magnificent 86, voter apathy or opposition failure, have Labour learned anything and why we need Populism now more than ever. There's no show like a Joe Show!

Note: this was recorded a few days ago, but we didn't want it to get lost in the GE2024 news cycle. In this podcast we are joined by freelance freedom of information journalist and one of the driving forces behind righttoknow.ie, Ken Foxe and managing partner at FP Logue Solicitors and tortoise shack regular Fred Logue, to discuss a very important ruling on a case they fought that has significant...

We talk results, our predictions, Fianna Fáil's conundrum, Sinn Féin's need to work outside the box, the far right flop, how the Soc Dems could lose by winning and lots, lots more. Stay tuned for some Chappell Dreams... 

In this pre-election podcast Cranky and Moany try to encourage you to get out and vote in hope. Hope plus Action equals Change If that doesn't work then stay tuned to hear from A Mystery Girl Get your cover recs into me!