Giving Up Was Never An Option

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack Shams Mazen Rajab is a Palestinian graduate in English Language and Teaching Methods from Al-Aqsa University in Gaza. She is a writer and translator whose work conveys the resilience, struggles, and hopes of her community. Her articles and poems have been published in international platforms such as We Are Not Numbers, the collective blog Through […]

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Houses, Houses Everywhere, But Not A Home For Sale

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack Of the 4,521 new homes built in Dublin in 2025 only 208 went For Sale in an estate agents window. Something is deeply broken and given Ireland’s retirement system is based on a homeownership model, it’ll only get worse if action isn’t taken soon. Joining me to discuss this and a whole lot more is […]

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The Rhythm of Life

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack This week Sparky sits down with internationally acclaimedpoet and playwright, Paula Meehan and their mutual good friend and local legend, Kay Foran. Paula shares some poetry and the conversation meanders from the importance of community to the carrots in Coddle debate. We’re Back, Yup the Flats! The No Homes For Sale podcast is out now […]

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Choosing between heating & eating: disabled people’s cost of living crisis

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack In this Reboot Republic Rory speaks to Joan Carthy of the Irish Wheelchair Association about the cost of living crisis facing disabled people and their campaign for an emergency cost of disability winter payment. Joan explains how disabled people feel like they were pawns in the election after promises were made by Government but then […]

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SpyCops, Starmer and the Attacks on Left Wing Activism

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack In this podcast I’m rejoined on the tortoise shack for the first time in over a year by the best voice on the biggest (and arguably least reported) public inquiry in UK history, Mr Tom Fowler. We talk how the decades long political policing of the left has contributed to the rise of the far […]

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Drones, Jets and Harry Potter in Gaza

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack Mohammed Isdodi is an English student in Al-Azhar University, Gaza, whose studies and plans were interrupted by the genocide. He joins us from Deir Balah to talk about his experiences, dreams, plans and why he speaks with an English accent. Please note I’ve not done too many audio cosmetics on this podcast as we are […]

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Cuba on the Brink

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack Depending on the reporting Cuba has 2-4 weeks of oil left and despite Trump saying that he’s not involved, my guest journalist with el Pais, Nicholas Dale Leal, thinks the US has its knee on the throat of the small nation. We get into Cuba, the US, Mexico and Venezulea post Maduro. The ICE and […]

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Game Over Israel

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack Last November, Ireland joined with other countries by publicly calling on UEFA to suspend Israel from international football. So inevitably Ireland has been drawn against Israel in the upcoming Nations League fixtures. Sadly the FAI and Taoiseach Micheal Martin have already said that the games will take place. Joining me to discuss this is one […]

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