The Echo Chamber Podcast, hosted by Tony Groves and Martin McMahon, brings you the voices you need to hear from the Venn Diagram of News, Politics and Culture. Always serious, yet always entertaining, we explore the issues of the day, the problems facing us in society and talk real solutions in a way you won’t hear anywhere else. Often irreverent, each episode aims to bring a unique perspective, break through the PR fog and set the record straight. This is Ireland as it is and Ireland as it can be. So join the fastest growing independent News and Politics podcast. You won’t be sorry you did. Enjoy!
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Cian Prenderville #LimerickSoviet
In April 1919, a general strike shook Limerick to its core. The British Army put tanks on the streets of Limerick and machine guns on the bridges, but the workers refused to break.
Our guest in The Tortoise Shack is Solidarity Councillor for Limerick City and creator of Bottom Dog – The Story of the Limerick Soviet and he tells us the story behind this little known, but important part, of Irish history.
We discuss the reasons why the strike was called and what lessons we can learn from history when looking at the current crises facing our Republic today.
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Mark Malone
#Framing
Our guest in The Tortoise Shack is one of Ireland’s best online commentators on the insidiousness of repackaged far right views in the modern arena. Mark walks us through how the framing of debates and the lexicon used empowers bad faith players and busts the myth that “both sides are at it.”
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Sharon Nolan #TeachSolais
We can be a bit cynical about politics in The Tortoise Shack. But our guest today, Local Election candidate for the Social Democrats in Galway City Central, Activist and bundle of positive energy, Sharon Nolan is enough to shake anybody out of their stupor, even Martin.
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Dr Ciara Conlon #Access2Meds
We are joined in The Tortoise Shack by Dr. Ciara Conlan from Access to Medicines Ireland, to discuss what can be done to improve access, the work Ciara is doing in Access to Medicines Ireland and the global crisis in profiteering from medicines that are vital to millions of people for survival.
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Ber Grogan #ChangeMakers
Getting a seat in the Seanad is never easy. It is with great pleasure we welcome Ber Grogan to The Tortoise Shack. With a decade of social justice activism, grassroot organising and successful campaigning under her belt, Ber has a lot to bring to the bar.
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Ged Nash
#BogusSelfEmployed
We are delighted to have Senator Ged Nash in The Tortoise Shack to discuss his Bogus Self Employment Bill and the governments illogical refusal to address what many see as wide scale social welfare fraud by employers.
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Brexit
Peaceful Futures Conference
We took The Tortoise Shack on the road to the Soft Border for the Peaceful Futures South Armagh, Brexit & You Conference, to get a sense of what Brexit is doing, will do and hopefully won’t undo over the coming months and years.
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Luke Neale
#ClimateStrike
Our guest in The Tortoise Shack is River Projects Officer with Shropshire Wildlife Trust, Luke Neale. Luke, through his work in natural flood defence, has shown that not only can we #SlowTheFlow of climate change, but we can reverse the tide.
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Frank McGrath
#Listen
Persuasion is what I do, propaganda is what my opponent does. With this is mind we welcomed Activist, Audiologist and creator of leftbucket.com, Frank McGrath.
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Noemi Santopaolo
Grainne Keely
For International Women’s Day 2019, we are joined in The Tortoise Shack by Noemi Santopaolo & Grainne Keely of Threshold, to discuss how government policies don’t just ignore, but punish single parents.
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Deirdre Ní Fhloinn
#SafeAsHouses
We are joined in The Tortoise Shack by Barrister and soon to be Green Party Local Election candidate Deirdre Ní Fhloinn, to discuss why the cost of fixing substandard homes and workplaces is nothing in comparison to the potential loss of life.
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Dawn Foster
#BrexitVitriol
Round and round the Brexit-wheel goes, where it stops, nobody knows. To make sense of the chaos, the vitriol and the never ending failure of governance, columnist with the Guardian, Dawn Foster, rejoins us in The Tortoise Shack.
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Trevor Birney
Barry McCaffrey
Repost from December 2018: We’ve taken The Tortoise Shack on the road to Belfast to speak with Producers, Directors and Documentary Makers, Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey, who are on pre-charge bail for, well, it’s best if we let them tell it themselves.
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Niall Sargent
#ClimateAction
Joining us in the Tortoise Shack is Niall Sargent. Niall is Editor of The Green News. We ask is Ireland doing enough, how do we manage the transition to greener lives and are we willingly blind to our own throw away consumption culture?
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John Devitt
#Transparency
Our guest in The Tortoise Shack is CEO and Founder of the Irish chapter, Transparency Ireland, John Devitt. He talks us through the early years of the office, the constant battle for funding and the crucial work of protecting whistleblowers.
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Caroline West
#FeministPorn
We are joined in The Tortoise Shack by lecturer Caroline West to discuss the history of porn, its impact in the internet age, its feminist evolution and how we talk about it versus how we should be talking about it.
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Karl Deeter
#Right2Housing
Our guest in The Tortoise Shack is Financial Adviser, Musician, columnist, commentator, former Hibernia Forum member and self-declared redneck, Karl Deeter.
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Aisling O’Neill
#StandWithNurses
Aisling, speaking in a personal capacity, gives us her thoughts on where the Nursing dispute originates from, the current situation and the likely resolution.
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Jana Lyons
#EqualPayForEqualWork
Our guest in The Tortoise Shack, primary school teacher, active INTO member and activist for pay equality, Jana Lyons.
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Arpita Chakraborty
#MIALLS
Chair of the Síbeal Network, Arpita Chakraborty, talks to us about the role of Feminism in tackling the traditional power structures of a patriarchal society.
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David Hall
#VultureFunds
Our guest in The Tortoise Shack, CEO of Irish Mortgage Holders and Volunteer Chair of Inner City Helping Homelessness, David Hall had some things he wanted to get off his chest.
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Stephen Travers
#MiamiShowband
On the night of the 31st of July 1975, Stephen and his Miami Showband band-mates were gunned down on a lonely road by hard people intent on keeping their border ‘Hard’.
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Ellie Kisyombe
Sile Ni Dubhghaill
Our guests in The Tortoise Shack are both local election candidates for the Social Democrats AND are both working, in their own way, to End Direct Provision.
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Aviva Chomsky
Lynn Boylan
Joining us in The Tortoise Shack to discuss ‘greenwashing’ is academic, author, activist and Professor of Latin American Studies, Aviva Chomsky and Sinn Féin MEP for Dublin, Lynn Boylan.
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Gerard Cunningham
#TheFacts
Gerard gives us his insights into why Tribunals, for all their faults, might be the best worst option we have.
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Liam Farrell
#IrishMed
Our guest in The Tortoise Shack, ex-family doc, columnist with the British Medical Journal, GP and Writer/Broadcaster Liam Farrell has found the time to write a book ‘Are you the f**king doctor?’
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Maria Farrell
#HappyLeftyBookClub
The future isn’t yet written and our guest in The Tortoise Shack, writer, consultant and renowned future Utopian planner, Maria Farrell, thinks it doesn’t have to be the stuff of dystopian novels.
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Dawn Foster
#WhereWillWeLive
There was nobody better to ask into the tortoise shack to kick off the year than the mega-impressive, award winning human rights advocate, Dr Maeve O’Rourke.
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The Archive
#MuchMore
Enjoying our podcasts and want to hear more? Just visit our Archive Page where you’ll find links to many more hours of top quality content.