It was great, as well as timely, to have Vice Deputy Leader of the Portuguese Socialist Party (Party of Govt), Joao Pina, back on the the tortoise shack. His government are currently undergoing another reshuffle as resignations and allegations engulf the body politic. We talk all about it, the health service under pressure, their ambitions for 2023 (a year of […]
Matt McGranahan is one of Ireland’s best known trad musicians. His talent is appreciated far and wide and he has played alongside the best known names in the industry. He’s been on TV, played in the Aras, was involved in cross border music collaborations bringing trad music to all traditions on the island. It’s fair to say that Matt is […]
In November, Ireland took in almost as much corporation tax as it did in the entire year of 2015. Many paint this as a success story where everyone is a winner. But it’s not as simple as that. Bizarrely much of our success is built on the type of creative accounting that means Ireland is the single largest export market […]
In this podcast you’ll hear about Martin’s ongoing health issue and experience of the crisis in our health service. Then Sinn Fein TD for Limerick, Maurice Quinlivan, joins me to discuss the dire situation in University Hospital Limerick and why the government’s inadequate response is not new and is putting patient safety at risk. We also discuss moves on drug […]
In this, Part 2 of our 2022 Review& 2023 Look Forward, Martin, Shamim, Emma, Harry, Sam and Tony, discuss the year ahead, reasons to be hopeful (and there are many) and what they want to see in the days and months ahead. We also chat about challenges and lessons learned from 2022, if any! You’ll also hear from James and […]
I hope you’re all enjoying few days off or at the very least, taking some time for yourselves. This is the tortoise shack review of (some of) 2022. Joining Martin, Sam and myself to look at highlights, lowlights and a lot, lot more were Shamim Malekmian, Emma DeSouza and Harry McEvansoneya. You’ll also hear from listeners and contributors like Rose […]
In what was a genuine highlight of 2022 for me to have former European 400 meters champion and the best broadcaster in Irish Athletics, David Gillick, come over to the tortoise shack. We discuss he career as an elite athlete, how he struggled to transition to a post-running life, his mental health struggles and the love he has for his […]
Please join us in 2023 and help keep the mic on at patreon.com/toroiseshack In this very special podcast, Martin chats to his Da about being a city farmer in the 40s and 50s in Drumcondra. They talk about floods, cows, what a ’tilly’ of milk is and driving cows 9 miles from the Ward in North County Dublin to Smithfield. […]