731. Family Reunification with Dr Arsalan Shahid

It was a great pleasure to be joined in the tortoise shack by Dr Arsalan Shahid. We discuss how he came from Pakistan to Ireland in 2016, had to give up his ambition to become a surgeon because of our non-training of immigrant doctors, was married in early 2020 and how now, after an earlier miscarriage, he and his lovely […]

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719. Sub Judice with Michael O’Toole

It was a pleasure to be joined in the tortoise shack by Crime Correspondent with the Irish Daily Star, Michael O’Toole and I convinced him to do most of it while we were recording. Mick explains how growing up in North Belfast the impact that the Bloody Sunday atrocity had on him and the community he comes from. We then […]

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723. Ukraine with Lesia Vasylenko

There is a lot of politicians, including members of our own government, making statements about the situation along the Ukrainian border with Russia. Rather than indulge that hot air we decided to talk with members of both the Ukrainian govt and the opposition. This podcast is with founder of the NGO Legal 100, current President of the Interparliamentary Union, Voice […]

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718. Don’t Look Up with Jon Schwarz

It is always great to chat with writer with theintercept.com Jon Schwarz. We talk all things American politics, fears about inflation in the economy and why it’s not the worry it’s made out to be and the current Covid situation. Then we get into what Martin and Jon really want to talk about, the film Don’t Look Up. If you […]

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New Beginnings & Old Truths

It was an absolute pleasure to share this weeks Sunday Special with UHW Cancer Pharmacist, DJ Walsh, Writer and Activist, Emma DeSouza and Writer and one of the organisers of the bloodysunday50.com events, Tony Doherty. We discuss the week ahead in Derry and Tony tells us about how even now 50 years on he remembers his father who was murdered […]

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714. Operation Transformation Not Good for the Nation?

In this tortoise shack special Vicky and Martin were joined by Sinead Crowe, co-founder of the Instagram Community ‘Intuitive Eating Ireland’, registered dietitian Jo Moscalu, who specialises in eating disorders specifically ‘Binge Eating’ and fat activist Michelle McCormick. We discuss weight cycling, diet culture, fat phobic rhetoric, and the state funds that are going to Operation Transformation. Please join us […]

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708. Tax Haven Ireland

It was a pleasure to be joined by economist and PBP member, Brian O’Boyle who along with co-author Kieran Allen, is co-author of a new book ‘Tax Haven Ireland’ We discuss why they decided to write the book that goes against the mainstream opinion and what they discovered in their investigation into how a small island on the edge of […]

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Tortoise Shack Sunday Special – Call It Out

This week on the Sunday Special we were joined by Glow West podcast host, Dr Caroline West, Dublin Inquirer reporter, Shamim Malekmian and Adoption Rights and Clann Project co-founder, Claire McGettrick. It was an absolute privilege. We discuss Shamim’s latest story about how migrants are denied access to life-saving organ transplants because of the possible later requirement for State supports […]

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