In March of 2019, 4 hours after he was released from Garda custody for a public order offence, 20 year old Niall took his own life on the family farm. This week his mother, Johanna bravely and powerfully speaks to us about what kind of young man Niall was, the struggle they’ve had to find out from Gardaí what exactly […]
In this new side-series to Policed, Dr Vicky Conway will look at news and issues relating to policing, bringing expert perspectives and continuing to reflect on what this means for those who are policed. This will be available exclusively to our tortoise shack members going forward. In this episode Vicky is joined by Dr Michael Mulqueen, who is Professor of […]
This week, we speak to two teenagers, Orlaith and Brendan (not real names) about their experience of stop and search in a town in Donegal. Stop and search, while often a short, minor encounter, can have huge consequences and we see that in how these young people feel about the police. We know so little about stop and search in […]
In July of this year Estefany was held in Mountjoy Prison in solitary confinement for 12 days after she attempted to enter the country: this detention was held to be unlawful. Estefany describes for us what happened at the airport, how she was treated, and how she ended up in prison – it’s a visceral account of her experience. Dr […]
This is part two of the story of Osgur Breatnach, who was wrongfully convicted in 1978 of the Sallins Mail Train Robbery. In this episode we hear about his trials and conviction before the Special Criminal Court. Dr Fergal Davis helps us understand the controversies of that court. We hear of Osgur’s time in prison and the campaign for this […]
Over the next two weeks, we speak to Osgur Breatnach, who was wrongfully convicted in 1978 of the Sallins Mail Train Robbery. This conviction was based on a false confession which he provided have been beaten by the Heavy Gang, a group that operated within An Garda Síochána. In this part, we remind listeners of the context of the 1970s, […]
This week Oscar, a primary school teacher who grew up in a working class area, tells of being unlawfully arrested, searched and detained as a child. He tells what it felt like in the moment, and what the impact has been on his attitude towards the Gardaí. We also speak to Prof Ursula Kilkelly about why and how children must […]
In this two part episode we speak to family of Terence Wheelock, who died after falling ill in Garda custody in 2005. The family speak powerfully about what it was like to have a loved one die in such circumstances, and how they have been treated by the police since then as they have searched for answers. We also hear […]