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https://tortoiseshack.ie/feed/podcast/
Tortoise Shack
All the tortoise shack podcasts in one consolidated feed!
- 20 episodes
- Avg 4 min
- English
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September 2 · 5 min[PREVIEW] Around the Kitchen Table - The Simon Community
Ber Grogan of the Simon Community had an idea for a short podcast series. We volunteered to help out with the project. The result is four episodes exploring the work of Simon, the highs, lows and everything in between’s. There’s also, despite the numbers going up, a sense of optimism that things can get better and a rejection of the current narrative that homelessness is normal. We’re posting them here over the next few days. Here’s part one.
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August 24 · 5 min[PREVIEW] Patron Exclusive: Ulster Says Maybe
Self-described former Unionist, TIK Tok, Irish-Northern Irish-British identity content creator, Claire JC, joins Tony in the Tortoise Shack to talk about her journey, identity-wise, politically and even geographically. We discuss the United Ireland movement, her Happy Lundy community and why she is building Ulster Says Maybe. A cracker of a chat. Find Claire at https://www.tiktok.com/@clairejc_official
- HAugust 20 · 5 min
[PREVIEW] Patron Exclusive: You're Not Angry Enough
The best way to improve our biodiversity is to support, protect and when necessary rescue the species that are already there. Joining us for the first time is Animal Rescue Coordinator with Kildare Wildlife Rescue, Pearse Stokes. We talk about his journey into this work, his sense of duty to the environment and why he believes finding purpose is a powerful antidote to the toxic masculinity that is present in our society.
- HAugust 8 · 5 min
[PREVIEW] Palestine, Iran and the Shifting Politics of the Middle East | Helena Cobban
Aug 5, 2026 This discussion examined major developments affecting Palestine and the wider region, with a focus on political shifts in the United States, the US-Iran war, the situation in Lebanon, and the ongoing ceasefire negotiations in Gaza. Helena Cobban, a writer and researcher on international affairs and president of Just World Educational, offered her analysis of these developments and what they could mean for the future. The conversation covered the growing support for Palestinian rights within parts of the US Democratic Party, including recent primary elections in Michigan and New York. Helena discussed the emergence of younger pro-Palestinian candidates, the role of Arab American voters, and divisions within both the Democratic and Republican parties over US support for Israel. She also examined the development of new alliances among Palestinian rights advocates and anti-Zionist Jewish groups. The discussion then turned to the US-Iran war and the conflicting accounts surrounding possible negotiations and a ceasefire. Helena explained why she believed US and Israeli expectations about the war had failed, and examined Iran's military resilience, its ability to protect key capabilities, and its use of deterrence and pressure against the United States and Gulf states. The conversation also explored Lebanon, including the Lebanese government's talks with Israel, the influence of Saudi Arabia and the United States, and the continuing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. Helena discussed Israel's military actions in Lebanon and drew connections between the destruction there and the policies previously used in Gaza. The final part focused on Gaza and the so-called ceasefire. Helena discussed Hamas's offer to hand over its heavy weapons to a Palestinian administrative body, the dispute over the sequence of Israeli withdrawal and disarmament, and the role of the proposed Board of Peace and the United Nations. She also considered upcoming political developments, including the UN General Assembly, Israel's election, and the US midterm elections. The discussion ended with Helena explaining why she remained more optimistic than she had been for some time. She pointed to political changes in the United States, possible shifts within the United Nations, and what she described as the resilience and leadership of Palestinians and Iranians. Watch the full discussion for Helena Cobban's detailed analysis of these interconnected developments and their possible implications for Palestine and the wider region.
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July 29 · 3 minGlen Hansard - Rest in Peace
Incredibly sad to hear about the untimely death of Glen Hansard. Beyond the music (and the music is amazing) Glen was a real activist. From Apollo House, to him starting the world famous Christmas Eve Busking session, to his constant more quiet support for homelessness services; he did more than can be captured in a few words. The above video was taken only a few weeks ago of Glen and friends onstage at the Iveagh Gardens. That’s the Lord Mayor of Ballymun, our tortoise shack brother, Dean Scurry beaming at his great lifelong friend Glen, as together they belt out the Aul Triangle. This is how I want to remember Glen. Ballymun bred. A Star Star. A Revelation. Deepest condolences to his friends, family and loved ones. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam 💔
- HJuly 10 · 3 min
[PREVIEW] Patron Exclusive: The EU Presidency vs Our Crises: What are the Priorities?
In this wide-wide-ranging Reboot Republic episode, Rory and Tony delve into Ireland's political landscape, our housing crisis, the EU Presidency priorities, and the influence of big tech on democracy. They explore the failures of government policies, the impact of social media regulation, and the urgent need for systemic change beyond tinkering on the edges. They also get into Indo journalist, Fionnan Sheehan's unkind words about Rory...
- HJune 26 · 3 min
[PREVIEW] Patron Exclusive: Ethnic Erasure - The Reality in Occupied Palestine
Leila Warah is a Palestinian American multimedia journalist currently based in Palestine. Born and raised in the United Arab Emirates, she holds a degree in Journalism and Media and has significant experience in reporting across digital platforms. Through her social media (@leila.shw on Instagram), Leila creates videos that stay true to the Palestinian question, breaking it down for an international audience to better understand what life under Israeli occupation in the West Bank looks like. Her content delivers on-the-ground visual storytelling, tailored for an international audience, that humanizes the headlines, shedding light on Palestinian identity, resistance, and the everyday realities of communities often overlooked by mainstream media. Zena Tahhan is a journalist with over ten years of experience in journalism and human rights organizations. She holds a BSc in Journalism from Northwestern University in Qatar and an MA in Middle East Studies from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. As a writer and TV reporter, she focuses on exposing the realities of Palestinian life under Israeli occupation, covering issues such as killings, settler attacks, land confiscation, military raids, political prisoners, and forced displacement. Alongside field reporting, she also produces political analysis and opinion pieces. Her expertise spans Palestine’s political history, settler colonialism, and international human rights law, with a particular focus on how Israel’s system of military occupation operates through laws, courts, and policies that undermine basic freedoms. They both joined me in the Shack. Thanks to Pau Garcés for his help in making this pod happen.
- HJune 16 · 3 min
[PREVIEW] Patron Exclusive: I Don't Want To Write Tragedies
Sondos Sabra is a Palestinian writer from Gaza and co-author of Voices of Resistance, currently pursuing a master’s degree in Creative Writing in the UK. She joins us to discuss her experience of the genocide, the harsh reality of the famine she endured, the loss of several of her family and the heartache of planning for a future when everything is stuck in a worsening present.
- HJune 7 · 2 min
[PREVIEW] The Iran crisis #24: Jeffrey Sachs
On June 5, JWE president Helena Cobban sat down with the renowned economist and UN advisor Prof. Jeffrey Sachs to assess the impact of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, and the long-running Israeli genocide in Gaza on global governance and the global economy. In this convo Sachs was forthright in his denunciation of the stupidity of the Trump-Netanyahu decision to launch the war against Iran. He noted that while the war and the naval blockade that Washington set up around Iran's ports was inflicting mounting economic costs on most of the peoples of the world, a few bodies have been making super-profits off the war's continuation, including big U.S. oil companies and military production entities across the U.S. and Israel. He also shared several crucial observations about the currently poor state of the UN's effectiveness and the degree to which the body is hobbled by the actions of the U.S. president (as well as by Israel.) Listen to the whole of this super-informative conversation! It is the latest episode in Just World Ed's continuing series on the Iran Crisis. Find the multimedia records of this episode and all the others in this series at this Online Learning Hub on our website.
- HJune 2 · 5 min
[PREVIEW] Patron Exclusive: Episode 1,600 accidentally with Liam Cunningham
In this short member-only podcast a milestone is reached in the company of actor and activist, Liam Cunningham. Thank you to each and every one of you all for your support. It means the world. Tony
- HMay 30 · 5 min
[PREVIEW] JWE: Elijah Magnier on the Impact of the U.S.-Israeli War on Iran at Week 13
On May 29, JWE president Helena Cobban sat down with the strategic analyst Elijah Magnier to assess the impact of the first 13 weeks of the (still somewhat ongoing) U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. Early on in this Just World Ed project, Magnier had been both the first and the fourth contributor to this this project, both just before and just after the U.S. and Israel launched their assault on Iran on February 28. In this latest convo, he and Ms. Cobban revisited many of the key judgments he had made on those occasions. Magnier also assessed the likelihood of the "framework agreement" that's currently being discussed between Tehran and Washington leading to a real ceasefire-- as well as the impact this war has had so far at both the West Asian regional level and globally.
- HMay 28 · 5 min
[PREVIEW] A Doctor in Gaza: The Silent Medical Emergency No One Is Talking About | Dr. Musallam Abu Khalil
Editors Note: Our friend with Dignity for Palestine and Ionad Hind Rajab, Dr Musallam Abukhalil, sent me this podcast he did recently to share with you all. What does it mean to practice medicine in Gaza amid mass displacement, collapsing hospitals, untreated chronic illness, hunger, trauma, and relentless uncertainty? In this episode of The Thin Veil, I speak with Dr. Musallam Abu Khalil, a physician in Gaza and founder of United for Dignity Alliance (UFDA), a Palestinian-led humanitarian organisation providing emergency aid, chronic and cancer care, psychosocial support, education, and storytelling initiatives in Gaza. Dr. Musallam joins me from Nuseirat in central Gaza for a powerful firsthand conversation about survival, medicine, community resilience, and the often invisible “silent emergency” facing Palestinians living through catastrophic health system collapse.
- HMay 17 · 3 min
[PREVIEW] Patron Exclusive: The By-elections Special
As promised, Mr irishelectionprojections.com Harry McEvansoneya is back to make sense of the Galway West and Dublin Central by-elections. Sense is maybe a bit of a stretch... Enjoy.
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May 12 · 4 min[PREVIEW] Patron Exclusive: James Leonard - Building Community from the Bottom Up and Getting a Seat at the Table
James Leonard is no stranger to the tortoise shack. Yet this is his first-ever appearance in the shack, and it is, like the man himself, really great. We talk about his work internationally in raising awareness about the carceral experience, his work in Cork in building life-long learning initatives and his work in Local Govt where he sees the friction between politics and community development.
- HMay 10 · 5 min
[PREVIEW] JWE - The Iran Crisis: John Ross on China’s Role & the War's Geopolitical and Geoeconomic Salience
On May 9, JWE president Helena Cobban sat down with John Ross, who's a Senior Fellow with the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China. That, at a point midway between the May 6 visit of Iranian FM Abbas Araghchi to Beijing and the upcoming visit there by U.S. President Trump, who'll be holding an important summit there with Pres. Xi Jinping on May 13 or 14. In this conversation, Ross emphasised the geopolitical and geo-economic impact of the still-simmering U.S. war on Iran. He assessed that from Beijing's viewpoint, this war is centrally about whether the U.S. can be allowed to continue exerting unilateral control over the entire world economy, given that it is the U.S. military that is currently blockading the Hormuz Strait and preventing a peaceful negotiated end to this war. Listen to John Ross and Helena Cobban discussing this and other issues around China's persistent, though generally quiet, pro-peace diplomacy and the importance of the upcoming summit meeting.
- HMay 5 · 4 min
[PREVIEW] Patron Exclusive: PalCast - The First Draft of History
Malak Hijazi is an English Literature graduate, writer, historian of displacement and journalist from Gaza. She joins us from Gaza City to share her story, describe life under the ongoing genocide and explain why she is compelled to record what is happening to her people despite the danger to herself. A remarkable young woman. Don’t miss it.
- HApril 24 · 5 min
[PREVIEW] JWE - Iran Crisis: Dr. Moeed Pirzada on Pakistan’s Role and Fears of Renewed Conflict
In this JWE episode of the Iran Crisis Project, Helena Cobban, president of Just World Educational, spoke with Dr. Moeed Pirzada, a prominent Pakistani journalist based in Washington, D.C. and founder-editor of Global Village Space magazine. Together they examined the rapidly shifting situation around the U.S.-Iran conflict, Pakistan's role as a mediator, and the broader geopolitical realignments taking place across West Asia and beyond.
- HApril 22 · 4 min
[PREVIEW] Patron Exclusive: Gaza - Don't Look Away
Khaled Al-Qershali is a writer and journalist from Gaza, focusing on personal narratives and reporting on the humanitarian impact of conflict. He has published articles and essays in outlets such as The Electronic Intifada, The Washington Report of Middle East Affairs, and The Independent. His work highlights stories of resilience, survival, and the lived experiences of civilians under occupation. He joins us from Gaza City to share his story and his hopes for the future.
- HApril 21 · 2 min
[PREVIEW] JWE: Iran - The Ceasefire On The Edge
On the day before the current two-week ceasefire between Iran and the U.S. is due to end, the veteran scholar of Iranian and international affairs Trita Parsi sat down with JWE president Helena Cobban to review the prospects for war or peace in West Asia. Trita Parsi is an Iranian-Swedish international relations writer and political analyst who is the co-founder and executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.