A golf society dinner for 81 people has thrown the Irish government into chaos. Attended by a host of senior political figures, many at the forefront Ireland’s COVID health strategy, the event appeared to flout the very social distancing regulations some of its guests had devised. This is just the latest in a series of disasters for the recently installed coalition government, which has been struggling to retain public confidence since its inception mere weeks ago. Naomi O’Leary and Tim Mc Inerney investigate why a scandal like this holds such high stakes in the current moment. We hear from listeners about how the restrictions have affected them, and speak to Dr Marc Scully of Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, about how the lives of hundreds and thousands of Irish emigrants have suddenly and dramatically changed in a way that has largely been ignored in Ireland’s public debate about travel restrictions and health policy. You can find our full interview with Marc Scully over on Patreon, where you can become a supporter of the podcast today. You can gain access to our full library of extra content at www.Patreon.com/theirishpassport
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Dr Scully may soon be recruiting people for a research study into the pandemic and its effect on emigrants. To keep up to date, follow him on Twitter at @marcdonnchadh.
Celtic identity is politically powerful but historically nebulous, a subject of debate among historians and archaeologists, while being a source of inspiration to some and irritation to others. In this episode, Naomi O’Leary and Tim Mc Inerney visit a Celtic music festival in the Netherlands to explore why the concept has such international appeal. Tim explores the political use and abuse of the idea of the Celts in debates about identity and nationalism in Scotland and Ireland. Historian Adrian Martyn tells us why he finds the idea of Celticness insulting, while National Museum of Scotland curator Fraser Hunter breaks down the complex reality of early civilisations on the Atlantic islands and what we know about our ancient ancestors.
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If you enjoyed this episode, do give us a good review in your podcast app and share it with your friends.
After almost half a year of negotiations and political maneuvering, Ireland finally has a government. It’s unlike any that has come before it, and it doesn’t include the party that got the post votes in the last election, Sinn Féin. In this livestreamed podcast, Naomi O’Leary and Tim Mc Inerney answer listener questions with special guests Aoife-Grace Moore, political correspondent with The Irish Examiner, and Darach Ó Séaghdha of the Motherfoclóir podcast.
Is the new government’s policy programme really the greenest ever? Why are people calling this the end of the Civil War politics? Are the Green party falling into a trap, and will Sinn Féin ultimately benefit?
The new coalition is made up of old rivals Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, with the support of the Green party. The new Taoiseach is Micheál Martin, who is supposed to be in office until the end of 2022 when he will step aside to let outgoing Taoiseach Leo Varadkar assume the role.
Watch the video version of this live podcast here: https://youtu.be/E8dnapYnmig
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Young Black people in Ireland have taken to the streets to demand an end to racism and discrimination in the midst of a global uprising inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement. Documentary maker Amanda Adé explores the conversations and momentum for change that is happening in Ireland in the wake of the protests. We hear from Boni Odoemene, the co-founder of the Black and Irish Instagram page, which is unearthing a hidden part of Irish history. The curator of Ireland’s first Black Studies module Dr. Ebun Joseph discusses her research on the nature of racial stratification in Ireland. And Naomi O’Leary and Tim Mc Inerney dig into the complex and interesting crossovers of Black and Irish history, from the dark legacy of empire, to how the US civil rights movement inspired Catholics in 1960s Northern Ireland, to the tearing down of statues.
Protests against Ireland’s controversial system for housing asylum seekers Direct Provision have been re-ignited as demonstrations against racism sweep the United States. We interviewed Bulelani Mfaco where he lives in Knockalisheen Direct Provision centre on the border of Limerick and Clare for our episode on the system published in January. In this bonus episode made specially to thank our Patreon supporters, we publish the full interview with Naomi O’Leary. He tells us about his experience living within the system and why he sees Direct Provision as deliberate marginalisation of migrants and akin to racial segregation.
This bonus content was made possible by the continued support of our patrons! Sign up to support the podcast today at www.patreon.com/theirishpassport and gain access to our whole archive of Halfpint extra content.
For access to our full archive of bonus content, head on over on our Patreon page www.patreon.com/theirishpassport.
Follow us on Twitter and Facebook: @PassportIrish.
