Tag: Naomi O'Leary

Why can’t all Irish citizens vote?

The Irish Passport

Why can't all Irish citizens vote?

00:00 / 58:17

Irish law in an international outlier in its restrictions on where its its citizens can vote. The franchise is limited to those resident inside the boundaries of the 26 counties of the republic, with almost no provision for early, postal or overseas voting. Ahead of a planned referendum to extend the right to vote for president to all Irish citizens, including in Northern Ireland and overseas, Naomi O’Leary and Tim Mc Inerney explore the political implications of the current voting system and weigh the arguments for and against change. We hear the case for reform from Irish people from the north, and from people who travelled back to Ireland in the famous ‘Home to Vote’ movements. This episode features a report from the campaign launch of Votes for Irish Citizens Abroad by contributor Michael Lanigan, as well as the voices of ordinary people in Dublin on their hopes and concerns about the proposal.

Editing by Alan Meaney http://alanmeaney.ie/

For bonus episodes, support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/theirishpassport.

Season 3 of The Irish Passport podcast is made with the kind support of Biddy Murphy, online sellers of genuine Irish goods. Check them out on www.biddymurphy.com.

The music you heard in this episode is Night II, by Swelling, and Serial Killer, by John Bartmann.

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Galway, City of the Tribes

The Irish Passport

Galway, City of the Tribes

00:00 / 59:40

Fishermen kings, Spanish galleons, and fearsome pirate marauders – these are just some of the things that make the history of Galway City on the west coast of Ireland so intriguing. Take a tour around the medieval old town with Tim Mc Inerney and historian Adrian Martyn, and find out all about the infamous ‘Tribes of Galway’ who presided over this western frontier-city for over five centuries. Who were they? Where on earth did they come from? And what’s left of them today? See Tim’s photographs of the landmarks discussed here.

For bonus episodes, support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/theirishpassport.

Season 3 of The Irish Passport podcast is made with the kind support of Biddy Murphy, online sellers of genuine Irish goods. Check them out on www.biddymurphy.com.

If you want to check out more from historian Adrian Martyn and order his book ‘The Tribes of Galway’, you can find his work here: https://adrianmartyn.ie/

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Poetry and Pain

The Irish Passport

Poetry and Pain

00:00 / 01:04:39

A Newry woman visits her big brother in Paris. The two share a drink and talk all night. The next morning, he leaves instructions for taking the metro, and disappears. His family never see him again.

The story of Anne Morgan’s 32-year search for her missing brother Seamus is just one told in this episode, the second in a two-part series on the theme of dealing with the past. We speak to Damien McNally of Belfast’s Wave Trauma Centre about how trauma can be passed down from one generation to the next, and the implications of providing front-line care while political deadlock prevents wider societal change. Historian Roy Foster of Oxford University discusses Ireland’s culture of dealing with the past and how it differs from the mood in Britain as Brexit looms. From historical inquiries to ‘Derry Girls’, Naomi O’Leary and Tim Mc Inerney explore different routes to closure: through justice, truth-seeking, or creativity. This episode concludes with an exclusive reading by poet Gail McConnell of her poem about the Long Kesh breakout and the death of her father, ‘Start Out’.

This is the second of a two-part series on the issue of dealing with the past, dedicated to the memory of murdered journalist Lyra McKee. You can listen to part one here: https://www.theirishpassport.com/podcast/s3-episode-3-collusion/

You can read ‘Suicide of the Ceasefire Babies’, the essay which inspired these episodes, here.

’Start Out’ is published in Fourteen by Gail McConnell (Green Bottle Press, 2018): https://greenbottlepress.com/order-form/our-books/

Featuring editing by Alan Meaney http://alanmeaney.ie/ . Special thanks to Emma Rainey of Fem-Vibes podcast for reading an excerpt of Lyra McKee’s writing for us.

For bonus episodes, support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/theirishpassport.

Season 3 of The Irish Passport podcast is made with the kind support of Biddy Murphy, online sellers of genuine Irish goods. Check them out on www.biddymurphy.com.

The music you heard in this episode is Night II, by Swelling, and Serial Killer, by John Bartmann.

Support this podcast

Collusion

The Irish Passport

Collusion

00:00 / 47:50

A brutal mass shooting shocks the world. In its wake, leaders vow to find those responsible and bring them to justice. But instead, the investigation goes nowhere. Evidence mysteriously goes missing or is destroyed. Suspects are tipped off before they are questioned. Leads are allowed to go cold.

This episode delves into the murky history of collusion in Northern Ireland. Naomi O’Leary and Tim Mc Inerney speak to investigative journalist Barry McCaffrey about the damning information he discovered linking the the infamous Loughinisland massacre to the British state’s so-called “Dirty War”. Naomi traces how Brexit has re-politicised Northern Ireland for the British right, and how modest progress in digging up the truth about the path has led to a backlash at the top of Westminster politics.

This is the first of a two-part series on the issue of dealing with the past, dedicated to the memory of murdered journalist Lyra McKee. You can listen to part two here: https://www.theirishpassport.com/podcast/s3-episode-4-poetry-and-pain/

Editing by Alan Meaney http://alanmeaney.ie/

For bonus episodes, support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/theirishpassport.

Season 3 of The Irish Passport podcast is made with the kind support of Biddy Murphy, online sellers of genuine Irish goods. Check them out on www.biddymurphy.com.

The music you heard in this episode is Night II, by Swelling, and Serial Killer, by John Bartmann.

A transcript of this episode is available here: https://theirishpassport.com/transcript-collusion/

Support this podcast

Travellers

The Irish Passport

Travellers

00:00 / 00:55:26

Who are Irish Travellers? The answer is Ireland’s most hidden history: mistaught or not taught in schools, often invisible or misrepresented in the media, and abused by some for political gain. In this episode, three Irish Travellers explain who they are and what it means to be a Traveller. Naomi O’Leary and Tim Mc Inerney hear from John Connors, the actor, screenwriter, and activist, who welcomes us into his home to tell us about his childhood, family history, and what his research has discovered about the origins of his community. Campaigner Eileen Flynn explains her journey in becoming a feminist, and her battles with health, housing and discrimination. Finally, Julia O’Reilly tells us how she overcame challenges in education, and how her conviction that things must be better for the next generation has led her to seek change by running for political office.

For bonus episodes, support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/theirishpassport.

Season 3 of The Irish Passport podcast is made with the kind support of Biddy Murphy, online sellers of genuine Irish goods. Check them out on www.biddymurphy.com.

A transcript of this episode is available here: https://theirishpassport.com/transcripts/transcript-travellers/

Support this podcast