IRELAND'S EDGE

Tá athéirí suntasach ag tarlú thart orainn i saol na Gaeilge – rabharta mór Gaeilge atá ann.  Tá an teanga ina gné lárnach agus tathagach i zeitgeist ár linne, agus tá sí ag fágáil a lorg go láidir ar cheol, scannánaíocht, scríbhneoireacht, faisean, agus na meáin ar bhealaigh atá úrnua, fuinniúil, agus spreagúil. Cén borradh atá taobh thiar den rabharta mór seo? Cén tionchar atá á imirt ag cultúr agus ealaíon ar an teanga? Cén léargas a thugann sé seo dúinn ar ár bhféiniúlacht náisiúnta, agus cén buntáiste is féidir a bhaint as seo le leas na Gaeilge ó thaobh tacaíochta agus maoiniú de sna blianta atá amach romhainn?Beidh Emma Ferrari ag comhrá le triúr a bhfuil tionchar á imirt acu ar chúrsaí cultúrtha, ar an chomhcheangal agus idirspleáchas atá le sonrú idir theanga agus chruthaíocht, an borradh suntasach atá le sonrú in ealaíon Ghaeilge an lae inniu, agus an dóigh a bhfuil an Ghaeilge agus saol an lae inniu fite fuaite le chéile.The Irish language is in the midst of a remarkable resurgence. From music, film, and literature to fashion and new media, it has become part of the cultural zeitgeist in ways that feel unprecedented, invigorating, and uplifting.What’s driving this powerful new wave? How have art and culture shaped its story? What does this moment say about our national identity, and how can this momentum be translated into meaningful funding and long-term support for the language’s future?Emma Ferrari sits down with three leading cultural voices to discuss the symbiosis between language and creativity, the flourishing of contemporary Irish-language art, and its intersection with life in modern Ireland.This episode is in Irish. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Audre Lorde described the margin as a site of radical possibility, a place to experiment, play, ask different questions, subvert, resist, and imagine the world anew.With places to live and create often prohibitively expensive, and places to party and come together increasingly being closed down, our cities can become places of isolation and loneliness. This discussion explores how subcultures, grassroots cultural movements and DIY collectives can foster community, create inclusive spaces, build coalitions, and drive positive change. With Lava La Rue and Shampain. Moderated by Una Mullally Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What began as an issue in isolated pockets of Ireland’s cities has become a national crisis affecting every facet of Irish life. Though it consistently tops opinion polls as Irish people’s most important issue and continues to be debated and discussed at every level of media discourse, progress or even clarity on the issue of housing often feels beyond our reach.Hosted by journalist and author, Una Mullally, this discussion will try to tell this story from a different perspective – to focus on areas less covered and less understood in the current discourse. From gentrification to the Gaeltacht, our panel including artist and musician, Gemma Dunleavy, BÁNÚ spokesperson, Adhna Ní Bhraonáin, and lecturer & housing policy analyst, Lorcan Sirr, will dig into the issues both diffuse and acute facing different communities on our island, and how such communities might be key to charting our collective path forward. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In an age of mass production, craft offers a way of imagining a better world, a slow, human process that connects us to material, to place, and to one another. Artist Domino Whisker, knife-maker Hugh Byrne, and Anike Tyrrell, founder and artistic director of J. Hill’s Standard Glass, discuss the resurgence of Irish craft and its dialogue with design, memory, identity, and modern culture. From handmade glass to forged steel, tufting and embroidery, this conversation explores the preservation and reimagining of Irish craft, the relationship between art and function, and the quiet power of making as both resistance and renewal.With Hugo Byrne, Domino Whisker and Anike Tyrrell. Moderated by Didi Ronan.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Left-wing journalists across the world continue to report on injustice and violence, but their work has become ever more difficult in the face of rising authoritarianism. Dimi Reider is an Israeli journalist living in London. He is the co-founder of +972 Magazine, the Palestinian-Israeli media collective that has undertaken many major investigations into the ongoing genocide in Gaza, and was a major critic of the rise of Israeli authoritarianism. After moving to the UK, he was also founding editor of The Lead, a group of progressive local and national publications in England. He has written and reported widely on politics in both the Middle East and Britain, and his articles have appeared with The New Statesman, Foreign Policy, The Guardian, and many others. As a facilitator and researcher, he has explored peace-building and dialogue in Northern Ireland. He is currently a Senior Fellow with the Othering and Belonging Institute at University of California, Berkeley. He speaks with Christopher Kissane about what more we can do in the struggle for solidarity. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The internet has become a very different place thanks to the rise of AI, with automated content, generative bots, and dynamic algorithms changing the nature of our online world. For many, 'artificial intelligence' is the route to a better future, but for others, it is a regulatory nightmare metastasizing toxic bias. So are new technologies improving our online world, or contributing to its 'enshittification', and how do their effects filter through to our offline real lives?With Carole Cadwalladr, Investigative journalist and writer; Niamh McIntyre, Senior reporter at the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and Roisin Kiberd, Writer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With nearly half the Irish population living within a few miles of the coast, rising sea levels and extreme weather are putting our coastal areas at risk. Both coastal erosion and urban flooding are increasing dangers for these communities, many of which also face challenges of economic and demographic sustainability.How can we prepare our coasts for the decades ahead?Featuring Martha Farrell, co-founder of the Maharees Conservation Association CLG, and Mary Bourke, Professor of Geomorphology at Trinity College Dublin, this episode considers how science can be utilised to support sustainable communities and prepare our coasts for the future. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the horrors of the genocide in Palestine have unfolded, the reaction from policy-makers and the international community has not matched the will of ordinary people to respond. Humanitarian workers and activists have gone to extraordinary lengths to make a difference, but after decades of violence, many feel little hope for the prospects of peace and justice.As a country with a deep commitment to both peace and solidarity, how can we both bear witness to the suffering and further the cause of a just peace?In this week's episode of the podcast, we hear from Caoimhe Butterly, Human Rights Activist and Global Samud Flotilla Organiser, and Dr. Mohammed Abu Mughaisib, Deputy Medical Coordinator of Médecins Sans Frontières's operations in Palestine, both having devoted much of their lives to this cause as an activist and advocate and as a doctor and witness. We are deeply grateful to them for joining us in Dingle to share their experiences and perspectives with us. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In our age of ever-shorter attention spans, long-form reporting has become an endangered art. But some stories require months and years of investigation and thought to be told properly.Ed Caesar is a Staff Writer for The New Yorker Magazine, whose recent feature essay, ‘The Irishman’, offered the most in-depth look yet into Daniel Kinahan and his criminal empire. He has previously been named Journalist of the Year by the Foreign Press Association of London for his coverage of the civil war in the Central African Republic, alongside other investigations of diamonds, money laundering, and sinking ships, while his most recent book The Moth and the Mountain was a Telegraph Sports Book of the Year.He speaks with Christopher Kissane about the process and importance of deep reporting and long-form storytelling. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Christopher Kissane is joined by Aoife Gallagher (Institute for Strategic Dialogue, author of Web of Lies) and journalist Una Mullally (The Irish Times) to unpack the rise of far-right extremism and online disinformation in Ireland. From viral conspiracy theories to foreign interference and the 2023 Dublin riots, they explore how social media is fueling hate—and what can be done about it. Recorded live at Ireland’s Edge in Dingle. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can Ireland’s newest national park protect the sea and the people who depend on it — or is conservation becoming a top-down photo op?Last year, the Irish government established Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara, Ciarraí (Kerry Marine National Park), a vast national park that includes many of West Kerry's most iconic locations—Mount Brandon, the Conor Pass, and a large stretch of ocean off the Kerry coast.While Ireland has been shamefully slow to protect its marine ecosystems, the creation of this park has raised concerns among fishing communities about the impact on their livelihoods and the lack of consultation in the planning process. So how do we strike a balance between conservation and community—and ensure this new national park is more than just a box-ticking photo op?Today, Chris is joined by three expert voices:Ella McSweeney, award-winning journalist and presenter of RTÉ’s Ear to the Ground. Her reporting for The Irish Times, The Guardian, and others has helped shape national conversations on farming, fishing, and the environment.Aodh Ó Domhnaill, CEO of the Irish Fish Producers Organisation and a veteran advocate for Ireland’s fishing industry, originally from Donegal.Olive Heffernan, award-winning marine science journalist and author of The High Seas: Ambition, Power and Greed on the Unclaimed Ocean.This episode was recorded live at Ireland’s Edge in Dingle Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How can we create a socially sustainable future for tourism, and provide places for people to live in their own communities? Tourism has become vital for many places in the west of Ireland, providing customers and opportunities for everything from hotels and restaurants to arts and crafts. The annual influx of visitors has revitalised towns all along the ‘Wild Atlantic Way, sustaining many small businesses in areas once blighted by immigration and poverty. But the success of tourism has also brought social pressures, most notably through a housing crisis exacerbated by the proliferation of second homes and holiday lets. For young people in particular, finding somewhere to live in their own area has become impossible, leading to a youth exodus that endangers the social future of many communities, and the cultural future of Gaelic areas, with the Irish language speakers increasingly priced out by holidaymakers. At the same time, declines in tourist numbers caused by high prices and a lack of accommodation are also sounding alarm bells for many local businesses.Today, three people from very different backgrounds share their stories and ideas with me: Peadar Ó Fionnáin is a local doctor in Dingle, where he also co-directs the annual arts festival Féile Na Bealtaine and is the local organiser for the Green Party, for whom he campaigns on housing and sustainability issues. Lynn Dyer is an activist in Cornwall, where she is director of the community food project Growing Links in Penzance, where she also directs the town's Street Food Project. And Didi Ronan is co-founder of NATIVE, a regenerative hospitality project in Ballydehob in West Cork, offering both a guest house and sustainably built cabins. She previously worked as a policy analyst for the OECD. They joined our regular host Chris Kissane in front of a live audience at Ireland's Edge in Dingle. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From genocide to corruption, it is increasingly hard to escape the feeling that in geopolitics today, anything goes. Recent months have seen an extraordinary breakdown in the norms of international affairs. The controversial return of Donald Trump to the White House has repositioned America and damaged the Western Democratic Alliance that has dominated transatlantic affairs for a century. The impunity of the Israeli government's actions in Gaza and Lebanon, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the civil wars in Yemen and Sudan continue to horrify and shock the world. On this episode we hear from three expert voices who share their perspectives on what is to come. Carole Cadwalladr is an Orwell Prize-winning journalist whose work on big data and secret money behind the Brexit and Trump campaigns brought her international attention and a campaign of legal harassment from wealthy Brexiteers. Hannah McCarthy won an Irish Journalism Award for her foreign coverage, which has included reporting from Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and the US election campaign. And Donnacha Ó Beacháin is a professor of politics at Dublin City University. At Ireland's Edge in Dingle, they joined John Naughton, Senior Research Fellow at Cambridge University, and longtime friend of Ireland's Edge. This conversation took place in December last year, before the return of Donald Trump to the US presidency. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the day of Ireland's general election in December 2024, the longtime leader of the Green Party Eamon Ryan sat down with Chris Kissane at Ireland’s Edge. Marking the end of his political tenure after 25 years, and with his party’s prospects looking bleak, Eamon and Chris discussed why it’s not easy being green.Junior partners in two major coalition governments over the last 15 years, the Greens brought issues of climate change and sustainability to the centre of Irish political debate and Eamon's various ministerial portfolios have ranged from transport to energy to communications. But there has been a major political backlash against green politics both home and abroad despite a global environmental crisis that only continues to worsen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It has been a rough couple of years for Ireland's national broadcaster RTÉ, with a series of scandals damaging public trust and support for its funding in future. Revelations about secret payments to top presenters led to many refusing to pay their license fee, while politicians subjected executives to often aggressive grillings on live television. The man tasked with sorting out the mess is Director General Kevin Bakhurst, formerly RTÉ's head of news and previously a senior news editor at the BBC, where his work covered everything from the end of British rule in Hong Kong to the 9 /11 attacks in New York and Washington. Kevin joined Chris at Ireland's Edge in Dingle on election day last December to discuss the challenges he and his colleagues face in securing the future of our national broadcaster. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today’s episode, the generational divide over climate action.While most of the world agrees with the scientific fact that humans are dangerously altering the earth’s climate, we can’t agree what to do about it. Global powers and corporate giants quarrel over who should do what, while generations argue about the need for urgency. In a global crisis where the blame and the damage are unequally distributed, how do we create the consensus needed to act before it’s too late?At Ireland's Edge, in front of a live audience, Chris was joined by three fascinating guests who see climate change from different perspectives:Alex White is a Senior Counsel and is Director of the Institute for International & European Affairs. He was previously a TD and Senator, as well as a government minister in multiple departments.Martha Farrell is a founding member of the Maharees Conservation Association here in West Kerry, an award-winning volunteer community organisation set up to protect a vital tombolo on the Dingle peninsula. She is also a lecturer at Munster Technological University.And Caitlin Faye Maniti is a student at Maynooth University who was previously President of the Irish Second-Level Students’ Association. She contributes to Ireland’s National Youth Assembly, and was a co-author of a recent Unicef Ireland report on the impact of Climate Change on children. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For centuries, Irish universities have been bastions of intellectual life, shaping education, politics, culture, and debate. With over half of young people receiving a third-level education, Ireland boasts one of the world's most university-educated populations. Yet, amidst political, financial, and societal pressures, uncertainty looms - can these institutions maintain their standard of scholarship and retain their value within our rapidly evolving world?In this episode, Professor Orla Feely, President of University College Dublin, and Professor John O’Halloran, President of University College Cork, are interviewed by Professor John Naughten, a senior research fellow at Cambridge University and renowned technology columnist for The Observer, giving their assessment of the challenges and opportunities. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It is no exaggeration to say that the history of modern Ireland has been played out on the stage of our national theatre, The Abbey, founded in 1904, and after independence the first publicly-subsidised theatre in the English-speaking world. It was there that Ireland first saw many of the great plays of Gregory, Yeats, Synge, O’Casey and others, often to great public debate and controversy. The Abbey has also brought Irish theatre to stages all around the world through its successful touring productions, alongside promoting new playwrights here at home.Recent decades however have seen financial and management difficulties, alongside a long-delayed building redevelopment plan. Caitríona McLaughlin is co-director and artistic director of the Abbey Theatre, where her recent production of Brian Friel’s Translations won a UK Theatre Award after its tour of Ireland, North and South.At Ireland’s Edge in Dingle she talked about her work, the Abbey, and theatre more broadly with musician and cultural consultant Dermot McLaughlin. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Irish were once the biggest newspaper readers in Europe, but in recent years our interest has begun to decline. With news reporting and investigative journalism facing an existential funding crisis, and trust in information itself rapidly declining due to "fake news" and the excesses of social media, what is the future of a world with less news, and what are the consequences? Recorded live at Ireland's Edge in Dingle, Chris speaks to three extraordinary women who edit independent news outlets in Ireland, to discuss the challenges facing their work: Sinéad Carroll, Editor of TheJournal.ie and prominent figure in national media, contributing to news, politics, and sports programs; Siobhán Holliman, deputy editor of the Tuam Herald, member of the Future of Media Commission and the Press Council; and Siobhán Cronin, the first woman editor of The Southern Star in its 135-year history, and a serving member of the Press Council.Recorded live at / A South Wind Blows Production Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Artificial Intelligence has already begun to change the world around us, at a speed that few of us anticipated. Will the advancement of AI bring positive progress and societal evolution, or have we created something we cannot control? On this fifth episode of Ireland’s Edge - The Podcast, Chris speaks to two fascinating guests about what opportunities and challenges this brave new world may have in store. Featuring️️: Mark Little, Founder of Storyful and now Kinzen, which uses AI to screen dangerous misinformation online, and Mark O’Connell, Writer, Author and Wellcome Prize winner for his book How to be a Machine. Out now, wherever you get your podcasts. A South Wind Blows production. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Artists all around the world are trying to make sense of what the advance of artificial intelligence will mean for their creative work. Will the very human traits of passion and creativity survive in a world where we let ever more intelligent machines do the work for us? In Belfast, the innovative people behind production company Dumbworld have been thinking about this question in radical ways, integrating AI into their mission to bring opera to the masses. Ivor Novello winning composer Brian Irvine and librettist John McIlduff brought a number of their street operas to Other Voices in Dingle, and at Ireland’s Edge they spoke with musician and cultural consultant Dermot McLaughlin about shaking up opera and why they were moved to do so, harnessing technology to open up the art form to whole new audiences, and the implications and applications of AI for opera, music and the wider creative industries.For more on Dumbworld and their work: https://dumbworld.co.uk/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Once again this winter, the Irish healthcare system has been overwhelmed, with thousands of appointments cancelled, hundreds lying on hospital trollies waiting for beds, and staff once more having to complain about unsafe and unfair working conditions.On this episode, Chris speaks to three women who see the healthcare system from very different angles: Professor Sara Burke is Director of the Centre for Health Policy and Management at Trinity College Dublin School of Medicine. Dr Monica Oikeh is a GP based in Cork, who has amassed huge views on TikTok with her helpful and accessible videos on healthcare, busting taboos around mental, sexual and female health. And Phil Ní Sheaghda is the General Secretary of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation. At Ireland’s Edge in Dingle in front of a live audience, Chris asks them how we can bring people together to improve our healthcare, as well as about implementing reform, the promise of Universal Healthcare in Sláintecare, equal access for all and more.*Correction and clarification from panellist Dr Sara Burke:When discussing the increase in the number of staff on HSE payroll between 2019 and 2023, Dr Burke cites figures from the Health Sector Employment Report SEP 2023, citing the 'total people/head count figure from 2023' instead of the 'WTE (Whole Time Equivalent)' from 2023, inadvertently overstating the increase. However, the overall point remains that there are much greater staff increases in the hospital system rather than in primary, community care and social care. We thank Dr Burke for this clarification. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"I’ve worked on a lot of conflicts that looked like they were intractable. A solution takes a lot of international effort; you’ve got to look for multiple honest brokers."From the horrendous destruction of Gaza, to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, to the return of Donald Trump, geopolitics feels terrifyingly unstable right now. On this week’s episode we hear from one of the world’s leading foreign policy analysts, Dr Fiona Hill, about the state of global politics, and the murky world of international affairs. Originally from the north of England, and now Chancellor of Durham University, Fiona Hill found herself at the centre of the impeachment trial of then President Trump, after her time as Senior Director of European and Russian Affairs on the US National Security Council. She had previously worked at the John F Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, at the Brookings Institution, and as an analyst for Presidents George W Bush, and Barack Obama. In front of a live audience at Ireland’s Edge last December she spoke about a huge range of political and personal issues with seasoned reporter and RTE Europe Editor, Tony Connelly. This is View From the Hill. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Series 4 / Episode 1Chris speaks to BBC Ireland correspondent Aoife Moore about the controversial rise of Ireland’s largest political party, Sinn Fein. Hardline militants in the republican movement used to regard their political wing as a place for ‘women and cowards’, but with Sinn Fein already the largest party in Northern Ireland, and leading the polls for the next Dail election, how do we assess the party’s journey from irrelevance to the brink of power?Before moving to the BBC, Aoife was named Irish journalist of the year in 2021 for her reporting with the Irish Examiner. Her new book, The Long Game, traces the history of Sinn Fein from the 1970s to the present day, and was nominated for Non-Fiction Book of the Year at the An Post Irish Book Awards. In front of a live audience at Ireland’s Edge in Dingle last December, Chris spoke to Aoife about her book, her life as a journalist, and the future of Irish politics.Presented by Christopher Kissane. A South Wind Blows production. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode, The People Have The Power. While debates about social change often focus on Government policy, all across Ireland there are citizens and volunteers taking it upon themselves to create the change they want to see in their communities.At Ireland’s Edge, Muireann Kelliher spoke to three such inspiring individuals to hear their stories and ask them how we can better harness the creativity and commitment of citizens in addressing our social problems . Fidaa Marouf came to Ireland from Syria five years ago and is now studying dentistry as a Quercus Active Citizen Scholar,at University College Cork; Kevin Baker was the Chairperson of the Dublin Cycling Campaign and Dinny Galvin who joined us earlier in this series is a local farmer from here in Kerry.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ireland is enjoying an unprecedented boom in corporate tax receipts, with tens of millions from multinationals and the tech and pharmaceutical sectors helping to create a huge government budget surplus. While the government predicts that its annual surplus will rise to an incredible 20 billion euros in the next few years, some of that boom will certainly be temporary as corporate giants shift their profits around the globe. So, what happens after the gold rush? Leo Clancy is the CEO of Enterprise Ireland, the government agency tasked with helping indigenous Irish businesses grow and export, with the goal of creating a more sustainable domestic economy. He previously worked on the management team at Ireland’s Industrial Development authority, which has spent decades attracting foreign direct investment into the country.  In front of a live audience at Ireland’s Edge Leo spoke to Muireann Kelliher about his own career and the prospects for Irish business in the economy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Trans people continue to face discrimination and demonisation with their real lives and experiences too often ignored by a public debate fuelled by toxic myths and hatred. The writer and journalist Shon Faye’s bestselling book The Transgender Issue argues that we have been having the wrong conversation by making trans people seen but not heard, and that trans justice is justice for all. At Ireland’s Edge in Dingle, Shon spoke to Ireland’s Edge host Christopher Kissane about her book and her work, telling him about her childhood holidays in Ireland, her dating advice column for Vogue, and her queer history podcast, Call Me Mother.  Today’s episode features a short excerpt from that discussion where Shon and Chris talk about the need for social solidarity against hate and intolerance. Chris asks Shon to tell us about her work revealing the shocking scale of social problems like unemployment, homelessness and self-harm that far too many trans people still have to deal with. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our rural and coastal communities are facing great environmental and economic challenges. The dominance of industrial agriculture and the threat of climate change have forced many to reflect on how we can both preserve and create sustainable ways of life. On today’s episode we meet some of the inspiring people working on fascinating local projects on the Dingle Peninsula, Co Kerry asking, "what future is in our fields?’ In front of a live audience at Ireland’s Edge in Dingle, Ella McSweeney, presenter of RTE’s Ear To The Ground, was joined by artist and activist Lisa Fingleton and local farmers Tommy Reidy and Dinny Galvin.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brexit, the housing crisis and the covid pandemic have all presented challenges to Ireland’s economy and public finances in recent years. Overseeing the Government's financial response has been Fine Gael TD Paschal Donohoe who served as Minister for Finance from 2017 until late last year, and is now Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. Donohoe has also taken a leading role in the European Union’s financial response to Brexit and the pandemic as President of the Eurogroup as which he has just begun as second term. In front of a live audience at Ireland's Edge, the Minister spoke to Other Voices founder Philip King. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Earlier this month at least 86 men, women and children drowned off the coast of Calabria trying to seek refuge in Italy. In the last decade tens of thousands of refugees and migrants have died in the Mediterranean, creating what Pope Francis has called Europe's largest graveyard. Attempts by European’s governments to turn the continent into ‘fortress Europe’ have created a humanitarian catastrophe for those fleeing drought, famine, war and depression. Much of the reporting of this ongoing tragedy has been done by Irish journalist Sally Hayden whose recent book The Fourth Time We Drowned won the Orwell Prize, and was named the An Post Irish Book of the Year. Sally’s courageous work has revealed the human stories of those who have faced violence, abuse and even death in Libyan detention camps funded by European governments and the lengths to which international institutions have gone to cover up such crimes. In 2008, Sally received a Facebook message that began, ‘ Hi sister Sally, we need your help’. In the conversations that followed she discovered how people were being detained in Libya in the most horrendous conditions. In front of a live audience at Ireland's Edge in Dingle, she spoke to Ireland's Edge host Chris Kissane about Europe's moral responsibilities in a time of refugee crises and mass migration. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With environmental and economic pressures squeezing those who grow, process and cook our food, how can we think creatively about building a fairer and more sustainable future for food and farming in Ireland, and how do the traditional arts and folk customs play a role in this?Cúán Greene is a chef who has worked in some of the world’s finest fine dining restaurants and now edits the Omós digest, a newsletter exploring food, culture and community. Ella McSweeney presents RTE’s Ear To The Ground, and her reporting for the Guardian and other newspapers has exposed major scandals on meat processing and fishing here in Ireland.  Edwina Guckian is an award winning sean-nós dancer and rural activist from co Leitrim where she has been active in reviving and promoting cultural traditions. In conversation with Ireland's Edge host Christopher Kissane in front of a live audience in Dingle they discuss the impact of the covid on the farming community. Featuring a special performance from Edwina and acclaimed concertina player, Cormac Begley. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do we make sense of geopolitical upheaval?  The ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine has highlighted radical changes in international affairs but the nature of a new global political order is far from clear; with complex crises of energy and food security bubbling under shifts of strategic power alliances.John Kampfner has covered international  politics for more than 35 years. He reported on the fall of the Berlin wall and the dissolution of the soviet union for the Daily Telegraph before working as chief political correspondent for the Financial Times. At the BBC he covered politics for  The Today programme and Newsnight and later edited the New Statesman. His books on Russia, Germany, capitalism and democracy have become bestsellers and he currently serves as Executive Director of the U.K in the World Project at Chatham House, Britain’s leading  foreign policy Think Tank. In front of a live audience at Ireland’s Edge in Dingle, John spoke to Murieann Kelliehr about a world in flux. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Russia’s invasion of Ukraine today is a neo-colonial war, it’s an attempt to restore their imperial geopolitical blueprint" - Olesya Zdorovetska On this episode, the Home Font of the Russian invasion of Ukrainians in Ireland. Just over a year ago, Russia launched an imperialist invasion of Ukraine. The brutal effects of Russian aggression have forced millions of Ukrainian refugees to flee their home country and there are now tens of thousands of Ukrainians here in Ireland. Singer and composer Olesya Zdorovetska has lived here for over a decade, while academic Larysa Samosonok arrived in the early weeks of the war.  In front of a live audience at Irelands’ Edge in Dingle, Olesya and Larysa spoke to Muireann Kelliher about experiencing the invasion of their homeland from Ireland, and what we all need to understand about Ukraines fight  for survival. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is the price of holding power to account? Carole Cadwalladr won the Orwell prize for her investigation of the shadowy role of data and donors in the 2016 Brexit Referendum. Her reporting on the damaging influence of big tech and big money in  our democracies has won her admirers and enemies all around the world. Since her last appearance at Ireland’s Edge in 2019 she has fought a landmark libel case against Brexit donor Aaron Banks, and has played a key  role in founding a new public service journalism group, The Citizens. In front of a live audience at Ireland’s Edge she joined Muireann Kelliher to discuss the personal and the political.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today’s episode, is there hope in the atom?We live in an energy crisis, with environmental catastrophe and war questioning our reliance on fossil fuels. Nuclear power was once the great green hope, but decades of concerns about accidents and radioactive waste have turned much of Europe off. But were those concerns overblown, and have they blinded us to a vital source of clean energy? In their new film, Atomic Hope, filmmakers Frankie Fenton and Kathryn Kennedy have collaborated with Finnish scientist Iida Ruishalme to explore the environmentalist pro-nuclear movement.At Ireland’s Edge in Dingle they spoke with Emmy award-winning filmmaker and Ireland’s Edge founder, Nuala O’Connor.Atomic Hope is out in select cinemas now.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What a year it has been! From pandemic, to war, to political upheaval, the news just never seemed to stop in 2022. On today's special episode we take a step back to reflect on it all with two of Ireland’s most engaging journalists, Séamas O'Reilly of the Observer and Irish Examiner, and Aoife Moore, political correspondent with the Sunday Times and Irish journalist of the year 2021. In front of a live audience at Ireland’s Edge in Dingle, Aoife and Séamas reeled in 2022 to look back on the year that was with a slight satirical glint in their eyes.. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Being Irish now is the thing"One of Ireland’s most exciting voices right now is Sello, who has been making waves at home and abroad with his infectious mix of rap and trad samples that he calls ‘Gaelic drill’. Hailing from Clondalkin in southwest Dublin, Sello has been collaborating with traditional musician and producer AyoMax to produce a unique sound that’s brand new but also rooted in Ireland’s rich musical past. On today’s episode Sello and Max speak to music journalist Andrea Cleary about their backgrounds and collaboration. This conversation was recorded with a live audience at Hen’s Teeth in Dublin, and begins with Max treating us to a performance on the uileann pipes.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Malcolm X once called the media 'the most powerful entity on earth', with 'the power to make the innocent guilty and the guilty innocent'. Social media, 'fake news', and political and corporate propaganda have all shaken trust in the news media, while disinformation about vaccinations and climate change have revealed limits to its power to inform. Christopher Kissane speaks with leading figures about the future of the media in an age of 'alternative facts'. John Mulholland, Editor, The Guardian USÁine Kerr, COO and Co-Founder, Kinzen Brian MacCraith, Chair of the Covid-19 Vaccination Task Force and Future of Media Commission Moderated by Christopher Kissane, Ireland’s Edge  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Once regarded as breakthrough drugs in the treatment of a wide range of psychiatric illnesses and addictive conditions, psychedelics were the subject of a major moral panic in the sixties because of their counter cultural associations. Research and treatment centres were shut down and the drugs relegated to Class A illegal substances. The last ten years have seen renewed and growing interest and research into the therapeutic benefits of psychedelics. Dr Roberta Murphy is an Irish psychiatrist working in the Department of Brain Sciences at Imperial College London.  In conversation with Nuala O’Connor she talks about her work in Imperial’s Centre for Psychedelic Research and ‘PSILODEP 2’, the clinical trial set up to test the potential of psilocybin (magic mushrooms) in the treatment of depression.Dr Roberta Murphy | Imperial Centre for Psychedelic Research In conversation with Nuala O’Connor | Ireland’s Edge Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Critically acclaimed auteur Gaika speaks with Síobhra Quinlan about his work with GKZ, Nine Nights Collective, The Spectacular Empire, and his NFT collection in collaboration with Voice, ‘Live From War Island.’ In considering technology as a tool to be ethically and creatively harnessed by the artist, how can such a tool be leveraged for liberation, empowerment and expression by both the individual and the collective? This discussion will explore decentralised platforms for underground artists, new forms of artist ownership and audience engagement, and ways in which access to technology can foster community in both our virtual and physical worlds.Gaika | Multidisciplinary Artist. Experimental rapper, producer, visual and performance artist.In conversation with Síobhra Quinlan | Ireland’s Edge Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The use of data has become one of this century's most contentious legal and moral issues. But while the GDPR was designed to give citizens control of their own personal data in a world of Big Tech and intrusive states, issues from police surveillance to the "right to be forgotten" have shown how such control can have unintended social consequences. Christopher Kissane speaks with Dr David Kenny, Associate Professor of Law at Trinity College Dublin. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode, time to COP on: can the world still avoid climate change catastrophe?In the past year both wildfires, floods, and droughts have highlighted the perilous state of the global environment, and the destabilising effects of man-made climate change.The last seven years are the warmest since modern records began, and unprecedented extreme weather has been wreaking havoc across the globe.World leaders agreed to more action at the COP26 summit in Glasgow last year, but is it all too little too late?Dr Michael K Dorsey is an expert on global energy, environment, finance and sustainability, who has been prominent in global environmental politics since the Earth Summit at Rio de Janeiro in 1992. He has served as a Director of the Sierra Club and is a member of the Club of Rome. Thanks to the support of the US Embassy we were delighted to host him at Ireland’s Edge in Dingle, where he spoke to Muireann Kelliher. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writer Séamas O'Reilly's 'Remembering Ireland' project satirised our national obsession with historical memory, and the layers of distortion behind the question 'Do you remember this?’. As he became a father for the first time, Séamas explored his own memories in his memoir 'Did Ye Hear Mammy Died?', reflecting on how his own father had raised 11 children after losing the love of his life. The memoir also considers place and identity, exploring the troubled Derry of Séamas’s childhood, shedding light on a place often shrouded in stereotyped darkness. On this episode Christopher Kissane speaks to Séamas about what happens when memory and reality intersect, the significance of place, culture and identity, and the impact of Brexit in Northern Ireland.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Editor of the Guardian U.S John Mulholland reflects on an extraordinary few years in American news and considers the challenging road ahead. In December 2021 he sat down with Ireland's Edge Curator Muireann Kelliher and discussed the dark legacy of the Trump presidency, voter suppression, climate injustice, and one of the most significant events in American public life, the killing of George Floyd. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

‘What we saw happening around us was essentially death by a thousand cuts to Dublin’The results of Irish housing policy have created a crisis that reaches into every community and region in the country. It increasingly blights the lives of multiple generations. It undermines and conflicts with many other national priorities and strategies. How has it got to this point and what will it take to ameliorate?In this week’s episode, Living Room, we ask how our housing system became so broken, and what we can do to fix it?In front of a live audience at Ireland’s Edge in Dingle, we were joined by: Orla Hegarty, Assistant Professor in the School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy at University College Dublin; Rory Hearne, Assistant Professor of Social Policy at Maynooth University; and the architect Rob Curley. They spoke with Ireland’s Edge curator, Muireann Kelliher during Ireland's Edge in Dingle, in November 2021. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We live in an age of fake news and social media, propaganda and conspiracy theories. From politics to pandemic, science to history, our public debates are increasingly divided between alternative versions of the world around us. In such febrile times, how can we go about distinguishing true from false, fact from fiction?Diarmaid Ferriter is Professor of Modern Irish History at University College Dublin, and a regular columnist with The Irish Times. His work on 20th century Ireland has revised many myths about our recent past, in books about Eamon de Valera, the revolutionary decade, sex and religion, and most recently a history of our offshore islands.At the National Gallery of Ireland, Diarmaid spoke with Dr David Kenny, Assistant Professor of Law at Trinity College Dublin, where they discussed history, law, and different ways of discovering the truth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode, Traversing the Uncanny Valley: how do we navigate the wild and wonderful world of the internet?Roisin Kiberd is the author of The Disconnect: A Personal Journey through the Internet, which asks how we live now in a world that we increasingly experience online. The last year of remote working, learning and socialising have only further emphasised how the boundaries between the internet and our ‘real’ lives have become so porous as to be meaningless. From diet influencers to cheese brands, dating to data, Roisin explores the cultures and habits of this strange space.At the National Gallery of Ireland, Roisin spoke with Ireland’s Edge curator Síobhra Quinlan about what we have learned in our creation of a more connected – and disconnected – new world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode, What We Know Now: why did different truths dominate at different times of the Covid-19 pandemic? From hand washing and sanitising to ventilation and vaccination, medical knowledge and public health advice have changed considerably over the course of the last 18 months. Yet even as we have learned more, outdated advice and habits have persisted. So did the science fail us, or did we fail the science? Orla Hegarty is Assistant Professor of Architecture at University College Dublin, and Aoife McLysaght is Professor of Genetics at Trinity College Dublin. Both have been prominent voices in Ireland’s public scientific debates over responses to the pandemic. At the National Gallery of Ireland, Orla and Aoife spoke with Ireland’s Edge curator Muireann Kelleher about what we know now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Morgan McIntyre from Belfast and Gemma Doherty from Derry met as students at Trinity College, Dublin, and formed the duo ‘Saint Sister’. Their debut album, The Shape of Silence, was nominated for both the Choice Music Prize and the Northern Irish Music Prize in 2018. That year, in the run-up to the referendum to repeal Ireland’s constitutional ban on abortion, they wrote a song called ‘Manchester Air’, which explores a young couple’s journey across the Irish Sea after an unexpected pregnancy. For decades, tens of thousands of women had been forced to make such costly and traumatic journeys to access reproductive healthcare. While 2018’s momentous vote has finally seen the introduction of safe and legal abortion services in the Republic, women seeking such services in the North of Ireland are still being forced to travel abroad.‘Manchester Air’ which was written on the island Inisheer off the west coast of Ireland was released on May 25th this year, the third anniversary of the referendum, and is featured on Saint Sister’s new album, ‘Where I Should End’, which comes out this month.Molly King, Head of Development at Other Voices, spoke to Saint Sister about music, memories, and the story behind ‘Manchester Air’. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“It’s the society first, and the economy comes afterwards”On this episode, View From A Rock: what does the world’s turbulent political economy look like from our little island on the edge of the Atlantic?Stephen Kinsella is Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Limerick. He is Chief Economics Writer for The Currency, and as a columnist with the Sunday Business Post was twice named Economic Commentator of the Year.  His research focuses on how we can better understand Ireland’s small open economy, a task of particular importance in the age of pandemics, climate change, global tax reform, and Brexit. On this episode he speaks with Ireland’s Edge founder Muireann Kelliher, where Stephen began by offering his reaction to the performance by Dyrt that we featured on our previous episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.