An Phoblacht Podcast: Recent Episodes
An Phoblacht
An Phoblacht is a left republican online news service, print magazine and podcast! Seirbhís nuachta ar líne, iris chlóite agus podchraoladh poblachtánach den eite chlé is ea An Phoblacht!
Louise O'Reilly TD joins us to talk about contemporary worker struggles, the importance of collective bargaining and the future of work post Covid.
Interview by Rachel Coyle.
As the brutal Russian invasion of Ukraine continues, the question of Irish neutrality is live again. Why is neutrality important? What is its origin and why should we maintain it? Roger Cole of the Peace and Neutrality Alliance interviewed by Mícheál Mac Donncha.
In this episode Osgur Breatnach speaks to Seán Mac Brádaigh of An Phoblacht about his life growing up in Dublin, politicisation as a young man and the traumatic events surrounding the Sallins Case in 1976 which saw him and others suffer beatings, harrassment and imprisonment at the hands of the state before eventually being acquitted. Breatnach also outlines the current campaign for justice which has been going on for over four decades, noting that "we have never been so close to a public inquiry in to the Sallins case as we are now".
Read more here: https://sallinsinquirynow.ie/
On 14 February 1981 the lives of 48 young people were taken in the horrific fire which engulfed the Stardust, a large music and dance venue in Artane on Dublin's northside. Selina McDermott, who lost two brothers and a sister, and Jimmy Fitzpatrick who was seriously injured, talk to Mícheál Mac Donncha about the long campaign of the bereaved and the survivors for justice and truth. As the resumed inquest prepares to re-convene in a new venue they speak of their hopes for the outcome.
Bloody Sunday 50
Bloody Sunday was a massacre that took place on 30th January 1972 in the city of Derry when British soldiers shot 26 unarmed civilians during a protest march against the policy of internment without trial.
Fourteen people were murdered: thirteen were killed outright, while the death of another man four months later was attributed to his injuries.
An Phoblacht has produced two episodes to mark the 50th Anniversary of the massacre. In Episode 1 Seán Mac Brádaigh speaks with John Kelly and Tony Doherty. John’s brother, Michael and Tony’s father Patrick were both murdered on Bloody Sunday.
Bloody Sunday 50
Bloody Sunday was a massacre that took place on 30th January 1972 in the city of Derry when British soldiers shot 26 unarmed civilians during a protest march against the policy of internment without trial.
Fourteen people were murdered: thirteen were killed outright, while the death of another man four months later was attributed to his injuries.
An Phoblacht has produced two episodes to mark the 50th Anniversary of the massacre. In Episode 2, Seán Mac Brádaigh speaks with Maeve McLaughlin of the Bloody Sunday Trust, and Pádraig Delargey, a Sinn Féin MLA for Derry about Derry today, the legacy of Bloody Sunday in the life of the city and the lessons that have been learned of the long struggle for justice.Bloody Sunday 50
Máire Comerford - inspiring revolutionary
“Never was the past so near, or the present so brave or the future so full of hope.” - Máire Comerford.
In our latest podcast Hilary Dully, editor of the recently published memoirs of Máire Comerford is interviewed by Mícheál Mac Donncha. In ‘On Dangerous Ground’ Máire tells her own story, bringing to life the revolutionary years 1916 to 1923 and beyond. She fought the Black and Tans, opposed the Treaty and the Free State, upheld the Republic and the goal of Irish Unity until her death in 1982.
The book can be ordered here from the Sinn Féin bookshop:
https://www.sinnfeinbookshop.com/on-dangerous-ground-a-memoir-of-the-irish-revolution-by-maire-comerford/
To mark the 40th Anniversary of the 1981 Hunger Strike, Senator Niall Ó Donnghaille speaks to two protesting political prisoners from that time - Síle Darragh and Pilib Ó Ruanaí, both from Short Strand in East Belfast
Síle Darragh was leader of Republican prisoners in Armagh Women’s Jail during the 1980 Women’s Hunger Strike, & an international campaigner for prisoners rights after her release.
Pilib Ó Ruanaí is a former blanket man in the H-Blocks of Long Kesh and was a friend and comrade of the 1981 Hunger Strike leader Bobby Sands.
Sinn Féin TD Mairead Farrell and Matthew Brown from the Democracy Collaborative think tank talk about community wealth building as an economic alternative.
Hosted by Rachel Coyle
Over two million people live in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian enclave on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea.
A brutal and constant Israeli siege on Gaza since 2006, and repeated Israeli aggression in 2008, 2012, 2014 and 2021 has caused huge loss of life, destruction of property and infrastructure and major suffering for the local people.
Basem Naim is a physician, former Health Minister in Gaza and current head of the Council on International Relations there. He is a member of Hamas.
Dr Naim speaks in this episode to An Seán MacBrádaigh about the current situation for the people of Gaza.
Life-long Republican Activist and former Uachtarán Shinn Féin Gerry Adams discusses the partition of Ireland a century ago with An Phoblacht's Mícheál Mac Donncha.
An Phoblacht's Seán MacBrádaigh in conversation with unionist political commentator and columnist Alex Kane.
Alex Kane has been a columnist for the News Letter and Irish News as well as a regular contributor to a number of other publications. He comments on politics for the BBC, UTV and RTÉ. He is a political writer, columnist, panelist and commentator based in Belfast and a former Director of Communications for the Ulster Unionist Party.
Margaret Urwin of Justice for the Forgotten/The Pat Finucane Centre talks about her research on collusion between British crown forces and loyalist paramilitaries, and the latest Tory government attempt to shield those responsible for it.
Hosted by Micheál MacDonncha
Sainchomhairleoir ar chúrsaí dlí agus beartas athrú aeráide í Sinéad Mercier a bhíonn ag obair i gcomhar le gluaiseachtaí sóisialta, rialtais, comhlachtaí polasaí poiblí agus an earnáil phríobháideach. Tá sí ina taighdeoir dlí i gColáiste Ollscoile Bhaile Átha Cliath agus tá leabhar foilsithe aici i bpáirt le Michael Holly agus Eddie Lenihan dar teideal "Men Who Eat Ringforts" (Askeaton Arts, 2020)
San eagrán seo den phodchraoladh pléann Sinéad an difríocht idir "timpeallacht" agus "comhshaol", cúrsaí cóilíneachais, an t-aistriú cóir, cur chuige iar-shaormhargadh do chúrsaí comhshaoil chomh maith le tábhacht liosanna agus an tslua sí do chaomhnú comhshaoil.
Political developments in the North, Unionist divisions and the need to prepare for Irish Unity. Brian Feeney talks to An Phoblacht.
Hosted by Rachel Coyle
In this episode we talk with ICTU President Gerry Murphy on the future of work, the trade union movement and prospects for Irish Unity.
Gerry, a primary and post primary teacher, was formerly principal of St. Mary's National School in Belfast. He has been a trade union representative at all levels of the INTO in the north, serving at branch and district level and on the union's northern committee. He was chairperson of the Belfast West branch, one of the largest in the north and is secretary of the NI Teachers Council as well as chairperson of the teachers' negotiating committee. Gerry currently holds the role of President of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) and is approaching the end of his 2 year term of office.
Ollamh le Matamaitic agus Ríomheolaíocht é Dr. Kevin Scannell in Ollscoil San Louis (Missouri, Meiriceá). As Bostún ó thús dó, oibríonn Kevin i bpáirt le grúpaí ar fud na cruinne le hacmhainní ríomhaireachta a fhorbairt ar mhaithe lena dteanga dhúchais a úsáid ar líne. Tá suim ar leith ag Kevin sa nGaeilge agus sna teangacha Ceilteacha eile agus bhí lámh aige i bhforbairt leaganacha Gaeilge de roinnt mór-tháirgí ríomhaireachta cosúil le Mozilla Firefox, LibreOffice, Gmail, Twitter agus eile nach iad. Tá cuntas “Indigenous Tweets” ag Kevin ar Twitter arb í an chuspóir atá aige, mionteangacha agus teangacha dúchasacha a chur chun cinn ar líne.
Dawn Foster is a London-based journalist, broadcaster and author. A staff writer for Jacobin magazine, she spent several years working at the Guardian newspaper before freelancing full-time.
She has also written for The Independent, The Times and The London Review of Books. She regularly appears as a political commentator on BBC's Newsnight and Sky News.
The author of two books - Lean Out (2016) and Where Will We Live? - a commentary on Britain’s housing crisis, she has covered issues of inequality, poverty, economics, politics and women’s rights.
In this interview, Dawn speaks to Seán Mac Brádaigh about the increasing speculation, since Brexit, of the potential breakup of the political entity known as the United Kingdom.
Danny Morrison is a well-known author, activist and Republican from west Belfast. He is the current secretary of the Bobby Sands Trust and was Chairperson of Féile an Phobail in Belfast until 2014.
During the Hunger Strikes in 1981, Danny was a key contact between the prisoners and the leadership of the Republican Movement. He was also editor of An Phoblacht newspaper and has published several works of fiction and non-fiction. In this interview we explore his life and times.
Listener's Guide here:
2:00 Hear about Danny’s early life, family and growing up in Belfast
16:00 Danny joins the Republican movement
25:00 Danny talks about being interned
35:00 Danny talks about becoming a writer and taking on editorship of Republican News and the newly merged An Phoblacht in 1979
42:00 Danny talks about the role of An Phoblacht in challenging Establishment propaganda
51:00 Danny reflects on the Hunger Strikes
56:00 From the Armalite to the ballot box, Danny reflects on moves towards electoralism, dropping abstention from Leinster House and the resistance to Sinn Féin by the establishment in Britain and in Ireland
1:04:00 Danny talks about the trumped up charges against him, spending five years in jail and his eventual vindication and journey for justice
1:10:00 Life after prison, becoming a full time writer and Danny’s recommended reading for every Republican
1:15:00 Danny reflects on the Irish media and Sinn Féin’s “exponential growth”
1:19:00 Danny gives his advice to the next generation of Republicans struggling for Irish unity, freedom, fairness and equality