Rebel Matters Podcast

This is a special episode, and one that was a long time in the making. Síomha Brock and I sat down by the fireside and recoded this conversation while a storm raged outside. During this episode we talk through the process of the creation of Síomha's maiden album 'Infinite Space'. The chat navigates through the unique process in which the album was made, a discussion on the merits of community funded projects, lowering the environmental impact of creation, Síomha's time in Palestine, and her upcoming plans in the post release phase of the album. Thank you very much to Síomha for coming on the show, and all the patrons of the show who have kept the Rebel Matters Podcast on the road through thick and thin. If you would like to back the show and help us to keep creating content like this episode you can visit our Patreon page to see teh various tiers of support. www.patreon.com/rebelmatters

This weeks episode is a solo run discussing strategies and routines to handle periods of high workload. I discuss the idea of checking in with ones-self when the going gets tough, actions that create maximal results in relation to the effort it takes to carry out the actions, the transience of stressful periods, and the importance of reminding ourselves that our self worth is more valuable than our work.

We are back on the road! This is the first episode in a while after my 3 month spell living and working in the Aida refugee camp on @aclaipalestine Today’s guest on the show is Echlas Al-Azza, a Palestinian refugee with muscular atrophy living in the Alazza camp. Echlas is also my Arabic teacher whom I visited twice per week to start my Arabic learning journey. The Alazza camp is less than a 10 minute walk from the Aida camp, and Echlas has an amazing story to tell. As with many of the personal stories of Paletinina’s living under occupation, you might not even believe they are true unless you heard them straight from the source. In this episode Echlas talked about living with her disability, being intentionally hit by a settler in a car in 1995, her experience in hospital in the ’48 lands, learning English and German, becoming a teacher, her volunteer program. Echlas takes volunteers at her home in the Alazza camp to help her around the house, and also provides a kind of cultural exchange for volunteers who are staying with her learning about the political situation in Palestine, food, culture, language, and meeting with other organisations groups and individuals around the west bank. if you are interested in finding out more about Echlas’s volunteer program you can send her a message on Facebook (Echlas Al-Azza) drop her an email to echlas2010@yahoo.com Massive thank you to the supports and Patrons of the show for your patience during this break from episodes. You are a bunch of legends. We have some great episodes planned for the coming weeks and months and cant wait to share them with you. As usual this episode and all the rest of them are available to listen to for free on our website www.rebelmatters.ie and all usual podcast platforms.

Today we have an International Women's Day special with Caoimhe Butterly. I first met Caoimhe when we hosted a delegation of Zapatistas at ACLAÍ in 2021, and was really happy to get a chance to chat to her at length for this episode. Caoimhe is a human rights campaigner, educator, film-maker and therapist who has spent over twenty years working in humanitarian and social justice contexts in Haiti, Guatemala, Mexico, Palestine, Iraq, Lebanon and with refugee communities in Europe. In this episode we talk about some of Caoimhe's work past and present, working within marganilsed and migrating communities, and touch on the role of self-care and compassion when undertaking work in what can often be a traumatising environment. This chat flowed very naturally, and while the subject matter was at times heavy I really enjoyed talking to Caoimhe. This epsidoe was edited by Emma Ní Chearúil.

This week's epsiode is with my long term friend Conor Hammersley, and in this episode we discusses the isssues of male violence towards women and men's health. Conor has extensive experience in the area of men’s health at a research, policy and advocacy level. He is a PhD Scholar with Teagasc and the National Center for Men’s Health and his work looks at the socio-cultural context that shapes gendered behaviour among rural men in Ireland. His research interests include gender and health, mental health and suicide prevention in men, and health promotion targeted at ‘hard to reach’ populations of men. He has a number of peer-reviewed publications and has presented at national and international conferences on rural men’s health and is a board member of the Ending Sexual Violence, Prevention and Support Committee (ESP) in the Institute of Technology Carlow and the National Farmer Health Alliance in Ireland and a member of the American Public Health Association. This epsiode was edite by Emma Ní Chearúil.

Fidelma O’Kane from the Save Our Sperrins anti-gold mining campaign is our guest on episode 106. This chat was a massive eye opener for me. What I thought was a big gold-mining company picking on a small rural community was way off. The success of the Save Our Sperrins campaign is critical to close the door on gold mining prospects popping up all over the country. If the gold mine goes ahead in the Sperrins goes ahead it will be an ecological and environmental train wreck, and will jeopardise the lives of the people who live there now and the lives of future generations. Follow Save Our Sperrins on facebook and listen to the horrendous plans that Dalradian Gold have in store for the people of the Sperrins. They plan to have 2 explosions in the area every day for 20 years and the plans include cyanid pits, mountains of waste rock and destruction of an area of outstanding natural beauty. Notably minister for the environment in the 26 counties Eamonn Ryan signed the petition to stop the Sperrins goldmine, and is the minister in charge of granting current gold mining prospect license of which there are 2 planned for Cork and Kerry. Further, Dalraian used 2 Belfast based PR companies to further their plans and public image in the Sperrins; MCE and AV Brown. Interestingly one of the Directors of MCE Ben Mallon is a former DUP councillor and another Lindsay Millar is a former UUP Mayor of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council. Episode available on all usual platforms. Thank you to Fidelma for being a guest on the show and thanks to the supporters of the show who are subscribed via patreon.com/rebelmatters. Map of gold mining prospecting licences in the north: https://www.economy-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/economy/mineral-prospecting-licence-map-council-boundaries.pdf Map showing prospecting licences in the south: http://spatial.dcenr.gov.ie/EMD_DOWNLOAD/Nov2021/PL_Map_Nov2021_A0.pdf

Tomás Mulligan is our guest for episode 105 of Rebel Matters. We discussed the supposed ‘development’ that was planned for the Cobblestone Bar last year, an institution of traditional music and a cultural hub in Dublin city. Tomás shares his family long standing and deep connection with the Cobblestone, talks about how they found out about the proposed plan, and how the protests took hold that ultimately saved the Cobblestones from being the latest casualty what seems to be a sustained attack on cultural spaces in Dublin city. An important listen for anyone interested in organising collective action to protect cultural and communal spaces, and for anyone who is interested in preserving the spaces that that allow our music, art, and culture to flourish.

In this episode Ainle chats to screenwriter, radio presenter, and at time of writing president of Radio Skidrow in Sydney Australia. The chat ranged from the importance of acknowledging the original people and place names of land that is now. most commonly known as Australia, Huna's work at Radio Skidrow, the challenges faced by the station during the pandemic, and the power of community radio.

This is our first proper episode back after the bit of. Break over the last few months. I recorded this chat with Timmy and James from the Two Norries Podcast about 4 months ago in the social space at ACLAÍ. This is such a special episode for me as I got to spend more time with Timmy and James who I first met when I was a guest on the 2 Norrries a while back. We chatted about some of the socio-economic divides that exist in Cork city and the lads share some of their own stories in a very personal and honest way. I can’t thank the lads enough for being guests on the show, and I think this episode will be of help to someone out there as well as being a great listen and insight into Timmy and James’s journeys so far.

It has been 15 weeks since the last episode and this one is a short catchup with Ainle to get the ball rolling again. The chat veers towards ACLAÍ, one year anniversaries, music, and the plan for RMP in the upcoming weeks. There is a howling wind to be heard during this episode and a bit of whinging from Neansaí, the latest addition to the Rebel Matters household!

When I was in Belfast recently I put this special edition together featuring tracks from my mum's rather extensive and broad ranging CD collection. A nice way to spend an evening and something different than the regular Rebel Matters format!

For the 100th episode I sat down with long term pal and guest from episode #6 Darragh Graham and he interviewed me rather than the standard format of me asking the questions. This is an informal chat covering quite a bit of ground, and something a little different for the 100th episode. We talked about the backdrop of the Rebel Matters Podcast, how the show has developed over the last four years, the practice of interviewing the guests and how it had changed over 100 episodes. We also discussed the value of sharing food, community, the grieving process, identity and self-expression. Massive thank you to Darragh for taking part in this episode and to everyone who has contributed to the Rebel Matters Journey over the last 100 episodes! x

This weeks guest is builder Harrison Gardner, who I first got to know while attending his How To Build Everything Out Of Anything course in the summer of 2020. In this episode we chat about how Harrison got into the building game in the first place, his path to running his educational course at his home outside of Ennistymon County Clare where he lives with his wife Erin and their daughter Inari. We discuss the ideas and philosophies behind Harrison's approach, and our primal connection to creating homes. Harrison's Website: https://www.harrisongardner.net Harrison's Instagram @_harrisongardner Recent article on Harrison and the TV show he is currently working on: https://www.independent.ie/life/dream-ofbuilding-your-own-home-eco-builder-harrison-gardnerwants-to-show-you-how-for-a-new-rte-series-40334313.html

This weeks guest is Professor Mazin Qumsiyeh, a founder of the Palestine Museum of Natural History and the Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability (PIBS) at the Bethlehem University. Professor Qumsiyeh teaches and does research at Bethlehem and Birzeit Universities. He previously served on the faculties of the University of Tennessee, Duke, and Yale Universities. He and his wife returned to Palestine in 2008 starting a number of institutions and projects such as a clinical genetics laboratory that serves cancer and other patients. Qumsiyeh has published over 140 scientific papers on topics ranging from cultural heritage to biodiversity to cancer. His many published books include “Bats of Egypt”, "Mammals of the Holy Land", "Sharing the Land of Canaan: Human rights and the Israeli/Palestinian Struggle" and "Popular Resistance in Palestine: A History of Hope and Empowerment". Mazin's website is http://qumsiyeh.org

This week's guest is Richard Howard, author of Space for Peace: Fragments of the Irish Troubles in the Science Fiction of Bob Shaw and James White. We discuss the Irish science fiction movement and the lives of Shaw and White. We take a look at the social and political climate in which they lived, worked and wrote, and its inextricable influence on their creative output.

This week is half solo-run and half conversation in memory of our dear friend and comrade Salah Ajarma who passed away suddenly at his home in the Aida refugee on the 14th of April 2020. The solo-run section contains some reflections on trips to Palestine and time with Salah as well as a bit of a chat about the parallels between the political history here in Ireland and the current situation in Palestine. The interview section is a chat I recorded with Salah on the 4th of December 2019 while he was on a visit to ACLAÍ in Cork. He discusses his work at the Lajee centre and gives an insight into life in Palestine and in particular for Palestinian refugees. Below are a few useful links mentioned in the episode: Recent Newstalk interview with Joe Brolly: https://www.newstalk.com/podcasts/the-thursday-interview-on-the-hard-shoulder/joe-brolly-on-the-thursday-interview New York Times feature on Salah after the 2002 siege https://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/10/international/middleeast/a-bittersweet-homecoming.html Footage from inside the siege of Church of Nativity Footage | Siege of the Church of the Nativity (2002) Link to Lajee Centre Website https://www.lajee.ps

Between the 9th and 11th of August 1971, the 1st Battalion of the British Army's Parachute Regiment murdered 11 innocent civilians on the streets of Ballymurphy, West Belfast. One of the victims was Briege's mother, 44 year old Joan Connolly. Briege talks about the events of the time, the recently concluded inquest into the massacre, and the decades-long battle that relatives have fought for justice, transparency about how and why the massacre happened, and to clear the innocent names of the 11 victims of British state murder.

The Useless Project was started by Geraldine Carton and Taz Kelleher in November 2018. Powered by energy, enthusiasm and positivity, the pair highlight the positive, accessible and pragmatic side to living a more sustainable lifestyle. Starting-off largely events-based, The Useless Project has expanded beyond the realms of swap shops and flea markets, merging into education, advocacy and online content generation. Touching on the “useless” feeling so many people experience in the face of the current climate crisis, Geraldine and Taz show that one surefire way to ensure positive change is to just start small; connect more; and just use less. Through this mantra The Useless Project encourage their huge online community to make whatever incremental positive changes wherever they can, and they cover everything from food waste and biodiversity, to ethical clothing production, greenwashing and human rights activism. The pair have a brilliant ability to break down big issues like sustainability, consumerism and climate action, and they put a huge amount of work into making these important issues easy to understand. They have a lot of self-awareness about what it is they're doing, and why it matters. In this podcast, I spoke with Taz and Geraldine about their motivations behind the Useless Project. Rather than focusing purely on the outward aspect of the project itself, it's also a chat about the behind the scenes of the project. We have a lot of common ground in terms of production process, online fatigue, and working as a duo.

This episode is a solo run recorded on the shores of east Cork touching on spirituality and the possibility of Irish unity. It was pretty windy and we tried to make the sound quality as good as possible, but a bit of wind noise can be heard during the recording. We will get to work on making outside chats higher quality audio for future outdoor recordings!

Ep 93: #SpyCops - the Undercover Policing scandal, with Tom Fowler Back in January, we got in touch with a member of the Cardiff Anarchist Network named Tom Fowler, who was spied upon by an undercover police officer back in the early 2000s. For decades, individuals across the UK have been targeted by secret police due to their involvement in political activism and community organising. Citizens have been spied on, manipulated, and abused in order to undermine democratic participation in politics. Sustained pressure from activists networks campaigning on these issues led to the calling of a public inquiry into Undercover Policing. Police Spies Out Of Lives is a support group for women affected by relationships with undercover cops. Here is what they have to say about #SpyCops: “We now know that officers adopted the identities of dead children and lied their way into the heart of protest groups. They spied on anyone and everyone who was involved in political dissent or who posed a threat to the reputation of the police; they spied on the families of those people; they formed intimate, sexual relationships and lived with women for years, even proposing marriage or fathering children before disappearing; they provided intelligence in secret that led to hundreds of people being wrongfully convicted; and they worked with private companies to create illegal blacklists, ensuring political activists could not find work.” Tom speaks to us about the history of #SpyCops in the UK, the recent #SpyCops Enquiry, and the controversial ‘#SpyCops Bill’. We talk about the policing of protest, overt and covert policing, and the criminalisation of dissent. We’re glad to be able to put some small focus on this heinous abuse of police power. Please note that this episode discusses sexual coercion and makes for heavy listening at times.