

The Echo Chamber from Tortoise Shack
Tortoise Shack Media
Ireland’s original independent left leaning news, politics, and culture podcast that doesn’t take itself too seriously and still punches well above its weight. Join critically acclaimed & derided hosts, Martin McMahon and Tony Groves as they delve into the news of the day, pull apart the spin and challenge you to be an activist. This is the non-corporate, ad free, non-plastic-podcast reality that the medium is made for. There will be shenanigans!
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 21, 2025 • 32min
Gaza, When The War Ends
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Nadera Mushtaha is a poet and writer from Gaza and a former student of Dr Refaat Alareer. She talks of losing her family home in Shujayia, her friend Malak Arafat, whose murder she discovered 7 months later because of the rolling internet blackouts in Gaza. In the background, we hear Israeli drones and tank shells as Israel continues to attack the Zaytoun and Sabra neighborhoods threatening another wave of mass expulsion. Tune in for more.
Editors Note, I have cleaned the audio up so we can hear Nadera, but I also have the audio with the shells and explosions. Let me know if you want a release with the reality as well.
Tadhg Hickey on Displaced in Gaza is out now here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-136539838
Support our friend Hana Salah's family:https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-my-injured-father-and-younger-siblings-survive-in-gaza

Aug 19, 2025 • 0sec
‘I Support Palestine Action’
Sinéad Nic Shiacais, an Irish activist and environmentalist recently arrested for supporting Palestine Action, shares her powerful insights on activism. She reflects on the emotional journey of protesting for Palestinian rights and the urgent need for collective action. The conversation addresses the challenges faced by activists amidst rising state oppression. Sinéad emphasizes the critical connection between environmentalism and social justice while calling for empathy and a decolonized perspective to truly support the Palestinian struggle.

Aug 14, 2025 • 0sec
Gaza, On Grief and Going On
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It was a great pleasure to be joined by Shahd Alnaami, who is a 21-year-old writer, poet, and translator from Gaza, Palestine. In this PalCast episode, she speaks of losing her sister Rahaf, 13, and her friend Eman 19. She tells us how two houses belonging to her family were also destroyed and how her family was displaced multiple times. She speaks of the children of Gaza and their big dreams now consist of simply having a piece of bread, while still trying to cling to their childhood. Tune in for her story.
Yousef on grief:https://afsc.org/news/grief-and-being-only-survivor-your-family-gaza
The Christy Moore podcast is here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-135485064
Dignity for Palestine:https://www.patreon.com/posts/dignity-for-two-134250846

Aug 13, 2025 • 0sec
Trump vs The Internationale
Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack
without doubt the maddest, but best chat we've had the best-maddest US-Based Irish-Russian economist there is, Prof Constantin Gurdgiev. Tariffs, Trumpism, immigration, Irish pharma, BRICS and Martin’s viagra economic development plan. A belter.
The Christy Moore podcast is here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-135485064
Dignity for Palestine:https://www.patreon.com/posts/dignity-for-two-134250846

Aug 9, 2025 • 0sec
A Ballymun Blend
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Adam Mohamed is someone who we love and admire in the tortoise shack. His new project, A Ballymun Blend, is a written, spoken and sung history and stories of the much maligned area that we love. He is having a launch in the Axis, Ballymun on August 29th. Go. Tickets:https://axisballymun.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows
The Christy Moore podcast is here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-135485064
Dignity for Palestine:https://www.patreon.com/posts/dignity-for-two-134250846

Aug 7, 2025 • 37min
Writing our Stories – Taqwa Al-Wawi
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Taqwa Al-Wawi is a 19-year English literature student at the Islamic University of Gaza. She is also writer out of Gaza, who has published dozens of articles across the globe in the span of 6 months. She speaks of the importance of telling the story of the ongoing genocide, the empowerment of writing, the famine fatigue and how many people are barely surviving on water and maybe some bread. A powerful first person testimony.
Tune in for full story
The Christy Moore podcast is here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-135485064
Dignity for Palestine:https://www.patreon.com/posts/dignity-for-two-134250846

Aug 1, 2025 • 36min
You Can’t Hate Up Close
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Daniel Ennis is what you might call an accidental life-long politician, even if what he works on is not typically part of the political curriculum. He's also 7ft 15", so I had to be careful in my criticisms. This was fun. Not all podcasts with Cllrs are fun.
The Christy Moore Podcast is out now here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/135485064
Donate to Dignity for Palestine:https://www.patreon.com/posts/dignity-for-two-134250846

Jul 31, 2025 • 0sec
Gaza and Loss on Every Level
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Dima Al-Madhoun is a translator in Gaza and joins us from her displacement tent in Al-Mawasi. She speaks of losing her home, moving from place to place, the heartbreaking loss of some members of her family and how she is greatly concerned that the current generation of children have now lost two years of their education. The occupation is all about brutality and destruction on every level, as she keeps repeating. Tune in for the full story.
Note: We had a lot of connection issues here, so please be patient with the audio.
The Daniel Ennis Against the Hate Podcast is out now here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-134926894
Support to Dignity for Palestine:https://www.patreon.com/posts/dignity-for-two-134250846

Jul 30, 2025 • 0sec
Fighting Class War is Proper Climate Action
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It’s a lot at the moment. So rejoining us to wallow in the misery is lecturer at TUD, Dr Ciarán O’Carroll, and to be honest this assessment of where we are and what needs (must) be done was clarifying and somehow hopeful.
The latest SWF with Black 47's Chris Byrne is out now:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-135125057
To support Dignity for Palestine click here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/dignity-for-two-134250846

Jul 26, 2025 • 40min
Gaza versus Western Journalism
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The Self-Critical Columnist - Colin Sheridan
Colin Sheridan is a writer, journalist and columnist with the Irish Examiner. He is also a former Irish Army Officer and it is perhaps this lived experience that shapes his writing in ways that you don't read too often in our opinion pages. This is the first of what we hope will be more conversations with a person who it turns out has a lot of interesting views on a lot of topics that we care about. Enjoy.
Dr Ciarán O'Carroll on how Class War and Climate Action is out now here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-134927168
Donate to Dignity for Palestine:https://www.patreon.com/posts/dignity-for-two-134250846