

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

Apr 21, 2025 • 32min
1450. Travellers Not Invited
Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack
"Disappointed my concerns have been compounded by Govts misrepresentation. They claim no dissent was raised, yet multiple voices spoke in favour of removing the Traveller committee from d’Hondt. This erasure of support mirrors the disregard for Traveller voices in their decision."
Senator Eileen Flynn, April 14th 2025.
When our guest, Senator Eillen Flynn, wrote this a few days ago we immediately reached out to see what had happened and what can still be done to fix it. She, as always, was gracious enough to join us to break it all down. Is 'nothing about us, without us' just a meaningless slogan? Time will tell.
Donate to Dignity for Palestine:https://www.patreon.com/posts/dignity-for-to-126186702

Apr 18, 2025 • 43min
1449. Journalism has failed Palestinian Journalists with Niall Sargent
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We've been desperately disappointed by the mainstream western coverage of the genocide in Gaza since it began over 559 days ago. So when we read the piece Omissions, caveats and false balance: How media is failing Palestinians, the international order and our profession, by reporter with The Currency, Niall Sargent, it felt like FINALLY!
The piece which has since been shared by Francesca Albanese is here:https://thecurrency.news/articles/184892/youre-scared-of-doing-the-right-thing-because-the-right-thing-comes-with-a-price/
Niall rejoins us for the first time in a good while to talk about why he wrote it, what he learned while putting it together and his feeling that journalism, with some notable exceptions, has let itself down over the last 18 months.
The Senator Eileen Flynn podcast is out now here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-126781341
Donate to Dignity for Palestine here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/dignity-for-to-126186702

Apr 17, 2025 • 47min
1445. An Austerity of Ambition
Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack
In this Echo Chamber Podcast we are rejoined by economist with NERI, Ciarán Nugent to discuss the Trump Tariffs, our Pharma vulnerability, the potential impacts on the tax haven and killing false economic narratives like "austerity saved the economy."
Senator Eileen Flynn podcast is out now here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-126781341
Donate to Dignity for Palestine:https://www.patreon.com/posts/dignity-for-to-126186702

Apr 15, 2025 • 20min
1447. From Sympathy to Solidarity with Dr Ciarán O’Carroll
Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack
In this Echo Chamber Podcast we have something very rare for you all. Apparently it’s called “good news.” We won’t spoil it. We’ll let Technological University Dublin (TUD) lecturer Dr Ciarán O’Carroll do that.
Kidding COC, thank you for all you have done!
The Austerity Agenda podcast with economist Ciarán Nugent is out now here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-126205978
Donate to Dignity for Palestine:https://www.patreon.com/posts/dignity-for-to-126186702

Apr 13, 2025 • 42min
1441. RTE vs the Law – Is the Gig (Economy) Up?
Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack
Matt McGranaghan joins Martin on this Echo Chamber podcast to discuss ongoing bogus self employment cases they are representing in the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) and the implications for RTE workers and pretty much all of us as taxpayers. Martin and Matt lay bare the corruption, the criminality and the gargantuan cost of decades of bogus self employment in RTE and how the process that is effectively illegal state aid has been allowed by Revenue and the Department of Social Protection.
The latest on An Post's battle to misclassify Postmasters is out now here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-126277711
Donate to Dignity for Palestine here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/shoutout-to-mr-126186702

Apr 12, 2025 • 53min
58. My Students Kept Me Going
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In this very special PalCast we are joined by Abeer Barakat, who is a lecturer in the University of Applied Sciences, Gaza and a PhD candidate of English at the University Putra Malaysia.
She joins us from Gaza to talk about displacement, the difficult decision to send two of her children outside Gaza to continue their education and the day to day difficultly of living 550+ days under the Israeli war on her home.
Abeer is a remarkable educator and while she shares her personal story of loss, she also shares uplifting stories of working with her students and her friendship with Dr Reefat Alareer.
The Trade War and New Austerity Agenda Podcast is out now here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-126205978
Donate to Dignity for Palestine:https://www.patreon.com/posts/shoutout-to-mr-126186702

Apr 11, 2025 • 52min
1444. Still Not Heard, Still Not Safe
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Ed Note: In this very special Echo Chamber Podcast we pay tribute to our late tortoise shack colleague, Dr Vicky Conway in both the coverage of the new report Still Not Heard, Still Not Safe and in knowing that her work was instrumental in its foundations.
Joining us is the founder of Black and Irish, Leon Diop and Director with the Irish Network Against Racism, Shane O'Curry. We go into some of the findings of the report, the need for Garda to take onboard the recommendations and the lived experience of policing in Ireland as a person of colour.
Thanks to Leon and Shane for coming over for this important conversation and Dr Lucy Michael for her work on this important report.
The report is available here:https://inar.ie/pabi-project/
Donate to Dignity for Palestine here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/shoutout-to-mr-126186702

Apr 9, 2025 • 33min
1436. Extermination Camps in Mexico
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In this podcast we are rejoined by Mexico-based Colombian journalist with El Pais, Nicholas Dale Leal, to discuss the impact the new Trump administration is having on the region, the shocking discovery of what is being called an extermination camp in Mexico and the people “disappearing” from the US into Super Max prisons in El Salvador.
The Grace Blakeley Pod is out now here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-125909419
Support Dignity for Palestine here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/126186702

Apr 6, 2025 • 38min
RTE Receiving Illegal State Aid
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Martin had a long chat with his co-conspirator, Matt McGranaghan, in relation to the two cases they are currently working on with RTE staff in the workplace Relations Commission. This also a good insight into where the political landscape is when it comes to protecting workers in the face of systemic corruption.
The Grace Blakeley podcast on Trump 2.0 is out now here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-125909419
Support Dignity for Palestine here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/dignity-for-your-124980167

Apr 4, 2025 • 30min
57. We Are Not Doing Enough!
Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack
In this PalCast, Yousef and Tony discuss the latest news out of Gaza, the rapidly spreading famine and the way in which the international community has largely disgraced itself in standing by as the genocide restarted. We also talk the Garda treatment of the Mothers Against Genoicide activists, the new Irish governments burying of the Occupied Territories Bill and much more.
Donate to Dignity for Palestine:https://www.patreon.com/posts/dignity-for-your-124980167


