150 episodes

The Irish independent news, politics and culture podcast that doesn't take itself too seriously. Join hosts Tony Groves and Martin McMahon and a wide range of guests as the tackle everything from twitter to the Taoiseach. There will be shenanigans!



Cover art by @Ciaraioch

The Echo Chamber from Tortoise Shack Tortoise Shack Media

    • News
    • 4.8 • 258 Ratings

The Irish independent news, politics and culture podcast that doesn't take itself too seriously. Join hosts Tony Groves and Martin McMahon and a wide range of guests as the tackle everything from twitter to the Taoiseach. There will be shenanigans!



Cover art by @Ciaraioch

    1239. Taxing Questions – Prof Richard Murphy

    1239. Taxing Questions – Prof Richard Murphy

    Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack

    "Give Everyone What They Need, Before You Give The Wealthy What They Want."

    Listener favourite, Prof Richard Murphy, has just published this:https://taxingwealth.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Taxing-Wealth-Report-2024-Summary.pdf and in between chatting to Bloomberg and the Guardian about it, he managed to find 40 minutes to talk to us.

    And it's another belter. In fact it might even change your perception of what the word Tax means. It'll certainly challenge the current narrative.

    The interview with Mahmoud Mushtaha who is now in Egypt is out now here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-102579201

    • 44 min
    9. Gaza: Stopping the Weapons of War

    9. Gaza: Stopping the Weapons of War

    Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack

    Elbit Systems, Israel’s leading weapon manufacturing, is playing a major role in the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Huda Ammori, a co-founder of the Palestine Action Group spoke to PalCast co-hosts about the role of Israeli firm in the genocide in Gaza, campaigns against Elbit; successes and failures.

    Ammori, who is facing court cases because of her activism, argues that Elbit Systems, an arm of the Israeli state, should not be allowed to operate in the UK, which claims to have strict criteria for arms exports. From drones to the navy, Elbit Systems continue to kill Palestinians and campaigns against it just expand. Learn more about Elbit Systems in this PalCast episode with Yousef Aljamal, Helena Cobban and Tony Groves.

    Helena also brilliantly breaks down the Iran attack on Israel.

    Music by Martin Leahy.

    The next episode in the RTE saga is out now. Listen before it makes more headlines:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-102227581

    • 42 min
    1237. Keith Walsh vs RTE – Part 1

    1237. Keith Walsh vs RTE – Part 1

    Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack

    (Note: Published for members April 5th)

    Many hundreds of thousands of people used to wake up to the voice of Broadcaster, Presenter and Writer, Keith Walsh. But nobody would have been aware of how precarious his job was with the National Broadcaster. In this exclusive interview Keith tells us about his years at RTE, how he was managed out the door and how he has now fought and won his battle against them. As Martin has said before, RTE needs to do right by those it mistreated in the past before it even begins to contemplate any sort of future.

    The full interview is available here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-101704120

    Part 2 about then Minister Regina Doherty and the Eversheds fudge is out now here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-102227581

    Thanks to comedian Michael Fry for the use of his RTE viral banger!

    • 35 min
    1234. RTE (not so) Upfront

    1234. RTE (not so) Upfront

    Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack

    As you might've heard on a previous Martin and Tony member-only pod, I was invited to debate whether or not Ireland should have a general election post Leo Varadkar's resignation. I went through with it. But it ended up in the RTE editorial bin. But we took it out of the bin and decided to put it out to ourselves.

    So here's the story about the debate that never was. It's nothing scandalous. There's no big reveal. But I don't buy RTE's explanation at all. Not for one second.

    The Keith Walsh Story (taken by the Irish Daily Mail uncredited) is here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-101704120

    Note: recorded for members 30th March 2024

    • 24 min
    8. The Saddest Eid

    8. The Saddest Eid

    Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack

    As Israeli forces withdrew from Khan Younis, after four months of military operations they were ambushed by Palestinian fighters. Israel, it's clear, did not achieve its two stated goals of releasing the hostages and of eliminating Hamas.

    However once the IOF retreated, dozens of bodies of Palestinians were found decomposed. Over 45,000 houses in Khan Younis were destroyed and entire neighborhoods were leveled to the ground. The situation in Gaza remains dire as Palestinians celebrate Eid on April 10, one of the saddest Eid occasions since the Nakba.

    International pressure for ceasefire and recognition of a Palestinian state continues. Yousef Aljamal, Helena Cobban and Tony Groves discuss this and more in this episode.

    You'll Never Bury Palestine is written and performed by Martin Leahy

    The Taxing Wealth 2024 Special is out now here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-102006086

    • 36 min
    1233. Dirty Water

    1233. Dirty Water

    Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack

    Tommy Greene has covered the dangers posed to drinking water due to the environmental collapse of Lough Neagh well before it became a political football. But now that Stormont is up and running you might think things are looking (fresh water-wise) clearer? But he rejoins us to tell us why that's not the case. Great reporting by a great journalist. Thank you, Tommy.

    The Daniel Maté at Rising podcast is out now here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-101762276

    • 39 min

Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5
258 Ratings

258 Ratings

JC SuperStarr ,

So Good

I want to leave this review as this podcast is hugely underratted. The consistency of the guests, the output and the bbetween the lads is all great.

Tabbytoframea ,

Fantastic Pod!

Hup Tony and Martin for doing what no one else does.

Tech Bro 77 ,

Nothing like it

Seriously the only podcast that I come back to time and time again for proper coverage of issues. Drives me mad that it's so under appreciated. Sometimes they don't help themselves, but that's why it can be great.

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