The Echo Chamber from Tortoise Shack

Tortoise Shack Media
  • 4.9 (14)
  • Politics
  • Updated Daily

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!

  1. 13h ago

    Ethnic Erasure – The Reality in Occupied Palestine

    Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack Leila Warah is a Palestinian American multimedia journalist currently based in Palestine. Born and raised in the United Arab Emirates, she holds a degree in Journalism and Media and has significant experience in reporting across digital platforms. Through her social media (@leila.shw on Instagram), Leila creates videos that stay true to the Palestinian question, breaking it down for an international audience to better understand what life under Israeli occupation in the West Bank looks like. Her content delivers on-the-ground visual storytelling, tailored for an international audience, that humanizes the headlines, shedding light on Palestinian identity, resistance, and the everyday realities of communities often overlooked by mainstream media. Zena Tahhan is a journalist with over ten years of experience in journalism and human rights organizations. She holds a BSc in Journalism from Northwestern University in Qatar and an MA in Middle East Studies from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. As a writer and TV reporter, she focuses on exposing the realities of Palestinian life under Israeli occupation, covering issues such as killings, settler attacks, land confiscation, military raids, political prisoners, and forced displacement. Alongside field reporting, she also produces political analysis and opinion pieces. Her expertise spans Palestine’s political history, settler colonialism, and international human rights law, with a particular focus on how Israel’s system of military occupation operates through laws, courts, and policies that undermine basic freedoms. They both joined me in the Shack. Thanks to Pau Garcés for his help in making this pod happen. The Whistleblower Special Series is here:https://www.patreon.com/tortoiseshack/posts/patron-exclusive-163145416

  2. 4d ago

    The EU, Ryanair, Hare Coursing, Data Centres and More with MEP Lynn Boylan

    Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack In this Tortoise Shack episode Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan joins us to talk about the EU Parliament, the rolling back of workers rights and environmental protections in the name of competitiveness and simplification and why Ryanair are flying to occupied territory. And yes, we also discuss her party’s position on hare coursing. The Right To Tell, whistleblower Special Podcast:https://www.patreon.com/tortoiseshack/posts/patron-exclusive-163159955

  3. 6d ago

    Justice For The Children – No Building Over Bessborough

    Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack In this Tortoise Shack episode, Tony speaks with activist, artist and Cllr Noelle Brown, who is herself a survivor of the Mother and Baby Homes, about the ongoing issues surrounding mother and baby homes in Ireland, focusing on the recent planning permission granted for a development over the Bessborough site, where many children are buried and where at least 859 of their remains are still missing. They explore the historical injustices, the fight for justice, and the importance of preserving sites of conscience. Lynn Boylan on the EU, Ryanair and Hare Coursing:https://www.patreon.com/tortoiseshack/posts/patron-exclusive-163437304 The Exclusive Whistleblowers series:https://www.patreon.com/tortoiseshack/posts/patron-exclusive-163159955

  4. Jul 14

    Public Health in Gaza and Bearing Witness

    Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack Asmaa Dwimah is a Palestinian writer, poet, artist and dentist from Gaza. She is currently pursuing her Masters Degree in Public Health in London. In this PalCast she shares her experience of life in two worlds, her writings and exploring loss, resilience, identity and bearing witness. MEP Lynn Boylan podcast:https://www.patreon.com/tortoiseshack/posts/patron-exclusive-163437304 The EU Presidency Podcast with Rory Hearne:https://www.patreon.com/tortoiseshack/posts/patron-exclusive-163350431

  5. Jul 9

    Venezuelan Earthquake, Mexico’s World Cup and Colombia’s Right Wing Political Pivot

    Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack In this Tortoise Shack podcast, Tony and Mexico-based Colombian journalist with El Pais, Nicholas Dale Leal, discuss the recent natural disasters in Venezuela, the political landscape in Colombia, and the economic reforms in Cuba. They explore the impact of these events on local populations and the broader implications for Latin America. They also discuss Nicholas's visit to the Azteca Stadium. The Whistleblowers - In Their Own Words out now:https://www.patreon.com/tortoiseshack/posts/patron-exclusive-163159955 Palestinian Writer and Public Health expert Asmaa Dwimah podcast:https://www.patreon.com/tortoiseshack/posts/patron-exclusive-163325467

  6. Jul 7

    Breaking the Silence: Jeffrey Donaldson, Sexual Violence and Society in Ireland

    Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack In this Tortoise Shack podcast, Tony is rejoined by Writer, Commentator and Community Advocate, Elaine Crory to discuss the Jeffrey Donaldson case, sexual violence, challenges within the justice system, and societal issues across the island of Ireland. They explore the impact of political power, rape myths, and systemic failures on justice and social progress. The Whistleblowers Podcast - In Their Own Words:https://www.patreon.com/tortoiseshack/posts/patron-exclusive-163145416 The Venezuelan Earthquake podcast:https://www.patreon.com/tortoiseshack/posts/patron-exclusive-162431599

  7. Jul 7

    If You Cannot Say Genocide

    Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack Yahia Lababidi is an Arab American poet of Palestinian descent and essayist, and the author of sixteen books. His work appears in Liberties, Salmagundi, The Threepenny Review, The New Statesman, The New Arab, and DAWN, among others. His recent books include Palestine Wail (Daraja Press, 2024), written in the first months of Israel’s assault on Gaza, and What Remains to Be Said (Wild Goose Publications, 2025). His forthcoming essay collection, If You Cannot Say GENOCIDE: Essays on Conscience and Witness, will be published by New Village Press in October 2026 and distributed by NYU Press. He divides his time between the United States and Colombia. The Book is available here: https://www.newvillagepress.org/ifyoucannotsaygenocide/ The Venezuelan Earthquake podcast:https://www.patreon.com/tortoiseshack/posts/patron-exclusive-162431599

  8. Jul 3

    Jim O’Callaghan’s Criminally Ignorant ‘Cost Saver’

    Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack In this Tortoise Shack podcast, solicitor Cathal Malone discusses the impact of proposed (resulting in dozens of solicitors walking out) changes to Ireland's criminal legal aid fee structure, the long-time underfunding of the justice system, and the broader implications for access to justice. The conversation highlights the disconnect between policy intentions and real-world effects on vulnerable populations. Minister Jim O'Callaghan's run of doing Crazy Jim O'Callaghan stuff continues. Elaine Crory on Jeffrey Donaldson, Sexual Violence and Rape Myths:https://www.patreon.com/tortoiseshack/posts/patron-exclusive-162722611 Author of If You Cannot Say Genocide, Yahia Lababidi podcast:https://www.patreon.com/tortoiseshack/posts/patron-exclusive-162503281

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4.9
out of 5
14 Ratings

About

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!

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