The Sperrins: Mining, Power & Community in Northern Ireland

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Welcome to The Sperrins: Mining, Power & Community in Northern Ireland  A podcast examining the realities behind a proposed goldmine and the decisions shaping one of Ireland’s most contested landscapes. From the heart of the Sperrin Mountains, this series follows the intersection of mining, political power, and community experience, unpacking what happens when global demand meets local lives. Through in-depth conversations, we explore: the public inquiry process and who it really serves the environmental and health risks of extractive industry the voices of those living with the consequences the wider questions of accountability, transparency, and justice This is a story  about how decisions are made, who bears the cost, and what is at stake for communities, land, and future generations. If you’re interested in environmental justice, planning systems, or the realities behind large-scale development, this podcast offers insight, clarity, and lived experience from the ground. For the air we breathe, the water we drink, the earth that supports us and the health of community now and for generations to come  we hold the line.

  1. 2d ago

    #🎙️115 | | Climate Change, Political Power and the Price of Security|

    WHO GETS PROTECTED? | Climate Change, Political Power and the Price of Security What happens when climate change starts affecting the things we depend on most affordable food, home insurance, energy, water and the security of our communities? Inspired by Climate Popularism a new report ,  Link to Report  from the Climate Majority Project, this special episode explores how growing insecurity can fuel political division, why protecting people may become the defining test of political leadership, and what all this means for Northern Ireland.  And, with the final climate hearings approaching at the Curraghinalt Gold Mine Public Inquiry, we consider whether our approach to economic development is keeping pace with the changing world. 🎧 Listen, share and join the conversation about the future we're creating. Subscribe to the podcast and sign up for the Save Our Sperrins newsletter to follow the campaign. SAVE OUR SPERRINS ( Social Media)  https://linktr.ee/saveoursperrins https://dontmineus.com/newsletter/

  2. Oct 27

    #🎙️114 | Public Inquiry special Clean Air Strategy Public Consultation |

    Northern Ireland wants cleaner air. So why are we considering major industrial developments that could introduce new sources of pollution into places where the air is already relatively clean? As London celebrates improvements in air quality following years of intervention, communities in the Sperrin Mountains are fighting to protect what they already have. In this bonus episode of the Save Our Sperrins podcast, we examine Northern Ireland's new Clean Air Strategy and ask whether government departments are working together to protect public health and the environment. With the proposed Dalradian goldmine at Curraghinalt currently under examination at a Public Inquiry, we explore the relationship between environmental policy, mineral development, planning decisions and regulatory enforcement. Who is responsible for preventing pollution? Who monitors it? And who acts when things go wrong? We also put some direct questions to Environment Minister Andrew Muir about how his department's ambitions for cleaner air will translate into meaningful protection for rural communities.   Because surely it's better to protect clean air than spend decades trying to recover it. ⏰ IMPORTANT: The public consultation on Northern Ireland's Clean Air Strategy closes TODAY, Tuesday 27 October, at 5 pm. There's still time to have your say. 👉 Respond to the consultation: https://consultations2.nidirect.gov.uk/daera/clean-air-strategy-public-consultation-2026/ 🎧 Listen, share and join the conversation. Follow the Save Our Sperrins podcast and sign up for our weekly newsletter to stay informed about the Curraghinalt Public Inquiry.

  3. Oct 15

    #🎙️113 |Public Inquiry Week Begin 12th Oct Methodology and Restoration Day 4 |

    Day 49: Who Will Mind the Sperrins? As the Dalradian goldmine public inquiry adjourns for three weeks, serious questions remain about toxic fugitive dust, environmental monitoring, enforcement and the absence of an emergency plan for communities downstream of the proposed mine waste facility. Today also brought the exclusion of a community-led air quality survey and a final decision on the warning issued to Save Our Sperrins solicitor Mary Brolly. After 49 days, the imbalance of power is becoming impossible to ignore. But the campaigners are far from defeated. 🎧 Listen to today's podcast and share it. The Sperrins deserve to be heard. If you value thoughtful, commentary on the Inquiry, please consider following the podcast, sharing this episode, and joining our campaign mailing list to stay connected. https://dontmineus.com/newsletter/ SAVE OUR SPERRINS ( Social Media)  https://linktr.ee/saveoursperrins

  4. Oct 14

    #🎙️112 |Public Inquiry Week Beginning 12 Oct Air quality Day 3 |

    The Air We Breathe — And the Evidence We Don't Have As Northern Ireland consults on plans to improve air quality, the Goldmine Public Inquiry continues to examine the dust emissions, heavy metals and air pollution associated with Dalradian's proposed mine in the Sperrins. Today brought challenges to the applicant's modelling, disputes over scientific assumptions and further concerns about the adequacy of baseline air quality monitoring. We also hear a powerful personal contribution from Hugh McCloy, whose experience as the father of a child diagnosed with leukaemia has reinforced his determination to see proper evidence collected before it is too late. Listen to today's podcast and share it. The air we breathe is everyone's concern. If you value thoughtful, commentary on the Inquiry, please consider following the podcast, sharing this episode, and joining our campaign mailing list to stay connected. https://dontmineus.com/newsletter/ SAVE OUR SPERRINS ( Social Media)  https://linktr.ee/saveoursperrins

  5. Oct 13

    #🎙️111 |Public Inquiry Week Beginning 12 Oct. Ecology Final day Day 2 |

    Ecology Finished by Lunchtime — But Were the Questions Answered? An unexpectedly short day at the Dalradian Public Inquiry, but no shortage of controversy. Missing evidence on bird collision risks, power lines with potentially decades of ecological disturbance ahead, and the extraordinary insertion of one little word  future — into planning conditions dealing with unauthorised development. By 12.30, terrestrial ecology was finished. But the environmental concerns remain. 🎧 Listen to the latest episode and please share. If you value thoughtful, commentary on the Inquiry, please consider following the podcast, sharing this episode, and joining our campaign mailing list to stay connected. https://dontmineus.com/newsletter/ SAVE OUR SPERRINS ( Social Media)  https://linktr.ee/saveoursperrins

  6. Oct 12

    #🎙️110 |Public Inquiry Week Begin 12th. Oct Ecology Manipulation Day 1 |

    When Wildlife Becomes an Inconvenience | Curraghinalt Public Inquiry Badgers offered artificial homes and peanuts, hares displaced through habitat manipulation, and biodiversity calculations that turn a claimed gain into a disputed loss. Today, we examine the extraordinary proposals to move wildlife out of the path of Dalradian's gold mine, and Conor Fagan's argument that when the environmental claims are stripped away, all that remains is economics. 🎧 Listen, share and help give the wildlife of the Sperrins a voice. #SaveOurSperrins #ProtectOurWildlife #BiodiversityMatters #CurraghinaltInquiry If you value thoughtful, commentary on the Inquiry, please consider following the podcast, sharing this episode, and joining our campaign mailing list to stay connected. https://dontmineus.com/newsletter/ SAVE OUR SPERRINS ( Social Media)  https://linktr.ee/saveoursperrins

  7. Oct 9

    #🎙️109 |Public Inquiry Week Beginning 5th Oct. Land Ecology Day 4 |

    The Birds Could Be Going Anywhere — A Race to the Bottom of Environmental Standards? Badgers, bats, birds and butterflies were under scrutiny at the Curraghinalt Public Inquiry, but so too was the Northern Ireland Environment Agency. With ecological survey gaps challenged, further assessments proposed after consent, and an independent ecologist prevented from speaking directly, are we witnessing a race to the bottom of environmental standards? 🎧 Listen to the latest episode, share it and help us keep the spotlight on what's happening in the Sperrins. #SaveOurSperrins #CurraghinaltInquiry #EnvironmentalProtection #Bats #Badgers #otters

  8. Oct 7

    #🎙️108 |Public Inquiry Week Beginning 5th Oct. Water conditions Day 3 |

    Today at the Curraghinalt Public Inquiry we got into the conditions that could one day govern water abstraction, discharges and monitoring at the proposed gold mine. Missing figures, trigger levels without clear stop mechanisms, conditions being removed because they are deemed “not necessary”, updated modelling that won’t be available before the inquiry ends, and serious questions about scrutiny and transparency. These conditions could govern impacts lasting long after the mine has closed. 🎧 Listen to today’s podcast and please share it. What happened in that inquiry room needs to be heard outside it. If you value thoughtful, commentary on the Inquiry, please consider following the podcast, sharing this episode, and joining our campaign mailing list to stay connected. https://dontmineus.com/newsletter/   SAVE OUR SPERRINS ( Social Media)  https://linktr.ee/saveoursperrins

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Welcome to The Sperrins: Mining, Power & Community in Northern Ireland  A podcast examining the realities behind a proposed goldmine and the decisions shaping one of Ireland’s most contested landscapes. From the heart of the Sperrin Mountains, this series follows the intersection of mining, political power, and community experience, unpacking what happens when global demand meets local lives. Through in-depth conversations, we explore: the public inquiry process and who it really serves the environmental and health risks of extractive industry the voices of those living with the consequences the wider questions of accountability, transparency, and justice This is a story  about how decisions are made, who bears the cost, and what is at stake for communities, land, and future generations. If you’re interested in environmental justice, planning systems, or the realities behind large-scale development, this podcast offers insight, clarity, and lived experience from the ground. For the air we breathe, the water we drink, the earth that supports us and the health of community now and for generations to come  we hold the line.

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