Love and Courage Ruairí McKiernan

My guest in this podcast is John Evoy. John is someone I've connected with at different times in the past due through my work in the community. I’ve always found him to be a deep thinker with a big heart. John lives in County Wexford, Ireland, and works as the General Manager of Grow Remote Ireland. He previously worked with social innovation funding body Rethink Ireland, and before that, he was the founder of the Irish Men’s Sheds movement. In this conversation, we talk about his work as wel...

Áine Tyrell is an Irish singer, songwriter and musician who grew up in counties Galway and Clare. She’s been living in Australia for over a decade now where she has toured extensively and developed a reputation as a fiercely grassroots and independent artist who is a powerhouse live performer and I highly recommend going to see if you get a chance. Áine’s music connects with so many aspects of our humanity, heartache, loss and suffering, and also resilience, hope, recovery, survival, and...

Ann Marie Flanagan is a disabled human rights activist from County Clare in the west of Ireland. Growing up in a tight-knit, supportive community, she says attitudes towards her physical impairment were generally inclusive. However, that changed when Ann Marie hit the age of 12 and entered secondary school. She says the environment was hostile and exclusionary. Despite the challenges, she went on to flourish, completing an IT degree and getting involved in student activism. She has also ...

John Seed is a 78-year-old world-renowned Australian environmental educator, author, activist, artist and filmmaker. A recipient of the Australian government’s Order of Australia medal, John is the founder and director of the Rainforest Information Centre and, since 1979, has been involved in 100s of campaigns and education initiatives that have protected remaining rainforests and helped humanity rethink our relationship with nature. John and his family first came to Australia as Jewish ...

Tim Costello is one of Australia's most well-known and respected community leaders. In recent times he was voted one of Australia’s 100 national living treasures. A recipient of Victorian of the Year and Victoria's Australian of the Year accolades, as well as an Officer of the Order of Australia, he is an influential leader on a range of social issues, including the huge harm caused by the scourge of gambling in Australia.Tim is a previous longtime CEO of World Vision Australia and has helped...

This episode features a conversation with Cork man Don O'Leary. Don is the Director of the Cork Life Centre, which is a voluntary organization established over 20 years ago to offer an alternative learning environment to young people aged 12-18 who have not thrived or coped in a mainstream educational setting. I have visited the centre as a guest speaker in the past and witnessed first-hand the loving and creative environment in which young people can flourish. The centre has struggled t...