Best Irish Politics Podcasts (2024)

1
Piers Linney, Dame Siobhain McDonagh, Dr Charlotte Proudman & Sir Ashley Fox 52:40

1h ago52:40

52:40

Simon Marks sits in and is joined on Cross Question by entrepreneur and investor (and former Dragon) Piers Linney, Labour MP Dame Siobhain McDonagh, human rights barrister Dr Charlotte Proudman and Conservative MP Sir Ashley Fox.By LBC

1
How has the Government responded to the schools abuse report? 45:46

1h ago45:46

45:46

This week’s host, Pat Leahy, is joined by Jack Horgan-Jones and Harry McGee to discuss the big political stories of the week. Following Tuesday’s publication of the scoping report into sexual abuse at religious-run schools, the panel discusses the next steps for the Government on the issue. When will a Commission of Investigation be established, ho…

1
29. From Heaven to Hell: Seven Months in Gaza 55:52

1h ago55:52

55:52

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshackDr. Mohammed H. Alaqad is a distinguished academic from Gaza, now based in Malaysia. In the Autumn of 2023 he went to visit home after 14 years of being away. Having received a red carpet reception by family and friends, he wanted most for his wife and kids to meet his extended family, including his mother…

201
1308. Postmasters Sold Out? 17:57

2h ago17:57

17:57

Please join us patreon.com/tortoiseshackA Radol is a Ridiculous Argument Devoid Of Logic. Bear that in mind as you listen. In this short podcast Martin reveal the "legal opinion" sent to Irish Postmasters by their Union that contradicts previous Judgements like Denny and Karshan and flies in the face of an ongoing Postmaster High Court Case where e…

1
Alison McGovern, David Simmonds, Bonnie Greer & Henry Hill 50:17

2d ago50:17

50:17

Simon Marks sits in and is joined on Cross Question by employment minister and Labour MP Alison McGovern, shadow housing minister and Conservative MP David Simmonds, playwright Bonnie Greer and ConservativeHome's Henry Hill.By LBC

1
Charlie versus Garrett redux: Listener questions answered 47:59

1h ago47:59

47:59

What was it about Ireland in the 1970s and 1980s that a man like Charles Haughey could become its leader? Did he improve the country, despite the corruption? And how did Garrett FitzGerald make such a mess of the abortion question? Following our recent podcast series on the era-defining rivalry between Charlie Haughey and Garrett FitzGerald, Hugh L…

1
1309. ‘The Gig Economy Is a Lie’ – A Game Changing Win for Workers 35:08

27m ago35:08

35:08

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshackYou might have seen the headlines across Irish media about the blow struck to the Gig Economy and bogus self employment by musician and workers rights activist, Matt McGranaghan. But only here will you hear from Matt himself. This is a huge result that will help thousands of workers currently misclassified…

1
High energy Harris, election prep and coalition jitters 22:02

42m ago22:02

22:02

A busy summer for Simon Harris, meeting, greeting and literally wearing the green jersey at the Paralympics. Meanwhile, as election speculation intensifies, all parties are scrambling to get candidates in place, with a few celebrities in the mix. A hectic autumn political season beckons.By RTÉ News

1
Coalition conflict as the budget draws near 39:41

2d ago39:41

39:41

Host Hugh Linehan is joined by Pat Leahy and Jennifer Bray to take stock as the political system cranks back into gear. With frequent political signals being sent about what should be in the upcoming budget, tensions within the coalition are growing. And it wouldn't be the Inside Politics podcast without some speculation on the timing of the next g…

1
28. Gaza – Paralysed By Fear 40:29

4m ago40:29

40:29

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshackAnas Abu Samhan is a Palestinian writer and translator with a deep focus on the decolonization of mind and language, as well as decolonial epistemology. Anas talks about language, literature and translation during genocide and he narrates how his family was displaced multiple times and lost all their homes…

1
1305. The SpyCops Scandal – Police Preying on the Vulnerable 36:33

1h ago36:33

36:33

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshackAs promised we are rejoined by the best person on the planet currently covering the decades old SpyCops Units, who have done some deplorable things to people in predominantly left wing movements in order to maintain some false sense of State order and power.You all need to listen to this and check out Tom …

1
1306. Delay, Deny and Wait For Me to Die with Noelle Brown 39:24

12m ago39:24

39:24

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshackIn this Echo Chamber Pod we are rejoined by writer, actor and activist, Noelle Brown to discuss the Mother and Baby Home Redress Scheme that has effectively excluded 40% of the people impacted by the National Scandal, while also seemingly indemnifying the Catholic church.Noelle talks the politics of injust…

1
What will Simon Harris offer voters? 31:35

2h ago31:35

31:35

In an interview with the Irish Times Taoiseach Simon Harris offered some major clues as to what he would offer voters ahead of the general election. Pat and Hugh listen back to snippets from the interview and analyse the Taoiseach's comments on tax, spending, infrastructure, his leadership and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more i…

1
27. My Children Draw Pictures of a Home That No Longer Exists 36:39

6d ago36:39

36:39

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshackIbrahim Alsemeiri is a PhD Candidate at the University of Utarah in Malaysia. Being from and living in Gaza, with four children, he has been displaced 5 times since October 7th. He lost his home and as you'll hear, is doing his best to comfort his children.He joins the PalCast co-hosts, yousef, Helena and …

1
Charlie versus Garret, part three: Ireland transformed 1:04:53

3d ago1:04:53

1:04:53

Covering pivotal events from the two elections in 1982 to the fall of a scandal-ridden government, part three of Pat Leahy and Hugh Linehan's exploration of the political rivalry between Charles Haughey and Garret Fitzgerald explores the stark differences and surprising similarities between these men, the two foremost political leaders of their era…

1
1303. Beyond Electric Picnic and Other Stories 18:14

12m ago18:14

18:14

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshackIn this peek-behind-the-paywall Echo Chamber special, Martin and Tony talk the news of the week and things get a bit heated. Which is a good thing. We cover Trump, RTE, transphobic journalists, Coolock Says No to Ireland and the awful behaviour of legacy media in both race-baiting and our politics.CW: cont…

1
Classic Irish Passport: The Gaelic Games 54:52

1h ago54:52

54:52

We're on holiday! So please enjoy this classic episode of the podcast first recorded back in 2018. We'll be back soon with all new episodes and Halfpint extra content. ==The most popular sports in Ireland are the Gaelic games: uniquely Irish sports with an ancient history and a dramatic political backstory that are finding increasing international …

1
26. Gaza: A Crucial Week To Come 45:43

24m ago45:43

45:43

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshackDr. Hani Albassous is an Associate Professor in Security and Strategic Studies, he taught in Gaza, Qatar and Oman. He joins PalCast to talk about recent developments in Gaza and Israel, his view of the ongoing negotiations, the possible regional war breaking out between and Iran and Hezbollah on one hand a…

1
Charlie versus Garret, part two: Scandal and strife in 1980s Ireland 47:09

14d ago47:09

47:09

Pat Leahy continues the story of the rivalry between Fine Gael's Garret FitzGerald and Fianna Fáil's Charles Haughey, the defining politicians of their era. This episode traces their dominance within their parties and the electoral battles they fought as they drove Ireland's politics from the late 1970s into the early 1980s. The story weaves togeth…

1
1300. Labour’s Unnecessary Austerity 40:26

4h ago40:26

40:26

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshackWhen is austerity not austerity? When it’s done as part of “grownup” politics or so we’re told.Rejoining us is the wonderful Prof Richard Murphy and he paints a picture of the economic future that is unwelcome (and in our opinion one of the drivers of far right hate) in the new era of the new NEW Labour Pa…

1
Gaza, Hamas and Israel Expanding the War

14d ago

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Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshackHana Salah is a Palestinian journalist from Gaza who endured and reported on the genocide until she was able to leave to Egypt then to Qatar in March 2024. Her two sisters were injured after an Israeli airstrike hit the building that she and her family took as a shelter. She was displaced a couple of times…

1
Here’s How 174 – The Price of Everything 55:08

5d ago55:08

55:08

Cormac Lucey is an economics columnist at Sunday Times (Ireland), and lecturer in finance, at the Irish Management Institute, Chartered Accountants Ireland and Trinity College Dublin. *** And we’re back! Sorry about the unannounced little hiatus for the podcast. I’ll tell you a bit more about it, but first just to say I’m lining up […]…

1
Charlie versus Garret, part one: Origins of a rivalry 55:39

29d ago55:39

55:39

Throughout the 1980s, two men dominated the Irish political landscape. Charles Haughey and Garret FitzGerald embodied and articulated very different visions of Ireland and its future. Born a year apart, one a Northsider, one a Southsider, both sons of Civil War veterans, divided by social class, personality and beliefs, they came to epitomise their…

1
1294. The Housing Crisis with Killian Woods 40:16

7d ago40:16

40:16

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshackIt was, as always, a pleasure to be joined by Senior Reporter with the Business Post and the journalist who in our opinion does the most to keep the housing crisis in the news, Killian Woods.We talk about the scathing Housing Commission Report, the "minority" report that followed and the fudged commencemen…

1
1298. The Far Right – A Warning From Recent History

11d ago

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Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshackToday's guest, journalist, podcaster and Our Man in Stockholm, Philip O'Connor tweeted earlier "on this day in 2011, far-right terrorist Anders Behring Breivik murdered 77 people in Norway. Instead of being rejected after that horror, his views have since become mainstream - in our parliaments, our media &…

1
Chris Curtis, Lord Daniel Moylan, Zoe Strimpel & Rachel Cunliffe 53:30

13d ago53:30

53:30

Simon Marks sits in and is joined on Cross Question by Labour MP Chris Curtis, Conservative peer Lord Moylan, Sunday Telegraph columnist Zoe Strimpel and the New Statesman's Rachel Cunliffe.By LBC

1
24. Gaza – The World Doesn’t Care Enough 39:18

13d ago39:18

39:18

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshackAhmad Al-Naouq is the co-founder of We Are Not Numbers. He lost his family due to Israeli bombing on his family home in Gaza in October 2023. Since then, he has been appearing on different media outlets to defend and put forward the Palestinian narrative. He joins PalCast co-hosts Yousef and Helena to talk…

1
Sinn Féin's reset, Fine Gael's exodus 48:23

28d ago48:23

48:23

Jack Horgan-Jones and Jennifer Bray join Hugh to tie up political loose ends as the summer finally arrives. With a General Election around the corner, Sinn Féin and Fine Gael have tricky tasks. Mary Lou McDonald must reset the party's message after disappointing results in June, while Fine Gael must select candidates to replace the 15 TDs who will …

1
Jeevun Sandher, Greg Smith, Anna Mikhailova & Aggie Chambre 50:40

1M ago50:40

50:40

Simon Marks sits in and is joined on Cross Question by Labour MP Jeevun Sandher, Tory MP Greg Smith, Anna Mikhailova from the Mail on Sunday and LBC political correspondent Aggie Chambre.By LBC

1
Lord Eric Pickles, Linda Yueh, Torcuil Crichton & Cat Neilan 52:11

29d ago52:11

52:11

Ali Miraj sits in and is joined on Cross Question by Conservative peer Lord Pickles, economist Linda Yueh, Labour MP Torcuil Crichton and Tortoise political editor Cat Neilan.By LBC

1
1292. Hana Salah – I Survived

29d ago

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Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshackIn this very special podcast our friend and contributor of many years, Hana Salah, returns to talk about her life since we last spoke on air almost 3 years ago. Hana talks about life before October 7th, how her world was utterly changed in the months afterwards, her volunteering work (with your help, liste…

1
1291. Bolivian Coups, Venezuela Votes and Panama Says No

1M ago

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Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshackAs England prepare to lose to Spain and Colombia prepare to defeat Argentina, we speak with Colombian-English and Mexico-based journalist with El Pais, Nicholas Dale Leal. Don’t worry, football barely gets a mention. We discuss the failed coup in Bolivia, the upcoming (rigged?) elections in Venezuela and t…

1
Christina McAnea, Andrew Rosindell, Dr Ellie Chowns & Geri Scott 54:19

20d ago54:19

54:19

Joining Iain Dale for Cross Question are the Unison General Secretary Christina McAnea, the Conservative MP Andrew Rosindell, the newly-elected Green MP Dr Ellie Chowns, and The Times' senior political correspondent Geri Scott.By LBC

1
Can Kamala win? - with Fintan O'Toole and Suzanne Lynch 54:42

1M ago54:42

54:42

Can Kamala Harris win against Donald Trump? Former Irish Times Washington correspondent Suzanne Lynch covered Harris's unsuccessful 2020 primary and the early part of her vice-presidency. She joins Hugh Linehan and Irish Times columnist Fintan O'Toole to look at who Harris is and how her White House experience has changed her, and at the shape of t…

1
23. Gaza, the Beijing Agreement and US Political Pantomime 36:23

1M ago36:23

36:23

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshackAs if US politics couldn’t get any more chaotic, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has arrived for an official visit. Add in the ICJ’s opinion on the Israeli illegal settlements and the ongoing daily horrors in Gaza and there is a lot to discuss.On this PalCast, Yousef, Helena and Tony are joined b…

1
Kirsty Blackman, Lisa Smart, George Parker & Sophia Gaston 54:12

1M ago54:12

54:12

Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question this evening are SNP chief whip Kirsty Blackman, newly-elected Lib Dem MP Lisa Smart, FT political editor George Parker and Sophia Gaston from the Policy Exchange think tank.By LBC

1
Dr Kieran Mullan, Josh Simons, Jo Phillips & Danny Sriskandarajah 53:26

1M ago53:26

53:26

Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question this evening are Conservative shadow transport minister Dr Kieran Mullan, Labour MP Josh Simons, political commentator Jo Phillips and Danny Sriskandarajah, chief executive of the New Economics Foundation think tank.By LBC

1
1296. Biden’s Gone: The Optimists Guide to Pessimism 47:13

22d ago47:13

47:13

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshackListener-favourite, writer, essayist and self-proclaimed humanity optimist, Jon Schwarz rejoins us to talk all things America, MAGA, Biden standing aside/getting pushed out and why, despite the incompetence of the current ruling class, he thinks that there are better days ahead.Long live the proletariat et…

1
1289. Is the EU Going Right? Results are Mixed 33:40

24d ago33:40

33:40

Please Join Us At patreon.com/tortoiseshackA lot has happened since we last spoke to Vice-Deputy Leader of the Portuguese Socialist Party, Joao Pina. From a case of political corruption that never was, to losing their governing majority and on to winning big in the EU elections. So we had a lot to talk about. The news isn't all good, but the fight …

1
1293. Sinn Féin’s Review and Trump Shot 28:00

1M ago28:00

28:00

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshackWe do regular member-only podcasts for our tortoise shack community. They urged us to put this one out on public release. So against my better judgement here is our discussion on Sinn Féin’s review into their electoral failures and their new "listening" economic-unit strategy.Then we discuss the attempted …

1
New MPs Special: Satvir Kaur, Lincoln Jopp, Bobby Dean & Robin Swann 54:40

1M ago54:40

54:40

Iain Dale hosts a special edition of Cross Question, with a panel made up entirely of newly-elected MPs: Labour's Satvir Kaur, the Conservatives' Lincoln Jopp, the Liberal Democrats' Bobby Dean and the Ulster Unionists' Robin Swann.By LBC

1
“Celebratory spirit” at the Republican Convention / Vote on von Der Leyen’s future 40:06

2M ago40:06

40:06

The Republican National Convention is taking place this week in Milwaukee, just days after the assassination attempt on Donald Trump. Irish Times Washington Correspondent Keith Duggan is attending the four-day event and talks to Hugh Linehan about the “celebratory spirit” among Republicans who believe “the election is over in many ways”. The pair a…

1
22. ‘I Woke Crying Knowing That I Had To Leave’ 38:59

27d ago38:59

38:59

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshackShahd Safi is an Arabic/English translator and teacher, freelance journalist, social media coordinator, and human rights advocate. She is from Gaza and is now in Cairo. She joins Yousef Aljamal, Helena Cobban and Tony Groves to talk about her journey out of Gaza and her experience of surviving Israel’s air…

1
Lord David Willetts, Camilla Turner, Claire Hanna & Oliver Kamm 53:35

2M ago53:35

53:35

Joining Iain Dale for Cross Question are the Conservative peer and former Universities Minister Lord David Willetts, the Sunday Telegraph's political editor Camilla Turner, the SDLP MP Claire Hanna and the The Times writer Oliver Kamm.By LBC

1
Danny Kruger, Lizzie Dearden, Jake Richards & Emma Revell 53:55

1M ago53:55

53:55

Joining Iain Dale for Cross Question are the Conservative MP Danny Kruger, freelance home affairs journalist Lizzie Dearden, newly-elected Labour MP Jake Richards and Emma Revell from the Centre for Policy Studies think-tank.By LBC

1
1290. The Locals 36:17

1M ago36:17

36:17

Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshackFilmmaker and newly appointed Centrist Dad*, Luke McManus, rejoins us to discuss his latest doc, The Locals, which goes out on RTE 1 this Monday at 9:35pm and then on the RTE Player.Luke follows the candidates for the Local Elections in Dublin's North Inner City in what was a campaign featuring a vast spec…

1
Conquest: The Ulster Plantation 1:17:11

29d ago1:17:11

1:17:11

In the fourth episode of our Conquest miniseries, we take on of the most defining moments in the history of Ireland: the mass-plantation of Ulster. We'll see how the arrival of thousands of colonial settlers in this erstwhile Gaelic stronghold transformed the geopolitical dynamics of Ireland, Scotland, and England alike. We'll look at how the Ulste…

1
Will von der Leyen get the backing of MEPs for a 2nd term? 22:36

1M ago22:36

22:36

Issa Amro, Citizen of Hebron in the West Bank in Palestine; Neale Richmond, Minister of State with responsibility for Business, Employment & Retail; Matt Carthy, Sinn Féin TD for Cavan-Monaghan; Bríd Smith, People Before Profit TD for Dublin South CentralBy RTÉ Radio 1

1
The power to strip naturalised citizens of their Irish citizenship 12:41

1M ago12:41

12:41

Liam Herrick, Executive Director of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties; Neale Richmond, Minister of State with responsibility for Business, Employment & Retail; Matt Carthy, Sinn Féin TD for Cavan-Monaghan; Bríd Smith, People Before Profit TD for Dublin South CentralBy RTÉ Radio 1

1
Concerns about the new Defence Forces Bill 14:35

1M ago14:35

14:35

Barry Crushell, Employment Lawyer and former Army Officer; Neale Richmond, Minister of State with responsibility for Business, Employment & Retail; Matt Carthy, Sinn Féin TD for Cavan-Monaghan; Bríd Smith, People Before Profit TD for Dublin South CentralBy RTÉ Radio 1

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