1:19:55

S05:E57 Mar 26, 2024

Camilla Fitzsimons: Spectacle of Defiance & Hope, Repeal, and Academics for Palestine

In this episode we speak to activist and academic Camilla Fitzsimons. Camilla’s academic work focuses in particular on education and social movements, and she is an Associate Professor in Maynooth University School of Education. Her publications include two books – Community education and neoliberalism: Philosophies, practices and policies in Ireland (2017) and Repealed: Ireland’s Unfinished Fight for Reproductive Rights (2021). We discuss Camilla’s early political experience; her involvement in forming the Spectacle of Defiance and Hope in response to service cuts and austerity, which organised marches and workshops with a central focus on political education; her work on abortion rights and the Repeal referendum, and her book Repealed; feminism, and differentiating Left feminism from the right and liberalism; and Palestine solidarity activism in light of Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza, and Camilla’s work with Academics for Palestine, which seeks to build the campaign for an academic boycott of Israel and help create awareness in the higher education sector. Camilla’s website is at camillafitzsimons.com. You’ll find a video of the Spectacle of Defiance and Hope in 2011 on Youtube, and it also continues to have an active Facebook group. Other material mentioned in the discussion is linked below: The Irish Debt Crisis Community Workshop (2015) Camilla’s research on safe access zones, which generated complaints to her university: Irish healthcare workers experiences of anti-abortion protesters and the case for safe access zones Research included in the Digital Repository of Ireland (DRI), including a chapter of Repealed.

1:03:32

S05:E56 Jan 31, 2024

Jim Monaghan: LWR, Workers' League, Official Sinn Féin, People's Democracy, & the H-Block Armagh Committee

In this episode we talk to Jim Monaghan. Jim first became politically active as a student in the late 1960s in Dublin. We discuss the increasing politicisation in Ireland at that time, and Jim’s political activity, initially with Labour and Students for Democratic Action, the League for A Workers’ Republic, and briefly the LWR-breakaway, the League for a Workers Vanguard. Jim then describes his move to Official Sinn Féin, the contrast of moving from a small left group to a larger party, and the direction of Republican politics at that time; his later involvement with the Movement for a Socialist Republic and People’s Democracy, after they merged; his involvement as Chair of the Dublin H-Block/Armagh Committee during the Hunger Strikes; and the contemporary political landscape, and the extent of the social and political change that has occurred since his early political involvement.

22:57

S05:E55 Dec 31, 2023

Politics & Cultural Influence

Throughout 2023 we have asked podcast guests if there are any cultural artefacts or events that they consider particularly influential on their politics. This episode brings together responses from historian Mary Muldowney, anarchist activist Gregor Kerr, Republican activist Des Dalton, author Michael Flavin, historian Brian Hanley, and Irish Anarchist Network activists Nestor and Saornil. Below, in the order they are mentioned, are our guest’s choices for politically influential books, films, music, events and media. (Where possible, we’ve linked to publicly accessible versions. Others are linked to further information.) Ermanno Olmi – The Tree of Wooden Clogs Frank Capra – It’s A Wonderful Life Robert Tressell – The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists Dunnes Stores Anti-Apartheid strike 1913 Lockout 100th Anniversary Plaque in Dun Laoghaire Ernie O’Malley - On Another Man’s Wound and The Singing Flame J. Bowyer Bell - The Secret Army Caught in A Free State George Orwell - Homage to Catalonia Geoffrey Robertson - Reluctant Judas: Life and Death of the Special Branch Informer Kenneth Lennon The Jam – The Gift The Style Council – Our Favourite Shop Eamonn McCann – War and an Irish Town V for Vendetta Margaret Killjoy Robert Evans & Jake Hanrahan – The Women’s War

1:13:12

S05:E54 Nov 30, 2023

David Costelloe: Military History and The Troubles

In this episode we’re joined by David Costelloe. Dave writes on history and politics on his website Never Felt Better, and in particular has written an extensive series of articles on Irish military history from the earliest records almost to the contemporary, Ireland’s Wars. We spoke to Dave previously in 2021, on episode 20 of the podcast, about his background and work on earlier military history, and he joins us again to discuss the period of the Troubles in particular and the comprehensive series of articles on the topic he has written since last speaking to us.

28:15

S05:E53 Oct 31, 2023

A New Series and Project Update

An introduction to our next series of episodes and discussion of the Irish Left Archive project and changes we’ve made in the past year. The discussion includes mention of trying to keep all aspects of the project open. As such, we’ve made the website and podcast statistics publicly accessible, as well as any source code used in the project. Website statistics: https://u.leftarchive.ie/share/6wv4MBNDrbJW52uY/Irish%20Left%20Archive Podcast statistics: https://op3.dev/show/8e88bb97-6c47-518a-8260-1cbedbd4b095 Source code repositories: https://git.aonghus.org/Irish-Left-Archive You can follow us on the Fediverse (Mastodon, Pixelfed, Peertube etc.) at @ila@leftarchive.ie.