23:02

S03:E39 Apr 4, 2022

Break Time - More to Come!

This episode is a quick round up of the current podcast series and future plans for the Irish Left Archive. Thanks to all of our guests so far, and to everyone who has listened, contributed material to our document collection, and got in touch with information and feedback.We appreciate all the contributions we receive - the accuracy of the information on our site about organisations, publications and the timeline of the Left is greatly improved by the knowledge and experience of people who have got in touch or been directly involved. Sometimes our knowledge of a group or document is limited, so if you can expand on the information we have, or have spotted an error, we’d be delighted to hear from you!As ever, if you yourself or someone you know has been involved in Left activism or organising in Ireland and can contribute documents to our collection or would be willing to talk to us as a guest on the podcast, please do send your suggestions.You can get in touch with us via the contact form, send us an email to contact@leftarchive.ie, or find us on Twitter (or Mastodon, if you’ve been converted to the open and decentralised web!). The Irish Left Archive Podcast looks at Left politics in Ireland, talking to activists, writers, historians, politicians and others involved in Left organisations and movements about their experiences of participating in Left parties and campaigns. The podcast is hosted by Ciarán Swan and Aonghus Storey. View this episode on our website: #39: Break Time - More to Come!.

1:42:06

S03:E38 Mar 21, 2022

Ruairí Ó Brádaigh: The Life and Politics of an Irish Revolutionary, with Charles Tuba

In this episode we’re joined by Charles Tuba to discuss the book Ruairí Ó Brádaigh: The Life and Politics of an Irish Revolutionary, by Robert White (Indiana University Press, 2006). The discussion looks at Ó Brádaigh’s strand of Republicanism, and in particular the policies of abstentionism and the Éire Nua policy outlining a federal Irish state. This is one of a series of episodes centred on particular books, to discuss key issues in the history of the Irish Left and Republicanism. We’ve spoken to Charles previously in episode 25 when we discussed Official Irish Republicanism, by Seán Swan, and also heard about Charles’ own political background and interest in Irish Republican history, including visiting Ireland and finding himself inadvertently on a Republican Sinn Féin march. The discussion mentions the Éire Nua policy which you’ll find in the archive: Éire Nua There are further editions, including from Republican Sinn Féin, listed under the Éire Nua subject heading. Listeners may also be interested in the Sinn Féin Ard Fheis ’86 Clár agus Rúin: Sinn Féin Ard Fheis ’86: Clár agus Rúin Update: The discussion looks at the issue of abstensionism at national level while participating in local government. Thanks to listener Gearóid Clár for noting that the position of Ó Brádaigh, outlined in White’s book, was that local government does not claim sovereignty over the area administered, whereas the Dáil does. Update 2: Since this episode was released, we moved to a new podcast platform to which existing comments couldn’t easily be migrated. We don’t wish to remove considered and critical responses to the podcast and have made the original feedback available on our website.

1:15:19

S03:E37 Mar 3, 2022

Mags O'Brien: Divorce Action Group, Gaza Freedom Flotilla, Women and Trade Unionism

In this episode we talk to Mags O’Brien about her political background; the divorce referendum campaigns of 1986 and 1995; her experience with the Freedom Flotilla to Gaza in 2011 - which was captured at sea and the crew held in an Israeli jail - and subsequent Palestine solidarity work with Gaza Action Ireland; her work as a tutor with the SIPTU College and combining her activism and trade unionism; and Left Lives in 20th Century Ireland Vol. 4 – Women, which was published last year and is edited by Mags.Mags is a trade union activist and tutor at SIPTU College. She has been involved in many campaigns, including as Chair of the Divorce Action Group during the 1995 divorce referendum. She is part of the ICTU Global Solidarity Committee and has served as Chair of Trade Union Friends of Palestine. She has formerly been in Labour as part of Labour Left, and briefly in Democratic Left.You’ll find the Left Lives series of books on the Umisken Press website. The Irish Left Archive Podcast looks at Left politics in Ireland, talking to activists, writers, historians, politicians and others involved in Left organisations and movements about their experiences of participating in Left parties and campaigns. The podcast is hosted by Ciarán Swan and Aonghus Storey. View this episode on our website: #37: Mags O'Brien: Divorce Action Group, Gaza Freedom Flotilla, Women and Trade Unionism.

1:05:02

S03:E36 Feb 17, 2022

Jason Brannigan: Organise!, Just Books, and Anarcho-Syndicalism

In this episode we talk to Jason Brannigan. Jason is an anarchist activist in Belfast and member of the anarcho-syndicalist group Organise!, as well as being involved in Just Books, which encompasses a library of radical material, meeting space and education project.We discuss Jason’s background in Belfast, his involvement with Just Books and Organise! and the development of both since the 1990s, political organising in workplaces and communities in the context of the North, and the current focus and prospects for anarchist organising in Ireland.The Organise! website is at organiseanarchistsireland.com, where you’ll find their publications, Black Star and The Leveller, as well as background on the organisation and Just Books project.Just Books provides an open-access library of anarchist and Left publications. If you have books or materials to donate, get in touch with Just Books via the Organise! website. The Irish Left Archive Podcast looks at Left politics in Ireland, talking to activists, writers, historians, politicians and others involved in Left organisations and movements about their experiences of participating in Left parties and campaigns. The podcast is hosted by Ciarán Swan and Aonghus Storey. View this episode on our website: #36: Jason Brannigan: Organise!, Just Books, and Anarcho-Syndicalism.

1:33:01

S03:E35 Jan 30, 2022

Bloody Sunday: Reactions in the Republic of Ireland, with Brian Hanley

In this episode, to mark the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, we’re joined by historian Dr. Brian Hanley to discuss the reaction in the Republic of Ireland to the events in Derry on 30th January 1972, when British soldiers opened fire on civil rights marchers, killing 14 and injuring several others. The reaction in the South saw walkouts and strikes, a national day of mourning, the burning of the British embassy in Dublin, and mass protests around the country.Brian Hanley is the author of The impact of the Troubles on the Republic of Ireland, 1968–79: Boiling Volcano? (Manchester University Press, 2018) which details the effect of the Northern conflict on the South, responses to Bloody Sunday and other events, mobilisations of support, the experiences of refugees, and the debates in the public discourse throughout that period.We recommend the excellent Museum of Free Derry for anyone who wants to explore the history of the events of Bloody Sunday. The museum is run by the Bloody Sunday Trust, which includes victims’ families, and civil society and political representatives in Derry.You can also hear Brian Hanley on these previous episodes of the podcast: #13: The Lost Revolution - The Story of the Official IRA and the Workers’ Party #19: Socialist Workers’ Movement, 1980s and 90s The Irish Left Archive Podcast looks at Left politics in Ireland, talking to activists, writers, historians, politicians and others involved in Left organisations and movements about their experiences of participating in Left parties and campaigns. The podcast is hosted by Ciarán Swan and Aonghus Storey. View this episode on our website: #35: Bloody Sunday: Reactions in the Republic of Ireland, with Brian Hanley.

1:19:21

S03:E34 Jan 17, 2022

Mark Fitzpatrick: Anarcho-punk, Hunt Sabotage, and Animal Rights

In this episode we talk to Mark Fitzpatrick. Mark is an animal rights and vegan activist originally from Cork and now based in New Zealand, where he is on the board of the Vegan Society of Aotearoa.We discuss Mark’s politicisation in the anarcho-punk scene in Cork in the late 1980s, his involvement in hunt sabotage in Ireland and the UK, his perspective on the animal rights movement and its relationship with the Left, and his newly launched website project to document the history of animal rights in Ireland, The Humanity Trigger.If you are or were involved in animal rights in Ireland and can contribute information to the history of that movement, you can contact Mark about the project by email at markhumanity@thehumanitytrigger.com.Listeners can also hear Mark discuss hunt sabotage and the police response in more detail on episode 17 of the Policed podcast, from February 2021.Artwork by Mark Fitzpatrick from TheHumanityTrigger.com The Irish Left Archive Podcast looks at Left politics in Ireland, talking to activists, writers, historians, politicians and others involved in Left organisations and movements about their experiences of participating in Left parties and campaigns. The podcast is hosted by Ciarán Swan and Aonghus Storey. View this episode on our website: #34: Mark Fitzpatrick: Anarcho-punk, Hunt Sabotage, and Animal Rights.

1:13:31

S03:E33 Dec 13, 2021

Tony Novosel: Northern Ireland's Lost Opportunity - The Frustrated Promise of Political Loyalism

Our guest in this episode is Tony Novosel. Tony is a historian at the University of Pittsburgh and the author of Northern Ireland’s Lost Opportunity: The Frustrated Promise of Political Loyalism (Pluto Press, 2013).Northern Ireland's Lost Opportunity: The Frustrated Promise of Political Loyalism (Pluto Press, 2013)We discuss Tony’s own background and how meeting Irish people in the US in the early 1970s led to developing a life-long interest in the politics of Northern Ireland, and how he came to study progressive unionism in particular, leading to the publication of his book Northern Ireland’s Lost Opportunity. We then discuss his research itself, tracing the development of a left analysis within the UVF and the Progressive Unionist Party through the 1970s and 80s, and the key figures and political documents in that process.A minor correction noted by Tony, is that Gusty Spence was in the Royal Ulster Rifles and not, as stated in the discussion, its successor the Royal Irish Rangers.The Sharing Responsibility document from the Progressive Unionist Party in 1985, discussed in this episode:Sharing ResponsibilityFurther information: An Alternative Ulster? Political Loyalism: 1973 to 1987 - a talk given by Tony for the Linenhall Library, which is mentioned in our discussion The text of Pete Shirlow’s speech at the Sinn Féin Ard Fheis in 2017 is available in PDF here The Irish Left Archive Podcast looks at Left politics in Ireland, talking to activists, writers, historians, politicians and others involved in Left organisations and movements about their experiences of participating in Left parties and campaigns. The podcast is hosted by Ciarán Swan and Aonghus Storey. View this episode on our website: #33: Tony Novosel: Northern Ireland's Lost Opportunity - The Frustrated Promise of Political Loyalism.

1:13:20

S03:E32 Nov 29, 2021

Jess Spear: RISE

Our guest in this episode is Jess Spear. Jess is an eco-socialist and socialist feminist activist based in Dublin. She is National Organiser of RISE, a revolutionary Marxist network of People Before Profit (PBP). She is the editor of the eco-socialist quarterly magazine, Rupture, and co-authored the pamphlet What is eco-socialism?. She was a research scientist at the US Geological Survey and Burke Museum of Natural History before moving to Dublin in 2017.We discuss how Jess came to political activism in the US, and particularly, as a climate scientist, to environmental activism; her experience campaigning with Socialist Alternative (then part of the Committee for a Workers’ International) in Seattle, and as an electoral candidate there in 2014; moving to Ireland, the foundation of RISE, and decision to join PBP; and the development and aims of Rupture as a broad eco-socialist magazine and means to explore contemporary Marxist and socialist ideas and strategies.Find out more: RISE Network - The RISE website Rupture - the website of Rupture Eco-Socialist Quarterly and the Rupture Radio Podcast What is Eco-Socialism?, by Jess Spear and John Molyneux The Irish Left Archive Podcast looks at Left politics in Ireland, talking to activists, writers, historians, politicians and others involved in Left organisations and movements about their experiences of participating in Left parties and campaigns. The podcast is hosted by Ciarán Swan and Aonghus Storey. View this episode on our website: #32: Jess Spear: RISE.

1:17:55

S03:E31 Nov 15, 2021

Aileen O'Carroll: Workers Solidarity Movement

In this episode, we talk to Aileen O’Carroll of the Workers Solidarity Movement (WSM). Aileen first became politically active via Student Union and pro-choice politics, and joined the anarchist WSM in the early 1990s and remains a member, having been involved in several prominent campaigns. She is a trade union activist, and chaired the Maynooth branch of IFUT for three years and remains on the branch committee.As a sociologist she has written a history of Dublin dockers, about working time in the software sector and she is a board member of the Four Day Week Campaign. She currently works for the Digital Repository of Ireland and is a project lead on a Wellcome Trust funded project which is archiving material from the Repeal campaign.We discuss Aileen’s politicisation and path to anarchism and the Workers Solidarity Movement; her involvement in campaigns including water charges, abortion and the Repeal referendum, Shell to Sea, Reclaim the Streets protests and her role as the Dublin Grassroots Network media spokesperson for the 2004 May Day protests, which resulted in the first use of water cannon in the south of Ireland. We also discuss the approach of the WSM to organising, how it has developed, how it works with the broader left in campaigns and Aileen’s own view of the role of activism. The Irish Left Archive Podcast looks at Left politics in Ireland, talking to activists, writers, historians, politicians and others involved in Left organisations and movements about their experiences of participating in Left parties and campaigns. The podcast is hosted by Ciarán Swan and Aonghus Storey. View this episode on our website: #31: Aileen O'Carroll: Workers Solidarity Movement.

1:12:49

S03:E30 Nov 1, 2021

Jack McGinley: Umiskin Press

In this episode we talk to Dr. Jack McGinley. Jack is the Principal of Umiskin Press - a not-for-profit publishing house focused particularly on labour and trade union history. He has been active in the Trade Union movement since joining the Workers’ Union of Ireland in the 1970s, which later formed part of SIPTU. Among other roles, he was on the National Executive Council of SIPTU for several years, and is active in the SIPTU Cuba Solidarity Campaign.We discuss Jack’s political background and involvement in trade unionism; his participation in the Divorce Action Group campaign and Cuba solidarity; and his work with Umiskin Press and how the publisher has developed.You can find out more about Umiskin Press on their website at umiskinpress.wordpress.com, including the recently published fourth volume of their Left Lives in Twentieth Century Ireland series, which is a collection of ten essays on leading women in Ireland, edited by Mags O’Brien. The Irish Left Archive Podcast looks at Left politics in Ireland, talking to activists, writers, historians, politicians and others involved in Left organisations and movements about their experiences of participating in Left parties and campaigns. The podcast is hosted by Ciarán Swan and Aonghus Storey. View this episode on our website: #30: Jack McGinley: Umiskin Press.

1:01:04

S03:E29 Oct 18, 2021

Adrienne Wallace: People Before Profit

In this episode we talk to Adrienne Wallace. Adrienne is an activist and local councillor for People Before Profit (PBP). She has been active with PBP since the early 2010s and is the party organiser for the South East. She was elected to Carlow County Council in 2019. She also stood as a Dáil candidate in the 2015 Carlow/Kilkenny by-election and subsequent general elections, and in the South constituency for the 2019 European Parliament election.We discuss how Adrienne came to political activism and joined People Before Profit; the campaign to repeal the eighth amendment and water charges campaign; her experience as a local councillor; and her views on activism and electoralism, and maintaining a radical anti-capitalist perspective. The Irish Left Archive Podcast looks at Left politics in Ireland, talking to activists, writers, historians, politicians and others involved in Left organisations and movements about their experiences of participating in Left parties and campaigns. The podcast is hosted by Ciarán Swan and Aonghus Storey. View this episode on our website: #29: Adrienne Wallace: People Before Profit.

1:25:57

S03:E28 Oct 4, 2021

Roger Cole: Peace and Neutrality Alliance

In this episode we talk to Roger Cole. Roger has been involved in politics in Ireland since joining Labour as a student in the late 1960s. He was involved in the Liaison Committee of the Labour Left, and subsequently became General Secretary of the Socialist Labour Party (SLP). After the SLP, he re-joined Labour and remained a member until leaving in recent years in response to their lack of support for neutrality when in government. He is currently a member of Sinn Féin.In 1996 Roger founded, with Carol Fox, the Peace and Neutrality Alliance (PANA), which describes itself as seeking to “advocate an Independent Irish Foreign Policy, defend Irish Neutrality and to promote a reformed United Nations as the Institution through which Ireland should pursue its security concerns”, and to which several political parties, unions and organisations are affiliated.We’ll discuss Roger’s political background, his experience of political parties, and his identification with the values of Republicanism; the issue of Irish neutrality, the PANA organisation, and EU and international militarism; his involvement in organising the huge march against the war in Iraq in Dublin in 2003; and his involvement in centenary commemorations in recent years and the effect of the centenary on people’s assessment of Republicanism and Ireland’s history.To find out more about the Peace and Neutrality Alliance, you can visit pana.ie.Please note this episode was recorded prior to the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. The Irish Left Archive Podcast looks at Left politics in Ireland, talking to activists, writers, historians, politicians and others involved in Left organisations and movements about their experiences of participating in Left parties and campaigns. The podcast is hosted by Ciarán Swan and Aonghus Storey. View this episode on our website: #28: Roger Cole: Peace and Neutrality Alliance.

12:45

S03:E27 Sep 28, 2021

New Episodes Coming!

A quick update on the podcast and forthcoming episodes. We’ll be back with new episodes every fortnight from next Monday, and we have several activists lined up from across the Irish Left to talk to us about their experience of organising and campaigning.Thanks to everyone who has listened so far, and thanks to all our guests who have taken the time to talk to us! The Irish Left Archive Podcast looks at Left politics in Ireland, talking to activists, writers, historians, politicians and others involved in Left organisations and movements about their experiences of participating in Left parties and campaigns. The podcast is hosted by Ciarán Swan and Aonghus Storey. View this episode on our website: #27: New Episodes Coming!.