The Sperrins Podcast

Ann-Louise Bresnahan of Save The Moat – Save The Sperrins joins me to talk about the proposed industrial-scale wind development on the Moat, part of the Mullaghs in the central Sperrins ,  an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty now facing major upland industrialisation. What begins as a conversation about turbines opens out into something much wider. We discuss peatlands and carbon capture, water, grid infrastructure, data centres and the rising energy demands of Big Tech. We look at extractivism in its modern form,  how rural landscapes are being redesignated as energy zones and what that means for biodiversity, cultural heritage, community health and democratic process. This episode asks difficult but necessary questions about the so-called green transition: who benefits, who carries the burden, and what kind of future is being shaped for the Sperrins. #dontmineus #SaveOurSperrins #notoxicmining  #EnvironmentPodcast #JusticePodcast #ActivismPodcast #IrishPodcast #HumanRights 📣 Share, review, and help amplify our story -Have a listen, and if you have time  hit the  follow button  5 stars and a review on the podcast app , and please share if you can. it really makes a difference to the algorithm    LINKS FOR THIS INTERVIEW  1. Mullaghclogher/ Save The Moat objection link Mullaghclogher Wind Factory – Save The Moat campaign. Background on the proposed Mullaghclogher wind factory in the central Sperrins, why local people are opposing it, and how to submit an objection or get involved. www.savethemoat.com 2. Petition – No New Data Centres in NI No New Data Centres in NI – petition I’ve signed this petition calling on the NI Executive to stop power-hungry data centres in Northern Ireland and put communities, climate and energy security first. https://my.actnowni.org/petitions/no-power-hungry-data-centres-in-northern-ireland?source=web_share_api&utm_source=web_share_api&share=e0c049e5-5164-467a-9cee-34755f58def9   3. Save The Moat – Facebook and Instagram pages Updates, events and resources from our community-led campaign to protect The Moat and the wider Sperrins from industrialisation. https://www.facebook.com/share/18Hw3CMqhb/?mibextid=wwXIfr Instagram -  https://www.instagram.com/save_the_moat?igsh=MWY5bjVyaWcxbm10cA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr     A podcast to link to; is my conversation with Gerry McGovern where he talks about the myth of the green transition in more detail . Episode No. 31    The Cost of the Green Transition   SAVE OUR SPERRINS ( Social Media)  https://linktr.ee/saveoursperrins     Save Our Sperrins YouTube Channel  https://www.youtube.com/@SaveOurSperrins   LINKS TO OTHER RESOURCES  http://caimnetwork.org/mining-in-ireland/ Mining in Ireland is a contentious issue, with 19% of the Republic of Ireland and 27% of Northern Ireland’s land area issued in prospecting licences. While mining companies claim to bring jobs and development, communities like those near Tara Mines and Gypsum Ltd have faced significant environmental and social impacts. Communities Against the Injustice of Mining (CAIM) is an all-island network resisting prospecting and extraction. https://yestolifenotomining.org/ The Yes to Life, No to Mining website is a global hub for communities resisting destructive mining projects. It shares stories from the frontlines, practical resources for local campaigns, and research that exposes the true costs of extraction. The network connects people around the world who are protecting their land, water, and ways of life, and promotes alternatives grounded in care for nature and community wellbeing. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/after-the-goldrush-by-gerry-mcgovern/id1681123169 Do Irish people know that Ireland has been selected as a Green sacrifice song for the so-called green technology, renewable energy transition from the beautiful wilds of Clare, Wicklow and Leitrim to the outstanding natural beauty of the Sperrin mountains of Tyrone. Rural Ireland is on Big Mining's chopping block. This podcast is about the power of community, about how communities of Ireland are organising to stop this disaster happening. For short term returns, the government wants to sell Ireland  to mining interests as silently and quietly as possible. Let's make some noises. We will try to unravel why the Irish government is doing this LINKS TO Greencastle People’s Office(GPO) Facebook Page - and the site of the GPO ( The GPO is a humble caravan which has become a hub for the campaign against the goldmine )     https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063579042613&sk=about   https://maps.app.goo.gl/Cz7FHdUoi5ByxECz7?g_st=ipc    

In this episode, we sit down with Dr.  Alessandra Accogli and Elena Aitova  post graduate researcher to talk about peatlands, carbon, and the role of evidence in the public inquiry process. Between them, they’ve contributed legal analysis and scientific work to submissions examining how peatlands are treated within planning decisions, and how those decisions line up with climate commitments. Elena brings her research on measuring greenhouse gas emissions from Irish raised bogs, and on what restoration and re-wetting actually change over time. Alessandra brings a legal perspective, looking at how policy, climate obligations, and planning processes intersect  and where the gaps can open up. 📣 Share, review, and help amplify our story -Have a listen, and if you have time  hit the  follow button  5 stars and a review on the podcast app , and please share if you can. it really makes a difference to the algorithm    Alessandra Accogli  is a postdoctoral researcher and lecturer at Dublin City University, School of Law and Government. She currently teaches Climate Change Politics and International Human Rights Law. Prior to joining DCU, she completed her PhD at University College Dublin, Sutherland School of Law, where her research focused on the legal protection of peatlands as ecosystems that function as carbon sinks. In addressing this issue, Alessandra adopted a holistic approach, examining peatlands not only as carbon stores but also as spaces of ecological, social, and cultural importance. Through her work, she seeks to promote an approach in which climate change mitigation measures go hand in hand with ecological integrity, social justice, and human rights considerations. Building on her research on peatlands, Alessandra contributed to the rebuttal submitted to the Save Our Sperrins Public Inquiry by co-authoring an expert report with Elena. The report highlighted the inconsistency between Dalradian’s claim of climate neutrality and the significant impact that its proposed mining activities would have on peatland ecosystems. Elena Aitova, PhD Researcher and Senior Scientist in Tetra Tech RPS Elena Aitova is a peatland scientist specialising in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from peatlands. During her PhD, she monitored CO₂ and CH₄ at Cloncrow Bog (a domestic peat-extraction site in Co. Westmeath) and All Saints Bog (an industrial cutaway in Co. Offaly). She now works at Tetra Tech RPS, supporting peatland restoration projects across Ireland. She published a national review of Irish peatland GHG studies that is now used at the Ireland’s National Inventory Report. For Save Our Sperrins, Elena contributed to the Curraghinalt/Dalradian submission by assessing potential carbon losses and restoration measures. In addition to her research, Elena is also actively engaged in local and regional outreach and education incentives related to peatland use. Elena and Alessandra are members of the interdisciplinary Irish Peatlands Early Career Research (ECR) Action Team, within the international PeatECR network (peatecr.com) SAVE OUR SPERRINS ( Social Media)  https://linktr.ee/saveoursperrins   https://www.youtube.com/@SaveOurSperrins   LINKS TO OTHER RESOURCES  http://caimnetwork.org/mining-in-ireland/ Mining in Ireland is a contentious issue, with 19% of the Republic of Ireland and 27% of Northern Ireland’s land area issued in prospecting licences. While mining companies claim to bring jobs and development, communities like those near Tara Mines and Gypsum Ltd have faced significant environmental and social impacts. Communities Against the Injustice of Mining (CAIM) is an all-island network resisting prospecting and extraction. https://yestolifenotomining.org/ The Yes to Life, No to Mining website is a global hub for communities resisting destructive mining projects. It shares stories from the frontlines, practical resources for local campaigns, and research that exposes the true costs of extraction. The network connects people around the world who are protecting their land, water, and ways of life, and promotes alternatives grounded in care for nature and community wellbeing. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/after-the-goldrush-by-gerry-mcgovern/id1681123169 Do Irish people know that Ireland has been selected as a Green sacrifice song for the so-called green technology, renewable energy transition from the beautiful wilds of Clare, Wicklow and Leitrim to the outstanding natural beauty of the Sperrin mountains of Tyrone. Rural Ireland is on Big Mining's chopping block. This podcast is about the power of community, about how communities of Ireland are organising to stop this disaster happening. For short term returns, the government wants to sell Ireland  to mining interests as silently and quietly as possible. Let's make some noises. We will try to unravel why the Irish government is doing this   LINKS TO Greencastle People’s Office(GPO) Facebook Page - and the site of the GPO ( The GPO is a humble caravan which has become a hub for the campaign against the goldmine )     https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063579042613&sk=about   https://maps.app.goo.gl/Cz7FHdUoi5ByxECz7?g_st=ipc    

In this episode, I speak with Pat  and Nuala Gheoghegan, who share the story of their lives, their farm, and their community. They talk about what it meant to live just five miles from the Aughinish Alumina Refinery, and how its presence shaped everyday life over many years. The conversation moves through memory, place, and experience, and was recorded in more than one setting, with others present at moments. Those sounds and interruptions remain part of the episode. It is longer than usual, and I chose to let it run as one piece, allowing the story to unfold in its own time. What Pat and Nuala share is carried with great care and honesty. The effects they speak of are still present in their lives today, and this episode holds that with respect. #dontmineus #SaveOurSperrins #notoxicmining  #EnvironmentPodcast #JusticePodcast #ActivismPodcast #IrishPodcast #HumanRights   📣 Share, review, and help amplify our story -Have a listen, and if you have time  hit the  follow button  5 stars and a review on the podcast app , and please share if you can. it really makes a difference to the algorithm    LINKS FOR THIS INTERVIEW  https://youtu.be/DxTt3G5G7y0?si=R7dR1JohSyEAyjUf  Links to The Aughinish Incident is a hard-hitting investigative documentary uncovering the hidden risks, missing oversight, and decades of unanswered questions surrounding Aughinish Island. https://buttonsoptions4u.podbean.com/e/dr-steven-h-emerman-%e2%80%93-the-science-of-failure-truth-risk-and-responsibility/ If you are interested in this conversation you might like to learn more about  tailings dumps by listening  to episode 23, a conversation with Dr Steven H. Emerman, The Science of Failure: Truth, Risk, and Responsibility. In that episode, Steven speaks in detail about mine tailings dams and slag heaps, and about the long-term risks they carry for people and places.   SAVE OUR SPERRINS ( Social Media)  https://linktr.ee/saveoursperrins   https://www.youtube.com/@SaveOurSperrins   LINKS TO OTHER RESOURCES  http://caimnetwork.org/mining-in-ireland/ Mining in Ireland is a contentious issue, with 19% of the Republic of Ireland and 27% of Northern Ireland’s land area issued in prospecting licences. While mining companies claim to bring jobs and development, communities like those near Tara Mines and Gypsum Ltd have faced significant environmental and social impacts. Communities Against the Injustice of Mining (CAIM) is an all-island network resisting prospecting and extraction. https://yestolifenotomining.org/ The Yes to Life, No to Mining website is a global hub for communities resisting destructive mining projects. It shares stories from the frontlines, practical resources for local campaigns, and research that exposes the true costs of extraction. The network connects people around the world who are protecting their land, water, and ways of life, and promotes alternatives grounded in care for nature and community wellbeing. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/after-the-goldrush-by-gerry-mcgovern/id1681123169 Do Irish people know that Ireland has been selected as a Green sacrifice song for the so-called green technology, renewable energy transition from the beautiful wilds of Clare, Wicklow and Leitrim to the outstanding natural beauty of the Sperrin mountains of Tyrone. Rural Ireland is on Big Mining's chopping block. This podcast is about the power of community, about how communities of Ireland are organising to stop this disaster happening. For short term returns, the government wants to sell Ireland  to mining interests as silently and quietly as possible. Let's make some noises. We will try to unravel why the Irish government is doing this   LINKS TO Greencastle People’s Office(GPO) Facebook Page - and the site of the GPO ( The GPO is a humble caravan which has become a hub for the campaign against the goldmine )     https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063579042613&sk=about   https://maps.app.goo.gl/Cz7FHdUoi5ByxECz7?g_st=ipc  

This episode sits at the start of a series of conversations about water in the Sperrins  where it comes from, how it moves, and what happens when it’s put at risk. Cahal’s family has lived for generations in and around Greencastle. He farms part-time, runs a plumbing business, and knows the land . He speaks about water, ground, and responsibility in the way people do when they’ve spent their lives paying attention. What you hear here comes out of day-to-day reality, from a place carrying a lot of unanswered questions, and from someone thinking carefully about what’s being handed on. #dontmineus #SaveOurSperrins #notoxicmining  #EnvironmentPodcast #JusticePodcast #ActivismPodcast #IrishPodcast #HumanRights   📣 Share, review, and help amplify our story Have a listen, and if you have time  hit the  follow button  5 stars and a review on the podcast app , and please share if you can. it really makes a difference to the algorithm    LINKS FOR THIS INTERVIEW  website https://www.dontmineus.com    SAVE OUR SPERRINS ( Social Media)  https://linktr.ee/saveoursperrins   https://www.youtube.com/@SaveOurSperrins   LINKS TO OTHER RESOURCES  http://caimnetwork.org/mining-in-ireland/ Mining in Ireland is a contentious issue, with 19% of the Republic of Ireland and 27% of Northern Ireland’s land area issued in prospecting licences. While mining companies claim to bring jobs and development, communities like those near Tara Mines and Gypsum Ltd have faced significant environmental and social impacts. Communities Against the Injustice of Mining (CAIM) is an all-island network resisting prospecting and extraction. https://yestolifenotomining.org/ The Yes to Life, No to Mining website is a global hub for communities resisting destructive mining projects. It shares stories from the frontlines, practical resources for local campaigns, and research that exposes the true costs of extraction. The network connects people around the world who are protecting their land, water, and ways of life, and promotes alternatives grounded in care for nature and community wellbeing. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/after-the-goldrush-by-gerry-mcgovern/id1681123169 Do Irish people know that Ireland has been selected as a Green sacrifice song for the so-called green technology, renewable energy transition from the beautiful wilds of Clare, Wicklow and Leitrim to the outstanding natural beauty of the Sperrin mountains of Tyrone. Rural Ireland is on Big Mining's chopping block. This podcast is about the power of community, about how communities of Ireland are organising to stop this disaster happening. For short term returns, the government wants to sell Ireland  to mining interests as silently and quietly as possible. Let's make some noises. We will try to unravel why the Irish government is doing this   LINKS TO Greencastle People’s Office(GPO) Facebook Page - and the site of the GPO ( The GPO is a humble caravan which has become a hub for the campaign against the goldmine )     https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063579042613&sk=about   https://maps.app.goo.gl/Cz7FHdUoi5ByxECz7?g_st=ipc  

In this episode, I’m joined again by Gerry McGovern to talk about his new book, 99th Day. We stay with what the book is really about,  the mining being driven by the energy transition, the waste that follows modern technology, and the communities who end up living with the consequences long before any promises are made, and long after the attention moves on. It’s not an easy conversation, and it doesn’t try to be. We talk about scale, about damage, and about the uncomfortable feeling that comes from understanding how we in the Global North are causing pain and suffering to those in the Global South .  For anyone living in a place under pressure or trying to make sense of what progress is imposing on  ordinary communities  this one will stay with you. #dontmineus #SaveOurSperrins #notoxicmining  #EnvironmentPodcast #JusticePodcast #ActivismPodcast #IrishPodcast #HumanRights #LivingUnderExtraction #TheCostOfTransition #MiningAndCommunities #WhatProgressLeavesBehind 📣 Share, review, and help amplify our story -Have a listen, and if you have time  hit the  follow button  5 stars and a review on the podcast app , and please share if you can. it really makes a difference to the algorithm  LINKS FOR THIS INTERVIEW  https://gerrymcgovern.com/books/99th-day/ Gerry's tour dates  in Ireland February 2026 •Monday 2nd Launch in Feakle, Clare 12noon to 5pm •Tuesday 3rd Galway City, Tonn an Clé •Wednesday 4th Cork, tbd •Thursday 5th Louisburgh, Mayo BooksatOne •Friday 6th Sligo, tbd •Saturday 7th Navan, Meath, CAIM social •Sunday 8th Baile Ghib, Meath??? 3pm to 5pm •Monday 9th Dublin, tbd •Tuesday 10th Belfast, Antrim, Queen's University •Wednesday 11th Tyrone, book signing event, An Creagán  •Thursday 12th Inis Eoghain, Inishowen DP - Change makers, tbd •Friday 13th, Leitrim, tbd •Saturday 14th, Cloughjordan, Tipperary, Ecovillage •Sunday 15th, Wicklow  tbd   SAVE OUR SPERRINS ( Social Media)  https://linktr.ee/saveoursperrins   https://www.youtube.com/@SaveOurSperrins   LINKS TO OTHER RESOURCES  http://caimnetwork.org/mining-in-ireland/ Mining in Ireland is a contentious issue, with 19% of the Republic of Ireland and 27% of Northern Ireland’s land area issued in prospecting licences. While mining companies claim to bring jobs and development, communities like those near Tara Mines and Gypsum Ltd have faced significant environmental and social impacts. Communities Against the Injustice of Mining (CAIM) is an all-island network resisting prospecting and extraction. https://yestolifenotomining.org/ The Yes to Life, No to Mining website is a global hub for communities resisting destructive mining projects. It shares stories from the frontlines, practical resources for local campaigns, and research that exposes the true costs of extraction. The network connects people around the world who are protecting their land, water, and ways of life, and promotes alternatives grounded in care for nature and community wellbeing. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/after-the-goldrush-by-gerry-mcgovern/id1681123169 Do Irish people know that Ireland has been selected as a Green sacrifice song for the so-called green technology, renewable energy transition from the beautiful wilds of Clare, Wicklow and Leitrim to the outstanding natural beauty of the Sperrin mountains of Tyrone. Rural Ireland is on Big Mining's chopping block. This podcast is about the power of community, about how communities of Ireland are organising to stop this disaster happening. For short term returns, the government wants to sell Ireland  to mining interests as silently and quietly as possible. Let's make some noises. We will try to unravel why the Irish government is doing this   LINKS TO Greencastle People’s Office(GPO) Facebook Page - and the site of the GPO ( The GPO is a humble caravan which has become a hub for the campaign against the goldmine )     https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063579042613&sk=about   https://maps.app.goo.gl/Cz7FHdUoi5ByxECz7?g_st=ipc    

End of Year Round-Up: 2025 | Save Our Sperrins In this special end-of-year episode, Save Our Sperrins looks back over a pivotal year in the campaign to protect the Sperrin Mountains from gold mining. From the suspension of the Public Inquiry in January, through moments of international solidarity, creative resistance and legal challenge, to the relinquishing of mineral prospecting licences in October, this episode traces the key events of 2025 month by month. We also reflect on the launch of the Save Our Sperrins podcast itself — why we started it, what we’ve learned about the importance of telling our own story, and how it has become both a source of ongoing updates and a living archive for communities facing extractive pressure. The episode closes by looking ahead to Season Two, and sharing why the podcast will pause during January to prepare for the next phase of conversations and solidarity.    #dontmineus #SaveOurSperrins #notoxicmining  #EnvironmentPodcast #JusticePodcast #ActivismPodcast #IrishPodcast #HumanRights   📣 Share, review, and help amplify our story -Have a listen, and if you have time  hit the  follow button  5 stars and a review on the podcast app , and please share if you can. it really makes a difference to the algorithm  SAVE OUR SPERRINS ( Social Media)  https://linktr.ee/saveoursperrins   https://www.youtube.com/@SaveOurSperrins   LINKS TO OTHER RESOURCES  http://caimnetwork.org/mining-in-ireland/ Mining in Ireland is a contentious issue, with 19% of the Republic of Ireland and 27% of Northern Ireland’s land area issued in prospecting licences. While mining companies claim to bring jobs and development, communities like those near Tara Mines and Gypsum Ltd have faced significant environmental and social impacts. Communities Against the Injustice of Mining (CAIM) is an all-island network resisting prospecting and extraction. https://yestolifenotomining.org/ The Yes to Life, No to Mining website is a global hub for communities resisting destructive mining projects. It shares stories from the frontlines, practical resources for local campaigns, and research that exposes the true costs of extraction. The network connects people around the world who are protecting their land, water, and ways of life, and promotes alternatives grounded in care for nature and community wellbeing. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/after-the-goldrush-by-gerry-mcgovern/id1681123169 Do Irish people know that Ireland has been selected as a Green sacrifice song for the so-called green technology, renewable energy transition from the beautiful wilds of Clare, Wicklow and Leitrim to the outstanding natural beauty of the Sperrin mountains of Tyrone. Rural Ireland is on Big Mining's chopping block. This podcast is about the power of community, about how communities of Ireland are organising to stop this disaster happening. For short term returns, the government wants to sell Ireland  to mining interests as silently and quietly as possible. Let's make some noises. We will try to unravel why the Irish government is doing this   LINKS TO Greencastle People’s Office(GPO) Facebook Page - and the site of the GPO ( The GPO is a humble caravan which has become a hub for the campaign against the goldmine )     https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063579042613&sk=about   https://maps.app.goo.gl/Cz7FHdUoi5ByxECz7?g_st=ipc

In this episode of the Save Our Sperrins Podcast, I’m joined again by writer and activist Lynda Sullivan, fresh from COP30 in Brazil. Lynda spent just one day inside the official Blue Zone, focusing instead on the People’s Summit and the global gatherings organised by Yes to Life, No to Mining, alongside thematic forums examining the mining and extractive economy. She reflects on the stark contrast between these spaces — one dominated by lobbying and polished messaging, the other grounded in lived experience, solidarity and shared concern. We talk about what she witnessed, the limits of the COP process, and the growing understanding among frontline communities that responsibility cannot be endlessly deferred. When governments fail to act with urgency, communities are left to stand up and act where they live.   #dontmineus #SaveOurSperrins #notoxicmining  #EnvironmentPodcast #JusticePodcast #Cop30 #Belem  #ThePeoplesSummit  #IrishPodcast #HumanRights   📣 Share, review, and help amplify our story -Have a listen, and if you have time  hit the  follow button  5 stars and a review on the podcast app , and please share if you can. it really makes a difference to the algorithm    LINKS FOR THIS INTERVIEW with Lynda Sullivan https://cupuladospovoscop30.org/en/final-declaration/ Lynda's writing  from the  An Taisce blog   from Belem - https://www.antaisce.org/blog/an-taisce-at-cop30-first-impressions https://www.antaisce.org/blog/reporting-from-the-peoples-summitcupla-dos-povos-at-cop30 The People's Summit Website -https://cupuladospovoscop30.org/en/   SAVE OUR SPERRINS ( Social Media)  https://linktr.ee/saveoursperrins   https://www.youtube.com/@SaveOurSperrins   LINKS TO OTHER RESOURCES  http://caimnetwork.org/mining-in-ireland/ Mining in Ireland is a contentious issue, with 19% of the Republic of Ireland and 27% of Northern Ireland’s land area issued in prospecting licences. While mining companies claim to bring jobs and development, communities like those near Tara Mines and Gypsum Ltd have faced significant environmental and social impacts. Communities Against the Injustice of Mining (CAIM) is an all-island network resisting prospecting and extraction. https://yestolifenotomining.org/ The Yes to Life, No to Mining website is a global hub for communities resisting destructive mining projects. It shares stories from the frontlines, practical resources for local campaigns, and research that exposes the true costs of extraction. The network connects people around the world who are protecting their land, water, and ways of life, and promotes alternatives grounded in care for nature and community wellbeing. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/after-the-goldrush-by-gerry-mcgovern/id1681123169 Do Irish people know that Ireland has been selected as a Green sacrifice song for the so-called green technology, renewable energy transition from the beautiful wilds of Clare, Wicklow and Leitrim to the outstanding natural beauty of the Sperrin mountains of Tyrone. Rural Ireland is on Big Mining's chopping block. This podcast is about the power of community, about how communities of Ireland are organising to stop this disaster happening. For short term returns, the government wants to sell Ireland  to mining interests as silently and quietly as possible. Let's make some noises. We will try to unravel why the Irish government is doing this   LINKS TO Greencastle People’s Office(GPO) Facebook Page - and the site of the GPO ( The GPO is a humble caravan which has become a hub for the campaign against the goldmine )     https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063579042613&sk=about   https://maps.app.goo.gl/Cz7FHdUoi5ByxECz7?g_st=ipc  

This week’s podcast features Kelan Grant, a successful professional mountain biker — and a childhood friend of my own children, with family ties that stretch back over forty-five years. Kelan has been on bikes almost since he could walk. He grew up in Knockmoyle, at the edge of the Sperrins, and now lives and races professionally  out of Morzine in the French Alps. I’ve watched his phenomenal progress over the years, from those first tentative wobbles to the accomplished rider he is today. He has competed on some of Europe’s toughest enduro trails, and, in his own words, “the freedom, resilience and discipline the Sperrin uplands gave me as a young person is what sustains me today in my professional career.” Kelan’s story is one of courage, connection, and deep respect for the land that raised him.  He speaks candidly about the serious back injury he suffered earlier this year, and how it made him see the importance of that connection in a new light. His voice is a powerful reminder of why wild, open spaces matter — for health, for hope, and for the spirit of the next generation. 📣 Share, review, and help amplify our story #dontmineus #SaveOurSperrins #notoxicmining  #EnvironmentPodcast #JusticePodcast #ActivismPodcast #IrishPodcast #HumanRights LINKS FOR THIS INTERVIEW  https://www.facebook.com/KelanGrantRacing https://www.instagram.com/kelangrant/   SAVE OUR SPERRINS ( Social Media)  https://linktr.ee/saveoursperrins   LINKS TO OTHER RESOURCES  http://caimnetwork.org/mining-in-ireland/ Mining in Ireland is a contentious issue, with 19% of the Republic of Ireland and 27% of Northern Ireland’s land area issued in prospecting licences. While mining companies claim to bring jobs and development, communities like those near Tara Mines and Gypsum Ltd have faced significant environmental and social impacts. Communities Against the Injustice of Mining (CAIM) is an all-island network resisting prospecting and extraction. https://yestolifenotomining.org/ The Yes to Life, No to Mining website is a global hub for communities resisting destructive mining projects. It shares stories from the frontlines, practical resources for local campaigns, and research that exposes the true costs of extraction. The network connects people around the world who are protecting their land, water, and ways of life, and promotes alternatives grounded in care for nature and community wellbeing. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/after-the-goldrush-by-gerry-mcgovern/id1681123169 Do Irish people know that Ireland has been selected as a Green sacrifice song for the so-called green technology, renewable energy transition from the beautiful wilds of Clare, Wicklow and Leitrim to the outstanding natural beauty of the Sperrin mountains of Tyrone. Rural Ireland is on Big Mining's chopping block. This podcast is about the power of community, about how communities of Ireland are organising to stop this disaster happening. For short term returns, the government wants to sell Ireland  to mining interests as silently and quietly as possible. Let's make some noises. We will try to unravel why the Irish government is doing this   LINKS TO Greencastle People’s Office(GPO) Facebook Page - and the site of the GPO ( The GPO is a humble caravan which has become a hub for the campaign against the goldmine )     https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063579042613&sk=about   https://maps.app.goo.gl/Cz7FHdUoi5ByxECz7?g_st=ipc    

Chris O’Connell, Trócaire In this episode of Protecting the Sperrins – Voices from the Frontline, Marella Fyffe speaks with Chris O’Connell, Senior Policy Advisor at Trócaire, about the growing global movement for a UN Treaty on Business and Human Rights. From decades of work across the Global South, Chris brings a deep understanding of how deregulation benefits corporate power, how trade agreements can quietly undermine democracy and the environment, and why binding rules for business are urgently needed. Their conversation moves from the global to the local — from Geneva to the Sperrins — exploring how these issues touch the lives of communities here at home who are already facing the consequences of corporate freedom without accountability. Chris also reflects on the rising tide of social movements and ‘change elections’ taking place across the world, offering insight — and hope — for those standing up to power in their own backyards. A wide-ranging, grounded, and deeply relevant conversation about justice, responsibility, and the kind of future we choose to create.  📣 Share, review, and help amplify our story #dontmineus #SaveOurSperrins #notoxicmining #BusinessAndHumanRights #UNTreatyOnBusinessAndHumanRights #EnvironmentPodcast #JusticePodcast#ActivismPodcast#IrishPodcast#HumanRights LINKS FOR THIS INTERVIEW  Trócaire Ireland  https://www.trocaire.org/news/why-we-need-a-business-human-rights-treaty/https://yestolifenotomining.org/   SAVE OUR SPERRINS ( Social Media)  https://linktr.ee/saveoursperrins   LINKS TO OTHER RESOURCES  http://caimnetwork.org/mining-in-ireland/ Mining in Ireland is a contentious issue, with 19% of the Republic of Ireland and 27% of Northern Ireland’s land area issued in prospecting licences. While mining companies claim to bring jobs and development, communities like those near Tara Mines and Gypsum Ltd have faced significant environmental and social impacts. Communities Against the Injustice of Mining (CAIM) is an all-island network resisting prospecting and extraction. https://yestolifenotomining.org/ The Yes to Life, No to Mining website is a global hub for communities resisting destructive mining projects. It shares stories from the frontlines, practical resources for local campaigns, and research that exposes the true costs of extraction. The network connects people around the world who are protecting their land, water, and ways of life, and promotes alternatives grounded in care for nature and community wellbeing. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/after-the-goldrush-by-gerry-mcgovern/id1681123169 Do Irish people know that Ireland has been selected as a Green sacrifice song for the so-called green technology, renewable energy transition from the beautiful wilds of Clare, Wicklow and Leitrim to the outstanding natural beauty of the Sperrin mountains of Tyrone. Rural Ireland is on Big Mining's chopping block. This podcast is about the power of community, about how communities of Ireland are organising to stop this disaster happening. For short term returns, the government wants to sell Ireland  to mining interests as silently and quietly as possible. Let's make some noises. We will try to unravel why the Irish government is doing this   LINKS TO Greencastle People’s Office(GPO) Facebook Page - and the site of the GPO ( The GPO is a humble caravan which has become a hub for the campaign against the goldmine )     https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063579042613&sk=about   https://maps.app.goo.gl/Cz7FHdUoi5ByxECz7?g_st=ipc  

In this week’s episode, I sit down with Julie from Dart Mountain Cheese, an artisan cheesemaking company rooted deep in the foothills of the Sperrins. What begins as a story about cheese quickly becomes something much bigger: a conversation about place, sustainability, and how to build a meaningful livelihood in a rural landscape often written off as economically limited. Julie  shares how Dart Mountain Cheese began, why the Sperrins were the only place that felt right, and how clean air, clean water and healthy soil are at the heart of everything they produce. We talk about the realities of small-scale food production, the challenges and rewards of adding value locally, and how collaboration with other local producers—from goat farmers to craft food makers—can create a thriving network and even a genuine food trail in the region. We also explore a counter-story to the dominant narrative of extraction: what a regenerative, long-term rural economy can look like when it grows from skill, craft, community and the land itself. This is a gentle, grounded and surprisingly expansive conversation about food, landscape and the future of rural life in the Sperrins. #SaveOurSperrins #DartMountainCheese #LocalFoodEconomy #SustainableSperrins #RuralResilience 📣 Share, review, and help amplify our story LINKS FOR THIS INTERVIEW   www.dartmountaincheese.com https://www.facebook.com/dartmountaincheese https://www.instagram.com/dartmountaincheese julie@dartmountaincheese.com   SAVE OUR SPERRINS ( Social Media)  https://linktr.ee/saveoursperrins https://www.youtube.com/@SaveOurSperrins   LINKS TO OTHER RESOURCES  http://caimnetwork.org/mining-in-ireland/ Mining in Ireland is a contentious issue, with 19% of the Republic of Ireland and 27% of Northern Ireland’s land area issued in prospecting licences. While mining companies claim to bring jobs and development, communities like those near Tara Mines and Gypsum Ltd have faced significant environmental and social impacts. Communities Against the Injustice of Mining (CAIM) is an all-island network resisting prospecting and extraction. https://yestolifenotomining.org/ The Yes to Life, No to Mining website is a global hub for communities resisting destructive mining projects. It shares stories from the frontlines, practical resources for local campaigns, and research that exposes the true costs of extraction. The network connects people around the world who are protecting their land, water, and ways of life, and promotes alternatives grounded in care for nature and community wellbeing. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/after-the-goldrush-by-gerry-mcgovern/id1681123169 Do Irish people know that Ireland has been selected as a Green sacrifice song for the so-called green technology, renewable energy transition from the beautiful wilds of Clare, Wicklow and Leitrim to the outstanding natural beauty of the Sperrin mountains of Tyrone. Rural Ireland is on Big Mining's chopping block. This podcast is about the power of community, about how communities of Ireland are organising to stop this disaster happening. For short term returns, the government wants to sell Ireland  to mining interests as silently and quietly as possible. Let's make some noises. We will try to unravel why the Irish government is doing this   LINKS TO Greencastle People’s Office(GPO) Facebook Page - and the site of the GPO ( The GPO is a humble caravan which has become a hub for the campaign against the goldmine )     https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063579042613&sk=about   https://maps.app.goo.gl/Cz7FHdUoi5ByxECz7?g_st=ipc      

In this episode, Marella speaks with Dr Steven H. Emerman, hydrologist, geophysicist, and one of the world’s leading independent experts on mine tailings storage facilities. Dr Emerman brings decades of research and international experience to a conversation that cuts through technical jargon and gets to the heart of what’s at stake in the Dalradian Gold planning application for the Sperrins. He explains that the standard industry position is that all tailings dams will eventually fail and that every one requires maintenance in perpetuity — creating a permanent burden for future generations. Even more alarming, tailings dams are never insured; they are considered uninsurable risks. Yet within the Dalradian application there is no analysis of the consequences of failure — no clear modelling to show what would happen if the incorrectly termed  “Dry Stack Facility” were to give way. Dr Emerman outlines what such an event would mean for the people of Greencastle, for everyone living, farming, or fishing along the Pollanroe Burn, Owenreagh, Owenkillew, and Foyle river corridors, and for the Donegal seafood industry downstream. 📣 Share, review, and help amplify our story #dontmineus #SaveOurSperrins #notoxicmining  #EnvironmentPodcast #JusticePodcast #ActivismPodcast #IrishPodcast #HumanRights LINKS FOR THIS INTERVIEW    SAVE OUR SPERRINS ( Social Media)  https://linktr.ee/saveoursperrins https://www.youtube.com/@SaveOurSperrins   LINKS TO OTHER RESOURCES  http://caimnetwork.org/mining-in-ireland/ Mining in Ireland is a contentious issue, with 19% of the Republic of Ireland and 27% of Northern Ireland’s land area issued in prospecting licences. While mining companies claim to bring jobs and development, communities like those near Tara Mines and Gypsum Ltd have faced significant environmental and social impacts. Communities Against the Injustice of Mining (CAIM) is an all-island network resisting prospecting and extraction. https://yestolifenotomining.org/ The Yes to Life, No to Mining website is a global hub for communities resisting destructive mining projects. It shares stories from the frontlines, practical resources for local campaigns, and research that exposes the true costs of extraction. The network connects people around the world who are protecting their land, water, and ways of life, and promotes alternatives grounded in care for nature and community wellbeing. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/after-the-goldrush-by-gerry-mcgovern/id1681123169 Do Irish people know that Ireland has been selected as a Green sacrifice song for the so-called green technology, renewable energy transition from the beautiful wilds of Clare, Wicklow and Leitrim to the outstanding natural beauty of the Sperrin mountains of Tyrone. Rural Ireland is on Big Mining's chopping block. This podcast is about the power of community, about how communities of Ireland are organising to stop this disaster happening. For short term returns, the government wants to sell Ireland  to mining interests as silently and quietly as possible. Let's make some noises. We will try to unravel why the Irish government is doing this   LINKS TO Greencastle People’s Office(GPO) Facebook Page - and the site of the GPO ( The GPO is a humble caravan which has become a hub for the campaign against the goldmine )     https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063579042613&sk=about   https://maps.app.goo.gl/Cz7FHdUoi5ByxECz7?g_st=ipc    

Lynda Sullivan has spent years working with communities affected by mining, from the Andes to the Sperrins. She speaks about how Ireland became a “green sacrifice zone”, the myth of mining as a climate solution, and what happens when governments trade nature for profit. Her work with CAIM and the Yes to Life, No to Mining network connects local struggles into a wider movement for protection and change. 📣 Share, review, and help amplify our story #dontmineus #SaveOurSperrins #notoxicmining  #EnvironmentPodcast #JusticePodcast #ActivismPodcast #IrishPodcast #HumanRights LINKS FOR THIS INTERVIEW  http://caimnetwork.org/mining-in-ireland/ https://yestolifenotomining.org/ https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-abcs-of-green-politics/id1535697681?i=1000494627519   SAVE OUR SPERRINS ( Social Media)  https://linktr.ee/saveoursperrins   LINKS TO OTHER RESOURCES  http://caimnetwork.org/mining-in-ireland/ Mining in Ireland is a contentious issue, with 19% of the Republic of Ireland and 27% of Northern Ireland’s land area issued in prospecting licences. While mining companies claim to bring jobs and development, communities like those near Tara Mines and Gypsum Ltd have faced significant environmental and social impacts. Communities Against the Injustice of Mining (CAIM) is an all-island network resisting prospecting and extraction. https://yestolifenotomining.org/ The Yes to Life, No to Mining website is a global hub for communities resisting destructive mining projects. It shares stories from the frontlines, practical resources for local campaigns, and research that exposes the true costs of extraction. The network connects people around the world who are protecting their land, water, and ways of life, and promotes alternatives grounded in care for nature and community wellbeing. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/after-the-goldrush-by-gerry-mcgovern/id1681123169 Do Irish people know that Ireland has been selected as a Green sacrifice song for the so-called green technology, renewable energy transition from the beautiful wilds of Clare, Wicklow and Leitrim to the outstanding natural beauty of the Sperrin mountains of Tyrone. Rural Ireland is on Big Mining's chopping block. This podcast is about the power of community, about how communities of Ireland are organising to stop this disaster happening. For short term returns, the government wants to sell Ireland  to mining interests as silently and quietly as possible. Let's make some noises. We will try to unravel why the Irish government is doing this   LINKS TO Greencastle People’s Office(GPO) Facebook Page - and the site of the GPO ( The GPO is a humble caravan which has become a hub for the campaign against the goldmine )     https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063579042613&sk=about   https://maps.app.goo.gl/Cz7FHdUoi5ByxECz7?g_st=ipc  

In this episode, we visit Butterlope Farm near Plumbridge, in the heart of the Sperrin Mountains, where Annie and Vincent Mullan have built a life rooted in care — for land, people, and community. Annie, with her background in environmental education, and Vincent, a lifelong farmer, have created a social farm that shows how upland farming can be both sustainable and deeply human. Their approach offers a living contrast to the industrialisation creeping across the Sperrins — mining, wind farms, and so-called “progress” that too often leave behind scarred land and divided communities. Through their stories, we explore what real progress might look like when measured not in profit, but in connection and continuity. We talk about ancient clochans still standing on their fields, the rhythm of the seasons, and the ethics that guide their work — equality, inclusion, and a belief that upland bog is more precious than gold. This is an episode about stewardship, resilience, and the quiet power of living in right relationship with the land — a reminder that true sustainability begins at home, in the hands of those who tend and protect it.   📣 Share, review, and help amplify our story #dontmineus #SaveOurSperrins #notoxicmining  #EnvironmentPodcast #JusticePodcast #ActivismPodcast #IrishPodcast #HumanRights LINKS FOR THIS INTERVIEW  https://www.butterlopefarm.co.uk/ https://www.facebook.com/ButterlopeFarm https://www.instagram.com/butterlopefarm/ https://www.soengage.eu/introduction-to-soengage/   SAVE OUR SPERRINS ( Social Media)  https://linktr.ee/saveoursperrins LINKS TO OTHER RESOURCES  http://caimnetwork.org/mining-in-ireland/ Mining in Ireland is a contentious issue, with 19% of the Republic of Ireland and 27% of Northern Ireland’s land area issued in prospecting licences. While mining companies claim to bring jobs and development, communities like those near Tara Mines and Gypsum Ltd have faced significant environmental and social impacts. Communities Against the Injustice of Mining (CAIM) is an all-island network resisting prospecting and extraction. https://yestolifenotomining.org/ The Yes to Life, No to Mining website is a global hub for communities resisting destructive mining projects. It shares stories from the frontlines, practical resources for local campaigns, and research that exposes the true costs of extraction. The network connects people around the world who are protecting their land, water, and ways of life, and promotes alternatives grounded in care for nature and community wellbeing. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/after-the-goldrush-by-gerry-mcgovern/id1681123169 Do Irish people know that Ireland has been selected as a Green sacrifice song for the so-called green technology, renewable energy transition from the beautiful wilds of Clare, Wicklow and Leitrim to the outstanding natural beauty of the Sperrin mountains of Tyrone. Rural Ireland is on Big Mining's chopping block. This podcast is about the power of community, about how communities of Ireland are organising to stop this disaster happening. For short term returns, the government wants to sell Ireland  to mining interests as silently and quietly as possible. Let's make some noises. We will try to unravel why the Irish government is doing this   LINKS TO Greencastle People’s Office(GPO) Facebook Page - and the site of the GPO ( The GPO is a humble caravan which has become a hub for the campaign against the goldmine )     https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063579042613&sk=about   https://maps.app.goo.gl/Cz7FHdUoi5ByxECz7?g_st=ipc  

In this episode, Marella speaks with Dr Lorna Gold, Executive Director of the Laudato Si’ Movement — a global network inspired by Pope Francis’s call to care for our common home. From her long experience in climate justice and faith-based environmental work, Lorna brings insight into how moral and spiritual leadership can shape our collective response to the ecological crisis. As she prepares to travel to COP 30 in Brazil in November 2025 , Lorna reflects on the tensions between the drive for critical minerals and the urgent need to protect communities and ecosystems. Together, we explore how faith, conscience, and compassion can guide us through these times of profound change — and how local struggles, like the one here in the Sperrin Mountains, connect to a global movement for justice and renewal. 📣 Share, review, and help amplify our story #dontmineus #SaveOurSperrins #notoxicmining  #EnvironmentPodcast #JusticePodcast #ActivismPodcast #IrishPodcast #HumanRights LINKS FOR DR.LORNA GOLD  INTERVIEW  Laudato Si website : https://laudatosimovement.org/ COP 30 website : https://cop30.br/en Lorna's books : Climate Generation Awakening Our Children's Future  The Emergence of and Economy of Communion    SAVE OUR SPERRINS ( Social Media)  https://linktr.ee/saveoursperrins   LINKS TO OTHER RESOURCES  http://caimnetwork.org/mining-in-ireland/ Mining in Ireland is a contentious issue, with 19% of the Republic of Ireland and 27% of Northern Ireland’s land area issued in prospecting licences. While mining companies claim to bring jobs and development, communities like those near Tara Mines and Gypsum Ltd have faced significant environmental and social impacts. Communities Against the Injustice of Mining (CAIM) is an all-island network resisting prospecting and extraction. https://yestolifenotomining.org/ The Yes to Life, No to Mining website is a global hub for communities resisting destructive mining projects. It shares stories from the frontlines, practical resources for local campaigns, and research that exposes the true costs of extraction. The network connects people around the world who are protecting their land, water, and ways of life, and promotes alternatives grounded in care for nature and community wellbeing. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/after-the-goldrush-by-gerry-mcgovern/id1681123169 Do Irish people know that Ireland has been selected as a Green sacrifice song for the so-called green technology, renewable energy transition from the beautiful wilds of Clare, Wicklow and Leitrim to the outstanding natural beauty of the Sperrin mountains of Tyrone. Rural Ireland is on Big Mining's chopping block. This podcast is about the power of community, about how communities of Ireland are organising to stop this disaster happening. For short term returns, the government wants to sell Ireland  to mining interests as silently and quietly as possible. Let's make some noises. We will try to unravel why the Irish government is doing this   LINKS TO Greencastle People’s Office(GPO) Facebook Page - and the site of the GPO ( The GPO is a humble caravan which has become a hub for the campaign against the goldmine )     https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063579042613&sk=about   https://maps.app.goo.gl/Cz7FHdUoi5ByxECz7?g_st=ipc      

In this episode, I speak with Kerry McCrory, who lives in Coneyglen in the heart of the Sperrins. Through her holistic practice, Kerry helps people reconnect with balance, colour, and the deeper rhythms of nature — but over the years, her care for human well-being has become inseparable from her care for the land itself - through her  opposition to the gold mine  to challenging the spread of industrial wind farms.  Kerry  speaks movingly  about the sacred relationship between people and place.This is a conversation about the sacred, in its truest sense: the everyday holiness of the hills, the quiet power of community, and the call to protect what we love before it’s gone. For the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the soil we grow from — together, we hold the line. 📣 Share, review, and help amplify our story #dontmineus #SaveOurSperrins #notoxicmining  #EnvironmentPodcast #JusticePodcast #ActivismPodcast #IrishPodcast #HumanRights   Links for Kerry Kerry's new website www.sacred-rainbow-weave.com  The summit that Kerry organised can be found here: www.sacredrainbowcurrent.com  Facebook page Kerry https://www.facebook.com/kerry.mccrory.79 Facebook page Coneyglen https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064599586019 Email light@sacred-rainbow-weave.com    SAVE OUR SPERRINS ( Social Media)  https://linktr.ee/saveoursperrins   LINKS TO OTHER RESOURCES  http://caimnetwork.org/mining-in-ireland/ Mining in Ireland is a contentious issue, with 19% of the Republic of Ireland and 27% of Northern Ireland’s land area issued in prospecting licences. While mining companies claim to bring jobs and development, communities like those near Tara Mines and Gypsum Ltd have faced significant environmental and social impacts. Communities Against the Injustice of Mining (CAIM) is an all-island network resisting prospecting and extraction. https://yestolifenotomining.org/ The Yes to Life, No to Mining website is a global hub for communities resisting destructive mining projects. It shares stories from the frontlines, practical resources for local campaigns, and research that exposes the true costs of extraction. The network connects people around the world who are protecting their land, water, and ways of life, and promotes alternatives grounded in care for nature and community wellbeing. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/after-the-goldrush-by-gerry-mcgovern/id1681123169 Do Irish people know that Ireland has been selected as a Green sacrifice song for the so-called green technology, renewable energy transition from the beautiful wilds of Clare, Wicklow and Leitrim to the outstanding natural beauty of the Sperrin mountains of Tyrone. Rural Ireland is on Big Mining's chopping block. This podcast is about the power of community, about how communities of Ireland are organising to stop this disaster happening. For short term returns, the government wants to sell Ireland  to mining interests as silently and quietly as possible. Let's make some noises. We will try to unravel why the Irish government is doing this   LINKS TO Greencastle People’s Office(GPO) Facebook Page - and the site of the GPO ( The GPO is a humble caravan which has become a hub for the campaign against the goldmine )     https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063579042613&sk=about   https://maps.app.goo.gl/Cz7FHdUoi5ByxECz7?g_st=ipc    

In this conversation, James Orr — Director of Friends of the Earth Northern Ireland — joins us to reflect on decades of environmental work, solidarity, and vision for change. From his long-standing support for the Save Our Sperrins campaign to his calls for an independent environmental agency and a just settlement for Lough Neagh, James brings a rare combination of grounded experience and deep ecological thinking. We talk about what it means to move beyond extractivism, how communities can stand together in the face of corporate power, and the urgent need to reimagine how we live with and care for the land and water that sustain us all. 📣 Share, review, and help amplify our story #dontmineus #SaveOurSperrins #notoxicmining  #EnvironmentPodcast #JusticePodcast #ActivismPodcast #IrishPodcast #HumanRights    LINKS FOR THIS INTERVIEW  https://friendsoftheearth.uk/latest/northern-ireland   SAVE OUR SPERRINS ( Social Media)    https://linktr.ee/saveoursperrins https://www.youtube.com/@SaveOurSperrins   LINKS TO OTHER RESOURCES  http://caimnetwork.org/mining-in-ireland/ Mining in Ireland is a contentious issue, with 19% of the Republic of Ireland and 27% of Northern Ireland’s land area issued in prospecting licences. While mining companies claim to bring jobs and development, communities like those near Tara Mines and Gypsum Ltd have faced significant environmental and social impacts. Communities Against the Injustice of Mining (CAIM) is an all-island network resisting prospecting and extraction. https://yestolifenotomining.org/ The Yes to Life, No to Mining website is a global hub for communities resisting destructive mining projects. It shares stories from the frontlines, practical resources for local campaigns, and research that exposes the true costs of extraction. The network connects people around the world who are protecting their land, water, and ways of life, and promotes alternatives grounded in care for nature and community wellbeing. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/after-the-goldrush-by-gerry-mcgovern/id1681123169 Do Irish people know that Ireland has been selected as a Green sacrifice song for the so-called green technology, renewable energy transition from the beautiful wilds of Clare, Wicklow and Leitrim to the outstanding natural beauty of the Sperrin mountains of Tyrone. Rural Ireland is on Big Mining's chopping block. This podcast is about the power of community, about how communities of Ireland are organising to stop this disaster happening. For short term returns, the government wants to sell Ireland  to mining interests as silently and quietly as possible. Let's make some noises. We will try to unravel why the Irish government is doing this   LINKS TO Greencastle People’s Office(GPO) Facebook Page - and the site of the GPO ( The GPO is a humble caravan which has become a hub for the campaign against the goldmine )     https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063579042613&sk=about   https://maps.app.goo.gl/Cz7FHdUoi5ByxECz7?g_st=ipc  

In this conversation, Marella speaks with Emma Conway, founder of Sperrin Soul Forest School — a mother, educator, and member of an extended  local family whose differing views on the goldmine mirror the wider divisions playing out across this rural community While parts of Emma’s family have engaged with Dalradian, others, including Emma herself, have spoken out against the mine.  It’s a story that runs deep — of love and loyalty, of belonging and belief — and of what it means to keep connection alive when the land beneath you becomes contested. Together, they talk about  how extractive projects fracture communities, and why Emma continues to plant hope — quite literally — in the living soil of these hills and bogs This episode invites us to listen for the smaller quieter acts of resistance: nurturing children’s wonder, teaching care for the more-than-human world, and remembering that healing the land begins with how we treat one another. For the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the soil we grow from — together we hold the line. #dontmineus #SaveOurSperrins #notoxicmining  #DividedByGold #RootedInTheSperrins #StoriesFromTheHills  📣 Share, review, and help amplify our story  LINKS FOR THIS INTERVIEW  Sperrin Soul Forest School  sperrinsoul@gmail.com linktr.ee/sperrinsoul instagram sperrinsoul_forestschool  https://irishforestschoolassociation.ie/   SAVE OUR SPERRINS ( Social Media)  https://linktr.ee/saveoursperrins https://www.youtube.com/@SaveOurSperrins    LINKS TO OTHER RESOURCES  http://caimnetwork.org/mining-in-ireland/ Mining in Ireland is a contentious issue, with 19% of the Republic of Ireland and 27% of Northern Ireland’s land area issued in prospecting licences. While mining companies claim to bring jobs and development, communities like those near Tara Mines and Gypsum Ltd have faced significant environmental and social impacts. Communities Against the Injustice of Mining (CAIM) is an all-island network resisting prospecting and extraction.   https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/after-the-goldrush-by-gerry-mcgovern/id1681123169 Do Irish people know that Ireland has been selected as a Green sacrifice song for the so-called green technology, renewable energy transition from the beautiful wilds of Clare, Wicklow and Leitrim to the outstanding natural beauty of the Sperrin mountains of Tyrone. Rural Ireland is on Big Mining's chopping block. This podcast is about the power of community, about how communities of Ireland are organising to stop this disaster happening. For short term returns, the government wants to sell Ireland  to mining interests as silently and quietly as possible. Let's make some noises. We will try to unravel why the Irish government is doing this   LINKS TO Greencastle People’s Office(GPO) Facebook Page - and the site of the GPO ( The GPO is a humble caravan which has become a hub for the campaign against the goldmine )     https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063579042613&sk=about   https://maps.app.goo.gl/Cz7FHdUoi5ByxECz7?g_st=ipc

What happens when the drive for endless growth leaves nothing but waste behind? Gerry McGovern, author of the After the Goldrush podcast , joins me to explore how mining — and the mindset that fuels it — mirrors the same destructive patterns we see in the digital world. Our conversation looks at what it means for communities like ours in the Sperrins to stand against extraction, and how waste is never an accident but the direct outcome of a system built on taking without giving back. Gerry’s clarity cuts through the spin, reminding us that resistance is both urgent and intergenerational — carried by parents, children and grandparents together. 📣 Share, review, and help amplify our story #dontmineus #SaveOurSperrins #notoxicmining  #EnvironmentPodcast #JusticePodcast #ActivismPodcast #IrishPodcast #HumanRights    LINKS FOR THIS INTERVIEW  Gerry Mc Governs Website -https://gerrymcgovern.com/ After the Goldrush Podcast -https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/after-the-goldrush-by-gerry-mcgovern/id1681123169   SAVE OUR SPERRINS ( Social Media)  https://linktr.ee/saveoursperrins   LINKS TO OTHER RESOURCES  http://caimnetwork.org/mining-in-ireland/ Mining in Ireland is a contentious issue, with 19% of the Republic of Ireland and 27% of Northern Ireland’s land area issued in prospecting licences. While mining companies claim to bring jobs and development, communities like those near Tara Mines and Gypsum Ltd have faced significant environmental and social impacts. Communities Against the Injustice of Mining (CAIM) is an all-island network resisting prospecting and extraction. https://yestolifenotomining.org/ The Yes to Life, No to Mining website is a global hub for communities resisting destructive mining projects. It shares stories from the frontlines, practical resources for local campaigns, and research that exposes the true costs of extraction. The network connects people around the world who are protecting their land, water, and ways of life, and promotes alternatives grounded in care for nature and community wellbeing. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/after-the-goldrush-by-gerry-mcgovern/id1681123169 Do Irish people know that Ireland has been selected as a Green sacrifice song for the so-called green technology, renewable energy transition from the beautiful wilds of Clare, Wicklow and Leitrim to the outstanding natural beauty of the Sperrin mountains of Tyrone. Rural Ireland is on Big Mining's chopping block. This podcast is about the power of community, about how communities of Ireland are organising to stop this disaster happening. For short term returns, the government wants to sell Ireland  to mining interests as silently and quietly as possible. Let's make some noises. We will try to unravel why the Irish government is doing this   LINKS TO Greencastle People’s Office(GPO) Facebook Page - and the site of the GPO ( The GPO is a humble caravan which has become a hub for the campaign against the goldmine )     https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063579042613&sk=about   https://maps.app.goo.gl/Cz7FHdUoi5ByxECz7?g_st=ipc  

In this episode I speak with Sinéad Ní Mhearnóg Uí Ghéibheannaigh, a young mother, poet, and advocate for the Irish language from ConyGlen near Greencastle. Sinéad works with Glór na nGael, supporting communities to keep the language alive, and has long been a passionate voice in the Save Our Sperrins campaign. We talk about her roots in the Sperrins, the role of language in shaping identity, and how culture and community sustain resilience. Sinéad reflects on her poetry, her hopes for her children, and her fears for what mining could do to the fabric of her community. She also recalls a pivotal moment in 2018, when she travelled to Toronto to attend the PDAC mining conference and spoke out against Dalradian’s plans for a goldmine in the Sperrins — a moment of truth-telling that sent ripples far beyond Greencastle. This is a conversation about language, courage, and the power of ordinary communities to hold the line. 📣 Share, review, and help amplify our story #dontmineus #SaveOurSperrins #notoxicmining  #EnvironmentPodcast #JusticePodcast #ActivismPodcast #IrishPodcast #HumanRights     LINKS FOR THIS INTERVIEW  https://www.glornangael.ie/teangati/  Sinéads work  https://www.facebook.com/Greencastleourhistory  A page about the history of Greencastle and Munterloney  The most comprehensive record of Irish speakers in the Sperrins and where you can find further info: 'CAINNTEOIRÍ DÚTHCHAIS AGUS FOINSÍ BÉALOIDIS GAEDHILGE AS OIRTHEAR ULADH Ciarán Ó Duibhín: an leagan seo: 2024/09/20' : https://www3.smo.uhi.ac.uk/oduibhin/cainnteoir/speirini.txt Recording of native speaker John Carolan, Fidelma O'Kane's Uncle speaking Irish: https://www.rte.ie/archives/exhibitions/1981-proinsias-o-conluain/615512-na-cainteoir-dhuchs-deireannacha-i-gco-thr-eoghain/ Recordings of native speakers: https://www.doegen.ie/taxonomy/term/22079 Information on Jane Nic Ruaidhrí, one of the last native speakers who was recorded in the Doegen project above: https://www3.smo.uhi.ac.uk/oduibhin/doegen/nicruaidhri_biog.htm Recording of Irish Speaker Johnny Bán Mac Giolla Uidhir, who is meant to be the last know Irish speaker and who only died in the 1970's:https://www.rte.ie/archives/collections/news/11418227-gaeltacht-th-r-eoghain-ag-foghlaim-na-gaeilge/ Recordings of native speakers, Peter Bradley and Ellen Mary Devlin: https://www.rte.ie/archives/collections/acetate-disc-collection/11410140-gaeltacht-thr-eoghain-ellen-mary-devlin/ Recordings of the native speakers, Paddy Láidir: Padaí Láidir Mac Culadh agus Gaeltacht Thír Eoghain - Taifeadtaí Gaeilge Thír Eoghain:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odBT6eNyLis  Landscapes of hunting and assembly in the north of Ireland—three case-studies, Academic essay which looks at Coneyglen - Dún Ruadh:https://www.jstor.org/stable/27074874 Commemorative stone at Rouskey and its unveiling by Monsignor Devlin: https://scealtanuamhuintirluinigh.wordpress.com/tag/muintir-luinigh/ VIDEO: Guth in Eag? A lost voice - insight into the decline of Tyrone Native Gaeilge, the last generation of speakers living in the isolation of small hill farms and glens. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5cvPskVm3Y VIDEO: Ar Scáth na Sléibhte, Cormac examines the rich Irish language heritage of the Muintir Luinigh area: https://www.tg4.ie/en/player/online-boxsets/play/?pid=6259592045001&title=Sl%C3%A9ibhte%20Mhuintir%20Luinigh&series=Ar%20Sc%C3%A1th%20na%20Sl%C3%A9ibhte   Traidisiún Amhránaíocht na Gaeilge i dTír Eoghain san Fhichiú hAois: https://pure.ulster.ac.uk/en/publications/traidisi%C3%BAn-amhr%C3%A1na%C3%ADocht-na-gaeilge-i-dt%C3%ADr-eoghain-san-fhichi%C3%BA-hao-2  Publications about Gaeltacht Mhuintir Luinigh, many are out of print but worth buying second hand if you find a copy: In Irish: Padaí Láidir Mac Culadh agus Gaeltacht Thír Eoghain, Pádraig Ó Baoighill In English: Tyrone Folk Quest, Michael J Murphy Correction : In the introduction I mentioned that Gaeltacht Mhuintir Luinigh was the last Irish-speaking area in Ulster. Of course, I should have said that it was the last Irish-speaking area in what is now Northern Ireland, as Donegal — also part of Ulster — still has a vibrant Gaeltacht community today.   The poem Sinéad read out on the podcast .  Faoiseamh a Gheobhadsa Le Máirtín Ó Díreáin   Faoiseamh a gheobhadsa Seal beag gairid I measc mo dhaoine Ar oileán mara, Ag siúl cois cladaigh Maidin is tráthnóna Ó Luan go Satharn Thiar ag baile Faoiseamh a gheobhadsa Seal beag gairid I measc mo dhaoine Ó chrá chroí, Ó bhuairt aigne, Ó uaigneas dhuairc Ó chaint ghontach Thiar ag baile I would find peace For a short while Amongst my people On an island in the sea Walking on the beach From morning to evening From Monday to Saturday At home in the West I would find peace For a short while Amongst my people Free from heartache From miserable loneliness From hurtful talk At home in the west.   SAVE OUR SPERRINS ( Social Media)  https://linktr.ee/saveoursperrins   LINKS TO OTHER RESOURCES  http://caimnetwork.org/mining-in-ireland/ Mining in Ireland is a contentious issue, with 19% of the Republic of Ireland and 27% of Northern Ireland’s land area issued in prospecting licences. While mining companies claim to bring jobs and development, communities like those near Tara Mines and Gypsum Ltd have faced significant environmental and social impacts. Communities Against the Injustice of Mining (CAIM) is an all-island network resisting prospecting and extraction. https://yestolifenotomining.org/ The Yes to Life, No to Mining website is a global hub for communities resisting destructive mining projects. It shares stories from the frontlines, practical resources for local campaigns, and research that exposes the true costs of extraction. The network connects people around the world who are protecting their land, water, and ways of life, and promotes alternatives grounded in care for nature and community wellbeing. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/after-the-goldrush-by-gerry-mcgovern/id1681123169 Do Irish people know that Ireland has been selected as a Green sacrifice song for the so-called green technology, renewable energy transition from the beautiful wilds of Clare, Wicklow and Leitrim to the outstanding natural beauty of the Sperrin mountains of Tyrone. Rural Ireland is on Big Mining's chopping block. This podcast is about the power of community, about how communities of Ireland are organising to stop this disaster happening. For short term returns, the government wants to sell Ireland  to mining interests as silently and quietly as possible. Let's make some noises. We will try to unravel why the Irish government is doing this   LINKS TO Greencastle People’s Office(GPO) Facebook Page - and the site of the GPO ( The GPO is a humble caravan which has become a hub for the campaign against the goldmine )     https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063579042613&sk=about   https://maps.app.goo.gl/Cz7FHdUoi5ByxECz7?g_st=ipc

In this episode, I speak with Dr Amy Strecker, Associate Professor at the Sutherland School of Law in UCD and one of the volunteer expert witnesses supporting the Public Inquiry into goldmining in the Sperrins. Amy brings her expertise in land law, justice, and cultural landscapes, helping us understand how law can both protect and endanger communities and the places they call home. She speaks about the Sperrins in the wider European and global frame, the clash between cultural heritage and extractive industries, and what a fairer vision of land justice could look like. We are hugely grateful for Amy’s time, intellect, and generosity in supporting the campaign, and for the clarity she brings to this vital struggle.   📣 Share, review, and help amplify our story #dontmineus #SaveOurSperrins #notoxicmining #EnvironmentPodcast #JusticePodcast #ActivismPodcast #IrishPodcast #HumanRights   LINKS FOR THIS INTERVIEW with Dr. Amy Strecker (books mentioned in the podcast )  https://academic.oup.com/book/11066   https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-31994-5   SAVE OUR SPERRINS ( Social Media)  https://linktr.ee/saveoursperrins   LINKS TO OTHER RESOURCES  http://caimnetwork.org/mining-in-ireland/ Mining in Ireland is a contentious issue, with 19% of the Republic of Ireland and 27% of Northern Ireland’s land area issued in prospecting licences. While mining companies claim to bring jobs and development, communities like those near Tara Mines and Gypsum Ltd have faced significant environmental and social impacts. Communities Against the Injustice of Mining (CAIM) is an all-island network resisting prospecting and extraction. https://yestolifenotomining.org/ The Yes to Life, No to Mining website is a global hub for communities resisting destructive mining projects. It shares stories from the frontlines, practical resources for local campaigns, and research that exposes the true costs of extraction. The network connects people around the world who are protecting their land, water, and ways of life, and promotes alternatives grounded in care for nature and community wellbeing. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/after-the-goldrush-by-gerry-mcgovern/id1681123169 Do Irish people know that Ireland has been selected as a Green sacrifice song for the so-called green technology, renewable energy transition from the beautiful wilds of Clare, Wicklow and Leitrim to the outstanding natural beauty of the Sperrin mountains of Tyrone. Rural Ireland is on Big Mining's chopping block. This podcast is about the power of community, about how communities of Ireland are organising to stop this disaster happening. For short term returns, the government wants to sell Ireland  to mining interests as silently and quietly as possible. Let's make some noises. We will try to unravel why the Irish government is doing this   LINKS TO Greencastle People’s Office(GPO) Facebook Page - and the site of the GPO ( The GPO is a humble caravan which has become a hub for the campaign against the goldmine )     https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063579042613&sk=about   https://maps.app.goo.gl/Cz7FHdUoi5ByxECz7?g_st=ipc