#No. 4 Ten Years On: Reflections from the Heart of the Sperrins
Description
About this episode:
This solo podcast marks a major milestone: ten years since a group of ordinary people in the Sperrin Mountains in Northern Ireland said no to a proposed goldmine — and yes to something much more powerful: community, care, and commitment to place.
In this heartfelt reflection, Marella Fyffe , a member of Save Our Sperrins team , traces the arc of the campaign. This isn’t just a recap — it’s a living memory of what resistance looks like from the inside. It honours both the highlights and the heartbreaks:
🔆 Highlights include:
Early public meetings and the forming of SOS
Major protests in Dungannon, Omagh, and Greencastle
Legal wins, including the 2018 judicial review
International support from the UN and NI Human Rights Commission
Creative resistance: music, art, school projects, storytelling
The Salmon Songs concert and intergenerational action
🌑 And it doesn’t shy away from the lows:
Bureaucratic obstruction and planning fatigue
The emotional toll of organising, burnout, and surveillance
The collapse of the 2025 Public Inquiry
Feeling unheard, misrepresented, and dismissed
Whether you’ve been walking this road with us from the start, or you’re new to the story, this episode is an invitation to listen — and to remember that gold isn’t always what glitters.
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
United States
