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In this episode we welcome back friend of the pod, researcher and writer Iain Turner. Iain chatted to the lads about progress on his book which is an authoritative history of the UVF; we talked about the Dublin & Monaghan bombings 50 years on; the difficulty of obtaining records for research; the NIO public history project; loyalist paramilitaries and truth recovery and a whole lot more.

The latest Shrapnel Fragments Special Episode is out now here:

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The lads did their second live show as part of the Imagine! Festival of Ideas and Politics at Belfast's Crescent Arts Centre.

We were joined by a panel of three previous guests representing alternative voices from within the broad spectrum of loyalism.

Beano Niblock is a former loyalist prisoner and the writer of the acclaimed play The Man Who Swallowed A Dictionary (2023) about the life of his former comrade David Ervine. Niblock is a vocal advocate for loyalist storytelling and the power of arts as means of communicating historical experience.

Emma Shaw is the founder and CEO of the Phoenix Education Centre, a profit for purpose community interest company in East Belfast that nurtures community self-help and promotes strategies to tackle low educational attainment and barriers to the workforce.

David Adams is a former spokesperson and councillor for the UDA-linked Ulster Democratic Party who was heavily involved in negotiations that led to the Good Friday Agreement. Having experienced what he described as a ‘messy divorce’ from loyalism in the mid-00s, he has spoken openly about the need to have informed conversations about reconciliation as a priority in any debates over the constitution.

The Shamim Malekmian immigration reporting interview is out now here:

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The lads did their second live show as part of the Imagine! Festival of Ideas and Politics at Belfast's Crescent Arts Centre.

We were joined by a panel of three previous guests representing alternative voices from within the broad spectrum of loyalism.

Beano Niblock is a former loyalist prisoner and the writer of the acclaimed play The Man Who Swallowed A Dictionary (2023) about the life of his former comrade David Ervine. Niblock is a vocal advocate for loyalist storytelling and the power of arts as means of communicating historical experience.

Emma Shaw is the founder and CEO of the Phoenix Education Centre, a profit for purpose community interest company in East Belfast that nurtures community self-help and promotes strategies to tackle low educational attainment and barriers to the workforce.

David Adams is a former spokesperson and councillor for the UDA-linked Ulster Democratic Party who was heavily involved in negotiations that led to the Good Friday Agreement. Having experienced what he described as a ‘messy divorce’ from loyalism in the mid-00s, he has spoken openly about the need to have informed conversations about reconciliation as a priority in any debates over the constitution.

The latest Fresh Batch is out now here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-101021413

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We were delighted to be joined by author and academic Paul Burgess for our inaugural live show.

Paul discussed his new book Wild Colonial Boys (Manchester University Press) - a revealing and no holds barred autobiography charting his early life growing up in loyalist north and west Belfast, his passion for class politics and music and his ascent to fame with Ruefrex.

The Working Class Activism in Academia Podcast is out now here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-98820246

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Welcome to our end of 2023 special. In this episode the lads chatted to two former guests: one from series 1 and another from series 2. Eddie Kinner is a former UVF prisoner, who became an important figure in negotiating the Good Friday Agreement on behalf of the PUP. Davy Adams is a former UDA member, who as a contemporary of Kinner's in the 1990s was heavily involved in negotiating the Agreement on behalf of the UDP. Eddie and Davy chatted with the lads about 2023, the challenges facing unionism and loyalism and the need for proper reconciliation to be embedded in NI.

There's also a few other voices at the start. Happy New Year!

The Climate Wrap of 2023 podcast is out now:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-94993349

Note: We had some bad weather during recording and it did impact the connection.

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Tony Novosel is the author of 'Northern Ireland's Lost Opportunity: The Frustrated Promise of Political Loyalism' and has been a frequent visitor to NI since 1974. Over the years he has been recognised for his cross-community peace building work. In this episode he talks to the lads about the challenges facing progressive loyalism.

How better public services is the antidote to the far right podcast with Prof Catherine De Vries is out now here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-94992075

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Ed Moloney is one of Ireland's most famous journalists and the author of a number of books about the conflict in Northern Ireland. In this episode he talks to the lads about legacy and reconciliation, oral history, notable characters that he has met over the years, what it was like reporting on subjects such as Kincora and how he avoided assassination by the UDA after a dirty tricks campaign against him in the early 1980's.

The Ditch wrap of 2023 podcast is out now here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-94831589

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Since 1996, David Blevins has been the senior Ireland correspondent for Sky News, covering news stories north and south of the border. When the news happened, we heard it from him.

In this episode he talks to Gareth and Sam about reporting some of the traumatic and momentous events in recent history in NI, why the golden age of journalism may not be over and how we need more time to hear stories, rather than sound bytes in the news.

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In the second episode of Fragments Sam and Gareth answered some interesting questions from listeners. Topics addressed included youth subcultures in 2023 Belfast, remembering , forgetting and historical research, "peace" walls and Scottish independence.

Tickets for Shrapnel Live:https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/shrapnel-live-in-conversation-with-paul-burgess-tickets-770601910057?aff=erelexpmlt

The Disability Gree Paper Podcast is out now here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-exclusive-93824982

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This week we were joined by Alana Cahoon who is the PR Officer from the Ulster Young Unionists, and ‘One Young World’ delegate. She is also an Ambassador of TBUC (Together:Building a United Community). We discussed Unionism from the upcoming generations viewpoint, not conforming to lazy stereotypes and why some leave Northern Ireland and do not return. We also talked about transgenerational trauma and how our past still touches lives.

The Latest Shrapnel Fragments Q&A Special is out now here: