The Shrapnel Podcast

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This week's guest is author and historian Iain Turner. Iain rose to prominence with the website Balaclava Street in which he produced forensic and in-depth essays on paramilitary loyalism, most notably the UVF. Iain is currently authoring a history of the organisation and has been given unprecedented access to former members of senior rank. In this conversation Iain talks about his motivations for writing about the UVF and what the current unstable political climate might mean for an organisation which declared a ceasefire in 1994.

Go to patreon.com/tortoiseshack for more

Production and Editing by Tony Groves

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(Note: The lads open the podcast with their thoughts on the death of Queen Elizabeth, interview starts at minute 10 approx)

Eddie Kinner is a former loyalist prisoner and political activist. He was arrested and charged as a teenager in 1975 and became politically educated in Long Kesh under the guidance of Gusty Spence.

He was heavily involved in the negotiations which led to the brokering of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement in 1998. In this episode Eddie talks about loyalism and some of the contemporary issues, such as Brexit, which pose a challenge to the loyalist communities of Northern Ireland.

Join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack

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In Episode 4 of The Shrapnel Podcast and we are joined by Sarah Creighton, who is in her own words, an on hiatus solicitor, writer and political commentator. She has written for the Guardian, Belfast Telegraph and Slugger O'Toole. On this episode Sarah chats all things Unionism, identity, commemorations and class issues. She also talks about the cost of living crisis via the prism of her experience of working for a housing charity.

Please support this podcast by leaving a review on your podcast app, telling people where to find us and joining the platform at patreon.com/tortoiseshack

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Paul Wilson is the son of the late SDLP politician Senator Paddy Wilson. Senator Wilson and his Protestant friend Irene Andrews were brutally murdered by the UFF in June 1973. In this episode Paul talks about growing up as the son of a politician as the Troubles exploded, his experiences of sectarianism, the profound dangers of toxic political rhetoric both in the past and present and his hopes for dialogue and reconciliation in a society yet to come to terms with its past.

Join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack

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It may be episode 2, but it's the first guest!

Hosts Sam McIlwaine and Gareth Mulvenna are joined by the Deputy Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, and MLA, Robbie Butler.

Robbie discusses his working class roots, growing up in Loyalist housing estates and his uncomfortable personal relationship in owning the label 'loyalist'.

He chats about the NI Protocol and the mental health crisis that Northern Ireland is struggling with whilst having no real functioning devolved government.

(Note: We open with a chat on the latest news around NI and the interview with Robbie starts at about 10 mins)

Please support this podcast by joining us at ptreon.com/tortoiseshack

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Shrapnel is the podcast that looks at pieces of the past in Northern Ireland. Hosted by Sam McIlwaine and Gareth Mulvenna, we aim to bring you the voices and conversations that aren't given a platform by the mainstream media.

In this introductory episode, Sam and Gareth are joined by tortoise shack producer, Tony Groves, to discuss the ambitions and goals for this series.

Join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack

Follow us @shrapnelpodcast