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.
Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack CW: Topics that some listeners may find upsetting. Editors note: We had an issue with Sam's mic, but this is an important conversation. Please listen. In this episode the lads chatted to Alex Bunting, Group Director of Care & Support (Mental Health & Addiction Services) at Inspire. Alex talked about his passion for helping people with addiction and…
Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack In this episode of Shrapnel Sam and Gareth were joined by community worker and host of the Made to Parade podcast, Glenn Millar. They chatted about the band scene, its evolution, traditions, and work in the community especially around mental health. Glenn discussed the impact of oral history and preserving the legacy for generations to come. Shrapnel is…
In this episode of the Shrapnel Podcast, hosts Sam and Gareth discuss their return after a long hiatus due to personal challenges, including Gareth's loss of both parents. They reflect on the stagnation of societal and political issues in 2025, the importance of legacy discussions, and the hope and need for future dialogue. The lads talk resilience, the soapbox and the value of revisiting oral…
Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack 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…
.wpedon-container .wpedon-select, .wpedon-container .wpedon-input { width: 170px; min-width: 170px; max-width: 170px; } Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack 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…
.wpedon-container .wpedon-select, .wpedon-container .wpedon-input { width: 170px; min-width: 170px; max-width: 170px; } Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack 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…
.wpedon-container .wpedon-select, .wpedon-container .wpedon-input { width: 170px; min-width: 170px; max-width: 170px; } Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack 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…
.wpedon-container .wpedon-select, .wpedon-container .wpedon-input { width: 170px; min-width: 170px; max-width: 170px; } Please support us in 2024 by clicking: patreon.com/tortoiseshack 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…
.wpedon-container .wpedon-select, .wpedon-container .wpedon-input { width: 170px; min-width: 170px; max-width: 170px; } Help us keep going in 2024 by clicking on patreon.com/tortoiseshack 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…
.wpedon-container .wpedon-select, .wpedon-container .wpedon-input { width: 170px; min-width: 170px; max-width: 170px; } Please join us at patreon.com/tortoiseshack 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…