The Sperrins: Mining, Power & Community in Northern Ireland

#No.36 Mount Polley, Indigenous Land Rights and the Real Cost of Mining – with Nuskmata

In this episode, I speak with Nuskmata , Jacinda Mack  Indigenous land defender from the Nlaka’pamux and Secwépemc peoples, and a long-standing advocate for reform in the global mining industry.
We return to the 2014 Mount Polley mine disaster, when a tailings dam collapsed into the Fraser River watershed. More than a decade on, the consequences are still unfolding. Communities lost food sources that had sustained them for generations. Questions remain about water quality. How the clean up is only partial and the effects of the dam burst that will last for hundreds of years if not for ever . 
We talk about what it means when a mine waste tailings facility  within twenty years. How the promised prosperity for the mine  did not materialise in the way it was sold. Higher-paid jobs largely went to those flown in and out, while local people were left with the social strain  increased alcohol, drugs, prostitution  and the fracture of community life.
Nuskmata shares her experience as spokesperson for the Northern Secwépemc Tribal Council after the disaster, her work shaping Indigenous mining policy, and her ongoing efforts to centre Indigenous rights, environmental protection and accountability in extractive industries worldwide.
📣 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://open.spotify.com/album/78aNBVp2xfXkqjH4VM72Ew?si=YLUsqAj8S5acC4rnop91nQ
Link to album with which Nusmaka collaborated with on  - specifically tracks 2,4, 9 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4Iwf1AuZCQ
Dr. Ray Kostaschuk, a geoscientist specialising in sedimentary processes in rivers, lakes and estuaries, presented to the PH Wildlife Society on February 21st, 2023 the environmental impacts of the Mount Polley Mine tailing dam catastrophe.
https://youtu.be/P2dUNMcvDLI?si=T6MO8Tl4jXjbiJq9  
Mount Polley  is the most significant environmental mining disaster in Canadian history. Seven years later, there have still been no charges or fines issued against Mount Polley for the disaster. Instead, Mount Polley has received permits to pollute by being allowed a mine wastewater discharge pipe into Quesnel Lake. Concerned Citizen of Quesnel Lake want the pipe removed.
 
Link to Dr Steven Emerman podcast No.23 
https://buttonsoptions4u.podbean.com/e/dr-steven-h-emerman-%e2%80%93-the-science-of-failure-truth-risk-and-responsibility/
 
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
 
#dontmineus #SaveOurSperrins #notoxicmining 
#EnvironmentPodcast #JusticePodcast
#ActivismPodcast
#IrishPodcast
#HumanRights

#No.35 When “Public” Isn’t Public . A conversation with Gerard Moyne and Sean Gallagher

In this episode, I speak with Gerard Moyne and Sean Gallagher, residents of Donegal living downstream from the proposed Dalradian gold mine in the Sperrins.
Our conversation centres on the transboundary issues that led to the suspension of the recent Public Inquiry  and what that moment reveals about fairness, participation and environmental governance.
We explore the principles behind the Aarhus Convention and the Espoo Convention, and what they require when a project in one jurisdiction may affect communities in another. What does meaningful public participation actually look like? When is a Public Inquiry truly public?
Gerard and Sean share their experience of preparing a submission on potential cross-border impacts and the decision to bring that submission directly to the Planning Appeals Commission in order to highlight what they believed were gaps in the consultation process.
We also reflect on a deeper question that has surfaced repeatedly during this planning application: why are ordinary citizens so often the ones raising concerns about compliance with environmental law? Why does it fall to members of the public to scrutinise the fundamentals  the safety of water, land and air?
 
#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 
#No.23 Dr Steven H. Emerman – The Science of Failure: Truth, Risk, and Responsibility link below 
https://buttonsoptions4u.podbean.com/e/dr-steven-h-emerman-%e2%80%93-the-science-of-failure-truth-risk-and-responsibility/
 
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
 
 
 

#No.34 Peatlands, Carbon, and the Public Inquiry with Alessandra Accogli & Elena Aitova

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
 
 

#No.33 Pat and Nuala: Living 5 Miles from Europe’s Largest Aluminium Plant

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
 

#No.32 From the High Ground with Cahal Keenan

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
 

# No. 31 99th Day: The Cost of the New Mining Rush with Gerry McGovern

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
 
 

#No.30 At the Turning of the Year: A 2025 Round-Up

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

#No.29 Extractivism, Emissions and the Reality Behind COP30- A Conversation with Lynda Sullivan

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
 

#No.28 One Landscape, One Fight: Cross-Border Resistance to Fracking & Mining

In this episode, we sit down with two men who helped shape one of the most remarkable grassroots movements on the island of Ireland: the cross-border resistance to fracking along the Leitrim–Fermanagh border.
Back in 2012, when few understood the scale of the threat, farmers, families and community organisers began to join the dots between their wells, their rivers, their land and the industrial plans unfolding around them. Eddie Mitchell and Michael Gallagher were among those who stepped forward early Eddie through community organising and later political leadership, Michael through the farming networks that became central to the campaign’s power.
Together, they helped build a movement that reached across a border steeped in history and division, creating a unity that old politics could never have achieved. What mattered was the land, the water, and the shared responsibility to protect what could not be repaired once damaged.
More than a decade on, the same regions are now facing the prospect of gold mining and the new pressures brought by the Critical Raw Materials agenda. Eddie and Michael reflect on the parallels between then and now, what legislation helped and what failed during the fracking years, and how communities can once again find their strength in each other.
What happened in Leitrim and Fermanagh became a blueprint for us in the Sperrins: act early, work together, ignore old divisions, and build a movement stronger than the industries trying to divide us.
This is an episode about solidarity, courage and the extraordinary power of rural people when they refuse to be divided.It’s a reminder that borders may exist on maps, but the land tells a very different story.
 
#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 
Eddie Mitchell's email 
eddiejmitchell@gmail.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
 
 

#No.27 Raised by the Hills – A Conversation with Kelan Grant

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