Love And Courage

Luka Bloom is one of Ireland’s best known and most respected contemporary folk artists. Originally from County Kildare, Luka Bloom has been singing and performing since the age of 14. He released his debut album Treaty Stone in 1978 and soon after moved to the Netherlands, where he remains hugely popular. He also previously lived in Washington DC and in New York, where he was signed by Reprise records, the iconic label that signed Tom Petty, Neil Young, Fleetwood Mac and so many other greats. Over 20 albums on, Luka Bloom is living not to far from me on the west coast of County Clare while continuing to tour the world. His brother is the folk musician and previous guest of this podcast Christy Moore and his sister Anne Rynne is also a singer, songwriter and musician. I’ve seen Luka perform a number of times now and have always been struck by his unique sound and a real sense of social and ecological consciousness that ripples through his songs.

At the time of this interview, the 84-year-old folk singer is still songwriting, touring, entertaining, informing, educating and inspiring as part of the great folk tradition that she embodies so well. Born in 1935 to a folklorist and musicologist father and a mother who was an accomplished composer and music scholar, Peggy has lived her life surrounded by music and the great folk tradition. She learned to transcribe music at just 11 years old and the likes of Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly were visitors to her childhood home in Washington DC. Her brother was the world-renowned singer and activist Pete Seeger who was famously attacked under the 1950s era of McCarthyism that fostered the so-called ‘red scare’ by the U.S government of the time. Peggy has been on the road from a young age, hitchhiking around Europe at age 20, and being invited to perform in places like Russia, China and Denmark in her youth. In 1956 London, at the age of 21, she met her future husband, the legendary folk musician Ewan MacColl and t

Live public interview with the legendary Hugh O’Brien, or ‘Hugh Barney’ as he’s often known. It was recorded in the Darly School Hall as part of a full house at the Cootehill Arts Festival in my hometown of Cootehill Co. Cavan. Hugh Barney is a 79-year-old historian, educator, actor and community activist. He taught me history and English at secondary school and left a lasting impression on me, as he did so many others.   Topics Hugh discusses in this conversation include his childhood and upbringing, his 39 years as a teacher, his views on education, history, politics, religion, spirituality, alcohol, community involvement, and his love for cinema and drama.   This is a man who has clearly lived a full life and as you’re about to hear, he continues to do so. Hugh has inspired countless people to think differently and to believe in themselves and so it’s great to be able to share this voice with more people through this podcast, especially international listeners and Cootehill people living and listening all

Originally from County Kilkenny in the South East of Ireland, Vicky is a Limerick based married mother of two who has been at the forefront of exposing the Cervical Check screening scandal in Ireland after being told that she had been given incorrect smear test results. In early 2019 she settled a high profile case with no admission of liability on the part of the laboratory or the health services involved but refused to sign a non-disclosure agreement that sought to silence her. The scandal has affected hundreds of woman and many of those who have been affected have died. This is, without doubt, one of the greatest scandals of modern Irish history and a tragic case study into truth, transparency, power and healthcare. At the time of doing this interview with Vicky, recorded in Doonbeg, Co. Clare on the west coast of Ireland, she had just recovered from a particularly difficult period of bad health but was very much still in treatment and facing a very challenging future. Despite this she took time out to sha

David Jan Jurasek is a former child refugee from the former Czechoslovakia. His family escaped the regime there and eventually ended up in Canada where he grew up struggling to make sense of loss and trauma. He eventually turned to creative expression and martial arts to help him channel his emotions before later training as a child and family therapist. He has since become a husband, a father, and co-author of a series of children’s books, and he has helped developed a therapeutic martial arts program called Young Warriors that has been expanding into more than 15 schools. As if that wasn’t enough he also runs an improve company called Inspired Playback Theatre, which focuses on reflecting back, with compassion and empathy, the true stories of diverse audience members who are often not listened to. Recently, David also had a brush with cancer, which he says he has thankfully healed from but it helped him to see more clearly what his life is all about.  www.powerfulandloving.com

Rare and revealing interview with legendary Irish folk musician Christy Moore exploring his personal life, his music and his politics. Published on Ruairí McKiernan's Love and Courage podcast. ---------- I grew up listening to Christy Moore, as did many Irish people, and indeed people all over the world. He’s a folk singer and musician in the tradition of Woodie Guthrie and so many other greats who write, collect and interpret songs that capture and communicate the struggles and emotions that many of us face. Christy’s songs gave me an education and an insight into areas of life and events in history that I otherwise may not have known about. He also brings great warmth, depth and fun to the mix, offered with a real sense of humanity and connection with the listener. Christy Moore has been singing and performing now for over 5 decades. Think about that, over 50 years making and sharing music. Christy has been named Ireland’s greatest living musician and has recorded almost 30 solo albums and as well as m

This was a live recording that took place at University College Dublin as part of the UCD Volunteers Overseas annual forum. The theme of the event was The Age of Activism – making space for intergenerational learning and it was sponsored by Concern Worldwide, Comhlamh and UCD international. This wide-ranging conversation featured 3 inspirational voices for change. CAOIMHE BUTTERLY Caoimhe Butterly is, without doubt, one of the most impressive activists I have ever met. She has lived in solidarity with communities in Mexico, Guatemala, Haiti, Palestine, Iraq and Lebanon for over 15 years. She has spent the past five years involved in refugee, undocumented and asylum-seeker support networks in Greece, Lebanon, the Balkans, Calais and Ireland. Now living in Dublin, she is also studying and working in the area of Systemic Psychotherapy, with a focus on collectively experienced trauma. She also makes short documentary films, one of which, ‘The Border’ won the 2016 ICCL Human Rights Film Awards. CODIE PRESTON Codie

Ruairí McKiernan interviews Johann Hari, a British writer and journalist whose books have been international bestsellers. Chasing the Scream explored the failure of the global war on drugs and the follow-up book Lost Connections looks at depression and the social links to our mental health and wellbeing. Johan’s TED talk Everything You Think You Know about Addiction is Wrong has been seen by millions of people and he has attracted the support of people like Naomi Klein, Elton John, Glenn Greenwald, Russel Brand and Brian Eno as well as leading voices in the medical field.

Chuck is one of America’s leading economic equality campaigners, a Senior Scholar at the Institute of Policy Studies, a co-editor of Inequality.org, an author of several books including his autobiography Born on Third Base, and a longtime advisor to Senator Bernie Sanders. Chuck is also well known for his incredible story of growing up in a life of huge wealth and privilege and how he ended up giving away his fortune. This is something he talks about in this interview as well as discussing topics ranging from Donald Trump and populism, philanthropy, the potential and prospects of people power, and his particular interest in the world of trees. Just to say the main interview was approximately 60 minutes and this is then followed by a questions and answers session with the audience. Some of the questions from the audience didn’t get picked up by the microphones but they should make sense when you hear Chuck respond. It was a great experience doing the live interview from Wynn’s Hotel in Dublin and to meet so ma

Amanda Palmer is a punk rock and cabaret musical legend, a member of the Dresden Dolls, bestselling author of The Art of Asking, and force behind the popular TED talk of the same name. She has made numerous albums, toured the world several times, been a global trailblazer in the world of crowdfunding, and helped shine the light for D.I.Y music success in the modern age.  Amanda is married to well-known author Neil Gaiman and they recently had a child together, something we discussed as part of our fascinating conversation. Amanda is a force of nature, a true visionary and rebel and it was a real treat to spend time with her in New York City.

Sr Teresa Forcades is a Catalonian medical doctor and Benedictine nun. She is an outspoken feminist, a fierce critic of capitalism, pro-choice on abortion, and an influential leader for Catalan independence from Spain. A BBC profile of Sr Forcades referred to her as 'Europe's most radical nun'.  ........... About the podcast The Love and Courage podcast features interviews with inspirational people who are making a real difference in the world today. Guests are typically people passionate about social justice, and who have demonstrated courage and conviction in their lives. Host Ruairí McKiernan is leading Irish social innovator, campaigner, writer and public speaker. He is the founder of the pioneering SpunOut.ie youth organisation, and co-founded the Uplift organisation. In 2012 the President of Ireland Michael D Higgins appointed Ruairí to the Council of State, a national constitutional advisory body whose members include all current and former leaders of the country. Ruairí is the recipien

Luke Concannon is a fiercely passionate English singer-songwriter who, with his own record label, has sold millions of records across the world while keeping his feet firmly on the ground. Like so many English artists including Ed Sheeran, Oasis, Morrissey, Lennon and McCartney, Luke grew up in an English household rooted in Irish heritage and the traditions of family gatherings and sing-songs. His band Nizlopi achieved mass fame with their no.1  hit the JCB song which is written as a beautiful ode from a young Luke to his father. Nizlopi had a famously D.I.Y approach and their raw energy inspired a young Ed Sheeran to become one of their biggest fans. Ed cites them as a major influence on him and once spent 2 weeks on the road with the band learning the ropes. He has also recently recorded a song with Luke. After Nizlopi ended, Luke went through a period of reflection and discovery including what he calls a hitch-hiking vision quest to Palestine where he worked a peace worker. Now a solo artist living in Bos

World renowned spiritual teacher, author and lecturer Marianne Williamson has for the past 35 years been a popular voice in American public life, featuring extensively on television shows such as Oprah, Larry King Live, Good Morning America and Bill Maher. Originally from Houston, Texas, she is the author of 12 books, four of which have been no. 1 bestsellers, including A Return To Love, a book which led Oprah to become an important champion of her work. Marianne has always had a practical side to her writing, speaking and teaching. In 1989 she founded a meals-on-wheels programme that served homebound people with AIDS and she also co-founded the Peace Alliance. In 2014 she ran for congress but was unsuccessful. However,  as you’ll hear in this interview, this hasn’t stopped her political campaigning and by the sounds of it we may not have seen the last of her political ambitions. It was fascinating to learn about her remarkable life story when I sat down with her in her home near central park in Manhattan. I

My guest in this episode is Gara LaMarche who is one of the world’s leading voices on funding and philanthropy for social justice. Originally from Rhode island, Gara was the first in his family to go to college and he became the youngest person ever to serve on an ACLU policy committee. During his college years at Colombia he says he was a reluctant student and spent much of his time teaching at a nursery school in Harlem which he credits as being one of the most formative experiences of his distinguished career. As a former CEO of the Atlantic Philanthropies, a former director of U.S programs for the Open Society Institute, and now the President of the Democracy Alliance, Gara has overseen the investment of tens of millions of dollars into social justice programs around the world. He has also worked with Pen America and Human Rights Watch, and is currently the chair of StoryCorps. I first met Gara several years ago when he was visiting Dublin as part of his work with Atlantic Philanthropies and it was great

Siobhán O’Donoghue is one of Ireland’s leading community change makers. For over twenty years she has been blazing a trail to help improve the lives of others. Originally from County Clare in the West of Ireland, Siobhán is a former nurse who eventually got involved in youth and community work and in advocating for Travellers rights. She is a founding director of the Migrant Rights Centre of Ireland which she built up over 11 years, and more recently she has become the founding director of the Uplift campaigning organisation which has become one of Ireland’s most influential forces for people power. I’ve been part Uplift’s founding journey over the past few years and I currently sit on the board and in the course of this I’ve had the good fortune to get to know Siobhan and to learn a lot from her. She constantly amazes me with her endless energy, enthusiasm, and dedication, and what I really love about her is that she manages to keep smiling and have fun in the midst of taking on so many big campaigns and str

Robert is an acclaimed artist and draft resister who risked prison for his conscientious objection to the Vietnam War. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1946, Robert is best known for his portrait series “Americans Who Tell The Truth” which he began as a personal response to the U.S war against Iraq.   He has painted 100s of Americans who he sees as beacons for truth. People like Amy Goodman, Edward Snowden, Joanna Macy, Noam Chomsky and Pete Seeger.   Robert has travelled the world as part of the Americans Who Tell The Truth project and he has now started a non-profit organization that encourages students to explore models of courageous citizenship.   I met Robert at the World Fellowship Center, a renowned social justice retreat and conference center in New Hampshire that was founded in 1941 as a place of sanctuary and recreation for people of all religions and races.   Robert, who now lives in Maine, shared his fascinating life story with me including incredible stories of the pressures he faced

Chaz Jewett, or Red Morning Star Woman, a native American woman from the Lakota tribe in central South Dakota. She has been active in the environmental movement since a young age and during her youth she had to overcome abuse and huge suffering in her community. Chas has been a leading light in the Standing Rock movement that inspired the world with its dignified native led resistance to the Dakota access oil pipeline. Chas is a community organiser who is passionate about reclaiming and honouring indigenous rights and traditions and ensuring her community finally starts to be heard. I met up with her during her tour of Ireland organised by Donal O’Kelly, Afri and various human rights and environmental groups. Her visit took place on the eve of the republic’s historic ban on fracking. This was a fascinating conversation with a remarkable woman who I think you’re going to enjoy hearing from. ---------------------- ........... About the podcast The Love and Courage podcast features interviews with inspirational

Irish-Australian peace activist Ciaron O'Reilly was once described by Martin Sheen as his personal hero. Ciaron grew up in Australia and has spent his life in the Christian anarchist pacifist Catholic Worker movement. Ciaron was mentored by the renowned anti-war priests Frs. Daniel and Philip Berrigan and for over 40 years now he has focused on supporting homeless communities and campaigning on Aboriginal, East Timorese, prisoner and refugee struggles. Part of this campaigning is explored in his book Remembering Forgetting: A Journey of Non-violent Resistance to the War in East Timor. Ciaron has participated in numerous often controversial acts of civil disobedience – including the disabling of a B52 Bomber in New York on the eve of the 1991 Gulf War for which he served 13 months in U.S prisons. His actions also included disabling uranium mining equipment at the Australian Jabiluka mine site in 1998 and a U. S. Navy war plane at Shannon Airport during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In recent years he has bee

A few words of reflection from podcast host Ruairí McKiernan. http://www.loveandcourage.org ........... About the podcast The Love and Courage podcast features interviews with inspirational people who are making a real difference in the world today. Guests are typically people passionate about social justice, and who have demonstrated courage and conviction in their lives. Host Ruairí­ McKiernan is leading Irish social innovator, campaigner, writer and public speaker. He is the founder of the pioneering SpunOut.ie youth organization, and helped set-up the Uplift and the A Lust For Life non-profits. In 2012 the President of Ireland Michael D Higgins appointed Ruairí­ to the Council of State, a national constitutional advisory body whose members include all current and former leaders of the country. Ruairí is the recipient of numerous awards, including a Fulbright fellowship, and he contributes regularly to the media on youth, health, community and social justice issues. ................. Subscribe, download