We're joined by Lynn Boylan for episode #096 of Paddy Holohan's No Shame Podcast. Lynn is an Ecologist & former Member of the European Parliament. Boylan is on the show to discuss some of the major news stories of the last few weeks including the destruction of the Tallaght wetlands, the climate emergency & the influence of Greta Thunberg. Lynn also talks about her amazing work with families of the Stardust tragedy campaign in their bid for justice, which has now lead to a new inquest.
During this week's podcast Lynn & Paddy discuss the current state of the media & journalism in particular, with reference to the 'Fake News' culture. Lynn talks about the need for the public to be more media literate when it comes to understanding that many news outlets are backed by large corporations that have the power to censor any unwanted publicity.
Instagram has helped contribute to a false representation of reality online & some take this to the next level by deliberately creating a false representation of the news to deter & detract from the stories we need to hear about. It's never been more easier to mislead the public.
Watch episode #096 of Paddy Holohan's No Shame Podcast below:
On the subject of major news headlines, Paddy & Lynn address the Tallaght Wetlands debacle which saw a large area of the site covered in over 4 foot of silt, destroying a natural wild life habitat which included frogs, bats & endangered eels. Lynn talks about the miss communication between South Dublin County Council which lead to the destruction & highlights measures that can be taken to salvage the situation.
As an ecologist Lynn is an expert when it comes to climate change & discusses some of the myths, facts & figures surrounding climate change. The severity of the situation is still something that most people are unaware of, with the point of no return fast approaching. It's not enough to just recycle anymore, we need to reduce our carbon footprint by significantly reducing the amount of waste we produce on a daily basis.
Paddy broaches the subject of Greta Thunberg & whether or not she's a positive influence. Boylan highlights the fact that Thunberg is a figure that will inspire her generation to challenge the system & is unique in the sense that she's probably the first big influencer of her age that hasn't come from a reality TV show.
Listen to / download episode #096 of Paddy Holohan's No Shame Podcast below:
Lynn was instrumental in the campaign to secure the release & safe return Ibrahim Halawa to Ireland in 2017. Her work gained the attention of the families of Stardust tragedy & she was approached to help them in their bid for justice. She tells Paddy about shocking circumstances which led to the fire at the Stardust night club in 1981, resulting in the deaths of 48 teenagers with 213 injured.
The victims were predominantly from working class areas & it's widely believed that justice would have prevailed a long time ago had they originated from middle class/upper class backgrounds. Since getting involved in the campaign, Lynn has had a significant impact with an Inquest announced earlier this week. This is a truly powerful segment of the podcast.
Also on this week's show, Lynn reflects on her political career to date with Sinn Féin. Boylan discusses the exhilarating highs & crushing lows of the campaign trail. The personal high point for Lynn was winning a seat in Europe in 2014, serving as an MEP for 5 years. The low point came earlier this year when Boylan lost her seat in the local elections.
Episodes like this are incredibly important, we've all listened to podcasts from overseas & scarcely believed how corrupt foreign countries can be. In actual fact if we take a closer look at our own government & the generations that have gone before, things are just as bad closer to home. We need to educate ourselves, inform ourselves & question everything around us, challenge everything around us, before it's too late.
The full episode #096 of Paddy Holohan's No Shame Podcast with Lynn Boylan is available now across all the usual platforms including Youtube, Spotify & iTunes.
