The Sperrins: Mining, Power & Community in Northern Ireland
Episodes
#No.38 The Bog Is Not Empty A Conversation with Artist Emily McFarland
21 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What if the land we call empty is anything but? In this episode, artist Emily McFarland brings the bog into focus, as a living archive of memory, wate...
#No. 37 The Sperrins at a Crossroads: Wind Power , Extraction and the Green Transition
14 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Ann-Louise Bresnahan of Save The Moat – Save The Sperrins joins me to talk about the proposed industrial-scale wind development on the Moat, part of...
#No.36 Mount Polley, Indigenous Land Rights and the Real Cost of Mining – with Nuskmata
07 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I speak with Nuskmata , Jacinda Mack Indigenous land defender from the Nlaka’pamux and Secwépemc peoples, and a long-standing ad...
#No.35 When “Public” Isn’t Public . A conversation with Gerard Moyne and Sean Gallagher
28 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I speak with Gerard Moyne and Sean Gallagher, residents of Donegal living downstream from the proposed Dalradian gold mine in the Spe...
#No.34 Peatlands, Carbon, and the Public Inquiry with Alessandra Accogli & Elena Aitova
21 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we sit down with Alessandra Accogli and Elena Aitova to talk about peatlands, carbon, and the role of evidence in the public inquiry ...
#No.33 Pat and Nuala: Living 5 Miles from Europe’s Largest Aluminium Plant
14 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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...
#No.32 From the High Ground with Cahal Keenan
07 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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’...
# No. 31 99th Day: The Cost of the New Mining Rush with Gerry McGovern
31 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 b...
At the Turning of the Year: A 2025 Round-Up
31 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 t...
#No.29 Extractivism, Emissions and the Reality Behind COP30- A Conversation with Lynda Sullivan
27 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ju...
#No.28 One Landscape, One Fight: Cross-Border Resistance to Fracking & Mining
20 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
#No.27 Raised by the Hills – A Conversation with Kelan Grant
13 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week’s podcast features Kelan Grant, a successful professional mountain biker — and a childhood friend of my own children, with family ties t...
#No.26 Business, Human Rights and the Battle for Accountability a Conversation with Chris O Connell Trócaire .
07 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Chris O’Connell, Trócaire In this episode of Protecting the Sperrins – Voices from the Frontline, Marella Fyffe speaks with Chris O’Connell, Se...
#No.25 How Small Food Producers Strengthen a Rural Economy: Dart Mountain Cheese
29 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s episode, I sit down with Julie from Dart Mountain Cheese, an artisan cheesemaking company rooted deep in the foothills of the Sperrin...
#No.24 UK Critical Minerals Strategy 2035: What It Means for Communities and the Environment
23 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this bonus episode, I dig into the UK’s newly published Critical Minerals Strategy 2035 — a document dressed up as environmental responsibility...
#No.23 Dr Steven H. Emerman – The Science of Failure: Truth, Risk, and Responsibility
22 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Marella speaks with Dr Steven H. Emerman, hydrologist, geophysicist, and one of the world’s leading independent experts on mine tai...
#No.22 Mining the Truth: A Conversation with Lynda Sullivan
15 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lynda Sullivan has spent years working with communities affected by mining, from the Andes to the Sperrins. She speaks about how Ireland became a “g...
#No.21 Butterlope Farm – A Different Kind of Progress
08 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we visit Butterlope Farm near Plumbridge, in the heart of the Sperrin Mountains, where Annie and Vincent Mullan have built a life roo...
#No.20 From the Sperrins to COP 30: Dr Lorna Gold on Caring for Creation
01 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Marella speaks with Dr Lorna Gold, Executive Director of the Laudato Si’ Movement — a global network inspired by Pope Francis’s...
# No 19. Sacred Sperrins Living Land :A Conversation with Kerry McCory
25 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I speak with Kerry McCrory, who lives in Coneyglen in the heart of the Sperrins. Through her holistic practice, Kerry helps people re...
#No.18 Frontlines of Justice:James Orr on Power, Place and the Politics of Extraction
18 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this conversation, James Orr — Director of Friends of the Earth Northern Ireland — joins us to reflect on decades of environmental work, solida...
#No.17Divided by Gold, Rooted in Place: Emma Conway on Family, Land and Belonging
11 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this conversation, Marella speaks with Emma Conway, founder of Sperrin Soul Forest School — a mother, educator, and member of an extended l...
#No.16 Hope is a Luxury, Resistance is Intergenerational – Gerry McGovern Speaks Out
04 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when the drive for endless growth leaves nothing but waste behind? Gerry McGovern, author of the After the Goldrush podcast , joins me to...
#No. 15 Sinéad Ní Mhearnóg : Language, Community and Courage
27 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode I speak with Sinéad Ní Mhearnóg Uí Ghéibheannaigh, a young mother, poet, and advocate for the Irish language from ConyGlen near G...
#No.14 Law, Land, and Justice: Dr Amy Strecker on the Sperrins
20 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I speak with Dr Amy Strecker, Associate Professor at the Sutherland School of Law in UCD and one of the volunteer expert witnesses su...
#No.13 Council Stands with the People, Not Dalradian
18 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This update brings you inside the Council chamber as Fermanagh and Omagh District Council refused Dalradian’s latest attempts to delay site restorat...
#No.12 Dancing with the Earth: Mary McGuiggan on Rights of Nature and Connection
13 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I sit down with Mary McGuiggan — A Derry woman, retired primary school teacher, renowned Irish dancer and dance teacher, activist, ...
#No.11 Hard-Earned Wisdom from Navan: A Conversation with Nuala and Mairéad Heaney
06 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What is it really like to live beside a mine? In this episode of the Save Our Sperrins Podcast – Voices from the Frontline, we hear from sisters Nua...
#No.10 From Greencastle to the Council: Emmet McAleer on Speaking Truth to Power
30 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From community halls to the council chamber, Emmet McAleer carried the voice of the Sperrins into local government. Here he reflects on that journey. ...
# No.9 Drawing the Line: Counter-Mapping the Sperrins with V’cenza Cirefice
24 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode I sit down with V’cenza Cirefice — activist, researcher and long-time supporter of Save Our Sperrins. V’cenza has been a constan...
#No.8 At the Doorstep of the Mine: Olivia and Tish on Protecting Greencastle’s Future
17 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode I talk with Olivia and Tish, two young mums living just a stone’s throw from where the mine and processing plant are planned. Their ...
#No. 7 Human Rights in the Hills: Mary Lawlor on Defending the Defenders
10 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Human Rights in the Hills: Mary Lawlor on Defending the Defenders What happens when a rural community stands its ground for ten years—and the world ...
#No.6 This Is Our Land: The Hollywoods on Farming, Family and the Fight for the Sperrins
03 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Hollywood family have lived and farmed in the Sperrins for generations. But now, their home lies in the shadow of a proposed goldmine. In this mov...
#No. 5 Bridging Divides - Nature , Healing and Protecting the Sperrin Mountains
27 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this thoughtful and quietly powerful conversation, we speak with Dr Louise Taylor — a political researcher, ecotherapist, and member of the Uni...
#No. 4 Ten Years On: Reflections from the Heart of the Sperrins
19 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
About this episode: This solo podcast marks a major milestone: ten years since a group of ordinary people in the Sperrin Mountains in Northern Ireland...
# No. 3 Ten Years On: Fidelma, Cormac, and the Power of Community
10 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we hear from two key voices in the Save Our Sperrins campaign — Fidelma O’Kane and Cormac McAleer. While many played a part in fo...
#No. 2 Save Our Sperrins Podcast Special: What Happened at the Public Inquiry January 2025
08 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this special episode of the Sperrins Podcast, we take you inside the short-lived but revealing Public Inquiry into the Dalradian goldmine proposal....
#No. 1 Introduction to Save Our Sperrins Podcast
11 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In our debut episode, we explore the breathtaking beauty and profound significance of the Sperrin Mountains. Discover why this unique landscape, rich ...