Una and Andrea's United Ireland

Pressing Pause... by Una & Andrea's United Ireland

It's our 2022 Summer Jam! On this episode, we give you our on top 20 cheerful summer vibes; things to look forward to, positive changes a'coming, good vibes to soak up, and all round Positive Pam feelings. Enjoy!

What makes a city sing when it comes to biodiversity? We're joined by Dublin City Council's biodiversity officer, Lorraine Bull to talk about wilding, bees, otter surveys, and making the capital greener. Also, Andrea is raging with Apple, our queen JLo ties the knot, and the plans for "culture" at the former site of the Tivoli theatre stall.

BONUS EP: The Uber Files with Simon Carswell by Una & Andrea's United Ireland

Attention paid to dereliction across Ireland has increased hugely during the pandemic, with a grassroots anti-dereliction movement emerging from ordinary people interested in addressing the scourge of vacancy and dereliction, but also offering solutions that should be acted on now, which would address aspects of the housing crisis, improve villages, towns and cities across Ireland. On this episode, we speak to James McGauran who has launched Dog House, a portal for derelict properties, and also Jude Sherry, one of the people behind #DerelictIreland which took off on Irish Twitter in 2020.

It’s a time of great distress and anger in the US and beyond, as Roe V Wade was overturned by a Supreme Court once again throwing the future of American democracy into turmoil. But don’t despair. In this episode we turn to hope, tactics, strategy, and mobilisation with the great Ailbhe Smyth. Instead of repeating the same conversations rattling around, could this be a moment for radical change? Also in this ep; the airport and airline breakdown, Una reflects on Neale Richmond’s grievances, and Andrea calls for a Head of Aesthetics for Dublin City.

For our final episode before Dublin Pride's biggest weekend, we're talking to Philly McMahon and Philip Connaughton about their new production, Party Scene, which examines chemsex and community. Plus, Andrea and Una give their verdicts on J Lo's Halftime (and her giant bejazzled coffee cup), and Roisin Murphy held hands with Andrea, so now they're best friends.

This week Blake Lemoine, a Google engineer was put on leave after he claimed an AI program, named LaMDA, had become sentient. We've all seen the movies where AI becomes sentient, turns on humans and machines take over the world - is this what's happening now? In a word, no. But we are joined by Dr William Ratoff, Asst Professor at the Department of Philosophy, School of Social Sciences and Philosophy at Trinity, who has a focus on current various issues in the ethics and regulation of artificial intelligence to discuss the possibility and implications of machine sentience. We're also discussing the frustration of being a lesbian journalist listening to & reading all the anti-trans sentiment coming through Irish media; wondering if the SocDems have all the solutions ready to roll for the housing crisis, nay disaster, that President Higgins so spicily called out and how the lack of confidence in ABP has gone official as Cork County Council passes vote of no confidence. Plus great art at the RHA, techno & g

Mick Clifford is one of the most experienced and dogged journalists in Irish media. He is a special correspondent at the Irish Examiner, and author of several books, in genres as broad as political analysis and crime novels. On this episode, we talk about Mick's career, and his focus on corruption, especially the Garda whistleblower scandal. But our main focus is on planning, from Mick's time at the Mahon Tribunal to his current reporting on An Bord Pleanála. What's going down in ABP as the wheels come off, and is Ireland as corrupt as many people think it is?

We begin June with a different look at Pride. What happens when queer activists use their learnings to tackle issues that wouldn't be traditionally seen as LGBTQ+? We're joined by Irish filmmaker Paul Rowley in New York, who has been documenting the protest and creative activist group Gays Against Guns, in the wake of more horrific mass-shootings in the US. Plus, the ABP tea keeps spilling, the country is in a weird blend of 2007+2010 energy, and it's festival season and we're getting ready to rave.

Confused about the crypto crash? How will this turbulent time in digital currency impact society? We’re joined by Alex Hern, Technology Editor at The Guardian to discuss buying the dip, Ponzi scheme characteristics, and evangelical crypto communities. Also, Emer Higgins is back, the rolling An Bord Pleanála drama, and loads of techno tales.

Across Ireland, small businesses are facing a near-crippling confluence of events; the staffing crisis impacting hiring and retention, out of control insurance costs, crazy energy price hikes, and inflation across the board. There's also the housing and rental crisis which is having a huge impact on small businesses. On this episode, we're digging into the reality of these issues, as well as looking at immediate solutions that could help. Andrea is repping Tropical Popical's perspective, and Colm Keane of the award-winning Daddy's cafe is talking about the various issues hitting independent hospitality businesses hard. Also: An Bord Pleanála, Housing For All(?), Conversations with Friends & An Cailin Ciúin.

The date of the Assembly Election, May 5th, was also the anniversary of Bobby Sands' death, a seismic moment in Irish history. On this bonus episode, we talk to Laurence McKeown, who also joined the hunger strikes that changed the political landscape. McKeown is an author, playwright, and poet, who was also imprisoned in the H-Blocks, and spent 70 days on hunger strike. In this episode, he discusses his memoir which details his time in prison, the trajectory of those protests, and how the discourse around Irish unity has changed.

It's our final #AE22 instalment before the North goes to the polls, and this week, we're talking borders. But not the border discourse you're used to. Many, many people are prevented from moving from county to county in this country because of border restrictions placed on visa-nationals. Imagine working in a hospital in Derry, but being unable to take a day trip to a Derry beach. Imagine living with fear of being "caught" driving your child to school if it involves crossing the apparently invisible border. Imagine being racially profiled on public transport. This is the reality for many people on this island. We'll be joined by people from the North West Migrants Forum to discuss how to end the racist border, and what its day-to-day impact is on people's lives. If you'd like to get involved in this, you can find more information on the North West Migrants Forum website: https://www.nwmf.org.uk - from signing the petition to finding email templates to contact ROI TD's. We're also talking about Darragh O'Bri

Dr Ciara Fitzpatrick of Ulster University School of Law joins us to discuss what we feel is probably the biggest underlying election issue in the North: poverty. What aspects of poverty hit harder in the North, and why? With the cost of living crisis spirally, we chat about the problems and the solutions. Also, Andrea has a life-changing experience at Roisin Murphy, and it's the return of J LO NEWS.

On our third instalment examining issues beyond the headlines during election season in the North, we're digging into the parties - as in the ones on the dancefloor. Which political party has decent arts and culture policies? We're also joined by AVA bosswoman Sarah McBriar who gives us an insight into running one of the most interesting festivals on the island, and how Belfast is leading the way in electronic music culture.

On our second NI Assembly spesh, we’re looking beyond the traditional binaries to spotlight one of the new era of candidates that are focussing on being independent voices in the hope of being elected in a jurisdiction known for partisan politics. Emma DeSouza joins us to discuss her ideas, and the changing landscape of voters and the issues they’re invested in, in the North. Also, NASCAR racing, Brit Brit is preg preg and the wondrous Saint Sister make magic in the Olympia.

EPISODE 139: Assembly Election Spesh #1: The Big Picture by Una & Andrea's United Ireland

BYLINE is back! This month, we're chatting to The Irish Times' Public Affairs Editor, Simon Carswell. Carswell is known in the industry for his breadth of expertise, his fastidiousness, and his capacity to take on any beat. His background in financial journalism - when he worked at both the Business Post and then the Irish Times - switched gears to American politics when he became the Washington Correspondent of the Irish Times during Obama's second term. In this episode, we're talking about what it took to cover a pandemic, his time in Cuba with Obama, covering the Irish banking crisis and loads more. BYLINE is a companion series to United Ireland where we talk to great journalists about the stories that matter. Your support of United Ireland on Patreon helps make this series happen, so if you haven't signed up yet, please do! It costs just €3/month.

Peter O'Dwyer of the Business Post joins us to discuss the Irish aircraft leasing sector's turbulent times, with leased jets languishing in Russia in the face of EU sanctions, how did this industry come to be massive in Ireland, and can they get their planes back? If you've always wondered what Ireland's strong connections are with this sector, here's the explainer you've been waiting for!