SCÉALTA, the popular weekly video podcast produced by Fáilte Feirste Thair and Féile an Phobail, is joining forces with belfastmedia.com.
Orignially launched as a lunchtime show on Féile FM, the series was brought into a new era with the onset of Covid in March 2020 when the legendary Joe Austin reoccupied the hot seat to interview local personalities from across West Belfast alongside friends from across the world.
In under two years, the series has gathered a cult following across YouTube and various social media platforms as viewers regularly tune in each Thursday in to watch Joe chat to various personalities from current Lord Mayor of Belfast, Kate Nicholl to the world famous Frances Black and even our very own Squinter alter ego, Robin Livingstone.
From next Friday, you will be able to view the previous night’s interview here on belfastmedia.com. To give you a flavour of what to expect we have selected our top five Scéalta interviews over the years.
In Conversation With Linda Ervine
Linda Ervine is a language rights activist from East Belfast. She is a speaker and supporter of the Irish language and is the project leader of Turas, an Irish language project which aims to connect people from Protestant communities to their own history with the Irish language. In this fascinating talk, hear about Linda’s Socialist upbringing in East Belfast, her life as a teenager and how she discovered her love for Irish language.
In Conversation with Frances Black
Frances Black is an internationally acclaimed Irish folk singer and human rights campaigner. She is a founding member of The Rise Foundation, a charitable organisation which is dedicated to assisting families in understanding the nature of the disease of addiction and the profound effects it has on relationships.
She was elected to Seanad Éireann as an independent Senator in 2016. In January 2018 Frances presented the Occupied Territories Bill to the Oireachtas that was passed by majorities in both the Seanad and the Dáil.
Frances is a founding member and Chairperson of Ireland's Future which advocates for and promotes debate and discussion on the future constitutional arrangements on the island.
In Conversation with Robin Livingstone
Robin Livingstone is Group Editor of the Belfast Media Group. He has been involved in local journalism in west Belfast as a reporter and editor for over 30 years.
In Conversation with Prof. Peter Shirlow
Professor Peter Shirlow is the Director at the University of Liverpool’s Institute of Irish Studies. He was formerly the Deputy Director of the Institute for Conflict Transformation and Social Justice, Queens University Belfast. He is a Visiting Research Professor at the Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice and sits on the editorial boards of Irish Political Studies and International Planning Studies.
Professor Shirlow has undertaken conflict transformation work in the North and has used that knowledge in exchanges with governments, former combatants and NGOs in the former Yugoslavia, Moldova, Bahrain and Iraq.
In Conversation with Belfast Lord Mayor, Kate Nicholl
Born in Marondera in Zimbabwe, Kate's mother is from South Africa and her father from Co Down. Amidst civic violence breaking out in Zimbabwe in 2000 her family moved to Belfast when she was 12.
Cllr Kate Nicholl is the first person in recent times to become Lord Mayor of Belfast who was not born in Britain or Ireland. She has described becoming Mayor as a "positive message to all other newcomers" and has adopted "Our Belfast" as her theme for her year in office.
