Terry McMahon | Film Director | Writer | Activist

Ibrahim Halawa | Human Rights Activist | Former Political Prisoner

We’re joined by Ibrahim Halawa for episode #110 of Paddy Holohan’s No Shame Podcast. Ibrahim, a human rights activist, is currently studying Law in UCD. The Tallaght native was wrongfully imprisoned without trial in 2013, while on a family holiday to Egypt. At the time, Ibrahim was just 17 years of age & would spend the next 4 years in Egyptian prison, finally being released in October 2017 & acquitted of all charges. This weeks podcast is the full story of Ibrahim’s journey to freedom, told from his perspective. Halawa attended a protest in Rabaa Square, Cairo during that Summer after two of his friends had been shot dead by the military, under the command of Sisi (The current President of Egypt). The protest quickly turned violent, with 97 people being killed by soldiers. Ibrahim & his sisters took refuge in a mosque with almost 500 other protesters. The protesters spent two days in the Mosque with no food or water. It had been reported on various media outlets that the mosque had been burned with everyone inside perishing from the fire. At the same time his 'death' was being announced on Egyptian TV, Ibrahim was streaming live on Facebook. It was a move that possibly saved the lives of everyone trapped inside as the Dublin native later realised the military were planning to shoot everyone & use the fire story as a coverup. Those plans were scrapped once various news stations picked up on Ibrahim’s feed. Everyone in the Mosque was instead captured & brought to a military camp in the dessert, where they were held in inhumane conditions for over 50 days. Ibrahim had been separated from his sisters & feared for their safety above all else. After surviving the horrific conditions of the camp Ibrahim was eventually sentenced to prison without trial for crimes that he didn’t commit, this has been proven by eye witness accounts. There was no timeline on a release date, conditions hadn’t improved much from camp, however there was a silver-lining for Halawa with the news that his sisters had been released & were able to return home to Ireland. During his time in prison Halawa was kept in darkness, was rarely aloud out of his cell but remained in good spirits by praying, rapping Eminem lyrics & teaching Irish slang to some of his prison mates, 'Whats the craic'. Halawa speaks of the strength his family gave him during his time in captivity. They kept him going through hell & never gave up hope of his release. Ibrahim tells Paddy of the Irish government’s reluctance to get involved with his case during his time in captivity & it wasn’t until the intervention of then, MEP, Lynn Boylan, that the tide began to change. The Sinn Féin politician, along with human rights Lawyer Darragh Mackin, made their way to Egypt to meet Ibrahim & began a campaign for his release. Lynn raised the issue in the European Parliament & called on the Irish people to support the campaign for Ibrahim’s freedom. In the mean time depression had kicked in for the Tallaght native, he was sharing a cell with 120 other people, it was pitch black, the prison guards were regularly beating him due to his high profile in the media, his mother was suffering from cancer back home in Ireland. Halawa began a hunger strike in the hope that it would get him out of jail one way or another. The hunger strike would last for 87 days. In Ireland, the campaign had gained massive traction, there was huge support from the Irish people, putting pressure on the Irish government to intervene. During this time Enda Kenny had stepped down as Taoiseach & Leo Varadkar had taken over. Varadkar contacted the Egyptian government calling on Ibrahim to be released, adding massive weight to the campaign. Eventually the day of trial arrived.

Terry McMahon | Film Director | Writer | Activist

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; color: #0d0d0d; background-color: #f9f9f9} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; color: #0d0d0d; background-color: #f9f9f9; min-height: 17.0px} p.p3 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; color: #0d0d0d} p.p4 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 15.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #14171a; background-color: #f5f8fa; min-height: 17.0px} p.p5 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 15.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #14171a; background-color: #f5f8fa} span.s1 {font-kerning: none} span.s2 {font-kerning: none; background-color: #f9f9f9} span.s3 {font: 15.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; font-kerning: none; color: #14171a; background-color: #f5f8fa} span.s4 {font: 14.0px Arial; font-kerning: none; color: #222222} Award winning film director, writer & activist, Terry McMahon returns to the studio for episode #109 of Paddy Holohan's No Shame podcast. The ‘Charlie Casanova’ & ‘Patrick’s Day’ director marks his second appearance on the show ahead of the release of his new documentary ’The Prizefighter’ airs tomorrow, Wednesday, 6th of January on Virigin Media 1, at 10pm Irish time. ‘The Prizefighter’ follows the journey of professional boxer, Gary ‘Spike’ O Sullivan & his coach Packie Collins as they embark on a three-fight deal with Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy promotions. The film is a brilliant portrait piece on Spike as a person, detailing the trials, tribulations & sacrifices of a fighter. Terry talks about the production of the project & details the level of respect he has for both Spike & Packie as two genuine human beings. Also on this weeks show Paddy & Terry discuss the major talking point of the week in Irish politics, the decision of the Fine Gael government to hold a State Commemoration for the RIC & DMP. It’s a move that’s left many people with raised eyebrows given both the RIC & DMP’s ties with the Black & Tans.

Scott Atman | Film Director | Animator

We’re joined by award winning director & animator Scott Altman for episode #108 of Paddy Holohan’s No Shame Podcast. Scott is on the show to discuss some of his recent projects surrounding the homeless crisis in Ireland along with touching on his impressive career to date. This episode of the podcast is an extremely relevant discussion on the Ireland of today, encouraging plenty of discussion & debate, saddle up.In 2013, Scott Altman won the Wide Eye Media (formally Carlton Screen Advertising) Director of the Year award for his cinema advert to promote Hot Press magazine. That year Altman worked with Kanye West and soon after set-up Defunct Films where he has directed and executive-produced hit pop videos for Shift K3Y, Philip George & Anton Powers and Jax Jones, that have received millions of views online and been Top 20 most downloaded videos on iTunes. More recently Scott was commissioned by Saatchi & Saatchi to direct a series of adverts to promote new soft drink FreshBe, and directed a pilot involving actors Alan Ford (Snatch), Adam Fogerty (Legend), Natasha Byrne (Holby City) and new talents. Scott grew up with a talent for art & began working in Ardmore studios while still in school. He studied animation in Ballyfermot & upon graduation received funding from the Irish Film Board to complete his first film, about a rat who snorted crack- cocaine. Altman found it difficult to break onto the Irish animation scene & began working on the toll bridge beside the Three Arena, (the Point Depot). One night after completing a shift he wandered onto the movie set of ‘Evelyn’ in his uniform & was mistaken for security by the crew. Within 20 minutes he was guarding Pierce Brosnan, keeping the growing crowd at bay. This added fuel to the fire & encouraged Scott to follow his heart & pursue his dreams.Scott eventually got contract work in Ireland as an animator but when those projects where completed he went travelling with his friends on a world trip for a year. Altman’s first stop was in LA, he was staying near Skid Row, an area inhabited by thousands of homeless people. At 23 years of age this was Scott’s first real experience with homelessness. After a year of travelling with long spells in Australia & New Zealand Altman returned to Ireland. His time was brief however, with a lack of jobs & frustration mounting, he booked a one way ticket to Bangkok, Thailand had an excellent VFX scene. Within a week he’d landed the job he wanted, which would see him stay in Bangkok for year. Scott’s work in Bangkok didn’t go unnoticed & MTV came calling. Altman worked on the MTV awards & spent the next few weeks located in their Camden office in London. This was a milestone for Scott as he’d grown up admiring everything MTV created. He spent the next 2-3 years raising his profile with MTV while working on side projects too. Some of the music videos Scott created for Digitalism & Seasick Steve received widespread praise. Scott received representation soon after & his transition into the directing world was complete. As a young director Altman received a lot of rejection, which was gut wrenching at times, but he dug deep, never gave up & got stronger at his trade, eventually making him one of the strongest candidates for any project he pitched for. One particular music video from Shift K3Y put Altman on the map as the guy who created the Ibiza styled videos. This was a popular trend in the music industry at the time & everyone wanted Scott to recreated to same style, with a fraction of the budget. By this stage of his career the digital age was in full swing & declining budgets, along with unrealistic client expectations left Altman exhausted & drained mentally. Scott realised it was time for a change, stripped everything back & began working on his own projects independently.

A Very No Shame Christmas with Paddy Holohan & Santa Claus

It’s the Christmas episode of Paddy Holohan’s No Shame Podcast & we’re joined by the main man himself, the OG of the holiday season, Santa Claus. On this week’s show, jolly old Saint Nick talks to Paddy about the story of Christmas, the true meaning of the holiday season & why it’s a time for hope. Although he can make it look easy at times, it hasn’t always been plain sailing for Santa as he discusses some of the more difficult challenges that come with the job such as Sleigh insurance premiums, being chased by dogs & the logistical nightmare of having to start his Christmas Eve rounds from the South Pole side of the world. One of the big issues in Ireland around this time of year is the homeless crisis with the number of homeless families increasing by over 380% since October 2014. 1 in every 3 people in emergency accommodation is a child but Santa urges those kids not to give up hope as he has enlisted the help of various Irish homeless charities around the country to ensure that nobody is forgotten about. The homeless crisis is a topic that Father Christmas is extremely passionate about & lists it as one of the primary reasons for naming Leo Varadkar top of the 2019 Naughty list. Santa also reveals some of the strangest Christmas wish list requests he’s recieved over the years along with the requirements needed to become an ‘Elf on The Shelf’ (Paddy was just asking for a mate). During the podcast Santa also pays a heartfelt tribute to all the parents that go above and beyond every year to assist him in his role, insisting that he wouldn’t be able to do it without their support. It wouldn’t be the most wonderful time of the year without a good film & Santa tells us about some of his favourite Christmas movies, with an honourable mention for Will Ferrell’s portrayal of Buddy the Elf in the 2003 hit ‘Elf’. Father Christmas also weighs in on the ‘Is Die Hard a Christmas Movie?’ debate before officially declaring his opinion on the matter… maybe now we can all move on with our lives? Saint Nick completes his residency at Luggwoods Enchanted Forrest early today before setting off to the North Pole for final preparations ahead of the biggest night of year. The man in red gives some solid Christmas Eve advice to everyone listening at home with the recommendation of going to bed a bit earlier than usual. Although port is his drink of choice, Claus is flying a sleigh tonight, so Milk & cookies will do just fine. This week’s episode really is a Christmas Cracker & We’d like to thank Mr.Cringle for taking time out of his insanely busy schedule to stop by SBG D24. We hope you enjoy watching the show as much as we did filming it & we’d like to wish everyone a happy Christmas. Most importantly stay safe, remember to give your friends a big hug & tell your family you love them if they haven’t heard it in a while.   The full episode #107 of Paddy Holohan’s No Shame Podcast is available now across all the usual platforms including, Youtube, iTunes & Spotify. Thank you for all of your support this year.

Imelda Duffy | Duffy's Circus Original

The incredibly stylish & extremley glamorous Imelda Duffy joins us in the studio for episode #106 of Paddy Holohan’s No Shame Podcast. The Duffy’s name has been associated with the Circus since the 1850’s & the family have been touring Ireland for generations. Imelda is the Daughter of James Duffy & on this weeks podcast she relives some of her fondest memories of growing up on the road & talks about the transition of Circus life from then to now.