Keeping It Good

The incredible language rights activist, teacher and MBE Linda Ervine, founder of Turas project in East Belfast, talks to Jools about her roots, and the routes that led to the innovative Turas project that breaks barriers and advances reconciliation in Ireland through the Irish language.  Her story is an incredible story of passion, ability, teaching and reconciliation in the midst of a community that would (until recently) given little credibility (if any) to one of their own learning and teaching Irish. She also takes the time to correct Jools's attempts at a chat in Irish!

In this conversation we are so proud to have Jools in conversion with the first female Provost of Ireland's number 1 University, Trinity College Dublin. They talk about how and why Linda got to where she is. And amongst other things they talk about leadership and what is required in these days to run a university that truly exists to transform the world through a Common Good for all.

In this episode we revisit a Facebook Live held back in March in which Jools talks with Simon Anholt, creator of the Good Country Index. This episode is a bit longer than prior episodes, because what Simon says is amazing and our Editor struggled to cut things out because everything was so good!

This is a must-not-miss episode for anyone who cares about wildlife, and particularly the wildlife that crawls! The wonderful Collie Ennis, friend of TGS, and animal associate researcher in TCD shares his life and passion in this warm conversation with Jools. Collie is one of those rare people that puts his resource time and energy into doing what he believes needs to be done … he cares for, educates and advocates for so many of those animals we take for granted. And just wait to you hear what he turned up to the recording with in his bag …

In this amazing conversation, Jools talks with Jasper and Stirling about their amazing regenerative social enterprise with mushrooms! It is inspiring, educational, and shows how circular economics and regenerative solutions to problems are good for everyone!   Caveat! This is our first podcast with some new recording equipment – we apologise it has not gone yet as we would have liked it to. We thought the content was too important to not get into the world, but we promise to get the hang of our new recording equipment for the next podcast please be GOOD  and forgive us. These guys are amazing.

Professor of Ecumenics at Trinity College Dublin, Linda Hogan provides a beautiful conversations into natures of culture, her own story, ethical decision making, what we might mean by Common Good, and how we could aim to act in ways that transform our world! It is a heart-warming and challenging conversation that will pull you toward your best self!

In this mid series episode, our Good Summit founder Jools Hamilton takes the mic himself and chats with you just like he's sitting across the table with a nice glass of red! Listen in and relax to some honest thoughts and a couple of stories that point us toward how the responsibility for making the world more GOOD, doesn't land with YOU, it's lands with US. 

Martin McAleese has had a front row seat to many of the most significant things that have happened on the island of Ireland over the last decades.  From being forced out of his family home in Belfast as a child, to opening his family home when he lived in Áras an Uachtaráin to that same tribe that had terrorized him as a child, Martin's life is a story of living learning and leading in the most incredible of times. Listen in and be inspired. 

An incredible conversation on how two Irish international rugby  legends became friends in the cauldron of international rugby, and moved into decades of building on their friendship to help bring about actions (and sport) for peace and reconciliation!

An amazing discussion on the journey from being a child 'from a delinquent background' (according to the local parish priest when she was younger!) to being a leading voice and advocate for a more fair and equitable world. Kindness, justice and Goodness shine through from this wonderful academic leader.

In this episode, Jools talks to the new leader of the Labour Party in Ireland, Ivana Bacik TD. In a conversation designed to inspire young women, they talk about what what got Ivana into politics, how young people can make a positive contribution to society, what is needed to bring about a GOOD society, and the island that Ivana wants to see - for everyone!

Jools sits down with Simon Coveney to have a chat about various issues that face the Island of Ireland, both North and South.

On the final episode of this series of #KeepingItGood, we welcome Jools Hamilton, our co-founder, and presenter of the series! Alongside Amr Dawood, Jools founded The Good Summit as a vehicle to help the conversation Common Good in the world, and of how we can do things differently. Jools' – ‘Rev Dr Julian Hamilton' – is an ordained minister of the Methodist Church in Ireland, currently Chaplain to Trinity College Dublin.  Jools has a passion to see people live in light and love – people filled with purpose, dignity, passion and compassion. He believes there is always more to life than we can see and more that we can be! In this final episode of the series he connects some dots and gives a few brief final thoughts for us all to be getting along with… 

*Please be advised that this episode contains discussion on adult themes and is not suitable for younger audiences. Emma McCallion is a singer-songwriter based in Valencia, Spain, originally from Northern Ireland. Emma is a languages teacher, musician, conference speaker, and coordinator of a Christian NGO working with vulnerable women in street prostitution in Spain.  Emma's songs highlight social issues and call us to action over injustice. Her new single “Paying for Love”, comes directly from her deep Christian faith, and is a thought-provoking take on inequality. The song encourages us to reflect on our impact on others whilst sending out a clear message of reconciliation. As a special treat in this podcast - you get to hear it! Where life, art, faith, and action collide, we are delighted to welcome Emma McCallion to #KeepingItGood!  

Liam Cunningham is an Irish stage and screen actor best known for playing Davos Seaworth in the HBO epic–fantasy series Game of Thrones.  In other roles Liam has been nominated for the London Film Critics' Circle Award, the British Independent Film Award, has won two Irish Film & Television Awards, and shared a BAFTA with Michael Fassbender, for their crime–drama short film Pitch Black Heist. A fierce advocate of human rights, peace-making, refugee and immigrant entitlement and a better world, Liam is a supporter of several charities –most notably being an advocate for World Vision, the world's biggest children's charity.  We are delighted to welcome Liam to Keeping It Good to help us have the conversations that matter!

Liz Maguire has developed an incredible social enterprise called ‘Flea Market Love Letters' which aims to learn from and be inspired by the past through letters that people wrote to each other!   Collecting for this passion project is ongoing. There are now over 400 letters in the archive, and that number is ever increasing!   Liz is helping humans to connect with themselves, each other, and the past. Her story encompasses history learning, social sharing and community connections, and we are delighted to welcome her to Keeping It Good to chat all about her amazing project!  

Aimée–Louise Carton, the CEO of the company she co–founded KeepAPPY, is one of the most impactful young female social entrepreneurs in Ireland. Following her own battle with mental health, Aimée almost took her life on the bridge beside her house in 2017, however her life was saved by a helpline volunteer and her dog Aura.  Since then, Aimee has been on a mission to provide access to preventative care for those suffering from a mental illness but will never seek help. Her work with KeepAPPY has brought support, understanding, and education to many people suffering alone. We are proud to welcome Aimée to Keeping It Good to chat all about her amazing work! 

We are delighted to welcome the incredible Matt Callanan to #KeepingItGood. Matt is the founder of the growing movement We Make Good Happen, which is all about sparking the joy of human kindness. His #Tenner4Good idea went viral around the UK where he hid £10's in envelopes around his city with two rules: 1. Don't spend it on yourself. 2. Do some good with the £10 - people did inspiring, creative and unexpected things with the Tenner4Good they found.  Matt is a former global DJ, music producer, filmmaker, podcaster, coach, an international speaker, and a doer of good! Matt is looking to inspire and encourage people to engage in small acts of kindness to help make the world a little bit happier.

Professor Luke O'Neill, who specialises in immunology, is one of Ireland's leading and most popular scientists, currently helping the country by educating the general public around the coronavirus and what we need to do in order to move through and beyond this pandemic.    Luke holds the Chair of Biochemistry at Trinity College Dublin, and he is the best-selling author of the incredible ‘Humanology: A Scientist's Guide to Our Amazing Existence' and also ‘Never Mind the B#ll*cks, Here's the Science.'   Luke is passionate about how science helps the world become a better place and us better people, and we are delighted to welcome him to The Good Summit Podcast!    

Simon Anholt has worked with the presidents, prime ministers and governments of more than fifty nations, devising strategies and policies to help them to engage more imaginatively and productively with the international community.  In 2014, Anholt founded the Good Country, a project aimed at helping countries work together to tackle global challenges like climate change, poverty, migration and terrorism, by mobilizing “the only superpower left on the planet: global public opinion.” A best-selling author of many books, his latest release ‘The Good Country Equation' is an incredible tour of the world and what it takes to make a country a country, and a world good. Anholt is also a TEDx speaker with millions of views and an Honorary Professor of Political Science. We are very excited to welcome Simon Anholt to The Good Summit podcast!  

We are delighted to welcome David Blevins, senior Ireland Correspondent at Sky News, to The Good Summit podcast Keeping It Good. Throughout his time at Sky News, David has reported from 10 different countries, been nominated for a Royal Television Society Award for his coverage of the Omagh bombing (1998), and won commendation from both sides of the political divide in Northern Ireland for his balanced and impartial journalism. More recently, he has been reporting on how both Brexit and Covid-19 are impacting our lives. Outside of work, David has also actively volunteered with a humanitarian aid agency in East Africa. David brings out the real stories from real people, and we couldn't be happier to have him with us on our podcast!

Chatting with Jools on this podcast is the incredible Louisamay Hanrahan, the founder of social enterprise movements ‘Let's Help Direct Provision' and ‘Dpdropsireland.' Her organisation has raised over €60,000 and has distributed more than 150k worth of donations to Direct Provision centres. Not only does ‘Let's Help Direct Provision' strive to improve the lives of asylum seekers across Ireland, they also campaign for change, and educate their audience about life in Direct Provision and ways we can all get involved to help asylum seekers in Ireland. We are very excited to have her with us on our Good Summit podcast!

We are delighted to welcome Dave Linton to our podcast, the founder and Executive Director of the social enterprise Madlug. During his time working as a youth worker, Dave was distressed to realise that most children in care transport their worldly belongings in a bin bag. In response, Dave decided to set up Madlug and came up with his ‘Buy one Give one' approach: with every bag you purchase, one will be given to a child in care. Dave is passionate about helping deliver change that positively impacts disadvantaged children, young people, and communities. Dave is making good happen in the world and we couldn't be happier to have him with us on our Good Summit podcast!

Welcome to The Good Summit podcast - Keeping It Good! Keeping it Good is a place for you to hear conversations with our amazing guests, who are making good happen and inspiring us all to make the world a better place for everyone.