Tony - Pod Guy - Groves
@tonygroves.bsky.social
Newly elected leader of lefty Irish Bluesky. Exiled leader of lefty Irish twitter, current Lord Mayor of Dublin and occasional podcaster. tortoiseshack.ie is my home.
Picture of me and all my comrades, just out of frame…
November 26, 2025 at 9:28 AM
Picture of me and all my comrades, just out of frame…
“Holidays are coming,
Holidays are coming,
Holiday’s are coming…”
Holidays are coming,
Holiday’s are coming…”
November 26, 2025 at 8:07 AM
“Holidays are coming,
Holidays are coming,
Holiday’s are coming…”
Holidays are coming,
Holiday’s are coming…”
Every morning we wake up un-invaded by the Russians is so embarrassing for us as a country. Mortifying.
Amirite, person familiar with the Russian invasion of Cobh?
Amirite, person familiar with the Russian invasion of Cobh?
November 26, 2025 at 7:47 AM
Every morning we wake up un-invaded by the Russians is so embarrassing for us as a country. Mortifying.
Amirite, person familiar with the Russian invasion of Cobh?
Amirite, person familiar with the Russian invasion of Cobh?
“Most crypto is a scam. But I’ve got the inside track on this unreal opportunity…”
November 25, 2025 at 9:30 PM
“Most crypto is a scam. But I’ve got the inside track on this unreal opportunity…”
Home for the Christmas
November 25, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Home for the Christmas
The population of Belfast is no more than 372 on a busy day. There are more limited edition bohs jersey’s than people in Belfast. 8 million passengers? No. I’m not having it.
November 25, 2025 at 9:08 AM
The population of Belfast is no more than 372 on a busy day. There are more limited edition bohs jersey’s than people in Belfast. 8 million passengers? No. I’m not having it.
An article in the Indo with Myles Dungan that almost calls out illegal bogus self employment, but completely misses the links to “freelance” work within the wider media ecosystem. Apparently Gay Byrne invented bogus self employment…
!["Gay had to start from scratch and was involved in negotiations to do a Late Late-style show in the US,"
Dungan says.
RTÉ was desperate not to lose him - and other wildly popular figures, like Marian Finucane - and so a mutually advantageous work arrangement evolved that eventually became more widespread.
This had knock-on effects for staff like Dungan, however. He sometimes found reporters on contracts earned more than he did as presenter.
"At that stage I thought you're taking the piss, folks, and so I said I'm going to resign and go on a freelance contract, which I did."
He says he was "one of the in-betweeners", earning more than had he been on staff, but "not anything approaching the money Ryan [Tubridy] would end up earning or Pat [Kenny] was earning".
Did the whole set-up of contractors, who effectively performed the role of staff, seem like a racket? "Yeah, it did.
It was a racket. But it was a racket RTÉ started," Dungan says.
And while there was seemingly less security "unless you were totally useless and made a balls of stuff, the contracts were simply rolled over".
Still, he found it "wasn't all it was cracked up to be... no pension, no holiday pay, no sick pay". It rankled with him that some of the best-paid presenters were staff, enjoying the best of both worlds.
"There's no doubt about it, it got out of hand, and it was partly because of the onset of independent radio and RTÉ's fear they would lose people. Some of which, they did," Dungan says.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:eam4odatenowhwdlijf3ypz4/bafkreiexfnvmgz4nble6k6o6xczam2aj5i5vaeezdewwddyawybbfidrre@jpeg)
November 25, 2025 at 9:02 AM
An article in the Indo with Myles Dungan that almost calls out illegal bogus self employment, but completely misses the links to “freelance” work within the wider media ecosystem. Apparently Gay Byrne invented bogus self employment…
In case you need it, here’s the latest pictures I’ve received from Gaza of the volunteers with Dignity for Palestine and the children they’re assisting in restarting their education. There’s even a few treats for the kids.
November 24, 2025 at 5:27 PM
In case you need it, here’s the latest pictures I’ve received from Gaza of the volunteers with Dignity for Palestine and the children they’re assisting in restarting their education. There’s even a few treats for the kids.
I gotta feeling…
November 24, 2025 at 11:51 AM
I gotta feeling…
“We’re (the EU) removing our industrial strategy. Deregulation is not a strategy.”
Spoke with Dr Ciaran O’Carroll and Sen Patricia Stephenson about the far-right, alongside FG MEP’s, taking control of the European Parliament
Watch now here: www.patreon.com/posts/patron...
Spoke with Dr Ciaran O’Carroll and Sen Patricia Stephenson about the far-right, alongside FG MEP’s, taking control of the European Parliament
Watch now here: www.patreon.com/posts/patron...
November 24, 2025 at 10:14 AM
“We’re (the EU) removing our industrial strategy. Deregulation is not a strategy.”
Spoke with Dr Ciaran O’Carroll and Sen Patricia Stephenson about the far-right, alongside FG MEP’s, taking control of the European Parliament
Watch now here: www.patreon.com/posts/patron...
Spoke with Dr Ciaran O’Carroll and Sen Patricia Stephenson about the far-right, alongside FG MEP’s, taking control of the European Parliament
Watch now here: www.patreon.com/posts/patron...
Handsome Old Dog that has seen better days. And Ben.
November 23, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Handsome Old Dog that has seen better days. And Ben.
Ordered four because I don’t want anyone to know that I have no friends. No to pretend chat with my invisible friends. And Ben.
November 23, 2025 at 7:11 PM
Ordered four because I don’t want anyone to know that I have no friends. No to pretend chat with my invisible friends. And Ben.
A movie that takes place where you're from. (The best Irish film of the last 20 years)
November 23, 2025 at 6:11 PM
A movie that takes place where you're from. (The best Irish film of the last 20 years)
A belter of a new podcast on the shredding of worker’s rights, environmental protections, data protection laws and more with Senator Patricia Stephenson and @climateciaran.bsky.social
Listen now: www.patreon.com/c/tortoisesh...
Listen now: www.patreon.com/c/tortoisesh...
November 23, 2025 at 3:47 PM
A belter of a new podcast on the shredding of worker’s rights, environmental protections, data protection laws and more with Senator Patricia Stephenson and @climateciaran.bsky.social
Listen now: www.patreon.com/c/tortoisesh...
Listen now: www.patreon.com/c/tortoisesh...
Delighted to announce that the tortoise shack crime gang™️ is open to all sorts of bribes and inducements.
(Yes, I know Donal. Most podcasts are criminally bad)
(Yes, I know Donal. Most podcasts are criminally bad)
November 23, 2025 at 8:34 AM
Delighted to announce that the tortoise shack crime gang™️ is open to all sorts of bribes and inducements.
(Yes, I know Donal. Most podcasts are criminally bad)
(Yes, I know Donal. Most podcasts are criminally bad)
The result after President Connolly’s first appearance at the Aviva is a warning to those who think we can be complacent about our Multinational Corporation Tax Deals | latest by me in tomorrow’s Sunday Times
November 22, 2025 at 8:10 PM
The result after President Connolly’s first appearance at the Aviva is a warning to those who think we can be complacent about our Multinational Corporation Tax Deals | latest by me in tomorrow’s Sunday Times
Little nugget from @johnharris1969.bsky.social on the lunacy of the anti-migrant movement in the UK (and here) and the cognitive dissonance at the heart of it.
Full episode out at patreon.com/tortoiseshack
Full episode out at patreon.com/tortoiseshack
November 22, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Little nugget from @johnharris1969.bsky.social on the lunacy of the anti-migrant movement in the UK (and here) and the cognitive dissonance at the heart of it.
Full episode out at patreon.com/tortoiseshack
Full episode out at patreon.com/tortoiseshack
Top story in one of the newspaper email thingy’s I get in the morning. Belfast Zoo seeks Protestant Man for long walks, chats, maybe more. Must like animals.
November 22, 2025 at 9:38 AM
Top story in one of the newspaper email thingy’s I get in the morning. Belfast Zoo seeks Protestant Man for long walks, chats, maybe more. Must like animals.
I think that it’s very sad that not even Belfast Zoo is immune to the scourge of sectarian segregation, a lack of integration and large ugly community dividing walls. Wait, what?
November 22, 2025 at 9:29 AM
I think that it’s very sad that not even Belfast Zoo is immune to the scourge of sectarian segregation, a lack of integration and large ugly community dividing walls. Wait, what?
Even my friends don’t like me. And they’re not wrong.
November 22, 2025 at 9:20 AM
Even my friends don’t like me. And they’re not wrong.
I’m very fortunate to know people who are doing the work that matters. They’re helping rebuild education in Gaza even before a brick is rebuilt.
Help them if you can: www.patreon.com/posts/call-t...
(Pictures of children in tent/makeshift classrooms in Gaza)
Help them if you can: www.patreon.com/posts/call-t...
(Pictures of children in tent/makeshift classrooms in Gaza)
November 21, 2025 at 11:04 PM
I’m very fortunate to know people who are doing the work that matters. They’re helping rebuild education in Gaza even before a brick is rebuilt.
Help them if you can: www.patreon.com/posts/call-t...
(Pictures of children in tent/makeshift classrooms in Gaza)
Help them if you can: www.patreon.com/posts/call-t...
(Pictures of children in tent/makeshift classrooms in Gaza)
My tortoise will bate your fox army.
November 21, 2025 at 10:32 PM
My tortoise will bate your fox army.
A bowl of cat.
November 21, 2025 at 8:55 PM
A bowl of cat.
The foxes are only attacking the cars of Heather Rural Pursuit Humphreys voters. You love to see it.
November 21, 2025 at 4:42 PM
The foxes are only attacking the cars of Heather Rural Pursuit Humphreys voters. You love to see it.
Here’s a clip of @johnharris1969.bsky.social getting all Gramsci-like in talking about the ongoing political realignment that is happening across the UK and EU.
Full episode here: www.patreon.com/posts/patron...
Full episode here: www.patreon.com/posts/patron...
November 21, 2025 at 1:14 PM
Here’s a clip of @johnharris1969.bsky.social getting all Gramsci-like in talking about the ongoing political realignment that is happening across the UK and EU.
Full episode here: www.patreon.com/posts/patron...
Full episode here: www.patreon.com/posts/patron...