Nervous State Issue 4

Nervous State

In this episode we’ll be bringing you a segment on the English language education sector in Ireland, presented by Lahela Jones and produced by Sian Cowman. The educational sector in Ireland has been heavily impacted by Covid-19 restrictions, but international English language students have faced some especially difficult circumstances. We interview two Chilean students who tell us how their schools have dealt with the pandemic, and the housing and labour conditions they’re experiencing. We discuss why this sector is so huge in Ireland and why it is so poorly regulated It isn’t just ESL students in the gig economy who’ve borne the brunt of Covid-19 – their struggles in the labour market are just one example of a deeper problem with inequality between different parts of the workforce. Whilst 2020 has been the year of working from home for many office-based professionals, this simply isn't an option for low-paid workers in manufacturing and the service sector. Ireland is one of the few countries in the EU without mandatory sick pay, but the government has not talked about bringing it in before the end of 2021 despite the public health problems forcing people to go to work, even when showing symptoms, has created throughout the pandemic. Has Covid exposed the existence of a two-tier workforce, and what is there to be learned from this going forward? Patrick McCusker is joined by Michelle Murphy, Policy Analyst for Social Justice Ireland and Andrew Flood, independent researcher and host of The Plague Tapes on Mixcloud, to discuss this. On the cultural front, Martin Leen caught up with The Mary Wallopers who are in the midst of recording a new album of trad folk stompers and sean nos bangers, possibly titled The Curse of The Mary Wallopers. Hailing from Dundalk (we do have a sneaky Dundalk fetish here at Nervous State),The Mary Wallopers are a folk group who travel the length & breadth of the country singing & collecting songs. They exude a raw energy that could be described as the Clancy Brothers meet John Lydon. In the interview we play a few bangers, chat about the nature of the said curse, what to expect in the new album, being live stream sensations, keeping the buzz going during Covid, collaborating with Post Punk Podge and lots more. Moving West, Tulca festival of visual art has been going in Galway since 2002 and commissions a different curator every year who comes up with their own theme. This year the curator is artist Sarah Browne, whose programme is called The Law is a White Dog. The title is taken from a book by Colin Dayan, an interdisciplinary legal scholar, which is subtitled How Legal Rituals Make and Unmake Persons. Drawing on engagement with the law in her own practice, Sarah has put together a programme of artworks and events in a very challenging pandemic context. Caitriona Devery spoke to her about the ideas behind the programme, curating in lockdown, and some of the artists involved. We’ll also feature Darragh Deighan-Gregory talking to Seán Murray, the director of Unquiet Graves, about the recent controversy surrounding his film being shown on RTÉ, and why challenging received narratives about the Troubles is so important. As ever, we’ll be kicking off with our usual check-in with the Dublin Inquirer’s Stephanie Costello for all the biggest stories going on around town.