# No. 3 Ten Years On: Fidelma, Cormac, and the Power of Community
- Author
- buttonsoptions4u
- Published
- Thu 10 Jul 2025
- Episode Link
- https://buttonsoptions4u.podbean.com/e/voices-from-the-frontline-cormac-mcaleer-fidelma-o-kane/
In this episode, we hear from two key voices in the Save Our Sperrins campaign — Fidelma O’Kane and Cormac McAleer. While many played a part in founding SOS, Fidelma and Cormac have remained a steady presence throughout. Ten years on, they reflect on what sparked the movement, how the community has held strong, and why the campaign to protect the Sperrins continues.
This is a conversation about community strength, staying the course, and the quiet determination of people who refuse to back down.
It’s also a reminder that the global extractivism of the past must become history — and that the future lies in a new story rooted in clean air, pure water, and healthy soil for all life, everywhere.
📣 Share, review, and help amplify our story
SOCIAL MEDIA
https://www.facebook.com/SaveOurSperrins
https://www.instagram.com/save_our_sperrins/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/save-our-sperrins
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/save-our-sperrins-108907
https://www.youtube.com/@SaveOurSperrins
https://www.podbean.com/eas/pb-n32q3-1939c83
LINKS TO OTHER RESOURCES
http://caimnetwork.org/mining-in-ireland/
Mining in Ireland is a contentious issue, with 19% of the Republic of Ireland and 27% of Northern Ireland’s land area issued in prospecting licences. While mining companies claim to bring jobs and development, communities like those near Tara Mines and Gypsum Ltd have faced significant environmental and social impacts. Communities Against the Injustice of Mining (CAIM) is an all-island network resisting prospecting and extraction.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/after-the-goldrush-by-gerry-mcgovern/id1681123169
Do Irish people know that Ireland has been selected as a Green sacrifice song for the so-called green technology, renewable energy transition from the beautiful wilds of Clare, Wicklow and Leitrim to the outstanding natural beauty of the Sperrin mountains of Tyrone. Rural Ireland is on Big Mining's chopping block.
This podcast is about the power of community, about how communities of Ireland are organising to stop this disaster happening. For short term returns, the government wants to sell Ireland to mining interests as silently and quietly as possible. Let's make some noises. We will try to unravel why the Irish government is doing this
GOOGLE LINK TO Greencastle People’s Office -
