Hotel on the edge of Europe

[Documentary] Inside stories from the jury room. I wanted to see inside this secretive world and get a sense of what it feels like to serve. I talked to 7 former jurors about their 7 separate trials. I also talked to a practicing criminal law barrister for his thoughts on the jury system. We’ll explore the selection process, the characters in the courtroom and the atmosphere in the deliberation room. Then we'll do a deep dive into a few cases and hear them told from a juror's perspective in their own words. --- Thanks to Barrister Seamus Clarke SC --- Produced and edited by John Roche --- Comments and feedback very welcome! Twitter: @YarnStoryPod

12 Okt 20211h 28min

[Deep Dive Interview] The Oklahoma City bombing of 1995… The 2011 Norway attacks… The 2016 Nice truck attack… The 2019 Christcurch, New Zealand shootings… What do all these attacks have in common? They were all formulated, planned and executed by a single individual. The popular fear of lone actor attacks is that they are completely unpredictable and so almost impossible to prevent. We speak to Dr. Francis O’Connor, an expert on lone actor radicalisation. Dr. O’connor and his colleagues have been funded by the EU Commission to research lone actor attacks. They have collected what they think is the largest dataset of lone actor attacks and attackers in the western world dating from 1990 until the present. Full Episode transcript available here: https://mrjohnroche-42475.medium.com/yarn-22-lone-actor-errorism-e651ee20d569 --- Dr. O'Connor's book is available here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Understanding-Insurgency-Popular-Support-Turkey/dp/1108838502 --- Produced and edited by John Roche --- Comments and feedback very welcome! Email: yarnstorypodcast (at) gmail.com. Twitter: @YarnStoryPod

14 Maj 202159min

[Documentary] We visit the Mezhyhirya estate in the Ukraine. The vast estate covers over 340 acres. That’s just shy of the area of Monaco. The glamorous and opulent principality has a lot in common with Mezhyirya. Except Monaco is home to 38,000 people. Mezhyhirya was most recently home to just one family. This is the story of the former president of Ukraine - Victor Yanukovych. His mafia style cartel, nick named ‘the family’, his extravagant lifestyle and the construction of his monument to greed - The Mezhyhirya palace and estate. Now known as the world’s only 'Museum of Corruption'. --- Produced and edited by John Roche --- Comments and feedback very welcome! Email: yarnstorypodcast (at) gmail.com. Twitter: @YarnStoryPod --- Full transcript available here: https://mrjohnroche-42475.medium.com/yarn-21-the-secret-palace-fb2440c68a01

2 Maj 202123min

[3-part documentary] Episode 3 of 3 - Darkest before the dawn. 1900s - 2000s In this new Yarn Miniseries I’m going to give you a rough history of Disability. In episode three things start with one of modern history's darkest ideas, Eugenics. We explore its prevalence, especially in America and some of its most famous proponents. Then we jump over to Post WW2 Britain and we uncover how wars not only created Disabled people but how post war periods also led to infrastructure and programmes that helped people with disabilities. We will confront the horrific conditions Disabled residents of institutions were forced to live in and see how the era of the big institution eventually came to an end. We'll intersect with the Civil Rights movement and see how it inspired the Parent's movement, which led to the Independent Living movement and the fight for Human Rights for people with Disabilities. Written and narrated by John Roche. - Full episode transcript available here: https://medium.com/@mrjohnroche_42475 - Sources Short history of disability By Dr Robert Jackson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=js2qgVhmH88 MN Department of Administration - Council on Development Disabilities https://mn.gov/mnddc/parallels/index.html World Bank https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/disability Historic England https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/ History Channel https://www.history.com/topics/germany/eugenics PBS https://www.pbs.org/weta/throughdeafeyes/deaflife/bell_nad.html United Nations Human Rights Office of High Commissioner https://www.ohchr.org/ Dr. William Bronston, Willowbrook Memorial Lecture https://mn.gov/mnddc/parallels/five/5f/willowbrook-bronston-memorial.html Welcome Collection https://wellcomecollection.org/works IWM Archive https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/voices-of-the-first-world-war-shell-shock RTE Archive https://www.rte.ie/archives/ The Times Archive https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ancient-walking-aids-5232vx5n9j0 Special Olympics https://www.specialolympics.org JSTOR https://www.jstor.org/stable/3288457?seq=1 IPC https://www.paralympic.org/ Greek Gods info https://www.greek-gods.info/greek-gods/hephaestus/ YouTube

22 Nov 202048min

[3-part documentary] Episode 2 of 3 Two Steps Forward. One Step Back. 1500s - 1800s In this new Yarn Miniseries I’m going to give you a rough history of Disability. In episode two we will see how the aftermath of the Reformation effected people with disabilities. We look at the Elizabethan Poor Laws and the Poor houses many Disabled people ended up in. We enter the massive institutions that were created for people with disabilities, including the infamous Bedlam Asylum and we explore the age of Enlightenment and beyond, when philosophers and physicians attempted to understand, classify and cue mental and physical disability. - Full episode transcript available here: https://medium.com/@mrjohnroche_42475/disability-a-parallel-history-ad51c7673cdb Sources Short history of disability By Dr Robert Jackson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=js2qgVhmH88 MN Department of Administration - Council on Development Disabilities https://mn.gov/mnddc/parallels/index.html World Bank https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/disability Historic England https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/ History Channel https://www.history.com/topics/germany/eugenics PBS https://www.pbs.org/weta/throughdeafeyes/deaflife/bell_nad.html United Nations Human Rights Office of High Commissioner https://www.ohchr.org/ Dr. William Bronston, Willowbrook Memorial Lecture https://mn.gov/mnddc/parallels/five/5f/willowbrook-bronston-memorial.html Welcome Collection https://wellcomecollection.org/works IWM Archive https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/voices-of-the-first-world-war-shell-shock RTE Archive https://www.rte.ie/archives/ The Times Archive https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ancient-walking-aids-5232vx5n9j0 Special Olympics https://www.specialolympics.org JSTOR https://www.jstor.org/stable/3288457?seq=1 IPC https://www.paralympic.org/ Greek Gods info https://www.greek-gods.info/greek-gods/hephaestus/ YouTube

15 Nov 202044min

[3-part documentary] Episode 1 of 3 - Parallel Worlds. Prehistory - 1400s In this new Yarn Miniseries I’m going to give you a rough history of Disability. The story of Disability runs in parallel with the story of humanity itself and like the story of humanity, some of it isn’t pretty. It involves murder, neglect, segregation and sterilisation but it’s also a story of innovation, determination and love. In episode one I define what a disability is before diving into the past. I start with the Neanderthals, checking in with the Egyptians, the Celts, the Ancient Romans and I also highlight the effect organised Religion has on the perception of people with a disability. Written and narrated by John Roche. - Full episode transcript available here: https://medium.com/@mrjohnroche_42475/disability-a-parallel-history-316bf348cfd2 - Sources Short history of disability By Dr Robert Jackson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=js2qgVhmH88 MN Department of Administration - Council on Development Disabilities https://mn.gov/mnddc/parallels/index.html World Bank https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/disability Historic England https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/ History Channel https://www.history.com/topics/germany/eugenics PBS https://www.pbs.org/weta/throughdeafeyes/deaflife/bell_nad.html United Nations Human Rights Office of High Commissioner https://www.ohchr.org/ Dr. William Bronston, Willowbrook Memorial Lecture https://mn.gov/mnddc/parallels/five/5f/willowbrook-bronston-memorial.html Welcome Collection https://wellcomecollection.org/works IWM Archive https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/voices-of-the-first-world-war-shell-shock RTE Archive https://www.rte.ie/archives/ The Times Archive https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ancient-walking-aids-5232vx5n9j0 Special Olympics https://www.specialolympics.org JSTOR https://www.jstor.org/stable/3288457?seq=1 IPC https://www.paralympic.org/ Greek Gods info https://www.greek-gods.info/greek-gods/hephaestus/ YouTube

8 Nov 202039min

[Two part Docu-drama] Episode 2 of 2 This is the true story of Hermann Goertz. The Nazi spy who landed in neutral Ireland during the Second World War, on a mission to meet the IRA and organise a German-led invasion of Northern Ireland. Goertz’s time in Ireland has become something of a legend. This story is based on his own written accounts and recently declassified British and Irish secret service files. The story is full of ridiculous plans, double crosses and colourful characters. Through Goertz’s eyes we learn about the attitudes of normal people towards the new Irish Free State, the uncomfortable truths people dealt with after a vicious civil war and how Dublin during the ‘Emergency’ became a centre of covert espionage. Start with episode 1 here: https://anchor.fm/yarnstorypod/episodes/Yarn-19--How-Not-to-be-a-Spy---Episode-1-eg3jgg/a-a2j9gkpProduced and edited by John Roche --- Transcript here: https://medium.com/@mrjohnroche_42475/yarn-19-how-not-to-be-a-spy-part-ii-9f4d39f14c0a --- Comments and feedback very welcome! Email: yarnstorypodcast (at) gmail.com. Twitter: @YarnStoryPod --- Written and narrated by John Roche With Liam Murphy as Goertz and the voices of Hazel Fahy, 
Dermot Tobin, Niall Ó Siadhail, 
Daithi Mac Suibhne, Mary Looby
, Alan Nuzum and Dermot Byrne Special thanks to Dermot Tobin, Lucy Nuzum and Ciaran Dunphy

3 Juni 202036min

[Two part Docu-drama] Episode 1 of 2 This is the true story of Hermann Goertz. The Nazi spy who landed in neutral Ireland during the Second World War, on a mission to meet the IRA and organise a German-led invasion of Northern Ireland. Goertz’s time in Ireland has become something of a legend. This story is based on his own written accounts and recently declassified British and Irish secret service files. The story is full of ridiculous plans, double crosses and colourful characters. Through Goertz’s eyes we learn about the attitudes of normal people towards the new Irish Free State, the uncomfortable truths people dealt with after a vicious civil war and how Dublin during the ‘Emergency’ became a centre of covert espionage. Continue to episode two here: https://anchor.fm/yarnstorypod/episodes/Yarn-19--How-Not-to-be-a-Spy---Episode-2-eg3jgb/a-a2j9gko --- Transcript here: https://medium.com/@mrjohnroche_42475/yarn-19-how-not-to-be-a-spy-a3b4fd48b17e ---- Comments and feedback very welcome! Email: yarnstorypodcast (at) gmail.com. Twitter: @YarnStoryPod --- Written and narrated by John Roche With Liam Murphy as Goertz and the voices of Hazel Fahy, 
Dermot Tobin, Niall Ó Siadhail, 
 Daithi Mac Suibhne, Mary Looby
, Alan Nuzum and Dermot Byrne. Special thanks to Dermot Tobin, Lucy Nuzum and Ciaran Dunphy

3 Juni 202039min