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#No.21 Butterlope Farm – A Different Kind of Progress
Manage episode 518389488 series 3677388
In this episode, we visit Butterlope Farm near Plumbridge, in the heart of the Sperrin Mountains, where Annie and Vincent Mullan have built a life rooted in care — for land, people, and community.
Annie, with her background in environmental education, and Vincent, a lifelong farmer, have created a social farm that shows how upland farming can be both sustainable and deeply human. Their approach offers a living contrast to the industrialisation creeping across the Sperrins — mining, wind farms, and so-called “progress” that too often leave behind scarred land and divided communities.
Through their stories, we explore what real progress might look like when measured not in profit, but in connection and continuity. We talk about ancient clochans still standing on their fields, the rhythm of the seasons, and the ethics that guide their work — equality, inclusion, and a belief that upland bog is more precious than gold.
This is an episode about stewardship, resilience, and the quiet power of living in right relationship with the land — a reminder that true sustainability begins at home, in the hands of those who tend and protect it.
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#dontmineus #SaveOurSperrins #notoxicmining
#EnvironmentPodcast #JusticePodcast
#ActivismPodcast
#IrishPodcast
#HumanRights
LINKS FOR THIS INTERVIEW
https://www.butterlopefarm.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/ButterlopeFarm
https://www.instagram.com/butterlopefarm/
https://www.soengage.eu/introduction-to-soengage/
SAVE OUR SPERRINS ( Social Media)
https://linktr.ee/saveoursperrins
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://yestolifenotomining.org/
The Yes to Life, No to Mining website is a global hub for communities resisting destructive mining projects. It shares stories from the frontlines, practical resources for local campaigns, and research that exposes the true costs of extraction. The network connects people around the world who are protecting their land, water, and ways of life, and promotes alternatives grounded in care for nature and community wellbeing.
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
LINKS TO Greencastle People’s Office(GPO) Facebook Page - and the site of the GPO ( The GPO is a humble caravan which has become a hub for the campaign against the goldmine )
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063579042613&sk=about
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