Insightful. Vulnerable. Contemplative. Enlightening. Impassioned. Committed. That’s Gabriel Byrne.

Paul Jay interviewed Gabriel for Reality Asserts Itself at TheRealNews.com during the holidays.

The four videos below are each about 22 minutes long. Parts 1 – 3 focus on Gabriel’s experiences growing up in Ireland, becoming an actor, and developing his political views. Part 4 is about climate change, an increasingly important issue dear to his heart.

The links below each video take you to the transcript at the Real News website. Once there, you can copy the text and drop it in your favorite translator or just hang onto it for future reading.

Enjoy this brilliant interview! heart

Part 1/4

On Reality Asserts Itself, actor and climate activist Gabriel Byrne speaks of growing up in a working class family that was religious, Irish nationalist and where joining a seminary made parents proud. He came to understand the injustice of the life working men like his father faced.

Read the full transcript of Part 1 of the interview.

Part 2/4

On Reality Asserts Itself, actor Gabriel Byrne says that in the 70s, being Irish in London was like being a Muslim now; PM Thatcher’s campaign to crush the miners’ union in 1984 helped him understand how the media were anti-working class and anti-union.

Read the full transcript of Part 2 of this interview.

Part 3/4

On Reality Asserts Itself, actor Gabriel Byrne says his journey as an Irish immigrant helped to radicalize him, as did his disillusionment with leaders who promised transformation and delivered conservatism with a “different tie.”

Read the full transcript of Part 3 of this interview.

Part 4/4

On Reality Asserts Itself, Gabriel Byrne says that mutant capitalism seeks only profit and corporate media’s agenda avoids the climate crisis; Byrne says its up to us, no superhero will save us.

Read the full transcript of Part 4 of this interview.

What do you think? Leave a comment! smile

5 Comments

  1. Watched this when it streamed in December (but I’ll watch it again). Another thought-provoking and insightful interview by Gabriel Byrne.
    Paul Jay is also a documentary filmmaker and and founder of Hot Docs Film Festival in Toronto. He produced several news programs for CBC, the national public broadcaster, some years ago. Credible journalist, born in Toronto I think. The Real News is a well researched, independent podcast on environmental and political and world issues. Democracy Now and The Real News are the only American news media I can stomach these days.

  2. Why wasn’t this situation taken seriously when John Denver worked so hard to get people involved? He was laughed at and dismissed! Now Hollywood talks about it only to fly around in private jets. This is and has been a serious situation for along time. Humans are the only species that destroy where they live!

    • Kari, lots of activists have been trying to make us see the importance of climate change, some of them for many years. And I think for a period of time we were making progress: restricting carbon emissions, legislating for clean air and water, recycling, transitioning to green energy sources. But NOW, and for the past few years, the fossil fuel folks have taken over and their interests are in making money. So, with the current US administration, they have the perfect partner. And climate change deniers/science fact deniers rule the day. But only for the moment. I firmly believe we will get back on track once this temporary aberration of a government is cleaned out. Stay strong, my friend! <3

  3. Thanks Stella, I have and always will side with wildlife. Their area of existence in most places is no more. Only to be dismissed and being a zoo keeper for years and programs and shows we did we always tried to get the message out. Again only to be dismissed. There is a lot of work going on in the animal world. Trying to keep areas open to keep genetics healthy. If we do the work we don’t need the gov.. I know you don’t like Trump but you can’t blame it on him when this has been a problem for decades.

    Take care my friend! Boo

  4. What I think? I’m simply speechless ❤️!

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