The Island Syndrome is a documentary that breaks down the three hidden mechanisms driving up the cost of everything in Ireland. Whether you’re interested in economics, energy policy, Irish politics, renewable energy, or simply want to understand why the cost of living keeps rising, this documentary explains the system in plain English.

Along the way, we’ll examine data centres, interconnectors, hydrogen storage, renewable energy policy, carbon taxes, electricity market reform, and the unique challenges of running an energy system on an island at the edge of Europe.

Marginal Pricing Explained
Why electricity generated by cheap wind farms can still be sold at expensive gas-fired prices. The strange market mechanism that determines what every generator gets paid.

Curtailment Payments Explained
Ireland is paying hundreds of millions of euro every year to switch wind turbines off. We examine how curtailment works, why renewable energy is being wasted, and who ultimately pays the bill.

Capacity Payments Explained
Why Ireland spends billions guaranteeing backup power stations that may only operate for a handful of days each year. The hidden costs built into the electricity system.

#documentary #irelandpolitics #ireland #costofliving #datacenter #utilitybills

Join in the conversation @LastStandIRL or watch along on Youtube & Rumble. Be part of the discussion. The time for change is upon us.

Limerick is one of Ireland's most fascinating cities, and one of its most misunderstood. Once synonymous with knife crime and negative headlines, it has undergone a remarkable transformation. Billions invested in health, education, housing and the docklands have brought it level with Cork, Galway and Waterford. But Limerick didn't stop there.

In 2024 Limerick became home to Ireland's first and only directly elected Mayor, John Moran. A person with a plan, a mandate, and a timeframe in which to deliver it. For the first time in Irish history, people voted not for a party or a set of beliefs, but for a vision.

In this episode we explore what that vision looks like on the ground. From festoon lights on the Shannon to a proposed 70 acre riverside park. From the Marmot City framework tackling generational deprivation to a polycentric city model that could reshape how Limerick grows for decades to come.

Join in the conversation @LastStandIRL or watch along on Youtube & Rumble. Be part of the discussion. The time for change is upon us.

In 1956, Ireland had the highest rate of psychiatric hospitalisation in the world.

Not because Ireland suffered some unique epidemic of insanity, but because institutions had become deeply embedded within the social fabric of the State itself.

INSIDE THE ASYLUM explores the rise of Ireland’s vast asylum system through the story of places like the Cork District Lunatic Asylum, once one of the largest psychiatric institutions in Europe.

The documentary examines the intersection of mental health, poverty, shame, religion, trauma and social control in post-independence Ireland, asking what the long-term psychological consequences of institutionalisation may still be today

Join in the conversation @LastStandIRL or watch along on Youtube & Rumble. Be part of the discussion. The time for change is upon us.