Horsehair Wigs - IRLI Podcast

In our Horsehair Wigs podcast, we speak to guests about justice and human rights, and explore the drivers behind why they do what they do. The podcast is presented and produced by journalist Evelyn McClafferty, who specialises in justice and climate issues.


With thanks to our donors: Irish Aid.

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Scroll down to listen and find out more about each episode.
Logo/drawing by JSP-Jesper Buursink

About the podcast

Horsehair Wigs is a monthly legal podcast. In it, we talk about justice issues with a broad range of international guests. You'll learn about trends in climate and environmental law in Brazil, Russia, Ukraine, the Arctic and elsewhere. You'll also learn about the brilliant campaign led by female judges to support Afghan colleagues after the Taliban came to power in 2021.

So far, we’ve featured leading figures in the international criminal law field. This includes female judges from Ireland and the US, including Teresa Doherty and Shireen Fisher, who have worked on the first legal cases involving child soldiers in Sierra Leone, along with landmark rulings related to sexual slavery and forced marriage.

We've talked to lawyers who work to support victims of genocide and other war crimes. We also spoke to Fergal Gaynor, who worked at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (the ICTR), the first international court to prosecute politicians for human rights violations. This was set up to prosecute those responsible for the 1994 Rwandan genocide, in which Hutu militias killed 800,000 people over a matter of weeks.

Our podcast also has a strong environmental leaning. With Maud Sarliève, we’ve discussed the proposed new environmental crime of ecocide. With Gearóid Ó Cuinn, we talked about the historic case led by six young people from Portugal that has recently been in the headlines. Between the ages of 11 and 24, they are taking 33 countries to trial for their failure in the face of climate breakdown. We also talked about eco-crimes in Barbuda.

Given our globalised world, we also highlight transnational litigation's impact on international crime. With Gearoid Ó Cuinn, we talked about legal attempts to ban cotton made through the forced labour of the Uyghur people in China. Eva Buzo spoke to us about the worsening crisis faced by the Rohingya in the Cox’s Bazar refugee camp in Bangladesh.

Protecting human rights and the rule of law are central to the work of Irish Rule of Law International. In light of this, we’ve talked to lawyers like Linda Kasonde in Zambia – known for speaking truth to power.


Horsehair Wigs is presented and produced by journalist Evelyn McClafferty. Based in Berlin, Evelyn is a specialist in climate and justice issues. She has worked on several award-winning podcasts related to both the environment and human rights, and contributes internationally to platforms that focus on climate change and clean energy reporting.

A new episode of the podcast is available monthly.



All episodes



The lingering psychosocial impact of the civil war in Sierra Leone


November 20, 2023 | posted by | 5sc

On the programme this month, we discuss the continued impact the civil war in Sierra Leone has on its population, with human rights activist, Binta Mansaray.


Maud Sarliève talks about the proposed international crime of ecocide


October 05, 2023 | posted by | 5sc

Our guest on Horsehair Wigs this month is Maud Sarliève, Human Rights and International Criminal Lawyer advocating for creative legal thinking to mitigate climate change and protect the environment. Maud explains ecocide, a newly proposed international crime.


Gearóid Ó Cuinn of GLAN on suing European states over climate change


September 04, 2023 | posted by | 5sc

On our show this month, we speak to Gearóid Ó Cuinn, who teaches transnational human rights litigation at the Irish Centre for Human Rights in Galway and who is head of the Global Legal Action Network (GLAN). 


Linda Kasonde on speaking truth to power


June 29, 2023 | posted by | 5sc

Our guest this month is Zambian lawyer and civil rights activist, Linda Kasonde.


Teresa Doherty's landmark rulings related to forced marriage and sexual slavery


May 31, 2023 | posted by | 5sc

On this month’s show, international Judge Teresa Doherty, who became the first female judge in Northern Ireland and in the entire pacific region, talks to us about her life and work.


An Afghan Judge talks about her escape from her home country after the return to power of the Taliban


April 27, 2023 | posted by | 5sc

Our guest this month is an Afghan judge, who was forced to flee her home country after the Taliban retook Afghanistan in 2021.


Eva Buzo talks about the dire situation for Rohingya refugees in the Cox’s Bazare district in Bangladesh


March 29, 2023 | posted by | 5sc

Australian barrister and the Executive Director of Victim Advocates International (VAI), Eva Buzo is our guest on this month’s show.


International Judge Shireen Fisher talks about the global campaign to help female Afghan judges leave Afghanistan


February 16, 2023 | posted by | 5sc

International judge Shireen Fisher is the next guest on our new podcast.


Irish barrister and international judge Fergal Gaynor on "truth" as "the essence of justice"


January 19, 2023 | posted by | 5sc

In the first episode of our new podcast Horsehair Wigs, we talk to Irish barrister and international judge Fergal Gaynor, who has worked for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and has represented victims before the International Criminal Court. Fergal is currently the Reserve Chief Prosecutor at the Khmer Rouge Tribunal.