The BelTel

“Ruthless. Psychopath. Dangerous.” These are just some of the words used to describe Robbie Lawlor, a formerly leading figure in the notorious Drogheda feud. Crimeworld's Nicolla Tallant discusses her new book Web of Betrayal and podcast series Double Cross – The Murder of Robbie Lawlor, to shed new light on the chaos and violence that consumed Drogheda leading to Lawlor’s death in Ardoyne in Apri...

Under boxing legend Barry McGuigan’s guidance Carl Frampton won world titles in 2014 and 2016. However, their relationship fell apart in a legal battle over fight profits, leading to a £6 million lawsuit. As McGuigan enters the “I’m a Celebrity” jungle, Ciarán Dunbar is joined by boxing Journalist David Mohan and reporter Niamh Campbell to unpack the rise, fall, and aftermath of the fallout. ...

Incoming US Vice President JD Vance is a self-professed ‘Scots-Irish Hillbilly’. He first made waves in US politics with his best selling memoir ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ on his poor upbringing, which was later adapted into a film. How did JD Vance get from the Applachians to the White house, what does he have to do with Ulster Scots, and how important is the Ulster Scots community in the US? Ciarán Dunba...

Martin O’Hagan was a former IRA prisoner who eventually rejected violence and became an investigative reporter with the Sunday World. He was murdered by the LVF in Lurgan on 28th of September 2001. No-one has ever been convicted of the killing. The National Union of Journalists wants an independent inquiry into the killing and the subsequent investigation into it.    Ciarán Dunbar i...

The Belfast Telegraph’s political editor Suzanne Breen joins Ciarán Dunbar with her analysis of Belfast Telegraph’s LucidTalk polling, including a recent dip in support for Michelle O’Neill among recent Sinn Féin controversies and Unionist support for DUP ministers’ meetings with Loyalist paramilitary representatives.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Police Ombudsman says the PSNI investigation into the death of Katie Simpson was “flawed and failed her family”. The 21-year-old died in hospital a week after an incident where her sister’s partner, Jonathan Creswell, claimed to have found her mid-suicide attempt. In reality, he had repeatedly attacked her. Police failed to question Katie’s death, despite Creswell’s violent history and physica...

In the making of a film ironically titled ‘A Landscape of Lies’, Newry born actress Aoife Madden was joined by a wealthy Iraqi businessman to try their hand at making it on the big screen. But what appeared as a lifelong dream was really all about conning investors and the tax man out of millions. Madden (the niece of Sinn Fein Finance minister Conor Murphy) was part of a team which scammed HMRC £...

Ex-Sinn Féin press officer Michael McMonagle have been sentenced to nine months in custody for child sex offences. In one incident, he believed he was chatting online to a 12-year-old girl, who was actually a police decoy. The 42-year-old previously pleaded guilty to 14 charges. The case was one of a series of controversies which rocked Sinn Féin in recent months.  Andrew Madden reports....

The Enniskillen Bomb in November 1987 sent shockwaves across the world. An IRA bomb at a Remembrance Day service in the town killed 11 civilians, including three married couples. 63 people were injured, and a twelfth victim died after being in a coma for 13 years because of his injuries. No one has ever been convicted of the attack. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by former editor of the Impartial Re...

Donald Trump has resoundingly won the US Presidency. He is now the oldest person to win the presidency, the only convicted felon to do so, and the only won to have incited an insurrection. But not of that matters now – the American people have spoken. How did the night play out, how surprised are we, and what does it mean for Northern Ireland and the Republic?  Keith Bailie, Brett Campbell, M...

Loughinisland is a small parish in Co. Down. Its name has become synonymous with the infamous Loughinisland Massacre, when six were killed by the UVF in a pub while watching Ireland play Italy in the 1994 World Cup. Trevor Birney helped make a documentary about the murders – but in 2018, he was arrested by PSNI over material used in the film, alongside his colleague Barry Mccaffrey. Six...

Alf McCreary walked into the Belfast Telegraph on September 1, 1964 – and asked for a job. 60 years on, he's still writing for the paper. Alf’s career has given him many insights into our society and its divisions. He charted the evolution of the Rev Ian Paisley, and he wrote a biography of Gordon Wilson, whose daughter Marie was killed in the Enniskillen bombing.     He s...

The UVF began the 1970s with a campaign to cleans Catholics and Catholic owned businesses from Protestant dominated areas. With the IRA’s campaign at its height, the UVF moved from targeting nationalist and moderate political figures to simple sectarian murder – many of its victims just teenagers. By the mid-70s a notorious group emerged from the UVF which brought the savagery of the troubles to a...

Back in 1995, Fr Michael Kennedy took to the pulpit in Dungarvan, County Waterford to give his Sunday sermon. He warned locals that an “Angel of Death” was in their midst killing vulnerable men. What ensued sparked a global sensation. Host: Dave Hanratty, Guest: Ellen Coyne Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alexander McCartney, from Newry, is one of the most prolific paedophile ‘catfishes’ the world has seen to date. A Judge said his crimes of “sadism and depravity” were “on a par with murder”. His actions led to the death of an innocent little girl, Cimarron Thomas, and subsequently, her father. Kurtis Reid was in court.  Just a note to say – some listeners might find the contents of the e...

The word ‘Incel’ is short for ‘involuntarily celibate’. They’re primarily men, who believe they’re doomed to be alone, blaming society, women, and sometimes themselves for their isolation. The explosion of the ‘Incel’ community online has led to multiple forums, chats and groups based on their beliefs, which have led to disastrous consequences. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by the Belfast Telegraph’s Ku...

The Kinahan cartel is Ireland’s most powerful crime gang, and one half of its most notorious gang war. After a failed hit on boss Daniel Kinahan, the cartel recruited a team of killers to retaliate against the Hutch gang. One of the men they hired was Estonian Imre ‘The Butcher’ Arakas – but the eccentric hitman was soon caught.  Ciarán Dunbar is joined by crime editor with the Irish Sun and...

Sinn Féin controversies snowball as party member resigns after a portrait is damaged in Belfast City. Is the party suffering from a media pile-on before an election or a self-inflicted meltdown caused by a lack of professionalism? All this just before an election – one which might feature well-known crime figure Gerry ‘the Monk’ Hutch.  Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Dublin based news reporter Gr...

Samuel ‘Uel’ Cooke was a prolific UVF hitman. Connected to at least six murders, including the killing of IRA Chief Brendan ‘Ruby’ Davison, his most heinous deed was the murder of innocent 26-year-old Catholic Anne-Marie Smyth. She had been attending a concert in east Belfast before being lured to a nearby house, where she was brutally beaten and killed by a UVF-led gang. Cooke died this month, ag...

On 24th March 1922, five men dressed in RIC police uniforms broke into the north Belfast home of well-known Catholic publican Owen McMahon. The men shoot and kill McMahon, along with four of his sons, and an employee of the family. What happened next changed the course of history on the Island of Ireland. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by historian and author Dr Edward Burke to explain why the murders ch...

Mary Lou McDonald has been accused of orchestrating an “elaborate cover-up” after admitting didn’t divulge why former Sinn Féin senator Niall Ó Donnghaile resigned from the Seanad. The former Belfast Lord Mayor has now admitted he had resigned over inappropriate texts to a teen. What will all of this mean for the Republic’s looming election?    Ciarán Dunbar joined by the Irish Independe...

In the past six weeks, four women have been killed in NI, bringing this year’s total of alleged femicides up to six. At the time of recording, a further two deaths from this weekend are under investigation. Why is femicide so high in Northern Ireland, how does the PSNI deal with domestic violence here, and can anything be done? Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Allison Morris.  Hosted on Acast. See...

On the 13 October 1994, six weeks after the IRA announced a ‘complete cessation’, the Loyalist paramilitary groups declared their ceasefires. The UVF’s Gusty Spence announced loyalist violence was over, in a step that is seen as one of the vital steps towards a lasting peace in Northern Ireland. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by former PUP leader Billy Hutchinson, Historian Aaron Edwards, and journalists...

22 people died in the 2017 Manchester Bombing, and over a thousand were injured. Former TV producer Richard Hall has been in court for allegedly harassing victims of the bombing to show that the event was an ‘elaborate hoax’. He believes that the bombing was staged, and the people involved were ‘crisis actors’. What are they, and why do so many people believe in them? Olivia Peden is joined by Bel...

Michelle O’Neill faced the assembly and with the repeated use of the words “sorry” and “apologise” tried to extricate Sinn Féin from the mire of the Michael McMonagle controversy – is it enough?  Claire Hanna has now officially taken charge of the SDLP, can she turn around the party’s fortunes? And does Mike Nesbitt have a similar task ahead of him as he returns to the UUP driving seat? ...