The BelTel

The DUP have suffered a series of defeats in the general election including Ian Paisley's North Antrim seat. Alliance have won Lagan Valley with Sorcha Eastwood but lost North Down and Stephen Farry. In a great night for them, Sinn Féin have held all their seats comfortably. SDLP hold their seats.  The UUP's Robin Swan wins South Antrim Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mor...

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson will return to court in the autumn to formally answer historical sex offence charges. He and his wife Lady Eleanor appeared in Court in Newry on Wednesday morning. The number of charges he faces is now 18 - an increase of seven alleged offences since his last appearance in court.  Ciarán Dunbar spoke to Liam Tunney and Allison Morris, who were in court in Newry.  Ho...

NI will elect 18 new MPs on Thursday. Most of the seats seem easy to predict but the pre-election Belfast Telegraph / LucidTalk poll suggests there will be some really close battles, most involving Alliance.   Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Bill White from Lucid Talk, political commentator Alex Kane, and former election manager with the SDLP - Ray Kennedy.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.co...

On the 3rd of July 1970 the British Army sealed off the lower Falls.  A ‘curfew’ is announced. Troops go in, searching for IRA weapons. But the use of CS gas, houses being wrecked, looted even, turns the population against them. Four people died. The Official IRA decided to fight what they called ‘The Battle of the Falls’.  The army seized weapons but their standing i...

As Taylor Swift brings her Eras Tour to Ireland, we look at how her fans have made her a global success and created an army of followers - some of which have become a threatening force.    Host: Ellen Coyne       Guests: John Meagher & Clare Martin Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A ‘Walter Mitty’ is someone who lies about, or exaggerates, their military service. Being a so-called ‘Walt’ is technically legal in the UK but vigilante ‘Walt hunter’ groups campaigning for legislation against it. Northern Ireland has its fair share of fantasists including one fake cop who called for back-up. Why do they do it, and are they really doing any harm? Ciarán Dunbar is joined...

The man once known as the face of Brexit is back. Nigel Farage claims that after the election, his party Reform UK will be the head of opposition in parliament. He has stood for parliament 7 unsuccessful times, been member of three different parties, and had three near-death experiences along the way. How did Nigel Farage get here, can he win this time, and what does he think about Northern Irelan...

Sam McBride sat down with Stephen Farry, asking him the tough questions on his vision for North Down, on his views about gender issues and why his his first worlds in Westminster were in Irish.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Convicted Killer and West Belfast UDA boss Mo Courtney has blamed on trying to extort cash from a local pensioner who runs an online ‘granny bingo’. Loyalist sources say Courtney ‘fined’ the organiser of the illegal online game £10,000 and ordered her to pay him £100 per week protection money. Courtney, who denies any links to criminality, accused the woman of “bringing Catholics” onto the Shankil...

A 1,500 strong UVF show of strength has raised questions about what is going on in the organisation. What’s going on with the UVF and why are parade tensions re-emerging in Ardoyne?  Host: Ciarán Dunbar, Guest: Allison Morris. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With the Westminster Election looming, Northern Ireland’s parties continue to fight their traditional battles. To catch up with what’s been happening on the doors and in the polls, Ciarán Dunbar is joined by renowned data analyst Peter Donaghy to hear his predictions, Belfast Telegraph Political Editor Suzanne Breen on recent developments, and Foyle-based Belfast Telegraph reporter Garrett Ha...

Ciarán Dunbar sits down with Patrick Corrigan of Amnesty Internation to discuss whether human rights apply to everyone equally, what’s happening in Israel / Palestine and whether the case of Julian Assange means the west is in no position to lecture.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

12 years ago, a cyclist in the French Alps made a gruesome discovery one sunny autumn afternoon. The bodies of 4 adults, each of whom had suffered gunshots to the head. Miraculously, two children had survived the bloodbath. Who were they? Why were they killed? And why are French police still looking for answers after all this time? Tabitha Monahan is joined by Catherine Field. Hosted on Acast. See...

Colonel Tim Collins was the commanding officer of the Royal Irish regiment, who led them into battle in Iraq.  Now he’s the UUP candidate for North Down. Collins has strong views on immigration, abortion, transgender issues, his rivals, and the future of Northern Ireland. Sam McBride sat down with Tim Collins to hear who he really is, what he believes, and his plans if he gets elected. ...

Mary Lou McDonald is “sorry” this week after disappointing results in Irish local elections. In Northern Ireland, Nigel Farage has disappointed the TUV by endorsing DUP candidates. And just 33% of NI candidates in the General Election are women – why?  Ciarán Dunbar is joined by David McCann, while Claire Williamson speaks to Aoife Clements, and to MLA Cara Hunter.  Hosted on Acast....

20 women who have been murdered in Northern Ireland since 2020. Three of these murders have been in the last 7 months, with the latest being 81-year-old Patricia ‘Patsy’ Aust. Her brother has been charged with her murder. Compared to the rest of the UK, women here are twice as likely to be murdered in NI as a result of domestic violence. Do we have a problem? Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Sarah Mason...

The trial of three men charged in relation to the murder of Lyra McKee is continuing. The court has heard that rioting on the night she was killed was orchestrated to “put on a show” for an MTV camera crew. A Constable testified how Lyra “stumbled and fell to the floor” as she stood among a group of women beside a police Land Rover. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Ashleigh McDonald, who has been follow...

The campaigning has begun, the posters are up, and soon Northern Ireland will be going to the polls. Where can Sinn Féin make gains, could Belfast end up without Unionist representation, and what would Gavin Robinson losing his seat mean for the DUP? Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Belfast Telegraph political editor Suzanne Breen and former editor of  The Impartial Reporter  Denzil McDaniel....

Loyalist Billy ‘Beachball’ McCune is facing charges of possessing firearms in suspicious circumstances. He doesn’t deny having the guns but claims he was a “go-between” for the community and UDA. McCune is now understood to be under threat from the owners of the guns - the UDA, the UVF and an organised crime gang known as the Russians. The UDA and UVF fear two of them were used in murders they car...

Caoimhe Morgan was a 30-year-old mother of four. She was brutally murdered by her partner in her North Belfast home whilst two of her children were present at the property. Taylor McIlvenna has been found guilty of her murder but could be out in just 17 years despite having a lengthy criminal record. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Kurtis Reid, who was in court.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pri...

The shock divorce of Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford have left viewers to wonder where it all went wrong for the TV double act.   It’s not the first showbiz conflict Holmes has been involved in, after he was one of the loudest voices amid Phillip Schofield's high-profile ITV departure. Tabitha Monahan is joined by Belfast Telegraph features editor Áine Toner. Hosted on Acast. See acast....

The trial of three men charged in relation to the murder of Lyra McKee has begun.   The 29-year-old died after being shot in the head by a new IRA gunman in the Creggan area in Derry in April, 2019. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Kurtis Reid, who was in court.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On 4th July, Northern Ireland’s 18 parliamentary constituencies will decide who they will send to Westminster. A number of constituencies will see change in July, including Jeffrey Donaldson’s Lagan Valley seat. Meanwhile, PM Rishi Sunak’s plans to reintroduce national service have been seen by some as the wrong move for attracting younger voters. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by lecturer and political...

IRA decommissioning was an historic political event that has been clouded in secrecy for decades. Files uncovered by the Belfast Telegraph, in The National Archives at Kew, have revealed new details about how the road to decommissioning weakened first minister David Trimble, fueled the rise of the DUP, and almost collapsed the Good Friday Agreement. They also reveal how foreign spy satellites...

In February 2022, business consultant Brendan Murphy was living in Irpin, a small city near Kyiv. That month, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with Irpin as one of their initial targets. Brendan wrote ‘War in Ukraine: An Irishman’s Journey’, to tell the story of his family’s escape from Ukraine and his experience of the country. He spoke to Ciarán Dunbar. Hosted on Acast. See...