The BelTel

Philip O’Shea is a prolific online predator who lurked behind fake profiles, first coming across as charming friendly and flirty, then going in for the kill in an orgy of cruelty.  He forced them to send compromising pictures of themselves to him, blackmailing them not for money but for his own perverted satisfactions.   Sharon O’Neill tells Ciarán Dunbar how he managed to ensnare h...

We all dream of winning the Lottery, but then we hear stories about how winning the millions sent some people’s lives into a tailspin. The self-described ‘king of the chavs’ Michael Carroll being a famous example. Some have described winning the Lottery as a living hell that they would not wish on their worst enemies - can that fate be avoided? And should you tell people, or could you try and keep...

On October the 15th, 2021, the PSNI launch a raid an apartment in Ballymena, as part of a wider operation against drug in the town. The man who lived there was 61-year-old Noel Johnson. Moments later, he was dead. Once an acquaintance of Liam Neeson, this Catholic from Loyalist Harryville had been known as the ‘cocaine king’ of Ballymena. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by John Laverty, who knew Noel John...

John DeLorean was an eccentric but brilliant engineer. He had remarkable success in the US automotive industry, but he dreamed of striking out by himself and building a futuristic sports car. Incredibly, he was enticed to build that car in Belfast in the middle of the Troubles. Hollywood brought the DeLorean to the big Screen and the car, despite its obvious flaws, gained an iconic status. Andrew...

Most people believe that they could never be brainwashed into a cult or be totally enthralled by a cult leader, but it is believed that thousands of people find themselves in that situation every year.   Ian Haworth never imagined that he would fall for it, he never thought he would lose his mind and freedom to cult – but that is what happened.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/...

Gerard Mackin is the six-foot-tall gangland enforcer who is feared from the Falls to Limerick That is not surprising when you consider he was convicted of nailing another person to a floor – with a nail gun.  He has been in the Continuity IRA and in INLA. He was given a one-million-euro contract by the Kinahan crime clan to take out their arch-rival Gerry Hutch.    Born in west...

December is drawing to a close, so it’s time for some seasonal escapism as we consider the humble festive art form that is... the Christmas movie. From heartwarming family classics, terrible turkeys to the downright weird and questionable, there truly is something for everyone on the big and small screen. But are the days of the family gathering around the TV and going through the schedule go...

Winston Rea, known as Winkie Rea, died aged 72 at the beginning of December. He was the ex-leader of the loyalist terror group, the ‘Red Hand Commando’, and until his death was on trial in connection with two sectarian murders. He denied all 19 terror charges against him. Who was Winkie Rea, what was the Red Hand Commando, and had the ruthless paramilitary man really become a man of peace? Belfast...

Israel's ambassador to the UK has strongly reject the prospect of a future Palestinian state. Tzipi Hotovely told Sky News Israel will not accept a ‘two-state solution’  So – what is Israel’s end game and are they now risking alienating their key ally, the US, as they continue their campaign in Gaza, seeking to destroy Hamas.  Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Bel Trew, the Independen...

The imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is no longer at the prison colony where he was being head. The loss of contact likely signals a Kremlin effort to tighten his isolation while President Vladimir Putin runs for re-election, his spokeswoman has claimed. A constant thorn in Putin’s side, could Navalny still play a role in the future of Russia?   Host: Rory Tevlin, Gues...

The Belfast Telegraph’s Northen Ireland editor, Sam McBride, joins Ciarán Dunbar with his assessment of what’s going on at Stormont.  Is Sir Jeffrey Donaldson about to jump, and if he does will his party jump with him?  The DUP says there’s ‘still some way to go’ in the negotiations on the Northern Ireland Protocol and Windsor Framework – others say the deal is done and we are just haggl...

Considered the richest man in the world, South Africa-born tech moghul Elon Musk is rarely out of the news. His controversial social media statements have made him a villain to some, but a hero to others. A father to eleven children from three women, Musk has also expressed worries of a global population collapse. Who is Elon Musk, where did he come from, and what does he want? Belfast Telegraph T...

Glasgow-born Alan Scott led the ‘Causeway Coast Vineyard church’ until June 2017. Having felt called by God, he and his wife decided to take roles in the original Vineyard church in Anaheim California. Scott eventually decided to take the church out of the Vineyard movement, leading a group of members to sue him for 62 million dollars. This has led to reports into his ex-North Coast leadershi...

Why did the IRA split in two, into the Provisionals and the Officials? The so-called ‘Stickies’ abandoned their armed campaign but never their guns – could the Official IRA still exist? Who were the personalities involved in the split and what became of the Workers’ Party?    Ciarán Dunbar spoke to Dr Brian Hanley, co-author of ‘The Lost Revolution: The Story of the Official IRA and the...

Shane MacGowan has died at the age of 65. From a poetry-fuelled middle class upbringing to the chaotic UK punk scene, MacGowan was an innovator, marrying punk with Irish music, the chronicler of the Irish émigré, and a poet who wrote about love, loss and the chaos of addiction.   Fionnan Sheean and John Meagher look at the life he led and the lyrics he wrote. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pr...

A mysterious double murder in Co. Longford in 1986 has been tied to Loyalists from Derry. Killed in their kitchen on a cold November night, Marie Murtagh (43) and Tom Taaffe (50) were mysteriously murdered in their farmhouse in the village of Aughnacliffe, Co Longford in 1986. Fionnán Sheahan is joined by Liam Collins, journalist with the Sunday Independent, who reported this gruesome murder at th...

When a restaurant review is published in the Belfast Telegraph, they can often attract a huge number of readers – especially if it is negative! Many dream of being a food reviewer, but what gives them the right to publicly slate local restaurants? What sets an establishment apart? And exactly how disastrous is a bad review for the business? Belfast Telegraph food reviewer Joris Minne joins Ciarán...

Dublin is cleaning up the aftermath of violent scenes following a night of rioting, clashes with Gardaí (Irish police) and looting. The unprecedented scenes followed the stabbing of five people, including three children. What led to the chaos and where do we go from here? Tabitha Monahan is joined by head of news at Mediahuis group, Kevin Doyle, and Irish Independent technology editor Adrian Weckl...

Twenty-two loyalists have been convicted in the past 18 months for dealing drugs connected the East Belfast UVF. The UVF’s Shankill Road based leadership has now ‘stood down’ several prominent figures in the notorious east Belfast battalion, to protect ‘transition’ funding. Ciaran Barnes, chief reporter with the Sunday Life, has the latest. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Host...

Sam McBride sits down with Military Historian Huw Bennett, author of ‘Uncivil war: The British Army and the Troubles’. The new book deals with how the troubles began, why they escalated so quickly, and the army’s role. The author discusses how the British military learnt to fight IRA guerilla tactics, the its fear of the UDA, and why the military obstructed his access to evidence of the Troubles....

For 28 years during the Troubles, it was deemed too dangerous for Linfield to play at Solitude, a football ground in the heart of Nationalist north Belfast. But in November 1998, the Blues finally travelled across the city to play the Reds at Solitude in one of the most significant games in the history of the Irish League football. Belfast Telegraph sports journalist Keith Bailie is joined by Chie...

Eight members of the East Belfast UVF have been told to stand down over links to criminality. Despite this, sources have said there is “no prospect” of a feud within the group, suggesting that a wind-down for the paramilitary group could be on the horizon. Belfast Telegraph security correspondent Allison Morris joins Ciarán Dunbar. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Aca...

Rishi Sunak’s cabinet reshuffle took many by surprise. Suella Braveman gets the boot, ex-PM David Cameron makes a shock return government and a new ‘minister for common sense’ emerges to fight left-wing “wokery”. What is going on in the Tory Party? Ciarán Dunbar is joined by TRT World Presenter Enda Brady. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy...

Ciarán Dunbar gets an explanation of authoritarianism from QUB Politics Professor, Lee McGowan. Authoritarian states such as China, Russia, and North Korea are asserting themselves. And even in the west, populism, fascism and hard-left politics seek to undermine representative democracy. What is authoritarianism and why is it gaining ground? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hos...

When Molly Martens arrived in Limerick in 2008, she seemed like an All-American Girl with the world at her feet. But that public persona - like many of the stories she told about herself - was just a work of fantasy. From mother to monster, from wife to Jason Corbett’s killer, who is Molly Martens? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more...