The BelTel

Seven men have been remanded in custody after being charged with the attempted murder PSNI Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell. A court has heard that the gang alleged to have tried to kill him involved both dissident republicans and non-paramilitary linked criminals. DCI Caldwell had investigated both. Host: Ciarán Dunbar, Guest: Allison Morris. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa...

There’s been a profound change in NI politics. Sinn Féin has surged to new levels of support but the DUP held their ground in the local government elections.  But for the first time - the number of nationalist voters is greater than the number unionists. How did this come about and what does all this mean for the future of our politics, culture and society?  Host: Ciarán Dunbar. Guests: Sam McBrid...

Warning: today's episode contains content some listeners may find distressing. Earlier this month, Nicola Gallagher wrote a Facebook post detailing serious domestic abuse she allegedly suffered at the hands of her former husband and GAA manager, Rory Gallagher. Rory, who managed Ulster champions Derry has since resigned, after the reaction to Nicola’s post. It has since emerged that Nicola's fathe...

Shane Laverty’s brother, Robert, was killed by the IRA in 1972. Robert was an RUC officer and was just 18-years-old. Shane tells Robert’s story because he does not want his brother to be forgotten.  This interview is part of a four-part series featuring people who lost a relative to IRA violence during the trouble. The series was produced and presented by Kirsten Elder.  See omnystudio.com/listene...

David Hallawell was just 13 when his father, John, was shot dead by the IRA in 1983. John was an RUC officer and was 35 years of age. David Hallawell reflects on his father’s life and how his family had had to cope with his death.  This interview is part of a four-part series featuring people who lost a relative to IRA violence during the trouble. The series was produced and presented by Kirsten E...

Bryan Finlay’s father, Ronnie, shot dead in front of him, his brother and his mother.  Bryan was just 10-years-old, he thought his father would be safe as he had left the UDR, but Ronnie was gunned down on a farm in 1991.  This interview is part of a four-part series featuring people who lost a relative to IRA violence during the trouble.  The series was produced and presented by Kirsten Elder.  S...

Serena Hamilton was just seven and a half when the IRA murdered her father in 1977.  He as a part-time UDR man, but he was killed at his place of work, out of uniform and unarmed. David Graham was just 38-years-old. His murder had a huge impact on Serena. This interview is part of a four-part series featuring people who lost a relative to IRA violence during the trouble. The series was produced an...

Paddy Kielty will replace Ryan Tubridy as host of RTE’s the Late Late Show. But what do we know about the Dundrum native and how important is it for RTÉ to get this right? Host: Fionnan Sheahan. Guests: Melanie Finn and Samantha McCaughren. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.  He told Ciarán Dunbar his story.  See omnystudio.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 Belfast, Gerard Macki...

Nationalists have made up the largest block on Belfast City Council in recent years but there have been momentous changes. The so-called ‘others’ - parties who do not describe themselves as unionist or nationalist – have become a major force and indeed kingmakers on the council – can they build on that in the local elections?  Andrew Madden joins Ciarán Dunbar See omnystudio.com/listener for priva...

Nationalists are in the majority on Derry and Strabane Council and recent elections have seen the SDLP and Sinn Féin neck and neck as they battle it out for dominance.    But there is also a strong unionist electorate in the area, and parties such as Alliance and People before Profit have been gaining strength in the district. Sunday World journalist Ciaran O’Neill spoke to Ciarán Dunbar from Derr...

The words of ‘The Fields of Athenry’ are known far and wide. The story of a poor Irish convict and how he ‘stole Trevelyan’s corn’ is synonymous with the Irish Famine. Now descendants of people who profited off the slave trade and who want to atone – are also recognising Trevelyan’s treatment of the Irish. Presenter Siobhán Maguire is joined by Irish Independent political correspondent, John Downi...

Whilst people do vote on local issues in Northern Ireland council elections, constitutional politics always plays a role.   Nationalism, unionism and those who don’t describe themselves as either will fight it out for council seats. How are things shaping up for the parties, what tactics will they employ, and what are the issues they have chosen to fight the election on? Ciarán Dunbar is joined by...

It is a rare day in Northern Ireland which does not see a sectarian incident making the headlines. Sectarian hate crime, flags ripped down, election candidates sharing sectarian content, candidates attacked or threatened, keep Irish out signs, flags commemorating loyalist paramilitary boss, offensive singing... the list goes on and on.  Will sectarianism ever go away? Can it get better or are we j...

As King Charles III is crowned the latest Belfast Telegraph / Lucid Talk polling shows that just 42% of people in NI support the monarchy. 50% say they either oppose it or are so disconnected from it that they see even a question about it as irrelevant. What could Charles III mean for the future of the monarchy and the United Kingdom? Bill White from Lucid Talk and the commentator Alex Kane join C...

The latest Lucid Talk polling for the Belfast Telegraph reveals Sinn Féin remains the party with the biggest support. But the DUP have closed the gap – backed by unionist support for their boycott of Stormont over Brexit arrangements.  Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Bill White, managing director of LucidTalk, and commentator Alex Kane to take a good look at the stats just weeks out from the council el...

She was a 32-year-old mother-of-four. Her death at the hands of teenage female members of the UDA was one of the most shocking of the Troubles. Ann Ogilby was beaten to death with bricks and sticks in a Sandy Row loyalist 'romper room' in 1974, all over the petty jealousy of a local women’s UDA boss. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Belfast Telegraph reporter, Andrew Madden See omnystudio.com/listener f...

A third senior member of the IRA's notorious 'Nutting Squad' is now suspected of working with the British. How did this group, who had access to some of the IRA's most guarded secrets become so riddled with double agents? Presenter Kevin Doyle is joined by Allison Morris. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An estimated million tons of illegal waste lies buried just a few hundred metres from the edge of Derry and just five metres from the river which supplies its water.  It is one of the biggest environmental crime scenes in the UK. Sam McBride tells Ciarán Dunbar the full story and how the authorities refuse to act.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com...

Stealing lemonade at the age of 9, being locked up in Mountjoy prison at the age of 15, to masterminding some of the country’s biggest heists in his twenties – we look at the life and crimes of Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch. The 'Monk' walked free from court after being acquitted of the gangland murder of Kinahan associate David Byrne in 2016.Host: Fionnán Sheahan  Guest: Paul Williams See omnystudio.com...

The brazen Regency attack in February 2016 marked the beginning of a gangland war on a scale never before seen on the streets of Dublin, with a death toll that would eventually reach 18. While much has been said about that fateful day, there's one journalist who is uniquely qualified to speak about it - because he was there. As the verdict looms in the trial of Gerry 'the Monk' Hutch, Irish Indepe...

Former Sinn Féin councillor Jonathan Dowdall is serving his sentence for facilitating the murder of David Byrne. We look at the rise and fall of the state's star witness in the notorious Regency trial, and ask if the country's most popular party, Sinn Féin can shake off his association? Host: Siobhán Maguire. Guest: Fionnán Sheahan. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Ac...

Did you know that Mo Mowlam wanted Wimbledon to become the Belfast Dons and bring Premier League football to Northern Ireland?   It never happened but peace did bring Ice Hockey to the city.   But it hasn’t been plain sailing, the Good Friday Agreement exacerbated the Republic of Ireland/Northern Ireland football eligibility row with several young players from a nationalist background opting to pl...

South Armagh republican Colm Murphy has died at the age of 70. He had been convicted but later acquitted of involvement in the Omagh bombing. He was later found liable in a civil court for the 1998 attack which killed 29 people. Murphy was at various points a member of the Provisional IRA, the INLA, the Real IRA, and was linked to the Óglaigh na hÉireann dissident group. The Belfast Telegraph’s se...