The Troubles Podcast

This two-part episode focuses on the Glenanne gang, who were a secret informal alliance of Ulster loyalists based in the village of Glenanne. These were a group of loyalist which included members the the paramilitary group, the UVF, but also members of the police force the RUC and the British military regiment the UDR. In this first episode we learn about the infiltration of the UDR and then hear...

This is a short episode to explain why there has been rioting in the streets of Belfast in the early days of August, 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Richard O'Rawe joined the Provisional IRA when he was a teenager. He was eventually arrested and spent a number of years taking part in the blanket protests which would eventually lead up to the hunger strikes. Richard was there for it all and in this episode we talk about his role during the hunger strikes as well as his thoughts on Freddie Scappaticci who also went by the name of Stakeknife.  Le...

It was a dark evening in February, 1983, when three armed, masked men arrived to the home of Jim Fitzgerald. His family were locked in a room. One of the men said to him "We have come for Shergar. We want £2 million for him." He was taken at gunpoint to a nearby stable where Shergar the horse was sleeping.  The horse was loaded into a horsebox, and never seen again. What followed was a mystery whi...

The two socialist Republican paramilitary groups were the INLA, Irish National Liberation Army and the IPLO, the Irish People's Liberation Organization. These were two organisations who sought to fight against the colonial occupation of British Rule and free the working class of capitalistic dominance. However, instead of romantic struggle they would instead set their sights on each other. Former...

I'll be putting on a live show in London later this month with Kevin and Jason from Shite Talk: An Irish History Podcast. It'll take place on Wednesday, May 22nd at the London Irish Centre. Ticekts are £12 and the show starts at 19:30. Be great to see some of you there!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week's episode focuses on the life of Father Patrick Ryan, a Catholic priest who had a unique relationship with the Provisional IRA and Libyan Dictator, Muammar Gaddafi. Through Father Ryan, the Provisional IRA received millions in cash, but it was his engineering work with Provisional IRA bombs, which would end up saving the lives of many paramilitaries… while allowing them to improve the ef...

It was a Sunday evening in November, 1983 and 65 people were attending service at the Mountain Lodge Pentecostal Church Service. The church was a small wooden building on the outskirts of the Northern Irish village of Darkley, in the county of Armagh, which was close to the border with the Republic of Ireland. The popular hymn, 'Are You Washed in the Blood of the Lamb' was playing, and pastor Bobb...

Here's the link to The Troubles Podcast live show in January 25th, 2024:www.puntcomedy.com/event-details/the-troubles-live-podcastIn this episode, Kevin Owens talks about life in the Irish army during the Troubles, and explained what life was like... From searching in lakes for Libyan arms dumps to dealing with Gardai who may have been helping out the IRA. He then joined the US Army and ended up s...

David Ervine began as a loyalist paramilitary but had a remarkable change of heart while in prison, and upon his release dedicated his efforts to political discourse, and acting as a political voice for the UVF. But it wasn't easy, and there would be many who wanted to take his life. This is the story of the man who championed constructive unionism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastc...

Peter Taylor is a journalist who had an unparalleled level of access across the divided and sectarian communities in Northern Ireland. He has made multiple documentaires and written many books about the Troubles, and was trusted by paramilitaries to tell the world their stories. In this episode we talk about his life, his memories of Bloody Sunday, and meeting the leaders of the Provisional IRA an...

Chris Thrall deployed as a Royal Marine into Northern Ireland in 1989. He knew very little about the conflict in Northern Ireland before arriving, and it wasn't long before he would see first-hand, what the troubles was like for a member of the British armed forces. Republicans targeted his barracks with mortor bombs, and he was also fired upon while out on patrol one day. This is his experience o...

In this episode we will focus on the attacks associated with Stephen 'Top Gun' McKeag, his fall from grace from the UDA and the circumstance which would lead to his eventual demise. This episode was written by John Livingstone, and you can find more of his writing by searching @TheTroublesArchive on Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This two-part episode focuses on Stephen 'Top Gun' McKeag, who was a prominant member of the Ulster Defence Association. He was also responsible for many killings of Catholics in Northern Ireland. This first episode will talk about how the UDA restructured in the early 90's and what led to the rise of C-Company. This episode was written by John Livingstone, and you can find more of his writing by...

This week's episode features my chat with academic and historian, Gearóid Ó Faoleán. We talked about the Republic of Ireland's response to the growth of the Provisional IRA and how they dealt with the rise of Republicanism. We talk about how the IRA made explosives, whether they helped or hindered the heroin epidemic in Dublin, how Republicanism and class have changed over the decades and a lot mo...

The Remembrance Day Bombing was an IRA bombing which was carried out in the town of Enniskillen in Northern Ireland. The Provisional IRA claimed that they were targeting members of the security forces but instead ended up killing mostly elderly civilians. A lot of this episode focuses on where the IRA were getting their bombs from, which took them to the North African country of Libya. Learn more...

Bertie Ahern was the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland during the peace talks in Northern Ireland. I sat down with him in March 2023 to talk about his memories during this period, and the many times it felt like it was all going to fall apart. We then talked about Northern Ireland today and what affect Brexit has had on the Good Friday Agreement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastc...

The Good Friday Agreement was a mammoth undertaking which was the result of multiple failed agreements and a quest for peace for the people of Northern Ireland, This epiosde focuses on the sheer effort that was involved in finding peace for what many percieved as a neverending war. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode is about John Crawley, who joined the US Marines with the intention of returning back to Ireland to then join the IRA. He hoped he could bring his expertise to what he believed was one of the best paramilitary groups in the world. But once he joined, things weren't exactly what he expected, and in the end, the Provisional IRA were more interested in his accent than his expertise with...

Frank Stagg was a Republican prisoner from Ireland who died on hunger strike in 1976. In this episode we will learn about what happened afterwards, as the Irish Government went to significant lengths to prevent his funeral from becoming a rallying cry to the Republican movement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s 9am in the morning of July 29th, 1974 and council workers are cutting grass near the M1 Motorway near Belfast, when they discover the body of a woman lying half submerged in stagnant water. It was clear that the woman had been badly beaten before she was killed. The woman was soon identified as mother of four, Ann Ogillby. But who killed her and why? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit po...

It was a sunny morning in Hyde Park in London. On this morning in Hyde Park, the Household Cavalry were taking part in a changing of the guard ceremony. As they passed by a parked car, a nail bomb that was hidden in the trunk of the car was detonated. The bomb was made up of 11 kilograms of gelignite and 14 kilograms of nails which turned into deadly shrapnel upon detonation causing a scene of utt...

This is the second part of an episode focusing on the Hooded Men. In this episode Jim talks about his life after being interrned and then I will go into more detail about the complex legal case surrounding the courts definition of the word 'torture'. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With the arrival of internment in 1971, hundreds of Northern Irish men were picked up by the British Army and then detained without being charged for months at a time. The Hooded Men is the name given to 14 men who were subjected to something known as the 'five techniques' by the British Army. In this episode I'll be talking to Jim Auld, who was one of the men who was subjected to these techniques...

To celebrate International Podcast Day here's a short episode where I sat down with some podcasters based in the UK and talked about the process of making episodes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices