The last Troubles era prisoner has been released, but his victim’s family question if he is fit to return to society. Clifford McKeown was serving a minimum sentence of 24 years in Magilligan Prison for murdering taxi driver Michael McGoldrick in 1996. Mckeown shot the father-of-one as a twisted birthday gift to then Mid-Ulster UVF leader Billy Wright - ‘King Rat’. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Sunday World’s Steven Moore. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Sep 15, 2024•20 min
The UDA is promising to hit back after its North Antrim boss was attacked by rival loyalists. Marcus Boreland, who denies any links to criminality, was left with a snapped ankle after band supporters broke loose from a parade and attacked him with their flutes, following the brigade’s feud with a faction from a nearby village. The LCC has rejected police demands for a meeting after loyalist Dee Stitt was arrested over online comments on recent race-related violence – raising new questions over i...
Sep 12, 2024•21 min
Arlene Arkinson was 15 years old the last time she was seen alive. She disappeared in August 1994 after leaving Castlederg in County Tyrone to attend a disco across the border. She was last seen with convicted sex offender Robert Howard, who was released without charge for her murder. Today it was announced that the Gardaí have started a new search for her body in Donegal. Olivia Peden is joined by Belfast Telegraph’s Andrew Madden Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Sep 11, 2024•19 min
51 men have gone on trial in France, all accused of sexually assaulting the same woman over a 10-year period. 72-year-old Gisèle Pelicot has been subjected to a decade of abuse by men who are aged between 26 and 74 years old. Her husband has plead guilty to repeatedly drugging her and inviting men into their home to sexually abuse her. Gisèle’s decision to waive her anonymity in the case has sent shockwaves across the globe. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Paris based journalist Catherine Field. Host...
Sep 10, 2024•22 min
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson and wife Eleanor have pleaded not guilty to all charges of historical sex offences against them. The court in Newy also heard Mrs Donaldson has lodged an application to have two of her five charges withdrawn. Liam Tunney reports. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 10, 2024•6 min
Enoch Burke is back in Mountjoy prison after returning to the Christian Wilson’s Hospital School in Westmeath, despite being barred from the premises. His family and multiple international outlets say he is doing time because he’s a Christian standing up to the so-called woke ‘trans agenda’. Why exactly is Enoch Burke behind bars, and how much of his life could he end up spending there? Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Journalist Shane Phelan, who has been following the story. Hosted on Acast. See aca...
Sep 08, 2024•22 min
Former nurse Lucy Letby is serving a whole life sentence for the murder of 7 babies and the attempted murder of 7 others. But now there are calls, including one from former Tory Brexit minister David Davis, for her case to be re-examined. Are there valid reasons to question the evidence against her and could the case be reopened? Kevin Doyle is joined by legal journalist and commentator Joshua Rozenberg. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Sep 05, 2024•22 min
Kingspan has been heavily criticised in the final report into the Grenfell disaster. 72 people died in the 2017 blaze. The report found Kingspan and two other firms engaged in a deliberate strategy to mislead the market about their products. The Irish company produced only 5% of the tower’s combustible foam but has been accused of “knowingly” misleading authorities about the results of tests done on the product. Kingspan sponsors Ulster Rugby and Cavan GAA. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Belfast Tel...
Sep 04, 2024•15 min
‘Captain Nairac’ was an exceptional but eccentric British Army officer abducted and murdered by the IRA in May 1977. He was snatched from a pub car park in South Armagh – a place he had gone alone – posing as a Belfast Republican. A search is continuing for his body. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Alistair Kerr, author of ‘Betrayal: The Murder of Robert Nairac GC’ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Sep 03, 2024•25 min
Oasis fans across the island were left angry, disappointed and waiting in digital queues of nearly three-quarters of a million people, as they tried to buy tickets for the Gallagher brothers’ reunion tour dates, in Croke Park next August. Many would-be concert-goers were offered standard ‘in demand’ tickets for sums reaching close to £500, leaving many accusing Ticketmaster of ‘price gouging’ and of touting their own concert tickets. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Sep 03, 2024•22 min
A Tyrone man has lost over £12,000 in a cryptocurrency scam after an account claiming to be his friend roped him into what was a supposedly ‘low risk’ investment. Last year over 5,000 investment scams like this were reported to the PSNI – amounting to over £20 million. Olivia Peden is joined by Kurtis Reid, who spoke to a victim of crypto fraud. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 01, 2024•25 min
After 25 years of what it termed ‘Armed Struggle’ and the ‘Long War’ , the Provisional IRA called a “complete cessation of military operations” on 31st August 1994 – 30 years ago. By that stage, the organisation was responsible for the deaths of 1,700 people. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Journalists Brian Rowan and Allison Morris, Former Belfast Telegraph Editor Ed Curran and historian Fearghal Mac Bhloscaidh. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Aug 29, 2024•32 min
Foyle MP Colum Eastwood is to step down as SDLP leader. He has backed South Belfast MP Claire Hanna to take over the leadership of the party. Colum Eastwood, who has been leader for 9 years, said the "moment has come to step aside". Ciarán Dunbar is joined by the Belfast Telegraph’s Foyle reporter, Garrett Hargan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 29, 2024•12 min
The Belfast Telegraph’s latest LucidTalk polling took Northern Ireland’s pulse on the levels of support for the parties, immigration and funding for the Casement Park rebuild. And after the resignation of Doug Beattie – is the UUP simply unleadable? Commentators David McCann and Sarah Creighton join Ciarán Dunbar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 27, 2024•31 min
West Belfast greengrocer Harry Holland was murdered in September 2007. In an attempt to steal Harry Holland’s van, then 16-year-old Stephen McKee stabbed him in the head with a screwdriver, leaving the pensioner to die later in hospital. McKee was given 12 years behind bars for the murder but was eligible for pre-release back in 2016. To the relief of Harry Holland’s family, the now 33-year-old has been sent back to prison following his suspected involvement of ‘very serious’ reoffending. Alliso...
Aug 25, 2024•23 min
Secret papers revealed by the Belfast Telegraph suggest the civil service and government knew Iain Hay Gordon was innocent of the murder of Patricia Curran but continued to cover up the truth. Officials feared that reopening the case could undermine confidence in the judiciary, just months after the UK government deployed troops to deal with the start of the troubles. The release of this latest evidence comes almost two years after The BelTel’s series on the murder of the judge’s daughter. Ciará...
Aug 22, 2024•23 min
Patricia Curran’s mutilated body was discovered just 40 yards from her home at 2 o’clock in the morning on the 13th of November 1952. She was a judge’s daughter – savagely stabbed to death - the pressure was on to find her killer. An innocent - but compromised man - Ian Hay Gordon, was eventually blackmailed into signing a confession and sent to a Psychiatric hospital – only to be quietly released and packed off to home to Scotland. In this episode of the BelTel, Journalist Stephen Gordon, tells...
Aug 21, 2024•25 min
The early hours of the morning on the 12th of November 1952, a judge’s daughter, Patricia Curran, is found dead in the garden of her family home. She had been stabbed 37 times. The BelTel looks at the shocking killing and how Ian Hay Gordon Gordon, a young Scot doing his national service in the RAF, was intimidated into signing a false confession, frightened that his mother would find out about his sex life. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by journalist Stephen Gordon, who’s been fascinated by this horr...
Aug 20, 2024•28 min
In a surprise move, the Ulster Unionist leader Doug Beattie has resigned. The former army officer said he quit over ‘irreconcilable differences’ with party officers. What exactly has happened and what does it mean for the party? Ciarán Dunbar is joined the Belfast Telegraph’s Northern Ireland editor Sam McBride. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 19, 2024•24 min
The body of Portadown woman Margaret Perry was found a year after she went missing, the bodies of three men the IRA itself accused of her murder were found three days later. The IRA also accused them, all members or former members, of being British agents. Their bodies were found by different roadsides in Northern Ireland’s ‘murder triangle’. Allison Morris joins Ciarán Dunbar. This podcast was originally published in January 2024. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Aug 18, 2024•29 min
James Mitchell’s farm in Northern Ireland’s ‘murder triangle’ was the base of the ‘Glenanne Gang’, a mix of loyalist paramilitaries and rogue members of the security forces. The ‘Glenanne Gang’ were responsible for up 120 murders including the Dublin Monaghan bombings, the Miami Showband massacre, and scores of other sectarian killings. Martin Breen has had a run in with Mitchell, he explains what happened. This podcast was originally published in October 2023 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priv...
Aug 15, 2024•25 min
Tullylish is a quiet rural parish, in the east of county Down. But during the troubles, it was known for being part of a ‘murder triangle’. From the 1970s to the mid-90s, over 20 people in the area were killed by paramilitary violence, with UVF commander ‘The Jackal’ co-ordinating many of these attacks. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Sunday Life editor Martin Breen and Martin Doyle, author of “Dirty Linen” - a book about his experiences growing up in Tullylish. This podcast was originally published ...
Aug 13, 2024•26 min
The Labour government has extended a ban on puberty blockers in the UK mainland. However, Stormont's Department of Health has confirmed that puberty blockers for children will remain legal in Northern Ireland, meaning that NI could become a backdoor for getting the drugs into Britain. Olivia Peden is joined by Sam McBride who wrote the story, Helen Joyce and Alexa Moore. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 11, 2024•28 min
The new Irish League season gets underway this weekend with Tiernan Lynch’s Larne chasing their third Sports Direct Premiership title in as many years. Can anyone stop them? Host Keith Bailie is joined by Chief Sportswriter Steven Beacom and Belfast Telegraph columnist and legendary Linfield manager David Jeffrey to discuss disappointing performances in European competition, the format of the top flight and give their verdict on each of the 12 Premiership teams. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pr...
Aug 08, 2024•39 min
An anti immigration protest on Saturday afternoon has resulted in three nights of violence across South Belfast. Several businesses have been attacked, including a supermarket owned by a Syrian refugee and one man has been seriously assaulted. With further protests planned for this weekend, policing is in the spotlight. Alison Morris is joined by Belfast Telegraph visuals editor, Kevin Scott. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Aug 06, 2024•23 min
Dr John Kyle is a former deputy leader of the PUP, the UVF’s political wing. He represented the loyalist party on Belfast City Council for 16 years. He joined the party after being inspired by UVF leader Gusty Spence and PUP leader David Ervine’s vision to transform their communities. He joins Ciarán Dunbar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 04, 2024•26 min
The INLA are suspected of receiving ‘dark money’ from the Russian State. The paramilitary group has had an upsurge in activity over the summer, being blamed for an attack on a west Belfast homeless charity. Public and vocal support of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has come from members of the IRSP, the political wing of the INLA. This week, Continuity IRA boss John Connolly was also seen supporting Russia from the British embassy in Dublin, calling the war in Ukraine ‘a proxy war’ funded by NATO....
Aug 01, 2024•21 min
Hearing what our politicians have to say is a crucial part of democracy. But back in 1998, The Assembly censored words spoken by Martin McGuinness to Deputy DUP leader Peter Robinson. After a legal battle lasting over two years, the Belfast Telegraph can now report on what exactly they are. Olivia Peden is joined by Belfast Telegraph Northern Ireland Editor Sam McBride and Mediahuis Ireland solicitor Thomas Turner. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Jul 30, 2024•26 min
The 1916 Easter Rising was organised by a tiny group of conspirators. They were the Military Council of the Irish Republican Brotherhood - a small, oath bound organisation dedicated to achieving an Irish Republic by any means necessary, including violent insurrection. Despite the impact of the Rising, the IRB was eclipsed in history by the IRA and faded away in less than 10 years. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by John O’Beirne Ranelagh, author of ‘The Irish Republican Brotherhood, 1914-1924'. Hosted o...
Jul 28, 2024•21 min
The 2024 Olympics have officially started, but it's been 36 years since a Northern Irish athlete brought a gold medal home. The long wait for an Olympic champion could end this summer, with Northern Ireland having its fair share of star athletes competing for Team Ireland and Team GB. Keith Bailie is joined by the Belfast Telegraph's Chief Sportswriter Steven Beacom to preview what promises to be an incredible fortnight of sport. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Jul 26, 2024•26 min
