The BelTel

August 2013 and Dungannon woman Michaella McCollum – along with her travelling companion Melissa Reid, attempted to leave Peru with €1.6million worth of cocaine. Nabbed by the airport authorities – they both would begin a perilous and treacherous life behind bars at the notorious Ancon 2 prison. We look at the story of the ‘Peru Two’ that is now the subject of a new series on Netflix - ‘High: Confessions of an Ibiza Drug Mule’.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Portadown teenager Marian Beattie was just 18 years old when she was murdered. She had gone to a dance in the company of her brother and best friend near the Co. Tyrone village of Aughnacloy in 1973. She left in the company of a young man and was never seen alive again. The Police Ombudsman found failings in how her killing was investigated by the RUC. Belfast Telegraph reporter Niamh Campbell tells Ciarán Dunbar Marian’s story. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A judge has revealed new details about the NAMA controversy, one of Northern Ireland’s biggest ever political scandals. Among the controversies surrounding the sale of Nama’s entire loan book here eight years ago was disagreement about the purpose of £7.5m - transferred to an Isle of Man bank account in highly unusual circumstances. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Sam McBride, to explain the significance of these developments. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Men are more likely to commit crimes, but why is that, is the system stacked against them, or do men simply have a greater propensity towards ‘evil’? At the time of recording this podcast almost 1,650 men were incarcerated in Northern Ireland. That compared to about 80 women. The difference is staggering but why is it so great? Host: Ciarán Dunbar. Guests: Dr Michelle Butler and Prof David Canter. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Monica McWilliams tells the story of the Northern Ireland Womens’ Coalition From 1996 to 2006, Northern Ireland had a political party with a difference. It was a party, for women- just for women. In 1998, two of its members, co-founder, Monica McWilliams and Jane Morrice, were elected to the assembly, playing an integral role in the Good Friday Agreement. Jessica Rice interviews Monica McWilliams on the party that changed the political landscape of NI forever. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The latest Belfast Telegraph Lucid talk polls tells us Sinn Féin is soaring above the pack but that the DUP has launched a successful fight back. 41% of voters think that if it stays like that – it should mean Dublin sharing power in Northern Ireland but is that possible under the Good Friday Agreement? The Belfast Telegraph’s political editor Suzanne Breen gives us an in-depth analysis into the state of Northern Ireland’s parties, the decisions in front of the DUP’s Jeffrey Donaldson and explains why nationalist are talking up joint authority.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1974, two IRA bombs in Birmingham pubs took the lives of 21 people. The incident would result in six innocent Irishmen being wrongfully convicted of the crime. We tell the story of the Birmingham Six and how those responsible have not been brought to justice. Host: Siobhan Maguire. Guest: John Downing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s possible you mightn't notice that the price of some individual items in your trolley has gone up in recent months but when the cashier totals up – you notice All of us have noticed it’s getting harder and harder to get to the end of the month and to reach the next paycheck. We are in a 'cost-of-living crisis,’ but what exactly is it, whose fault is it and how did we get out of it? And are some companies simply taking advantage of the situation to up their prices and profits at our expense? Ciarán Dunbar is joined by the Belfast Telegraph’s Business Editor – Margaret Canning. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It reads like the blurb on the back of an improbable spy thriller, but it’s a true story. The French Secret Service hacks an exclusive mobile phone system. Known as an ‘EncroChat’, it has an exclusive client base, it’s the phone of choice for the underworld. Some of those phones ended up at the bottom of Belfast’s Lagan River. Host: Ciarán Dunbar, Guest: Allison Morris. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Louis Mountbatten was a beloved member of the Royal family and mentor to King Charles. But now allegations of child sex abuse at Kincora, a notorious Belfast children’s home, have been made against him. The Indo Daily uncovers the story of the man known in the royal family as Uncle Dicky. Host: Fionnán Sheahan. Guests: Senan Molony Political and Sharon O'Neill. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Addicts shooting up in broad daylight and needles discarded all over our streets. Belfast is in the midst of a new pandemic- DRUGS.Coroner Joe McCrisken talks to Sharon O’Neill about the drugs crisis here in Northern Ireland and the deadly pills flooding the streets that are even BANNED in the States.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dermot Nesbitt was one of the negotiators of the Good Friday Agreement and then a key backer of David Trimble in the years after the deal was struck in 1998, The Crossgar man has had a remarkable life in politics and academia and went on to become a Stormont minister. He was standing beside the unionist politician and academic Edgar Graham when he was murdered by the IRA on Queen’s University’s Belfast campus in 1983, Northern Ireland Editor, Sam McBride, interviews Dermot Nesbitt as he reflects on where unionism went wrong in Northern Ireland’s early decades, where it is still going wrong today and what the future holds for Northern Ireland. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As an attack on an Irish government target is allegedly called off at the last minute there are serious concerns about the future of the loyalist ceasefires. A letter from the Loyalist Communities Council saying support for the ceasefires may be weakening has been interpreted by some as a veiled threat of potential violence. How did we get here? Host: Ciarán Dunbar, Guest: Allison Morris. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sinn Féin, and others, continue to call for a border poll in Northern Ireland, a referendum on a United Ireland. But it takes two to tango, not only would Northern Ireland have to vote for unity – so would the Republic of Ireland. Fionnán Sheehan is Ireland Editor at with the Sunday Independent and Irish Independent – Ciarán Dunbar asks him the simple question – would the south vote for a united Ireland? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Liz Truss was the UK’s shortest serving Prime Minister, ever. How did it come to pass that the UK has seen three prime ministers in two months and why did the Conservative Party lose faith in Truss in a matter of weeks? David McCann explains the chaos in the Conservative Party and if new leader Rishi Sunak can bring it to an end. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What could we expect from a Sinn Féin government and more importantly what do we know about its leader Mary Lou McDonald? Former TD Shane Ross attempts to answer the question in his new book ‘Mary Lou McDonald : A Republican Riddle’.Host: Fionnán Sheehan.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The prestigious global body that governs Irish dancing is mired in allegations of competition fixing and cheating. Irish Independent News Correspondent Ellen Coyne reveals the revelations that have rocked the Irish dancing world. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 - Iain 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 us about meeting Patricia’s brother Desmond – who spent his life as a Catholic Priest in South Africa – a life some think was an act of redemption. And we ask the biggest question of all – if Ian Hay Gordon didn’t kill Patricia – then who did?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Iain Hay 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 horrific murder for a longSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sean Fox was gunned down while drinking in the Donegal Celtic Social Club in west Belfast, on Sunday 2 October, in front of more than 100 people. It’s the latest in a series of murders carried out in west Belfast linked to drug-dealing and the so-called ‘Marbella Crew’. Who is responsible for carrying out these killings and why? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The South-East Antrim UDA has carried out seven brutal murders in Carrickfergus since 1995, but no one has ever been convicted in connection with them. The UVF has also been in the news after confronting families over a fight between teenage girls. In this episode of the BelTel – we look at the gangs of Carrickfergus and how they are getting away with murder. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With Stormont moribund, census result posing questions, and nationalists continuing to campaign for a border poll, where to now for unionism? “We have failed, to sell ourselves, to sell our identity, to sell our beliefs. We can’t blame Sinn Féin for that, it’s our own fault,” commentator Alex Kane told the BelTel. Should it be reaching out to Catholics – or should it take a harder line? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How does a United States Marine Corps end up as a gunrunner for the Provisional IRA and working alongside notorious gangster James 'Whitey' Bulger? Fionnán Sheahan talks to John Crawley about his life as an IRA gunrunner.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Catastrophic floods in Pakistan, ice sheets melting, an incredibly hot summer. The effects of climate change seem to be everywhere. Experts warn these changes in the climate will affect billions of us, will cause huge migrations, could lead to war, cause mass extinctions and even lead to economic and social collapses. Then why do most people not seem particularly bothered by it? Host: Ciarán Dunbar. Guest: Belfast Telegraph columnist and climate activist Rosalind Skillen. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Northern Ireland Sovereignty Referendum of 1973. Ever heard of it? Not surprised if you haven’t. It’s rarely mentioned but it was a border poll – it was a referendum on a United Ireland held at the very height of the troubles. Lecturer, writer, commentator and deputy editor of the website Slugger O’Toole, David McCann, tells Ciarán Dunbar all about the 1973 referendum. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the 3rd of May in 2007, the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, a three-year-old girl, started a global conversation as to what could have happened her. With the 15th anniversary of that disappearance this year, and a new ‘arguido’ or official suspect named, the Indo Daily revisits the events on the night she went missing and what followed, including her parents Kate and Gerry finding themselves under intense media scrutiny and police suspicion.Presenter Siobhán Maguire is joined by Sunday Independent columnist, Sarah Caden, and journalist, John McGee, who was holidaying in the same resort all those years ago.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Catholics outnumber Protestants in Northern Ireland, but what does that really mean? Are there any winners in the 2021 Census? What about passports identity and language? Andrew Madden and Ciarán Dunbar discuss the Northern Ireland census results, if they mean a border poll and there’s even a mention of kangaroos. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The NHS in Northern Ireland is ‘absolutely broken’, say nurses as they warn that they are set was a winter strike. In this episode of the BelTel we ask why health care professionals are not being listened by administrators and politicians. Host: Ciarán Dunbar. Guests: Rita Devlin and Conor McDowell from the Royal College of Nursing and Lisa Smyth, Belfast Telegraph health correspondent. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eamonn McCann's name is synonymous with the Civil Rights Movement, Socialism, and his home city of Derry. Garret Hargan interviews him about his influences, his views and whether or not he thinks there will be a United Ireland. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It has been ten years since Ulster Rugby star Nevin Spence died in a farm accident along with his brother Graham and father Noel. Nevin was at the beginning of his professional rugby career, and it is widely thought he would have become a massive star before his life was cut short. Host, Ciarán Dunbar: Guests, Michael Sadlier and Jonathan Bradley. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Indiscipline in Gaelic games often makes the headlines and it's back on the news following an alleged assault on a referee at an underage football match in Roscommon. Sunday Independent Columnist Joe Brolly discusses referees, violence, and abuse in the GAA. Host Fionnán Sheahan. Guest Joe BrollySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Covid-19 is still out there but we are no longer taking extraordinary measures to fight its spread. Are we right to relax our defences and if so, were we wrong to lockdown society like we did? Ciarán Dunbar is joined the the Belfast Telegraph’s health correspondent, Lisa Smyth. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People throughout the UK are in mourning for Queen Elizabeth II. She visited Northern Ireland many times and is remembered with great fondness, especially in the Unionist community. The Belfast Telegraph’s Northern Ireland editor, Sam McBride reacts to the Queen’s death and and shares his thoughts on how it will impact NI. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Was Boris Johnson a bungling buffoon propelled to high office by privilege or an astute political operator who became a very unconventional prime minister? What is his legacy here and what might Liz Truss have planned for Northern Ireland? Belfast Telegraph reporter, Andrew Madden joins Ciarán Dunbar in the studio. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ciarán Dunbar speaks to Angus Lambkin, a UN specialist on conflict about our world’s wars today and about the huge and potentially deadly challenges we face in the future as climate changes our planet and its politicsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sean Quinn was once Ireland’s richest man. Last November, members of the former billionaire’s family used a privacy law to erase from Google much of their past, including lavish spending and court battles over the collapse of the Quinn empire. Host: Fionnán Sheahan. Guests: Shane Phelan, Legal Affairs Editor of the Irish Independent and Adrian Weckler, Technology Editor of the Irish and Sunday Independent. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The SNP’s leader Nicola Sturgeon wants another referendum on Scottish independence. If she succeeds, could she lead Scottish nationalists to victory and what impact would that have on Northern Ireland? Host: Niamh Campbell: Guests, Alba Party MP Neale Hanvey, political analyst David McCann, the Belfast Telegraph’s Northern Ireland editor, Sam McBride, and the Belfast Telegraph’s political editor, Suzanne Breen.Opening music by Dark Isle Bagpiper.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s been 25 years since Diana, Princess of Wales, died in a car crash in Paris. She was at the time, the most famous woman in the world, and many would say she remains so. Fashion designer Paul Costelloe shares his memories of the mother behind the icon. And we ask what impact did her death have in Northern Ireland and in the Republic of Ireland? Host: Ciarán Dunbar. Guests: Áine Toner, Andrew Madden, Morgane Shanley, Sinéad Ryan and Paul Costelloe. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rural Castlerock, 1991; Embroiled in a sordid affair, Hazel Stewart and Colin Howell plot the double murder of their spouses, disguising them as suicides. Their crimes would not be revealed until 19 years later, when a guilt-ridden Howell confessed and provided evidence against his ex-lover in trial. But is Hazel Stewart truly a cold and callous killer as some think she is portrayed? Or is there more than meets the eye to this former Sunday school teacher? Host: Niamh Campbell. Guests: Allison Morris, Dan Keenan. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In February 2005, 25-year-old Lisa Dorrian went missing from a caravan park in Co Down and has never been seen again. Almost two decades on, her family and the PSNI are still searching for her body in the hope for answers and justice. They have only one suspect in mind as to who killed Lisa, and her sister Joanne reveals she has even spoken to him. Host: Niamh Campbell. Guests: Joanne Dorrian, Ciaran Barnes See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's exactly 100 years since the Irish revolutionary leader Michael Collins was killed during an ambush in Co Cork during Ireland's Civil War. What happened back in August 1922 and who shot the Big Fella? Host: Fionnan Sheahan. Guest: Senan Molony.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sex trafficker Martin Heaney is thought to have exploited hundreds of vulnerable women in Northern Ireland for over a decade. He finally received sentencing for his crimes in July 2022. The BelTel delves into how ‘Mucky Marty’ was finally caught, and we reveal the trauma some of his victims have gone through. Host:?Niamh Campbell. Guests: Allison MorrisSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A man from Northern Ireland whose wife was murdered in a violent farm robbery in South Africa has said he will never have peace again. He was tortured, shot and left for dead during the raid at their home.Robert Lynn told Adrian Rutherford about his terrible experience. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

February 8th 1983 – Shergar, the world’s most famous horse is stolen and thus begins one of the biggest Gardai investigations in Irish history – Who kidnapped Shergar the wonder horse? HOST: Fionnan Sheahan GUEST: Irish Independent's Senan MolonySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Abducted in plain sight. The young victim of an abduction just yards from her Portadown home describes the moment her attacker tried to bundle her in the boot of his car in broad daylight. Presenter Sharon O’Neill.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The words sectarian and sectarianism are widely used in Northern Ireland but we can’t even agree on what they mean. Some believe things are getting better, but others think the problem is getting worse. Warning, this podcast contains offensive language.Host: Ciarán Dunbar. Guests: Suzanne Breen, Richard Garland and Pádraig Ó Meiscill. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tens of thousands of people now take part in the Belfast Pride celebrations but that wasn’t the case when the first march was held in 1991, a time when life for gay people was much harder in Northern Ireland. How did Pride grow and why is it still so important? Host: Ciarán Dunbar. Guests Terry McFarlane and John O’Doherty. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Owned by the Trufelli family for almost 100 years, it was the staple of easter and summer holidays for generations across Northern Ireland. But when the pandemic shut its doors and it was put on the market - there were fears it might never open as an amusements again.Host Claire Williamson speaks to new owner Owen Curry about how long they plan to stay at the Portrush amusements and their exciting plans to open off-season beyond the summer months.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bonus Episode: Union leader ‘struggling’ to see how the NI Protocol Bill will improve life for farmersIn the week that the NI Protocol Bill cleared the House of Commons, the Belfast Telegraph business editor Margaret Canning has an in-depth interview with Ulster Farmers' Union President David Brown about whether the bill would be good news for NI farmers, or just milk down the drain.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The 21st of July 1972 was the most prolific day of IRA bombings during the Troubles. Nine people were killed and 130 injured as a blitz of 22 bombs detonated throughout Belfast in under two hours. That day has since become known as Bloody Friday. Why did it happen, how did it happen? Host Ciarán Dunbar, guests Malachi O’Doherty, Niamh Campbell and Aaron Edwards. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.