The BelTel

Jaksot

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  The Belfast Telegraph Bomb: The day the IRA attacked the newsroom 16.09.2026 27min

  On September the 15th, 1976, the Belfast Telegraph offices in Belfast centre was bombed by the Provisional IRA. Journalists were clattering at their typewriters when the second evacuation warning of the day went out on the Tannoy. Following the evacuation, a bomb in a van exploded in a loading bay, before many employees had the chance to get out. One of them – 64-year-old production worker Joe Paton - who'd been in a locker room above the bay - died from his injuries four days later. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by former Belfast Telegraph journalists Billy Graham and Alf McCreary, who were there on the day.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Noah Donohoe: Fiona Donohoe says PSNI and DfI "sought to blame Noah", as jury finds police didn’t contribute to teen’s death 15.09.2026 26min

  The jury in the inquest into the death of Noah Donohoe has found that the teenager died on the night of his disappearance, meaning that the PSNI’s response to his disappearance did not contribute to his death.   However, the jury did find that police failings impacted on their ability to come to a conclusion in the inquest and found that the Department of Infrastructure “erred” in its management of the culvert in which the teenager died.  But it also found that it was not probable that the Department’s management of the culvert more than minimally contributed to Noah’s death.  They were unable to explain Noah’s behaviour on the day he went missing because the evidence was insufficient to enable them to reach a conclusion.   14-year-old Noah’s body was discovered in north Belfast six days after he went missing as he cycled to meet friends.  Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Belfast Telegraph’s Liam Tunney, who has been in court throughout the inquest.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Seán Quinn's podcast: How is his version of the story going down? 13.09.2026 23min

  Once Ireland's richest man, Seán Quinn has returned to tell his story once again, this time through his new podcast, The Quinn Files. Fionnán Sheahan is joined by Sunday Independent’s Liam Collins and the Irish Independent’s Sean Pollock to examine Quinn's latest account of the events that transformed him from billionaire businessman to one of the most controversial figures of post-crash Ireland. From the extraordinary success of the Quinn Group to the collapse of Anglo Irish Bank, prison and life after bankruptcy, they ask whether Quinn's latest intervention brings fresh insight or simply revisits a story the public already knows.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  The ‘Hen House Boy’: 70 years on from the story of neglect which shocked NI 10.09.2026 23min

  In September 1956 a Crossgar schoolboy made a shocking discovery after peering into a hen house and locking eyes with a child. The eyes belonged to seven-year-old Kevin Halfpenny – but he has been better known ever since as ‘the hen house boy’.Robbed of human interaction – he seemed to have learned his behavior from the chickens around him. His widowed mother Margaret Halfpenny was arrested and pleaded guilty to neglect. 70 years later, the heartbreaking story has been surrounded by folklore. Olivia Peden is joined by Belfast Telegraph Journalist Kurtis Reid.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Kew Files: Who was the senior DUP member who supported violence just weeks before the Good Friday Agreement? 08.09.2026 33min

  A senior DUP member set out their explicit support for violence - just weeks before the Good Friday Agreement.  Files released in the National Archives in Kew have revealed the details of a politician’s comments to a government official - the individual wasn’t named but there were clues to their identity. It’s also been revealed that First Minister David Trimble was being paid thousands of pounds more than the deputy first Minister, Seamus Mallon, a year after the agreement – despite the roles being equal.  Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Sam McBride.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Holy Cross: Clerics Fr Troy and Rev Hamilton on the protest and resolving it 07.09.2026 43min

  When many people hear the words ‘Holy Cross’ - short for Holy Cross Girls Primary School – the words take them back to a dark time.  Holy Cross is a Catholic School in a loyalist area, Upper Ardoyne or Glenbryn. In 2001, community tensions boiled over and led to loyalist residents protesting nationalist parents from Ardoyne taking their kids to schools through their part of the area. That protest became notorious for its viciousness.  Two clerics, one Catholic, one Protestant became synonymous with the events of Holy Cross and attempts to resolve them.   They were Fr Aidan Troy and the Rev Norman Hamilton.  Fr Troy joined Ciarán Dunbar in the BelTel studio with the Rev Hamilton down the line.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Holy Cross 25-years-on: Allison Morris on what she saw, and the loyalist point of view 03.09.2026 37min

  The Good Friday Agreement was signed in 1998, but certain areas of Belfast felt little effect of peace. In September 2001, the Holy Cross dispute became one of the most disturbing flashpoints of the post-Agreement era. Holy Cross was a Catholic Girls' primary school but sat a few hundred yards inside the loyalist Glenbryn estate, in an area known as Upper Ardoyne. Within days of the school year starting, the world watched in horror as demonstrations involving abuse, spitting and a bomb attack ensued. What legacy has the Holy Cross dispute had, what impact did it have on the children involved, and why did protesters feel that they had no other choice? Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Allison Morris and Olivia Peden.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  David Sullivan: The mystery of the headless alleged paedophile’s murder 01.09.2026 18min

  In September 2000 a body was found in a bog in Fermanagh. This was not a so called ‘bog-body’, sacrificed long ago -  the body turned out to belong to local bus driver David Sullivan, who had gone missing 17 months earlier.  There were things that were particularly disturbing about this discovery – the first of which was that Sullivan was the subject of dozens of allegations of child abuse, the second was that his body had no head. Olivia Peden is joined by Belfast Telegraph’s Andrew Madden and former DCI Norman Baxter.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  God, Religion, the Troubles, and Christian Peacebuilding 31.08.2026 34min

  For much of the world, the Troubles in Northern Ireland were about Catholics and Protestants fighting each other. With those labels being used as shorthand to this day to describe members of the two main communities, it's easy to see why.  But whilst for some the conflict clearly included a religious element, the role of religion is certainly up for debate.  But what about peacebuilding – what role did Christians have in ending the conflict?  Professor Gladys Ganiel’s research focuses on the role of religion in conflict in Northern Ireland.  She has written a new short book – it's entitled Christianity and Peacebuilding in Northern Ireland. She joined Ciarán Dunbar.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  “Everything that I was told was a lie”: Lauren Bradford-Clarke, Colin Howell’s daughter 27.08.2026 47min

  Lauren Bradford-Clarke grew up believing her mother Lesley had taken her own life before finding out the truth – her father was a murderer. She was told her mum Lesley took her own life, eventually being told it was part of a ‘suicide’ pact with a man, Trevor Buchanan – the husband of the woman who would eventually become her stepmother. That woman was Hazel Stewart, how had been having an affair with Lauren’s father, Colin Howell. Ten 18-years after the deaths, Colin Howell walked into a police station and confessed to murdering them, implicating Steward as his partner in crime.Dr Lauren Bradford-Clarke, now a criminologist, spoke with the Belfast Telegraph’s Claire Williamson. This episode of The BelTel originally aired in February 2026.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  The IRA’s infamous escape from Belfast’s prison ship, the HMS Maidstone 25.08.2026 25min

  HMS Maidstone, an ex-Royal Navy Ship, was used in the early 1970s to hold internees.In January 1972, a group of IRA prisoners swam 270 meters through an ice-cold Belfast Lough in a bid to escape, greasing themselves in butter to squeeze out of the ship’s portholes. They then hijacked a double-decker bus before slipping across the border, humiliating the authorities. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by James Durney, author of ‘Jailbreak: Great Irish Republican escapes’. This episode was originally published in January 2025. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Drumcree: The crisis over an Orange parade which brought NI to the brink 25.08.2026 49min

  The Parades Commission acted wrongly in blocking Orangemen from seeking to march down a mainly nationalist road in Portadown, a court has ruled.Senior figures at Portadown District believe it now clears the way for Orangemen to walk back along the Garvaghy Road after almost 30 years, and intend to table a fresh application to march “in the near future”.But what are the origins of the dispute which almost brought Northern Ireland to the edge of anarchy?In this episode of The BelTel, originally published in July 2023, Ciarán Dunbar is joined by former BBC Journalist Mervyn Jess.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Maura Lyons: The Rev Ian Paisley and the 15-year-old 'abducted' from west Belfast 23.08.2026 27min

  The Rev Ian Paisley rose to prominence as the face of hardline unionism but the first time some would have heard of him would have been in connection with Maura Lyons. In 1956, the west Belfast teenager was smuggled to Scotland by members of the Free Presbyterian Church. She was a 15-year-old Catholic girl who converted to Free Presbyterianism, in the face of the strong objections of her family. They accused the Rev Ian Paisley of “abduction”. At one point, he gathered his supporters in the Ulster Hall to listen to a recording of Maura’s voice at the Ulster Hall, renouncing her Catholic faith as a “religion of fear and dread”. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by journalist Malachi O’Doherty, who grew up in west Belfast.  This episode was originally released in October 2025. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  ‘Peace at last’: The 1994 Loyalist Ceasefires 20.08.2026 28min

  On the 13 October 1994, six weeks after the IRA announced a ‘complete cessation’, the Loyalist paramilitary groups declared their ceasefires. The UVF’s Gusty Spence announced loyalist violence was over, in a step that is seen as one of the vital steps towards a lasting peace in Northern Ireland. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by former PUP leader Billy Hutchinson, Historian Aaron Edwards, and journalists Allison Morris, Mark Simpson, and Vincent Kearney. This episode was originally published in October 2024. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Jon Burrows and the UUP in a fix as Mike Nesbitt resigns 19.08.2026 20min

  The UUP's Mike Nesbitt has resigned as health minister – with a stinging public resignation letter aimed at his UUP leader Jon BurrowsThe row is over retaining emergency general surgery at the Causeway Hospital in Coleraine. The Northern Trust had recommended its closure, despite widespread local opposition.Jon Burrows told a public meeting in Coleraine that he wouldn't support any closure – despite the health minister being a UUP man.  Mike Nesbitt is understood to have asked his leader to publicly move away from that position, but Jon Burrows refused.What's going to be the outcome of all of this for the UUP? Ciarán Dunbar joined by the Belfast Telegraph's political editor, Suzanne Breen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  'It’s Over’: The 1994 IRA 'ceasefire' 18.08.2026 32min

  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. This episode was originally published in August 2024. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Families search for truth over 1983 south Armagh murders 17.08.2026 29min

  Paddy Mackin and Eamon MacMahon's bodies were found on the morning of the 13th of July, 1983.  They both had been blasted with a shotgun as close range.   The murders of the 34 year olds were first blamed on INLA leaders Dominic and Mary McGlinchey. But their families don’t believe that – they believe “other republicans” were involved.  They claim that an informer recruited by Captain Robert Nairac helped set up their loved ones. They say this man later fled Northern Ireland after Freddie Scappaticci tipped off MI5 that his identity had been compromised.  The story was broken by our political editor, Suzanne Breen.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Culture war rages in the wake of Prof Jason Arday resignation 14.08.2026 36min

  UPDATE: Professor Jason Arday was found deceased in London on Friday afternoon. He was found at an address in Battersea and pronounced dead at the scene. At 37, Jason Arday became the University of Cambridge’s youngest black professor.  However, he found himself at the center of a plagiarism accusations which cast a shadow over his career – and thrust him into the international limelight.   Parts of his CV were rubbished, and his most implausible claims about his personal life and achievements ridiculed.   Arday resigned from Cambridge last week saying he was under an "unrelenting level of public scrutiny and personal attack".  The controversy sparked intense debate.  While allegations against Arday became a focal point for right-wing press and far-right groups online, many academics argued the case has been caught up in a wider culture war.   Ciaran Dunbar is joined by Kurtis Reid, to talk about Jason Arday – what he says, and what his detractors and defenders say.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Fleadh Cheoil hailed as an enormous success for Belfast 12.08.2026 40min

  Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann took over Belfast City Centre for over a week drawing huge crowds.  The all-Ireland traditional Irish music competition and festival has been near universally hailed as an enormous success. It has been cited as having made a massive cultural, social, and economic impact on the city.  How much money was made? What impact will it have on the Fleadh, and can any lessons be learned? Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Belfast Telegraph reporter, and fleadh veteran, Liam Tunney, and by Business Editor Margaret Canning.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Inside the court as alleged godfather Daniel Kinahan charged and jailed  11.08.2026 19min

  Daniel Kinahan sounded bemused when he described the frenzy around his life as “movie stuff”, but the scenes that accompanied his trip back to Ireland were undeniably cinematic. A trip on a €53m government jet that was tracked by the public in real-time, a ring of steel around parts of Dublin as he was escorted in a bomb-proof convoy, and a long-awaited appointment at the Criminal Courts of Justice.  Perhaps the most surprising aspect, however, was the alleged criminal kingpin’s affable back and forth with the judge.  So, where does Daniel Kinahan go from here?  The Irish Independent’s news and security correspondent, Robin Schiller, was present to see it all unfold. He joined Kevin Doyle to break it down.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.