Shows / The BelTel
The BelTel
The BelTel brings you some of Northern Ireland's top journalists, Allison Morris, Sam McBride and Suzanne Breen to name but a few, giving you the inside stories behind what is in the news. Presented by Ciarán Dunbar, the Bel Tel investigates, debates and informs every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
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Episodes
- The BelTel
Lives taken (Pt 2 of 4): ‘My father was murdered in front of me when I was ten’ - it was ‘ethnic cleansing’
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…
- The BelTel
Lives taken (Pt 1 of 4): Slain UDR man’s daughter feels IRA wanted to "get rid of as many Protestants as possible"
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…
- The BelTel
Profiled: Patrick Kielty, the new Late Late Show host
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…
- The BelTel
‘How a cult brainwashed me, and how I escaped’
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…
- The BelTel
Gerard Mackin: Meet the brutal Belfast-born Kinahan enforcer the Irish criminal underworld fears
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…
- The BelTel
Elections in Belfast, can the ‘others’ become the largest block?
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…
- The BelTel
Derry and Strabane Council will see Sinn Féin and SDLP fight for the top spot – but the pack is snapping at their heels
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…
- The BelTel
The Irish Famine: ‘Trevelyan’s Corn’ and should his descendants make amends?
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…
- The BelTel
NI local elections: Nationalism, Unionism and others battle to win council seats
Whilst people do vote on local issues in Northern Ireland council elections, constitutional politics always plays a role. Nationalism, unionism and those who…
- The BelTel
Sectarian incidents continue: is the problem getting even worse?
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…
- The BelTel
King Charles is crowned with support of just 42% of NI folk for monarchy
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…
- The BelTel
LucidTalk: Polls, politics and parties – support for Sinn Féin holds, unionists support DUP hardline on Stormont
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…
- The BelTel
Ann Ogilby: Murdered by teenage UDA girls over jealousy
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…
- The BelTel
‘Nutting Squad’: Third member of IRA's security unit suspected of being a double agent
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…
- The BelTel
Sam McBride tells story of Mobuoy, the illegal super dump polluting Londonderry’s water supply
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…
- The BelTel
Dublin's Trial of the Century (Part 1): The life and crimes of Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch
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 –…
- The BelTel
Dublin's Trial of the Century (Part 2): Robin Schiller's first-hand account of Regency shooting.
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…
- The BelTel
Dublin's Trial of the Century (Part 3): Jonathan Dowdall, criminal connections, and his shadow over Sinn Féin
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…
- The BelTel
Peace and sport in NI: poaching players, police playing GAA, Premier League football in Belfast and the Giants
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…
- The BelTel
Colm Murphy: Who was the veteran republican found liable for Omagh Bombing?
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…
- The BelTel
Columba McVeigh: The teenager 'disappeared' by the IRA
19-year-old Columba McVeigh was living in Dublin in 1975. The Tyrone man left his flat on Halloween night to buy some cigarettes and was never seen by his…
- The BelTel
Unsolved: Allison Morris investigates the murder of Michaela McAreavey
Twelve years ago, Michaela McAreavey was murdered in her hotel room while on honeymoon in Mauritius. She had married John McAreavey just 12 days earlier. Two…
- The BelTel
Freddie Scappaticci: British spy Stakeknife and IRA 'nutting squad' executioner
Freddie Scappaticci, the informer known as Stakeknife, has died.He was double agent at the heart of the IRA, the man in charge of executing informers was…
- The BelTel
Good Friday Agreement: ‘25 year later, we are no nearer to agreeing what happened’
The Belfast Agreement left many questions unanswered, many problems unsolved and many points of disagreement. Can those problems be solved without coming to a…
The BelTelPeace at last? 25 years on from the Good Friday Agreement
After a generation of bloodshed and division, Northern Ireland's Good Friday Agreement marked a new era in British Irish politics. But has it succeeded in its…
- The BelTel
Good Friday Agreement: ‘We missed every opportunity’, admits Stormont’s former top spin-doctor
Stephen Grimason was the journalist who waved the Belfast Agreement on our television screens with the iconic quote: “I have it in my hand”. Sam McBride sits…
- The BelTel
Enoch Burke claims 'judge laughed, mocked, and ridiculed me' - controversial Christian's court travails
Controversial Christian Enoch Burke has alleged an Irish judge laughed, mocked and ridiculed him after he sought to raise concerns over the disclosure of…
- The BelTel
What does Russia really want in Ukraine and what are ordinary Russians thinking?
War continues in Ukraine at a huge cost in human life. Russia continues to assault Ukrainian lines in the Donbas but with western tanks being supplied to the…
- The BelTel
Scissor Sisters: Carved and discarded, the gruesome tactics of Dublin's murderous siblings
It remains one of the most gruesome and grotesque crimes in Ireland – a man murdered by his girlfriend’s daughters and carved into pieces. The Indo Daily hears…
- The BelTel
MI5 raises terror threat in NI to “severe” before US president Biden visit
The secret security service MI5 raises terror threat to “severe” just before US president Biden visit to Northern Ireland - It means an attack is highly…
- The BelTel
East Belfast UVF expels 20 for drug-dealing as PSNI crack down
The East Belfast UVF says 20 “once prominent members” of the organisation have been expelled over drug dealing. In an official statement to Sunday Life the…
- The BelTel
South-East Antrim UDA: ‘Purge’ underway as new management takes over
Senior members of the South East Antrim UDA have been forced from their homes in a ‘purge’. Among those ordered to leave was Adrian Price, named in court as…
- The BelTel
The week that was in it, Boris, Trump, and the price of a pint
It’s been quite a big week for news in Northern, in Westminster and beyond. Boris Johnson and Donald Trump have been in the news and so has Stormy Daniels. The…
- The BelTel
Census reveals lower percentage of LGB+ people in NI and more
The Northern Ireland Statistics & Research Agency has published more statistics from the 2021 Census. They cover sexuality, employment, immigration, language…
- The BelTel
Michael O'Neill: Can the returning Northern Ireland manager recapture the magic of Euro 2016?
This week Michael O'Neill will take charge of Northern Ireland for the first time since he was reappointed manager of the national team. Can O'Neill recapture…
- The BelTel
New IRA: Why do dissident republicans continue with their violent campaigns?
Almost twenty years since the Provisional IRA ended its armed campaign republican political violence continues. The shooting of PSNI detective John Caldwell…
- The BelTel
The Burkes: Mayo Christian family cause chaos in court
Simeon Burke, Enoch’s younger brother, is in jail and has missed his law exams. He is refusing bail saying was illegally incarcerated. He was arrested on 7…
- The BelTel
Jeffrey Donaldson’s quandary as DUP supporters say ‘No’ to Windsor Framework Brexit deal
Two-thirds of Northern Ireland back the Windsor Framework, according to the latest Belfast Telegraph / Lucid Talk polling. However, the same poll reveals that…
- The BelTel
Belfast’s heroin epidemic, are overdose prevention centres a solution?
Drug deaths in Belfast are more than double what they were a decade ago, with 15 young people dying on city centre streets within just one-month last summer. A…
- The BelTel
Michael Carroll, Lottery win disasters and how to avoid them
We all dream of winning the Lottery, but then we hear stories about how winning the millions sent some people’s lives into a tailspin. The self-described ‘king…
- The BelTel
Noel Johnston: The life and crimes of Ballymena’s 'Cocaine King'
On October the 15th, 2021, the PSNI launch a raid an apartment in Ballymena, as part of a wider operation against drug in the town. The man who lived there was…
- The BelTel
Bonus: NI's first referendum on a United Ireland, 50 year ago
On this day, 50-years-ago, on the 8th March 1973, the Northern Ireland Sovereignty Referendum was held - a border poll on a United Ireland. Why was it held and…
- The BelTel
Kim Jong-un's North Korea: Assassinations, nuclear tensions and the child heiress to the throne
Kim Jong-un, the secretive monarch-like leader of supposedly communist North Korea, has recently unveiled his daughter to the world. That has sparked…
- The BelTel
John DeLorean: The rise and fall of the man who brought the future back to Belfast
John DeLorean was an eccentric but brilliant engineer. He had remarkable success in the US automotive industry, but he dreamed of striking out by himself and…
- The BelTel
The murder of Robert McCartney and the IRA cover up
Robert McCartney was murdered by members of the IRA in January 2005; he died after being stabbed in the street outside a bar in Belfast. Like many other…
- The BelTel
What is the Windsor Framework and will it be enough for the DUP?
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has triumphantly declared his new Brexit deal with the EU – the Windsor Framework. What exactly does it entail, how does it differ…
- The BelTel
Allison Morris on the New IRA threat after Omagh shooting
The New IRA has claimed responsibility for the attempted murder of PSNI Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell in Omagh. A typed statement plastered on a wall…
- The BelTel
‘The Firm’ - Lurgan and Portadown’s cross-community crime gang
The crime gang known as ‘The Firm’ has something different about it, it's a cross-community crew. Based in the Lurgan and Portadown areas, the Firm includes…
- The BelTel
What makes a serial killer and why are we fascinated by them?
Books, films, documentary series – the serial killer market is hugely profitable. We just can get enough of murder, horror and psychopaths. Why is that? To try…
- The BelTel
High profile PSNI detective critical after suspected New IRA gun attack
A high-profile senior detective is in a critical condition after gunmen tried to murder him in Omagh, Co Tyrone. PSNI Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell…
- The BelTel
Sean Fox: Drugs boss murdered ‘after protection money for dissidents not passed on’
The murder of Sean Fox in October 2022 sent shockwaves through Belfast and beyond. The Belfast Telegraph now understands that Sean Fox believed he was safe, as…
- The BelTel
Wagner: Putin's private army of prisoners
Yevgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin, formerly Vladimir Putin’s chef, leads Russia’s private military, the Wagner Group. Russia’s advances in eastern Ukraine have…
- The BelTel
Nicola Sturgeon: why has the Scottish FM decided to go?
Nicola Sturgeon is resigning as Scottish First Minister and as leader of the SNP saying it is the best step for herself, for her party and for Scotland. What…
- The BelTel
Nicola Bulley: Rumours rife as mother of two remains missing
45-year-old Nicola Bulley has not been seen since the 27th of January, she disappeared while walking her dog in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire. Police worked…
- The BelTel
Submarines and secret planes: How Dublin's Kinahans and other cartels are smuggling drugs
2022 was a significant year for drug seizures in the Republic of Ireland, with almost €40 million worth of drugs seized in the first seven months alone. In…
- The BelTel
Sam McBride quizzes Paul Gosling, the Englishman arguing for Irish unity
Paul Gosling has written for almost every British broadsheet newspaper, he has been a Labour Party councillor, and is the author of several books. Now based in…
- The BelTel
Stephen Fulton, the wife-killer forced to resign from top Orange Order position
Former soldier Stephen Fulton was jailed for shooting dead his wife. He shot Corien in the head after she threatened to leave him. In recent weeks he was made…
- The BelTel
Enoch Burke: What is the Mayo evangelical Christian trying to achieve?
He’s been dismissed from his teaching post but he keeps showing up at the school gates - violating a court order. Not purging his contempt of court means he…
- The BelTel
‘Mo’ Courtney, the UDA, and trouble brewing on the Shankill
There are fears of further violence on Belfast’s Shankill Road after thugs thrashed a well-known bar. Sources on the Shankill say the attack was ordered by top…
- The BelTel
Eoin McGonigal - Paddy Mayne’s best friend and SAS original
Eoin McGonigal was born in Dublin in 1920, a Catholic by religion. At the outbreak of war in 1939, he abandoned his law studies and joined the British Army…