The BelTel

Members of a vigilante group targeting far-right activists have been blamed for pipe bomb attacks in west Belfast. Sources say the group, which calls itself the Socialist Republican Front, is leaving viable devices close to the homes of people they claim are connected to far-right organisations.  Ciarán Dunbar joined by Belfast Telegraph security correspondent, Allison Morris.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Enoch Burke and his family have been a recurring fixture in Irish media for the past three years. What began as a workplace dispute over his objection to transgenderism, has spiraled into a protracted and costly legal saga, one that has already seen him spend more than 500 days in jail for contempt of court. Now, he is set to return to Mountjoy once again - his fourth stint behind bars. It’s starting to feel like a never-ending story. So, how might this saga ultimately conclude? And who is financing the Burkes’ evangelical campaign? Host: Tessa Fleming. Guests: Shane Phelan and Cónal Thomas  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The PSNI has is probing safeguarding failures in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. It comes after the church’s moderator Trevor Gribben quit citing ‘serious and significant failings’ in safeguarding from 2009 to 2022, including concerns over a pedophile teacher who was a voluntary youth group leader in the church. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by The Belfast Telegraph’s Brett Campbell and the Sunday Life’s Angela Davison.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stormont has celebrated its first 10,000 days, but is it struggling with continuing political toxicity? As the UUP’s only mayor says she has faced extreme sexism, is politics getting rougher for women? And, the BBC say they are ‘determined’ to fight Donald Trump in court, but what next for the corporation. To talk about the week in politics, Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Journalist and commentator Aoife Moore and former Stormont head of communications Michael Cairns. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Despite the protests and the anger of unionists, the Anglo-Irish Agreement endured under superseeded by the GFA. Some see it as a key factor in attracting Sinn Féin into the political process and by many as a vital factor in convincing unionism that it would have to concede to power-sharing with nationalists.  Ciarán Dunbar spoke to Professor Fergal Cochran, to Unionist commentator Alex Kane, to Professor Graham Walker, and to Dr. Peter McLaughlin to discuss the long-term legacy and consequences of the Anglo-Irish Agreement.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Unionists felt that Margaret Thatcher was someone they could trust so when she signed the Anglo-Irish Agreement giving Dublin the right to be consulted over NI, unionists felt utterly betrayed and they were outraged. The UUP leader Jim Molyneax even called it an “an evil document.” Tens of thousands of unionists took to the streets of Belfast, a day forever remembered due to the DUP leader Ian Paisley’s “never, never, never” speech.  Professor Fergal Cochrane, Alex Kane, Professor Graham Walker, and Dr. Peter McLaughlin explain what happens when the Anglo-Irish Agreement is revealed and why.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Hunger Strikes had led to a surge in support for Republicanism and in October 1984, Margaret Thatcher herself, narrowly escaped death in the Brighton bombing. Her intelligence chiefs were clear; they weren’t going to defeat the IRA by purely military and security means – she decided something had to be done. Meanwhile in Dublin, fears over the rise of Sinn Féin and frustration with a lack of progress in advancing nationalists’ interests led to an openness to fresh ideas. The stage was set for secret talks which led to the Anglo-Irish Agreement, signed on the 15 November 1985. Ulster’s Unionists were outraged by what they saw as a betrayal. What was the background to the agreement, why was it so controversial, and what did it really involve? Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Professor Fergal Cochrane, commentator, Alex Kane, Professor Graham Walker, and Dr. Peter McLaughlin.    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“I’m still working because the thieving HMRC came after me...  at the most vulnerable time in my life,” Eamonn Holmes has revealed to the BelTel.  He spoke to Ciarán Dunbar about his tax troubles, Donald Trump, working for GB News and growing up in the New Lodge area of Belfast.  The GB News presenter is currently touring Northern Ireland with his one man show, ‘This Is My Life’.  He joined Ciarán Dunbar in the studio.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jonathan Walton describes himself as a ‘con-hunter’ but that’s not what he set out to be. The tv producer turned vigilante after he was scammed by con artist Marianne Smyth, the so-called ‘Queen of Con’. Over several years he had handed his supposed best friend Smyth, who claimed to be an Irish heiress, over $100,000. She was a lifelong con-artist, using a range of strategies, lies and aliases – posing as Jennifer Anniston, becoming a satanic priestess, claiming to be on the IRA’s army council, pretending to have cancer. Smyth was sentenced in September to 4 years in jail at Downpatrick crown court as it was revealed that she had scammed over £100,000 from people in Northern Ireland.  Jonathan Walton has written a book on his experience with the fraudster. It’s called ‘ Anatomy of a Con Artist: The 14 Red Flags to Spot Scammers, Grifters, and Thieves and is host of the hit podcast Queen of the Con, he joined Ciarán Dunbar on the BelTel.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An east Belfast woman has been jailed after promising to donate a kidney over Facebook. Nicola Hutton reached out to Billy and Joanne Cullen over social media after Billy’s diagnosis of a serious disease. A stranger to the couple, Hutton continued to keep in contact with them to assure that she was a match and the transplant process was underway – but in reality, she had never intended to hand over the organ. Hutton has now been sentenced to five months in prison. Olivia Peden is joined by Belfast Telegraph reporter Kurtis Reid.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.