The BelTel

It was pandemonium in London on Wednesday morning as Kneecap’s Mo Chara appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court. Hundreds turned out to support the rapper, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, as he entered court – having arrived in a mocked up RUC landover. The west Belfast rapper is charged with a terror offence over the alleged display of a Hezbollah flag at a concert in London last year. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Belfast Telegraph’s crime correspondent Allison Morris who was in court and BelTel assistant producer Olivia Peden.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A week from the riots in Ballymena, the dust is beginning to settle. The violence has been universally condemned, but is it enough to condemn the rioters without a conversation on immigration? Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Sam McBride and Allison Morris. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It was the Irish American organisation whose aim was a united ireland – and whose method was lobbying politicians in Washington – and above all, fundraising. From lavish dinners to buckets in Irish pubs in the US, they collected millions of dollars for the Republican cause. But the question was always – where did the money go?  RTÉ is set to run a two-part documentary Noraid: Irish-America and the IRA. T It was written and directed by Kevin Brannigan – he joined Ciarán Dunbar on the BelTel.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sir Ken Bloomfield has died at the age of 94. He wasn’t a politician or a political activist – but he was a key figure in the political life of Northern Ireland. He was at the heart of the old Stormont Government in the years before it collapsed in 1972, being described by a former British Prime Minister as the “brains of the operation”. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by the Belfast Telegraph’s Northern Ireland editor, Sam McBride. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Larne leisure centre has been extensively damaged after being attacked by youths. Onlookers cheered and laughed while attacking the building after it was used as an emergency centre by those affected by the riots. Trouble has continued in Ballymena, with petrol bombs thrown at police, a water cannon deployed and multiple houses attacked.  Ciarán Dunbar is joined by the Belfast Telegraph’s Gabrielle Swan and Kevin Scott, who were at the scene.    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Houses were destroyed and 15 officers were injured during serious disorder in Ballymena on Monday night. Large crowds had attended an earlier anti-immigration protest in the Co. Antrim town, after two 14-year-old Romanian boys were charged with a serious sexual assault. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Belfast Telegraph Journalist Liam Tunney and Visuals Editor Kevin Scott, who was at the scene.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the early 2000s, Peter and Iris Robinson were seen as Northern Ireland’s political power couple. Iris, known for her strong Christian values, secretly had an affair with 19-year-old Kirk McCambley, whose late father had entrusted her with his care. In 2008, she helped McCambley secure over £50,000 to open a café, allegedly taking £5,000 for herself—money she failed to declare as required in her role as a councillor. The affair and financial misconduct, once exposed, caused a political and media storm, shocking the public.  Olivia Peden revisits this explosive scandal with The Belfast Telegraph’s Suzanne Breen and Sam McBride. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Richard Satchwell has been given a life sentence for the brutal murder of his wife, Tina Satchwell. In March 2017, Satchwell began a media tour, saying that she was missing, but he believed she was alive. In reality, he had killed her, keeping her body in a freezer before burying her remains in their home. Her remains were undiscovered for six and a half years. Garda believe that he murdered Tina in fear of her finding out that he had become involved in a scam to obtain two pet monkeys. Olivia Peden is joined by the Irish Independent’s Ralph Riegel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Northern Ireland is officially the most dangerous place in the UK to be a journalist. A new report published by Amnesty International this week says that journalists here are working in a ‘climate of fear’ with numerous death threats against them. The report says that there have been over 70 incidents of threats or attacks against journalists since the start of 2019. Olivia Peden is joined by Allison Morris and Ciaran Barnes to uncover what working as a journalist under threat in Northern Ireland is really like.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Social media became alight this week after French president Emmanuel Macron was caught on camera seemingly being slapped by his wife Brigitte. An awkward smile and wave when he realised the slap had been noticed just fuelled the rumours. The couple, who met when Brigitte Macron was then 15-year-old Emmanuel’s drama teacher, have long fascinated the public. The First Lady has also been subject to one of the most bizarre conspiracy theories out there. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Paris-based Journalist Catherine Field. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.