The BelTel

20 women who have been murdered in Northern Ireland since 2020. Three of these murders have been in the last 7 months, with the latest being 81-year-old Patricia ‘Patsy’ Aust. Her brother has been charged with her murder. Compared to the rest of the UK, women here are twice as likely to be murdered in NI as a result of domestic violence. Do we have a problem? Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Sarah Mason, CEO from Women's Aid, with Women's Aid, and Karen Devlin, membership and policy at Women's Aid.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The trial of three men charged in relation to the murder of Lyra McKee is continuing. The court has heard that rioting on the night she was killed was orchestrated to “put on a show” for an MTV camera crew. A Constable testified how Lyra “stumbled and fell to the floor” as she stood among a group of women beside a police Land Rover. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Ashleigh McDonald, who has been following the trial. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The campaigning has begun, the posters are up, and soon Northern Ireland will be going to the polls. Where can Sinn Féin make gains, could Belfast end up without Unionist representation, and what would Gavin Robinson losing his seat mean for the DUP? Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Belfast Telegraph political editor Suzanne Breen and former editor of The Impartial Reporter Denzil McDaniel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Loyalist Billy ‘Beachball’ McCune is facing charges of possessing firearms in suspicious circumstances. He doesn’t deny having the guns but claims he was a “go-between” for the community and UDA. McCune is now understood to be under threat from the owners of the guns - the UDA, the UVF and an organised crime gang known as the Russians. The UDA and UVF fear two of them were used in murders they carried out. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Northern Editor of Sunday World Richard Sullivan.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Caoimhe Morgan was a 30-year-old mother of four. She was brutally murdered by her partner in her North Belfast home whilst two of her children were present at the property. Taylor McIlvenna has been found guilty of her murder but could be out in just 17 years despite having a lengthy criminal record. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Kurtis Reid, who was in court.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The shock divorce of Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford have left viewers to wonder where it all went wrong for the TV double act.  It’s not the first showbiz conflict Holmes has been involved in, after he was one of the loudest voices amid Phillip Schofield's high-profile ITV departure.Tabitha Monahan is joined by Belfast Telegraph features editor Áine Toner. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The trial of three men charged in relation to the murder of Lyra McKee has begun. The 29-year-old died after being shot in the head by a new IRA gunman in the Creggan area in Derry in April, 2019. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Kurtis Reid, who was in court.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On 4th July, Northern Ireland’s 18 parliamentary constituencies will decide who they will send to Westminster. A number of constituencies will see change in July, including Jeffrey Donaldson’s Lagan Valley seat. Meanwhile, PM Rishi Sunak’s plans to reintroduce national service have been seen by some as the wrong move for attracting younger voters. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by lecturer and political commentator David McCann and former DUP Spad and commentator Lee Reynolds.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

IRA decommissioning was an historic political event that has been clouded in secrecy for decades. Files uncovered by the Belfast Telegraph, in The National Archives at Kew, have revealed new details about how the road to decommissioning weakened first minister David Trimble, fueled the rise of the DUP, and almost collapsed the Good Friday Agreement. They also reveal how foreign spy satellites played a part in getting the IRA to destroy their weapons. Sam McBride joins Ciarán Dunbar with his findings from the Kew Files.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In February 2022, business consultant Brendan Murphy was living in Irpin, a small city near Kyiv. That month, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with Irpin as one of their initial targets. Brendan wrote ‘War in Ukraine: An Irishman’s Journey’, to tell the story of his family’s escape from Ukraine and his experience of the country. He spoke to Ciarán Dunbar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.