The BelTel

The body of Portadown woman Margaret Perry was found a year after she went missing, the bodies of three men the IRA itself accused of her murder were found three days later. The IRA also accused them, all members or former members, of being British agents. Why was Margaret murdered? Who were her murderers and did one British agent kill three others?  Allison Morris joins Ciarán Dunbar  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Born in England into immense wealth and luxury, Rose Dugdale turned her back on riches to become a bombmaker, a thief and a terrorist. But why did she abandon her life of privilege for the IRA?Host: Fionnán Sheahan, Guest: Liam Collins Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Prof Jussi Hanhimäki argues the international body is still important, despite the challenges it faces.  But what exactly is the UN? What is its role today?  And with the body impotent in the face of wars from the Congo to Gaza – has the time come for major reform?  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Was Kitson responsible for enflaming the Troubles or did his own books leave him a convenient scapegoat?  Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Edward Burke, a military historian in University College Dublin, and by Fearghal Mac Bhloscaidh, a senior lecturer in History in St Mary’s University college in Belfast.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is the story of three long-lost siblings, all abandoned in mysterious circumstances in Lisburn, Dundalk and Drogheda, who unbelievably found their way back to each other many years later. But there could be a fourth ‘foundling’ and they need your help to find them…  Host: Kevin Doyle Guests: Catherine Fegan, Helen Ward & David McBride  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kevin Conway, originally from the Lurgan area, was shot dead in Belfast on 9th January. Linked to ‘The Firm’ he was one of three men charged in relation to the murder of Shane Whitla in Lurgan in January 2023. The area has seen several high-profile assassinations in recent years linked to a single dissident republican gunman. Allison Morris reports. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Described as one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in UK history, between 1999 and 2015 over 700 postmasters and postmistresses were wrongly accused of stealing money from their branches. Some were bankrupted, losing their houses, livelihoods and life savings, and others served prison sentences. It was later revealed the missing money was due to a fault in a computer program. Kurtis Reid joins Ciarán Dunbar.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John Hume was not just one of the most influential men in Northern Ireland politics, but in Irish history, as the leader of nationalism throughout most of the Troubles. The joint Nobel Peace Prize winner not only stood against violence but saw his once-radical ideas become mainstream. Sam McBride is joined by Stephen Walker, author of The Persuader to discuss John Hume’s life, ideas and legacy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

South Armagh republican Colm Murphy died earlier this year at the age of 70. He had been convicted but later acquitted of involvement in the Omagh bombing. He was later found liable in a civil court for the 1998 attack which killed 29 people. Murphy was at various points a member of the Provisional IRA, the INLA, the Real IRA, and was linked to the Óglaigh na hÉireann dissident group. The Belfast Telegraph’s security correspondent Allison Morris profiles him and explains what he was like in person. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Philip O’Shea was initially charming when he contacted vulnerable women online. He was a friend, a flatterer, someone who could help. But his true intentions emerged very quickly – he was a cruel catfisher who forced women to send him compromising pictures. And it didn’t stop there, in this episode of the BelTel Sharon O’Neill tells Ciarán Dunbar how O’Shea went from online harassment to real-life stalking, and how he eventually got caught. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.