The BelTel

How does a United States Marine Corps end up as a gunrunner for the Provisional IRA and working alongside notorious gangster James 'Whitey' Bulger? Fionnán Sheahan talks to John Crawley about his life as an IRA gunrunner.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Catastrophic floods in Pakistan, ice sheets melting, an incredibly hot summer. The effects of climate change seem to be everywhere. Experts warn these changes in the climate will affect billions of us, will cause huge migrations, could lead to war, cause mass extinctions and even lead to economic and social collapses. Then why do most people not seem particularly bothered by it? Host: Ciarán Dunbar. Guest: Belfast Telegraph columnist and climate activist Rosalind Skillen. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Northern Ireland Sovereignty Referendum of 1973. Ever heard of it? Not surprised if you haven’t. It’s rarely mentioned but it was a border poll – it was a referendum on a United Ireland held at the very height of the troubles. Lecturer, writer, commentator and deputy editor of the website Slugger O’Toole, David McCann, tells Ciarán Dunbar all about the 1973 referendum. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the 3rd of May in 2007, the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, a three-year-old girl, started a global conversation as to what could have happened her. With the 15th anniversary of that disappearance this year, and a new ‘arguido’ or official suspect named, the Indo Daily revisits the events on the night she went missing and what followed, including her parents Kate and Gerry finding themselves under intense media scrutiny and police suspicion.Presenter Siobhán Maguire is joined by Sunday Independent columnist, Sarah Caden, and journalist, John McGee, who was holidaying in the same resort all those years ago.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Catholics outnumber Protestants in Northern Ireland, but what does that really mean? Are there any winners in the 2021 Census? What about passports identity and language? Andrew Madden and Ciarán Dunbar discuss the Northern Ireland census results, if they mean a border poll and there’s even a mention of kangaroos. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The NHS in Northern Ireland is ‘absolutely broken’, say nurses as they warn that they are set was a winter strike. In this episode of the BelTel we ask why health care professionals are not being listened by administrators and politicians. Host: Ciarán Dunbar. Guests: Rita Devlin and Conor McDowell from the Royal College of Nursing and Lisa Smyth, Belfast Telegraph health correspondent. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eamonn McCann's name is synonymous with the Civil Rights Movement, Socialism, and his home city of Derry. Garret Hargan interviews him about his influences, his views and whether or not he thinks there will be a United Ireland. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It has been ten years since Ulster Rugby star Nevin Spence died in a farm accident along with his brother Graham and father Noel. Nevin was at the beginning of his professional rugby career, and it is widely thought he would have become a massive star before his life was cut short. Host, Ciarán Dunbar: Guests, Michael Sadlier and Jonathan Bradley. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Indiscipline in Gaelic games often makes the headlines and it's back on the news following an alleged assault on a referee at an underage football match in Roscommon. Sunday Independent Columnist Joe Brolly discusses referees, violence, and abuse in the GAA. Host Fionnán Sheahan. Guest Joe BrollySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Covid-19 is still out there but we are no longer taking extraordinary measures to fight its spread. Are we right to relax our defences and if so, were we wrong to lockdown society like we did? Ciarán Dunbar is joined the the Belfast Telegraph’s health correspondent, Lisa Smyth. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.