The BelTel

On the 3rd of July 1970 the British Army sealed off the lower Falls.  A ‘curfew’ is announced. Troops go in, searching for IRA weapons. But the use of CS gas, houses being wrecked, looted even, turns the population against them. Four people died. The Official IRA decided to fight what they called ‘The Battle of the Falls’.  The army seized weapons but their standing in west Belfast had been completely changed. 

Ciarán Dunbar is joined by historian Brian Hanley, and by Belfast Telegraph columnist and author Malachi O’Doherty. 

This episode was originally published in July 2024. 

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The 21st of July 1972 was the most prolific day of IRA bombings during the Troubles. Nine people were killed and 130 injured as a blitz of 22 bombs detonated throughout Belfast in under two hours. That day has since become known as Bloody Friday. Why did it happen, how did it happen? Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Malachi O’Doherty, Niamh Campbell and Aaron Edwards. 

This episode was originally published in July 2022. 

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The infamous Northern Bank heist shook the peace process to its core with suspicion immediately falling on the Provisional IRA. The Northern Bank was forced to replace millions of pounds of notes soon after the huge crime but most of the money was never found. It was far from the ‘victimless’ crime some portrayed it as it left innocent people deeply traumatised. Why did the IRA emerge from the shadows to carry out this robbery and why did they do it? 

Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Belfast Telegraph editor Sam McBride. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When the BBC aired journalist Michael Buerk's harrowing reports of Ethiopian famine in 1984, few could have imagined the surprising and enduring legacy they would inspire. Among those watching was Irish musician Bob Geldof who became determined to help the only way he knew how. How did Band Aid's iconic Christmas single come about and are it’s charitable lyrics now outdated? 

Ellen Coyne is joined by John Meagher. 

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We use them every day, but do the terms left and right really describe our politics today. What is ‘woke’ and why do people hate it? And socialists struggle with the working class as much as for it, why is that? 

David McCann from Ulster University and Michael Pierse from Queen’s University Belfast join Ciarán Dunbar to take a deep dive into today’s political trends. 

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Don Anderson was one of the BBC’s TV reporters in Saigon during the final days of the Vietnam War. He joins Ciarán Dunbar to tell his incredible story of his time in Vietnam, including accidentally finding himself in a minefield, his near-death experiences on the front line, and the fall of Saigon in April 1975.  

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UVF chief Winston “Winkie” Irvine is facing jail time after pleading guilty to firearms charges. It means the well-known loyalist Irvine’s dual-career has a tax-funded community worker and paramilitary is well and truly over.  

Who’s Winkie Irvine? How did he get caught? What does this mean for his role in loyalist transitioning?  

Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Allison Morris. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.