The BelTel

By Belfast TelegraphNews Daily News

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The BelTel episodes

November 03, 2024 Alf McCreary: Journalism, a lucky break, Ian Paisley and faith
Alf McCreary walked into the Belfast Telegraph on September 1, 1964 – and asked for a job. 60 years on, he's still writing for the paper. Alf’s career has given him many insights into our society and its divisions. He charted the evolution of the Rev Ian Paisley, and he wrote a biography of Gordon Wilson, whose daughter Marie was killed in the Enniskillen bombing.

He spoke to Ciarán Dunbar about his life in journalism.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
29 min
November 01, 2024 The UVF and the savage '70s: Shankill Butchers, Gusty Spence, and the Dublin Monaghan Bombings
The UVF began the 1970s with a campaign to cleans Catholics and Catholic owned businesses from Protestant dominated areas. With the IRA’s campaign at its height, the UVF moved from targeting nationalist and moderate political figures to simple sectarian murder – many of its victims just teenagers. By the mid-70s a notorious group emerged from the UVF which brought the savagery of the troubles to a new level – the Shankill Butchers. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by author and historian Aaron Edwards.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
29 min
October 31, 2024 BONUS: The 'Angel of Death' who terrified Irish town and captivated the world
Back in 1995, Fr Michael Kennedy took to the pulpit in Dungarvan, County Waterford to give his Sunday sermon. He warned locals that an “Angel of Death” was in their midst killing vulnerable men. What ensued sparked a global sensation.

Host: Dave Hanratty, Guest: Ellen Coyne
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
27 min
October 29, 2024 Alexander McCartney: “Nothing but a disgusting child predator”
Alexander McCartney, from Newry, is one of the most prolific paedophile ‘catfishes’ the world has seen to date. A Judge said his crimes of “sadism and depravity” were “on a par with murder”. His actions led to the death of an innocent little girl, Cimarron Thomas, and subsequently, her father. Kurtis Reid was in court.

Just a note to say – some listeners might find the contents of the episode of the BelTel disturbing.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
33 min
October 28, 2024 Incels exposed: “Men aren’t entitled to sex, but women aren’t owed safety”
The word ‘Incel’ is short for ‘involuntarily celibate’. They’re primarily men, who believe they’re doomed to be alone, blaming society, women, and sometimes themselves for their isolation. The explosion of the ‘Incel’ community online has led to multiple forums, chats and groups based on their beliefs, which have led to disastrous consequences. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by the Belfast Telegraph’s Kurtis Reid and Olivia Peden, who went undercover on one of these forums.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
28 min
October 24, 2024 Ireland’s gang wars: How the Kinahans’ Belfast bound assassin ‘The Butcher’ was caught
The Kinahan cartel is Ireland’s most powerful crime gang, and one half of its most notorious gang war. After a failed hit on boss Daniel Kinahan, the cartel recruited a team of killers to retaliate against the Hutch gang. One of the men they hired was Estonian Imre ‘The Butcher’ Arakas – but the eccentric hitman was soon caught.
Ciarán Dunbar is joined by crime editor with the Irish Sun and co-author of ‘Kinahan Assassins’, Stephen Breen, to tell the story of the Kinahan-Hutch feud, its victims and its hitmen.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
35 min
October 22, 2024 Sinn Féin’s woes – self-inflicted, a media pile on, or a lack of professionalism?
Sinn Féin controversies snowball as party member resigns after a portrait is damaged in Belfast City. Is the party suffering from a media pile-on before an election or a self-inflicted meltdown caused by a lack of professionalism? All this just before an election – one which might feature well-known crime figure Gerry ‘the Monk’ Hutch.
Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Dublin based news reporter Gráinne Ní Aodha and commentator and politics lecturer David McCann to talk politics.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
24 min
October 20, 2024 Serial killer Uel ‘Cookie’ Cooke and the brutal murder of Anne-Marie Smyth
Samuel ‘Uel’ Cooke was a prolific UVF hitman. Connected to at least six murders, including the killing of IRA Chief Brendan ‘Ruby’ Davison, his most heinous deed was the murder of innocent 26-year-old Catholic Anne-Marie Smyth. She had been attending a concert in east Belfast before being lured to a nearby house, where she was brutally beaten and killed by a UVF-led gang. Cooke died this month, aged 59. Sunday Life’s Ciaran Barnes joins Ciarán Dunbar.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
23 min
October 17, 2024 The RIC murders of the McMahon family, which changed Belfast forever
On 24th March 1922, five men dressed in RIC police uniforms broke into the north Belfast home of well-known Catholic publican Owen McMahon. The men shoot and kill McMahon, along with four of his sons, and an employee of the family. What happened next changed the course of history on the Island of Ireland. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by historian and author Dr Edward Burke to explain why the murders changed so much.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
28 min
October 16, 2024 EXTRA - Sinn Féin: Mary Lou McDonald attempts to quell crises – did she succeed?
Mary Lou McDonald has been accused of orchestrating an “elaborate cover-up” after admitting didn’t divulge why former Sinn Féin senator Niall Ó Donnghaile resigned from the Seanad. The former Belfast Lord Mayor has now admitted he had resigned over inappropriate texts to a teen. What will all of this mean for the Republic’s looming election?

Ciarán Dunbar joined by the Irish Independent’s political editor – Philip Ryan.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
21 min

About The BelTel

From the publisher's feed

The BelTel brings you some of Northern Ireland's top journalists, Allison Morris, Sam McBride and Suzanne Breen to name but a few, giving you the inside stories behind what is in the news. Presented…