The BelTel

Paddy Kielty will replace Ryan Tubridy as host of RTE’s the Late Late Show. But what do we know about the Dundrum native and how important is it for RTÉ to get this right? Host: Fionnan Sheahan. Guests: Melanie Finn and Samantha McCaughren.

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Most people believe that they could never be brainwashed into a cult or be totally enthralled by a cult leader, but it is believed that thousands of people find themselves in that situation every year.  Ian Haworth never imagined that he would fall for it, he never thought he would lose his mind and freedom to cult – but that is what happened.  He told Ciarán Dunbar his story. 

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Gerard Mackin is the six-foot-tall gangland enforcer who is feared from the Falls to Limerick That is not surprising when you consider he was convicted of nailing another person to a floor – with a nail gun. He has been in the Continuity IRA and in INLA. He was given a one-million-euro contract by the Kinahan crime clan to take out their arch-rival Gerry Hutch.   Born in west Belfast, Gerard Mackin’s crime CV is formidable and his earned him the reputation as one of the most violent criminals in Ireland.    The Belfast Telegraph’s crime correspondent Allison Morris tells his story.  

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Nationalists have made up the largest block on Belfast City Council in recent years but there have been momentous changes. The so-called ‘others’ - parties who do not describe themselves as unionist or nationalist – have become a major force and indeed kingmakers on the council – can they build on that in the local elections?  Andrew Madden joins Ciarán Dunbar

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Nationalists are in the majority on Derry and Strabane Council and recent elections have seen the SDLP and Sinn Féin neck and neck as they battle it out for dominance.    But there is also a strong unionist electorate in the area, and parties such as Alliance and People before Profit have been gaining strength in the district. Sunday World journalist Ciaran O’Neill spoke to Ciarán Dunbar from Derry with his take on issues, battles and personalities of this campaign.

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The words of ‘The Fields of Athenry’ are known far and wide. The story of a poor Irish convict and how he ‘stole Trevelyan’s corn’ is synonymous with the Irish Famine. Now descendants of people who profited off the slave trade and who want to atone – are also recognising Trevelyan’s treatment of the Irish.Presenter Siobhán Maguire is joined by Irish Independent political correspondent, John Downing.

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Whilst people do vote on local issues in Northern Ireland council elections, constitutional politics always plays a role.   Nationalism, unionism and those who don’t describe themselves as either will fight it out for council seats. How are things shaping up for the parties, what tactics will they employ, and what are the issues they have chosen to fight the election on? Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Peter Donaghy, a data analyst with a keen interest in politics, and by Lee Reynolds, formerly Director of Policy for the DUP. 

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It is a rare day in Northern Ireland which does not see a sectarian incident making the headlines. Sectarian hate crime, flags ripped down, election candidates sharing sectarian content, candidates attacked or threatened, keep Irish out signs, flags commemorating loyalist paramilitary boss, offensive singing... the list goes on and on.  Will sectarianism ever go away? Can it get better or are we just stuck with it?  Ciarán Dunbar is joined by political journalist Aoife-Grace Moore and political activist Richard Garland. 

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As King Charles III is crowned the latest Belfast Telegraph / Lucid Talk polling shows that just 42% of people in NI support the monarchy. 50% say they either oppose it or are so disconnected from it that they see even a question about it as irrelevant. What could Charles III mean for the future of the monarchy and the United Kingdom? Bill White from Lucid Talk and the commentator Alex Kane join Ciarán Dunbar to discuss Charles, crown, and country. 

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The latest Lucid Talk polling for the Belfast Telegraph reveals Sinn Féin remains the party with the biggest support. But the DUP have closed the gap – backed by unionist support for their boycott of Stormont over Brexit arrangements.  Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Bill White, managing director of LucidTalk, and commentator Alex Kane to take a good look at the stats just weeks out from the council elections. 

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