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David Burke’s most recent book “Puppet Masters” shines a light on mysterious case of Patrick Crinnion, the garda (Irish police officer) who was passing information to Mi6 while he was in the Gardai’s secretive intel department. 

David, joining me for the third time, tells us about the state of the Republican movement in the years prior to the outbreak of “the troubles”, the resources available to Gardai in terms of intel gathering, Crinnion’s disappearance and the impact that he had on Irish history.

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Pre-troubles republican activity 
06:00 1960’s- IRA activity & Garda intel branch 
17:00 Patrick Crinnion 

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BUY THE BOOK: https://www.mercierpress.ie/books/the-puppet-masters/

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****Q&A COMING SOON SO PLEASE SUBMIT ANY QUESTIONS YOU'D LIKE ANSWERED IN THE COMMENTS****

In a recent episode David Burke re-joined us to talk about the mysterious case of Garda Patrick Crinnion, a spy within the Garda Special Branch (Intel dept) who passed information to the British intel network.

The release of David's book on the subject has prompted the unearthing of new information linking former assistant secretary of the Dept. Of Justice Thomas Coyne to British intel according to a letter written by the afore mentioned Patrick Crinnion.

We discuss the possible implications of such high-level treachery by Irish government officials and the effects that this would have had on Irish politics as well as questions about the information's authenticity/reliability.

If you would like to help out the show please like, subscribe and share. I plan on doing bigger things with this show including walk through of areas, documentary-type videos and more.. if you would like to help fund these efforts please consider donating on Buy Me a Coffee. (link below)
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BUY THE BOOK: https://www.mercierpress.ie/books/the-puppet-masters/

00:00 Patrick Crinnion’s letter (found in prison cell) 
33:45 Thomas Coyne and subsequent officials with in the DOJ 
38:35 Authenticity of new info

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In part 2 of my interviews with ex-official IRA & INLA member, John Nixon. In this episode we discussed some of the INLA’s most prolific operations as well as some of the organizations most well known members including Seamus Costello and Dessie O’ Hare. (Part 1 - https://youtu.be/9YOpiW1jU6c?si=81DqiPlwIAz4HOHQ)

I asked John about second prison term in Long Kesh where he took part in the blanket protest and the no-wash protest in an attempt to win back POW status. John breaks down the escalating steps that led up to the no-wash protest and how these brutal years have effected John’s life forever. John tells us about the beatings and torture that prisoners were subjected to in Long Kesh and what atmosphere in the jail was like following one of the many assassinations of guards by republicans outside the prison walls. 

If you would like to help out the show please like, subscribe and share. I plan on doing bigger things with this show including walk through of areas, documentary-type videos and more.. if you would like to help fund these efforts please consider donating on Buy Me a Coffee. (link below)
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00:00 INLA Operations - Billy Wright 
10:40 Different types in the INLA/IRSP 
16:15 Séamus Costello 
20:10 Dessie O Hare
29:00 SECOND Prison term 
36:20 BLANKET PROTEST & Targeting Prison Guards 
50:15 PTSD and Mental Trauma

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My guest for this week is James Durney, historian and author of “Jailbreak” which details the various “great escapes” perpetrated by Irish Republican prisoners from 1865 onwards into the 1980s.

James tells us about the most daring and dangerous prison escapes, both successful and otherwise, of the troubles-era including the story of the Crumlin Kangaroos, the HMS Maidstone escape, the 1973 Mountjoy Helicopter escape and of course the H-Block breakdown which is still the biggest prison escape in British penal history.

If you would like to help out the show please like, subscribe and share. I plan on doing bigger things with this show including walk through of areas, documentary-type videos and more.. if you would like to help fund these efforts please consider donating on Buy Me a Coffee. (link below)
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https://www.irishacademicpress.ie/product/jailbreak-great-irish-republican-escapes-1865-1983/

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Jailbreak
8:30 HMS Maidstone escape 
14:30 Mountjoy Helicopter 1971
22:30 Portlaoise Max. Security Prison Escape 1973
28:10 M60 Gang Escape & Long Kesh Escape 1983
40:25 War of Independence & Civil War Escapes and more

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Hilton McCabe served in the RUC in both East Tyrone and Belfast during the second half of the conflict we know as “the troubles”. 

Hilton tells us about policing rural East Tyrone and the horror of cleaning up body-parts after the one of the IRA’s most deadly roadside b*mb attacks, the Ballygawley Bus Ambush. 

Hilton shares with us his stories of riots, threats to his life, his numerous brushes with death and how he and his colleagues dealt with the stress and trauma from the job.

If you would like to help out the show please like, subscribe and share. I plan on doing bigger things with this show including walk through of areas, documentary-type videos and more.. if you would like to help fund these efforts please consider donating on Buy Me a Coffee. (link below)
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https://www.austinmacauley.com/book/mountroyal

TIMESTAMPS 
00:00 Joining RUC, catholic/protestant membership
21:15 First posting- EAST TYRONE 
35:00 Ballygawley Bus B*mb (8 British soldiers k*lled) 
53:30 Writing “Mountroyal” 
1:02:20 Post-LOUGHALL AMBUSH Call out 
1:11:45 Killers, psychos & Abuse of power 
1:17:00 INLA & IPLO feud 
1:22:15 Differences between republicans and loyalist paramilitaries 
1:23:25 IRA funerals 
1:34:00 Rural vs Urban IRA brigades 
1:35:10 RIOTS 
1:43:10 Lucky to be alive- times Hilton almost died 
2:02:40 MOUNTPOTTINGER
2:07:50 SOLDIERS 
2:12:10 Threats on Hilton’s life 
2:20:50 Ever been recognized off-duty ?
2:22:00 N.I’s first million pound dr*g seizure & post-GFA policing

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Ex-FRU agent handler "Will Britten" (alias) actively ran and recruited agents in South Armagh, one of the most dangerous places to be a British soldier during the conflict, in the 80s and is the author of "The Deadly Game". We speak in depth about the recruitment methods of the FRU, how to successfully run an agent in such a dangerous area, the legacy of Robert Nairic and the story of how Dominic McGlinchey's INLA unit planned on setting a trap after discovering a "tout".

Due to security reasons he cannot appear on camera.. apologies for not having the usual experience.

If you would like to help out the show please like, subscribe and share. I plan on doing bigger things with this show including walk through of areas, documentary-type videos and more.. if you would like to help fund these efforts please consider donating on Buy Me a Coffee. (link below)
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00:00  INLA find out about FRU source 
16:20 Ideal type of agent-recruit 
23:20 Ethics of running agents who murder 
30:00 Robert Nairic 
32:40 First arriving in N.I 
41:00 Robert Nairic II 
47:00 Thoughts on the IRA’s goal 
54:00 South Armagh IRA & meeting Thomas Slab Murphy
1:07:50 Joining the FRU 
1:14:50 Recruiting an agent 
1:23:35 Motivation to become informants 
1:32:25 Use of blackmail to recruit ?
1:37:45 Meeting up with a source
1:53:40 FRU Vehicles
1:59:00 What makes a good handler ?
2:10:45 What gets an FRU agent fired ? 
2:15:50 Leaving N.I 
2:22:00 Harry Breen & Bob Buchanan m*rders

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In a recent episode I interviewed author Dan Lawton about his book focusing on the fallout from the murder of dept Governor, Albert Miles, of the infamous Maze Prison in November 1978 in which an innocent man was convicted.
Alan Miles witnessed his father’s brutal murder as a young man at the hands of the IRA but almost immediately got to a place in his mind where he was not interested in revenge or retribution.

Alan tells us about his childhood growing up with a prison guard as a father, his father’s views on unionism & Ian Paisley, how he himself views the IRA men who m*rdered his father.

If you would like to help out the show please like, subscribe and share. I plan on doing bigger things with this show including walk through of areas, documentary-type videos and more.. if you would like to help fund these efforts please consider donating on Buy Me a Coffee. (link below)
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TIMESTAMPS 
00:00 Growing up
05:00 Father’s worker in the prison service 
15:00 The blanket and no-wash protests 
17:03 Does Alan want “revenge” or want to meet his father’s killer(s) ? 
26:03 Night of the m*rder 
36:30 Did Alan believe that Kevin Barry Artt was the killer ? 
51:15 Thoughts on current-day N.I

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Jonathan Trigg’s book “Death In The Fields” examines, in great detail, the infamous East-Tyrone IRA and how this rural group complied some of the republican’s biggest wins and conversely, their most devastating losses.

We examine the early days of the unit and how they were formed, the autonomy they enjoyed, the Jim Lynagh “A-Team” era and their deadly attacks, the Loughall ambush & how it effected the brigade plus the post-Loughall activities of the East Tyrone IRA including coming under attack from the Mid-Ulster UVF.

Jonathan is an ex-British soldier who himself was posted to East Tyrone in the early 90s and will be authoring more books on the subject of “the troubles”. 

PLEASE EMAIL ANY & ALL SUGGESTIONS FOR GUESTS & EPISODE TOPICS (if you're reading this and were involved in paramilitary activity please give me a shout if you would like to tell your story, even anonymously to [email protected])

BUY THE BOOK: https://www.amazon.com/Death-Fields-IRA-East-Tyrone/dp/1785374435

If you would like to help out the show please like, subscribe and share. I plan on doing bigger things with this show including walk through of areas, documentary-type videos and more.. if you would like to help fund these efforts please consider donating on Buy Me a Coffee. (link below)
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00:00 What made the East Tyrone IRA so effective ??
14:50 Origins of East Tyrone IRA (Kevin Mallon, Brendan Hughes
29:20 THE A-TEAM era 
49:40 LOUGHALL 
1:02:35 Ballygawley Bus B*mbing & post-loughgall ambushes 
1:15:00 UVF k*lling East Tyrone IRA members 
1:22:40 LOUGHALL II
1:33:40 Future books

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William Matchett is an ex-RUC officer who spent years working in the secretive and murky world of informants and agents during his time in Special Branch while “the troubles” raged on.

William shares with us his motivations for joining the RUC during such dangerous times, the techniques they utilized to recruit informants, death threats he’s received over the years and his encounters with the notorious South Armagh unit of the IRA.

We discussed paramilitaries who have committed m*rders and terror attacks while simultaneously working as an RUC Special Branch agent, the subject of collusion between RUC and Loyalist paramilitaries as well as policing a post-Good Friday Agreement state. 

TIMESTAMPS 
00:00 Growing up, seeing Catholic family petrol-b*mbed out of their house 
08:20 JOINING THE RUC- policing in South Armagh 
22:50 Negative view of the RUC & Threats on William’s life
36:00 SPECIAL BRANCH 
52:30 Martin McGartland, Ken Barret, Mark Haddock, William Stobie 
1:16:00 MEETING WITH INFORMANTS 
1:27:05 THE NUTTING SQUAD
1:30:45 UVF/UDA 
1:35:55 RUC interrogation  
1:44:25 Post-GFA Northern Ireland 
1:52:40 What should the RUC done differently throughout the conflict 

PLEASE EMAIL ANY & ALL SUGGESTIONS FOR GUESTS & EPISODE TOPICS (if you're reading this and were involved in paramilitary activity please give me a shout if you would like to tell your story, even anonymously to [email protected])

BUY THE BOOK: https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Victory-Intelligence-that-beat/dp/1527202054

If you would like to help out the show please like, subscribe and share. I plan on doing bigger things with this show including walk through of areas, documentary-type videos and more.. if you would like to help fund these efforts please consider donating on Buy Me a Coffee. (link below)
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**Sorry for the late upload my good people.. feel free to follow on YouTube where I'm a bit more on top of things**

Fr Sean McManus hails from Co. Fermanagh but was sent, by his superiors in the Catholic, to America early in his career where he continued his fight for Irish freedom.

Fr McManus’ tells us about his early life, his older brother who was killed during the IRA’s border campaign, the death-threats he has received and the attempts by British forces to smear his reputation by implying his involvement with Gaddafi.

Fr McManus speaks about his refusal to stay silent regarding British occupation of Ireland despite attempts by his bosses in the church to get him to keep his head down as well as his work on Capitol Hill.

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Intro
05:25 Brothers death in border campaign
06:10 Tempted to join ?
08:00 Becoming a priest
26:20 Sean’s “3 types of Violence” 
28:35 FR MC MANUS ARRESTED 
53:40 Threats to Fr McManus’ life 
1:27:30 Thoughts on Fr. Patrick Ryan 
1:41:10 FBI FILE ON FR MCMANUS 

PLEASE SEND ANY & ALL SUGGESTIONS FOR GUESTS & EPISODE TOPICS to [email protected] 

If you would like to help out the show please like, subscribe and share. I plan on doing bigger things with this show including walk through of areas, documentary-type videos and more.. if you would like to help fund these efforts please consider donating on Buy Me a Coffee. (link below)
Thanks a million!!

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/goodlistenerpodcast