"Balaclava Street" is a leading blog dedicated to exploring the history of the loyalist paramilitaries in Northern, particularly the UVF. Over the years Iain has gained unprecedented access to ex-UVF members for the book that he is in the process of writing about the loyalist paramilitary's history.

We spoke about the various loyalist paramilitary groups and the differences between them, who was most active, how the UVF men regarded the IRA & INLA and how the groups armed themselves during the violent period in Ireland's history.

Iain gave his take on accusations of collusion between loyalist paramilitaries and British security forces, theories surrounding the infamous Robin Jackson, the Miami Showband Massacre, Dublin/Monaghan b*mbings and Robert Nairic, the English solider who met his end after singing rebel songs on the table of a pub in South Armagh.

We spoke about how UVF members reacted to one of their members, prolific murderer Mark Haddock, being an RUC agent and also about the feuds that have taken place amongst the loyalists since the Good Friday Agreement.

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Intro
7:20 UVF, UDA, UFF 
14:20 Who was more active ? UVF or UDA
19:30 Joining UVF or UDA 
24:15 How did loyalist paramilitaries view the IRA & INLA ?
30:15 Where did loyalist paras source their guns & explosives ?  
41:13 COLLUSION w/ British security forces 
46:30 ROBIN JACKSON  
1:04:30 John Weir 
1:09:15 Capt. Robert Nairic & Miami Showband Massacre  
1:21:03 Agents within the UVF/UDA (Mark Haddock, Brian Nelson, Ken Barrett) 
1:24:00 Loyalist groups involved with dr*gs
1:35:43 Post-Good Friday Agreement feuds within loyalist groups 

https://balaclavastreet.wordpress.com/

Nicola Tallant is one of Ireland’s leading crime journalists and her newest book, “Cocaine Cowboys” presents a history of Ireland’s relationship with the drug as well as the gangland figures that have emerged since white powder hit Irish shores.

We spoke about the drug itself, how long it has taken to fully penetrate all layers of society and how it has spread to even the more rural edges of Ireland.

We spoke about the clashes between existing paramilitary/IRA groups and the drugs cartels and how the balance of power has shifted over the recent decades. Nicola tells us about the North Dublin Real-IRA feud with some of the countries biggest drug gangs and about how those in the drugs world are targeted by the IRA for a cut of their profits.

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***TIMESTAMPS****

00:00 Nicola’s book & Ireland’s relationship with cocaine 
8:35 First shipments of cocaine into Ireland 
14:35 Non-criminals getting involved with serious crime figures 
20:50 Are we stuck in a cycle??
26:15 Fentanyl in Ireland
29:50 IRA/PARAMILITARY CLASHES WITH THE DRUG WORLD 
47:55 ARE THE KINIHANS DONE??
56:55 GERRY HUTCH’S TRIAL 

Martin Doyle’s new book “Dirty Linen: The Troubles in my Homeplace” details the events of the troubles in his local area and the wide reaching effects that the conflict had on everyone’s lives. In my personal opinion the book is one of the very finest works on the subject of troubles-era Northern Ireland and is a masterfully crafted collections of human stories in a non-partisan fashion.

We speak about how Martin’s area was terrorized by the infamous "Glennane Gang” and loyalist mass murderer Robin Jackson during the height of their carnage. Martin told me about the anti-catholic discrimination that he dealt in school and how everyday life would be altered by living in such tumultuous times.

Martin also spoke about the multi century history of religious clash in Ireland especially in the north where many planters had been settled and how this sewed the seed for future conflict and violence.

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***TIMESTAMPS*** 
00:00 Background & “Dirty Linen” metaphor
07:25 “Being aware of history but not weaponizing it”, The RUC father& son 
14:10 Ways that life was disrupted by the conflict 
22:10 Miami Showband Massacre & Stephen Travers 
25:00 Religion as a proxy for other divisions + History of catholic/protestant relations in the north 
32:25 Anti-catholic discrimination in Martin’s school
42:05 ROBIN JACKSON & THE GLENANNE GANG terrorizing Martin’s area 
49:10 1982 in Bainbridge town (b*mbed delivered by “Killing Rage” author Eamon Collins)
1:01:20 FREEDOM FIGHTER/TERRORIST distinction 
1:08:30 Filling in contextual holes in memory about his childhood 

Tony McAleer is a reformed, ex- neo-n*zi/white supremacist who now works to help people disengage from violent hate-groups like the one's that Tony used to set-up and run.

Tony shares his story of how a boy from a good family & catholic school ended up heavily involved in racist-skinhead gangs even taking up a leadership role and using his intelligence to recruit other young men. Tony talks to us about the need to feel loved left him open to manipulation and how the movement became his whole identity.

We spoke about Tony's visit to the Synagogue where he committed his first hate-crime and his recent documentary in which Tony, a former staunch holocaust-denier, spent 13 hours in total in the world's most infamous concentration/death camp.

Tony shares his insight into holocaust-denial talking points and the flaws in them that he failed to see bak when he was the one pushing them.

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*** TIMESTAMPS***

00:00 How Tony became a NEO-N*ZI
09:35 Did Tony genuinely hate minority groups during this time ?
11:10 When was Tony’s peak in terms of involvement with Neo-n*zi movement ?
14:05 Holocaust-denial 
24:30 Tony visits the Synagogue where he committed his first hate-crime
27:20 Tony’s first doubts about the movement 
33:55 Filming the documentary & GOING TO AUSCHWITZ
40:40 Thoughts on outlawing holocaust denial (like Austria)


https://www.lifeafterhate.org/
https://www.thecureforhatefilm.com 

We continue Eddie's story as he is 16 years old and about to plant a b*mb in a pub which would kill an innocent person and wound Eddie. Eddie describes his mindset at the time and his want for vengeance in retaliation for IRA killings.

Eddie tells us about the incident itself and the effect it had on his young life, his sentencing and the subsequent doubts that began to form in his mind about his motivations for joining the UVF and carrying out the attack. 

We spoke about his 14 year stretch in Long Kesh in the company of his fellow loyalist prisoners and how he spent years working for peace upon his release, in stark contrast with his old extremist mentality.

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***TIMESTAMPS***

00:00 PLANTING B*MB at 16 years old 
07:05 Eddie begins questioning his motivations 
08:20 Sentenced for the b*mbing 
10:55 Prison time, 14 (Long Kesh)
20:30 Any interactions with republican prisoners in Long Kesh?
22:10 Mindset change 
28:15 Getting out of prison and getting involved in peace process
40:15 What would Eddie tell his teenage-self? 
44:55 Thoughts on Legacy & Rec. Bill

FULL VIDEO EPISODES: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChtciipyjckL-asTVYecsMQ

Eddie Kinner is a loyalist and ex-UVF member who grew up in Belfast in the 60/70's, a time and place where sectarian tensions simmered and would eventually explode into rioting and violence.
Eddie speaks to us about his growing up, attitudes among his fellow protestants at the time, seeing riots & houses burnt out by sectarian mobs, all as a boy/young teen unaware of the bigger picture that he was a part of.

He tells us the effects of a 1971 IRA b*mb in his area on his mentality as a young teen after helped to dig out dead bodies from the ruins of b*mbed out furniture shop and how his mind processed the horrific event at the time. We spoke about his joining the UVF(loyalist paramilitary group) in his mid-teens and the jobs he carried out for them including armed robberies on part-time security force members in order to steal firearms.

***TIMESTAMPS***

00:00 Growing up in Shankill 
7:40 Marching Season 
11:00 Did it feel like Eddie was part of a majority growing up? 
13:10 Did Eddie feel like other British people would have considered him “British” ?
15:30 Did it feel like the RUC (police) were on their side?
22:30 Rioting/Catholic houses being burnt out 
30:30 IRA bomb in Eddie’s area (14 years old at the time)
33:10 Joining the “Tartan gang” and later joining the UVF
38:10 Thoughts on collusion (Mark Haddock, Dublin-Monaghan b*mbings, Robert Nairic) 
50:25 UVF’s internal security unit 

PART 2 COMING SOON (We speak about one of the most significant events in Eddie's life when he planted a b*mb at the age of 16 which k*lled an an innocent women and lead to Eddie spending years in the infamous Long Kesh, plus much more)

YOUTUBE PAGE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChtciipyjckL-asTVYecsMQ

Stephen Travers was a young bass player, blissfully out-of-touch with the conflict erupting in Northern Ireland as he joined one of the country’s biggest showbands; The Miami.
Shortly after joining Stephen’s life would be altered forever when the band became the victims of a bombing and then mass sh*oting by the UVF and members of the British security forces in 1975.

Stephen describes in detail how the events of the night unfolded, first appearing to be a routine UDR/British army checkpoint before hell broke loose and one of the most prolific sh*otings took place.. 

Stephen tells us about his thought process as he dealt with the trauma from the event over following months and years. He also began a multi-decade search for the truth about who planned the attack, the true intentions of the attackers, who was there on the night, the role that British security forces played and the roles of loyalist Robin Jackson and Capt. Robert Nairic played in the attack. 

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***TIMESTAMPS***

00:00 Intro, joining the Miami Showband
08:40 Stephen’s lack of awareness about the conflict in Northern Ireland  
14:40 Lead up to July 31st 1975 
19:25 THE NIGHT OF THE ATTACK 
31:40 English officer arrives (“posh accent”)
39:00 UVF B*MB DETONATES PREMATURELY 
47:00 How many gunmen were there ?
54:20 Thought on the Legacy & Reconciliation Bill (recorded before bill passed) 
58:40 The weeks after the shooting 
1:06:45 “I understand why I was shot”
1:07:50 Finding out who was behind the attack and who carried out the attack
1:14:30 WHO WAS THERE ON THE NIGHT (ROBIN JACKSON & ROBERT NAIRIC ?)
1:26:30 Would Stephen meet & speak with his would-be killers & NETFLIX DOC 
1:39:40 Mentally accepting that there was British military involvement in his shooting 

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Richard O' Rawe's new book "Stakeknife's Dirty War: The Inside Story of Scappaticci, the IRA's Nutting Squad and the British Spooks Who Ran the War" offers the most comprehensive and in-depth look into the life and crimes of Freddie Scappaticci, better known as agent "Stakenife".

I spoke to Richard about Scap's rise through the ranks in the IRA, how he once would have seemed the least-likely of republican men to be an informer and how the internal security unit aka "the nutting squad" was ran with Stakeknife at it's helm. Richard tells us about the putting-together of such a detailed book and the many rumors that surround Freddie Scappaticci.

Richard also shared his insight into what former-IRA men think about the accusations of informing leveled against Martin McGuinness, whether Scappaticci was the only spy in the ISU and if the upper-echelons of British govt knew about Stakeknife and his activities.

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TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Putting together the book & who was Freddie Scappaticci
06:05 When Scappaticci and Ricky joined the IRA & Scappaticci’s rise through the ranks 
09:45 Scappaticci once looked very unlikely to have been an informer/agent 
11:05 Difference between an agent and an informer 
12:50 WHO WERE “THE NUTTING SQUAD” ??
18:05 Michael Kearney’s m*rder 
19:40 WAS SCAP THE ONLY AGENT/INFORMER WITHIN THE NUTTING SQUAD?
22:05 British Intel sacrificing lesser-informers to protect a higher-up agent
25:20 HOW FAR UP DID KNOWLEDGE OF STAKENIFE GO ?
26:55 Was Steaknife the UK government’s highest-ranking informant?
35:15 Was Scap rich by the end?
37:50 Scap’s mental health and p*rn-habit? 
50:10 How was Steaknife recruited by the British Govt ?
53:30 Torture by the ISU  
55:00 Motivations for writing the book 
1:08:55 IS SCAP REALLY DEAD? & thoughts on Operation Kenova

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Patrick Ryan is the infamous former priest who sourced money, weapons and materials for the IRA during the troubles and even personally met with Libyan dictator Mummar Gaddafi to buy guns for the Republicans.

I spoke with author and journalist Jennifer O' Leary about her interviews with Patrick Ryan resulting in a book, "The Padre".
Jennifer shares her insight in Patrick Ryan the man, whether he feels any regret about his actions and how the project came about.

We spoke about the moulding of Ryan by his family and area into an IRA sympathizer, his high-level of competency when it came to any of Patrick's endeavors and the extent to which Patrick Ryan aided the republican movement.

***PLEASE SUBSCRIBE & LEAVE A REVIEW IF YOU ENJOY THE EPISODE***

***TIMESTAMPS**
00:00 Intro & how Jennifer met Patrick Ryan “The Padre”
3:35 Patrick’s family influences & his timer in East Africa as a missionary 
10:15 The extent of Patrick Ryan’s work for the IRA (Gaddafi, b*mb timers, guns)
16:54 Spy work for Libyans intel services 
19:40 Patrick Ryan’s mistrust of IRA command 
21:45 Does Patrick Ryan differentiate between civilian and military targets for IRA B*MBS? 
24:47 How did Patrick Ryan leave the movement? 
29:14 Is Patrick Ryan still a Christian ? 

BUY THE BOOK: https://amzn.to/3RkZ2Qk

JENNIFER'S TWITTER: https://twitter.com/Jen_O_Leary 

Jason O' Toole has sat down for 40 + hours of interviews with one of Ireland's most notorious criminals, drugs traffickerJohn Gilligan. The result was a gripping and facasinating book called "The Gilligan Tapes" and a 3 part documentary which is airing now.
I spoke to Jason about how the their initial meeting came about in 2008 when he interviewed Gilligan in a maximum security prison and how this would eventually led to his most recent project.
I asked Jason if he feels he knows Gilligan as a man after all this time, whether he's a psychopath or not, if he genuinely feels remorse for this past crimes and how honest Jason felt Gilligan was being with him. We discussed Gilligan's life-long gambling habit, his sense of humor about grave situations and if he may have a "Napoleon" complex about his short stature. 
Jason gives insight into Gilligan's opinions of Gardai, Martin Cahill, the members of his old crime gang and who Gilligan claims shot the journalist, Veronica Guerin.

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Intro, how Jason met John Gilligan 
9:53 Does Jason know John Giligan as a person
10:43 Gilligan’s use of humor- genuine or a front?
12:13 Does Gilligan have a “Napoleon Complex” ?
14:43 Gilligan’s relationship with MARTIN CAHILL “THE GENERAL” 
17:33 Gilligan’s view of Gardai 
20:53 Did Gilligan come across as an “underworld-figure” type in person?
23:30 Martin Cahill’s assassination 
25:15 Gardai II 
26:33 Gilligan’s peak as a multi-millionaire  
30:37 WHO SHOT VERONICA GUERIN 
36:43 Gilligan’s claim that Veronica Guerin shot herself in the leg
37:43 Is Gilligan BROKE & ADDICTED TO GAMBLING??
44:53 Gilligan’s view on legalization of drugs 
46:23 GILLIGAN’S NEAR-ASSASSINATION 
47:33 How honest did Gilligan’s seem?  
52:13 Any hidden motives for doing the book/doc ? 
54:33 Does Gilligan believe he’s going to hell?
55:53 Is Gilligan a “NARCISSIST” or a “PSYCHOPATH” ??
1:07:15 GOVERNMENT MINISTERS ATTACK THE DOCUMENTARY 
1:10:33 Would Jason do this type of project again?

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JASON'S BOOK (Must read!!!) https://amzn.to/44LICTY

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