Glenn Bradley was born 1967 in West Belfast and grew up in the loyalist Woodvale area. He is a former soldier, one-time politician and a made-good businessman. Today, Glenn is Chair of Veterans For Peace Ireland and a Board Member of the Belfast Charitable Society. He remains an unapologetic Irish peace processor.

I was  eager pick Glenn's brain about what it was like to grow up surrounded by the violence of "the troubles" conflict that began when he was a small child and particularly about the years of his youth spent in the army before he became completely disillusioned with violence after experiencing it's futility firsthand. 

Glenn told me about his childhood in a staunchly loyalist area of Belfast during one of Ireland's bloodiest times including when he was injured by a no-warning IRA bomb at the age of 5. We also spoke about a particularly horrific incident during the Bobby Sands riots when his schoolbus was petrol-bombed by a republican mob. 

Glenn would eventually join the British Army, a time in his life that he has made sure not to let define him and I was fascinated to get his insight on the soldiering of N.I.
I asked about the daily realities of being a soldier during this period, what it feels like to be in a shootout with paramilitaries and how The British Army viewed the IRA and Loyalists. Glenn also explained the mindset of a trained soldier in terms of how they were trained to view their enemies/opponents.

PART 2 COMING SOON ( We discussed more of Glenn's military days and how he would eventually become  entirely disillusioned with violence.)

00:00 Intro & growing up in troubles-era Woodvale area
6:05 Injured by IRA bomb at 5 years old
13:25 How realistic was Irish reunification as a possibility in the minds of unionist people at the time?
17:45 View of the RUC in the area? 
20:35 How did Glen view British soldiers in the streets?
22:55 GLEN’S SCHOOLBUS PETROL-B*MBED (day of Bobby Sands death) 
26:16 How were loyalist paramilitaries viewed by the community in his area? 
32:35 Joining British Army instead of Loyalist paramilitaries 
43:00 Where was Glen 
46:50 Shoot-outs with the IRA
50:15 How competent did British troops consider the IRA 
53:35 Any clashes w/ Loyalists 
55:10 Soldiers from mainland UK- how good of an understanding did they have of the conflict in N.I 

Graham Linehan is the Irish comedy writer behind behind the legendary sitcom, Father Ted, as well as Black Books and the I.T Crowd.

Grahams recent autobiography, “Tough Crowd” takes the reader through Graham’s youth in Ireland, his co-writing of the show that is now embedded in Irish culture and provided laughs the world over.

We speak about Grahams influences as he ventured into the world of sitcom writing including Seinfeld and the Simpsons. He tells us the behind-the-scenes story of Teds creation; how it was originally meant to be filmed like the “The Office” and the process behind writing an episode.

Graham shares his thoughts on American humor vs. Irish/UK humor, woke and anti-woke standup comics, his own foray into standup comedy and much more. 

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Intro, twitter activists  
10:12 Trans-males in sports (Recent Canadian amateur boxing example)
13:30 FATHER TED 
30:50 American vs Irish/UK humor 
35:00 Father Ted was originally to filmed like “The Office” 
40:10 Graham’s standup comedy 
42:15 Favorite stand-ups 
44:10 “Woke” comedians & “Anti-woke” comedians 

Frank Portinari is a former commander of the London UDA during the troubles and was eventually imporisoned after being caught buying firearms which were to used for the loyalist cause of keeping the 6 counties of Northern Ireland part of the UK.

Frank told us about his growing in working-class London in a largely Irish area and how he ended up as a Tottnem football holligan during the decades when large-scale fights between rival supporters were commonplace. Frank speaks about his various involvements with political groups including, at one stage, the National Front who are well known for anti-immigrant and often racist views.

Frank would eventually get drawn into the Northern-Ireland conflict as a response to IRA bombs in England and hearing IRA chants and songs in his own London streets. He joined and would quickly lead the London-UDA (Ulster Defence Association, a loyalist paramilitary group) during which time he targeted IRA members and sympathizers as well as plots to assassinate several British MPs including Ken Livingston.

Frank reveled how he had been propositioned by British Special Branch a number of times and spoke about collusion between loyalist paramilitaries including security forces passing photos of and information about IRA men.

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TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Intro, growing up in Camden
06:00 Football hooligan days 
11:00 Getting involved w/ National Front 
22:00 Leaving National Front 
28:40 JOINING LONDON UDA 
46:40 Plots to ASSASSINATE BRITISH MPS
58:15 Getting caught & prison time 
1:09:40 Leaving the loyalist movement 
1:12:55 BEING APPROACHED BY SPECIAL BRANCH & Hearing about Loyalist/British security forces COLLUSION
1:20:40 Leaving loyalist movement II 

Irish criminologist and co-host of the Real Lives Untold podcast, Sarah O' Conor speaks to us about the recent murders that shocked Ireland committed by Yousef Palani & Jozef Puska whose respective killings have now resulted in life sentences for the murderers.

Sarah also told us about Ireland's history of serial-killer types and particularly those who kill women. We spoke about the various evil murderers that have taken innocent lives in Ireland and those suspected of carrying out more brutal acts than the ones they were convicted of including infamous r*pist Larry Murphy who has been linked to serveral disappearances of women in the so called "vanishing triangle".

 TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Intro, Sarah’s background & Aishling Murphy/ Jozef Puska case I
14:25 Irish serial killers & definition of “serial killer”
26:25 LARRY MURPHY and possible links to the “vanishing triangle” 
36:55 YOUSEF PALANI - background 
47:45 PALANI’S SPREE BEGINS 
1:00:15 Media’s coverage of the case 
1:04:25 JOZEF PUSKA- background & Aishling Murphy

"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.

IF YOU ENJOY THE SHOW PLEASE SUBSCRIBE & LEAVE A 5 STAR REVIEW TO HELP THE SHOW CONTINUE TO GROW.. THANKS AS ALWAYS FOR LISTENING

*** 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.

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE & LEAVE A 5 STAR RATING IF YOU ENJOY THE SHOW.. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING

***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