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Riots were a familiar feature of the Troubles, but with political violence now almost a thing of the past, rioting is rare. However, sparked by a decision not to allow the Orange Order to parade on west Belfast's Springfield Road, the September 2005 riots were complete mayhem. Loyalists rampaged for three nights causing two thousand police and soldiers to be deployed. Belfast Telegraph's security correspondent Allison Morris was there, she joins Ciarán Dunbar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sean Hegarty is a brutal double murderer. He is currently in Northern Ireland's maximum-security prison, Maghaberry. But he is somehow updating a Facebook account from behind bars. Hegarty murdered his ex-girlfriend Caron Smyth and her friend Finbar McGrillen in December 2013. Hegarty had just days before been released on bail for domestic violence charges. An inquest found that the PSNI's decision to release the prolific abuser was flawed. How was someone so dangerous let loose on the streets and how can he be on social media? Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Allison Morris. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The death of a man in Newcastle brings the number of people murdered in Northern Ireland in the past nine weeks to nine, with twelve people murdered so far this year. 84-year-old pensioner Sean Small was found dead in his Newcastle home on Sunday night. The week before, a west Belfast father was stabbed to death in his home. Named locally as Shane Lowry, the 32-year-old's brother has been charged with the killing. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by the Belfast Telegraph's Liam Tunney and our Crime Correspondent, Allison Morris. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The IRA's internal security unit, responsible for hunting down informers and executing them, was known as 'The Nutting Squad'. Ruthless, cruel, efficient, but riddled with informers - promoting questions, who were they actually loyal to? Paddy ‘PM' Monaghan has been reported as a British agent, making him the third senior member to be suspected of being a double agent. Its top tier also included the likes of Freddie Scappaticci and leader, John Joe Magee, who are both now believed to have been spies themselves. How did this group, who had access to some of the IRA's most guarded secrets become riddled with double agents? Presenter Kevin Doyle is joined by Allison Morris, columnist with the Belfast Telegraph, to look at the brutality of the 'Nutting Squad' and whether its senior ranks were loyal to the IRA or to the British.This podcast was first released in September 2023. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
‘Racism, pure and simple' - that's the PSNI's assessment of an anti-migrant group roaming the streets of east Belfast. The self-styled vigilantes were posting their antics to TikTok, which has now banned them. Sometimes accompanied by dogs the group have been demanding to see IDs, have made threats on doorsteps, and have been enquiring about work-statuses. One the main movers in the group is dog ‘hunter' Neil Pinkerton. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by the Belfast Telegraph's security correspondent, Allison Morris. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
LVF leader Billy Wright was charismatic, religious, ruthless and cold. A sectarian murderer but a hero to many in loyalism. Wright was feared by most but respected by some for ‘taking the war to the IRA'. Where did 'King Rat' come from, how did he live his life and why did he take the lives of others? Ciarán Dunbar is joined by the Belfast Telegraph's security correspondent Allison Morris. This podcast was originally released in August 2022. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Billy Wright, 'King Rat', founded the LVF to defy the UVF. That led to imprisonment. Incredibly Wright was gunned down inside the Maze maximum security prison. How did the INLA get a gun inside the jail and what was the LVF's bloody response? Ciarán Dunbar is joined by the Belfast Telegraph security correspondent, Allison Morris.This podcast was first released in August 2022. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Talk of loyalist paramilitaries disbanding is now generally seen as extremely unlikely. Cynicism abounds as to whether these armed groups will ever ‘transition' into peaceful organisations – and of course whether they really can abandon rampant and lucrative criminality. But there does seem to have been some movement in a very unlikely place, the South-East Antrim UDA. The Belfast Telegraph's security correspondent Allison Morris joins Ciarán Dunbar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Allison Morris, Crime Correspondent Belfast Telegraph, reports on a bonfire which was lit last night in Moygashel in County Tyrone which featured a boat with mannequins wearing life jackets, above placards saying "stop the boats" and "veterans before refugees" and a tricolour.
For reaction to this Jon Burrows, Retired Senior PSNI Officer, Sarah Creighton, Unionist Political Commentator & Writer and Allison Morris, Crime & Security Correspondent with the Belfast Telegraph.
Senior loyalists and Key members of the Northern Ireland office have dismissed allegations that The UVF are on the verge of disbanding. One reported condition for the group's disbandment was the formation of a 240-strong armed 'close protection team' to provide security for its ageing leadership - that suggestion has been branded 'farcical'. How close really are the UVF to disbanding, why are figures like Lord Alderdice saying its time to stop transition talks, and what would a transition look like? Belfast Telegraph's Allison Morris joins Olivia Peden to answer some of the big questions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Author Dr Aaron Edwards and Belfast Telegraph's Allison Morris discuss
It was pandemonium in London on Wednesday morning as Kneecap's Mo Chara appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court. Hundreds turned out to support the rapper, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, as he entered court – having arrived in a mocked up RUC landover. The west Belfast rapper is charged with a terror offence over the alleged display of a Hezbollah flag at a concert in London last year. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Belfast Telegraph's crime correspondent Allison Morris who was in court and BelTel assistant producer Olivia Peden. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
It was pandemonium in London on Wednesday morning as Kneecap's Mo Chara appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court. Hundreds turned out to support the rapper, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, as he entered court – having arrived in a mocked up RUC landover. The west Belfast rapper is charged with a terror offence over the alleged display of a Hezbollah flag at a concert in London last year. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Belfast Telegraph's crime correspondent Allison Morris who was in court and BelTel assistant producer Olivia Peden. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
A week from the riots in Ballymena, the dust is beginning to settle. The violence has been universally condemned, but is it enough to condemn the rioters without a conversation on immigration? Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Sam McBride and Allison Morris. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Allison Morris, Crime Correspondent with Belfast Telegraph, discusses her experiences with death threats as a Northern Irish crime journalist.
Northern Ireland is officially the most dangerous place in the UK to be a journalist. A new report published by Amnesty International this week says that journalists here are working in a ‘climate of fear' with numerous death threats against them. The report says that there have been over 70 incidents of threats or attacks against journalists since the start of 2019. Olivia Peden is joined by Allison Morris and Ciaran Barnes to uncover what working as a journalist under threat in Northern Ireland is really like. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Loyalist Jamie Bryson, former Sinn Fein MLA Daithi McKay and party member Thomas O'Hara will be standing trial at Belfast Crown Court charged with conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office. All three deny the offences. The charges relate to a meeting of the Stormont Finance Committee in September 2015, which Mr Bryson gave evidence to, during a review of the sale of the Nama property loan portfolio in Northern Ireland. Belfast Telegraph's Crime Correspondent Allison Morris joined Ciarán Dunbar me. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Séamus Ruddy was 33 when he was abducted, tortured, shot dead and buried in secret in northern France by the INLA in 1985. A former member of the IRSP, His killers believed he knew the location of an arms dump in northern France. The murder became part bloody schism within the INLA that left over a dozen men dead. After an extensive family campaign his remains were found in a forest in May 2017. Allison Morris joins Ciarán Dunbar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
A Co Down man charged with raping and falsely imprisoning a woman has been on the run for almost two years after refusing to attend his trial, claiming to be a freeman of the land. It's “false philosophy that is all too frequently before the court,” is the view of Newry judge Eamonn King about the so-called ‘freeman' defence. What is this all about? Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Belfast Telegraph crime correspondent, Allison Morris. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Belfast pensioner Oliver MacCormack has been handed a seven-year sentence for exploiting vulnerable young women by plying them with heroin and forcing them to work as prostitutes. Three other men have already been sentenced as part of the same investigation, the oldest of which being 79. Some question whether the sentences handed out to the gang was stiff enough. Allison Morris joins Ciarán Dunbar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Allison Morris, Political Commentator and Columnist with the Belfast Telegraph and Deirdre Heenan, Professor of Social Policy at Ulster University
Joe Lynskey, one of the Disappeared, was murdered by his IRA colleagues in 1972 and his body secretly buried. Remains recently found in a County Monaghan grave were hoped to belong to him, but the DNA says no. The finding leaves a new mystery - who was the extra body in the plot, and if it wasn't Joe Lynskey - then whose remains are they? What are republican sources saying about the prospects of finding him now? Ciarán Dunbar is joined by the Belfast Telegraph's security correspondent, Allison Morris. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The New IRA is in secret peace negations with the British and Irish governments. But the group's leadership, who were previously arrested in an MI5 sting, is understood to be at loggerheads with hardliners over whether they should abandon their armed campaign. The New IRA is currently the most active of the dissident groups and is responsible for at least seven murders. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Allison Morris, who broke the story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
There are fears of further bloodshed after an attempt on the life of a dissident republican in west Belfast. Taxi driver Sean O'Reilly was shot in the shoulder in Poleglass on Sunday. The shooting comes amid an escalating feud between factions of Óglaigh na hÉireann, better known as ONH. So far, the tensions have played out with graffiti and accusations on social media. But this shooting has sparked fears of retaliation. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by the Belfast Telegraph security correspondent - Allison Morris. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
23 years after its emergence, the PSNI is still less than one third Catholic and the numbers attempting to join are according to the Chief Constable "below what's needed". Its latest recruitment campaign attracted a total of 3,500 applications but only 27% are perceived to be Catholic. The PSNI was born out of the Patten reforms of the old RUC but the changes which reforms brought about were painful for many who saw them as a betrayal. The controversial 50/50, Catholic / Protestant recruitment policy was seen as discrimination against Protestants. Allison Morris joins Ciarán Dunbar to explain the background of the PSNI and the current difficulties it faces. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In January 2024, opponents of the then DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson, and the deal he struck with the government over post-Brexit arrangements put together a political plot - ‘Operation Torpedo' - Its aim, to wreck the proposed deal. The wire-tapping and subsequent live-tweeting of a supposedly secret meeting caused a sensation. The key figure in the scheme was loyalist Jamie Bryson. Now The BelTel can reveal more details about the ‘operation' and the number of people involved. Guest: Allison Morris. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Twenty-four days after John George was reported missing in Spain, a body was found. The father-of-two from west Belfast had travelled to Alicante in mid-December for a holiday, but worried family when he failed to return home for Christmas. The Belfast Telegraph can now reveal that Mr George's return flight was booked in the days following his death. Allison Morris, who was investigating the disappearance, joins Ciarán Dunbar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Allison Morris, Crime Correspondent for the Belfast Telegraph, gives an update following the discovery of a body during a murder investigation in Spain, launched after the disappearance of Belfast man John George.
Allison Morris, Crime Correspondent for the Belfast Telegraph, outlines the murder investigation launched by Spanish police following the disappearance of Belfast man John George over two weeks ago.
2024 brought political returns, countless scandals, and that one girls night at the Devenish which shocked Northern Ireland. To reminisce on this year's eventful news agenda, Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Belfast Telegraph Editor-In-Chief Eoin Brannigan, and journalists Sam McBride, Allison Morris, Aine Toner, Gillian Halliday and Flávia Gouveia. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
UVF chief Winston “Winkie” Irvine is facing jail time after pleading guilty to firearms charges. It means the well-known loyalist Irvine's dual-career has a tax-funded community worker and paramilitary is well and truly over. Who's Winkie Irvine? How did he get caught? What does this mean for his role in loyalist transitioning? Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Allison Morris. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Remains exhumed from a grave in County Monaghan are being DNA tested to determine whether they include those of Joe Lynskey. One of the ‘disappeared', the former monk turned IRA man was abducted, murdered and secretly buried in 1972. Lynskey is understood to have tricked a fellow IRA man into shooting a love rival – also a member of the IRA. The IRA ‘court martial' sentenced him to death Allison Morris joins Ciarán Dunbar to tell Joe Lynskey's story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Allison Morris, Crime Correspondent, Belfast Telegraph
'Say nothing' focuses on the lives of IRA members Marian and Dolours Price, Brendan ‘The Dark' Hughes, and their interactions with future Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams. Each episode features a denial from Adams that he had any involvement with the IRA. The murder of Jean McConville is a major part of the series - along with the disappearances of Kevin McKee, Seamus Wright, and Joe Lynskey. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Belfast Telegraph reporter Kurtis Reid, who has reviewed the show, and Allison Morris, who features in the final episode, to talk about her real-life encounter with Dolours Price. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Police Ombudsman says the PSNI investigation into the death of Katie Simpson was “flawed and failed her family”. The 21-year-old died in hospital a week after an incident where her sister's partner, Jonathan Creswell, claimed to have found her mid-suicide attempt. In reality, he had repeatedly attacked her. Police failed to question Katie's death, despite Creswell's violent history and physical signs of abuse on her body. He was later charged with her murder but took his life one day into the trial earlier this year. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Allison Morris. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Welcome to The Vocal Lab Podcast! Join hosts Jason and Shelby as they explore "The Rhythm of Rest within Increased Productivity" with special guest Allison Morris. This episode delves into the essential balance between work and rest in a songwriting career. Discover how taking regular breaks and allowing time for recovery can enhance focus, creativity, and efficiency. Instead of pushing through without pause, learn how incorporating rest leads to a sustainable flow where effort and relaxation coexist to optimize performance. How does this resonate with your own experiences? Tune in for a conversation that redefines productivity in the music industry!
In the past six weeks, four women have been killed in NI, bringing this year's total of alleged femicides up to six. At the time of recording, a further two deaths from this weekend are under investigation. Why is femicide so high in Northern Ireland, how does the PSNI deal with domestic violence here, and can anything be done? Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Allison Morris. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On the 13 October 1994, six weeks after the IRA announced a ‘complete cessation', the Loyalist paramilitary groups declared their ceasefires. The UVF's Gusty Spence announced loyalist violence was over, in a step that is seen as one of the vital steps towards a lasting peace in Northern Ireland. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by former PUP leader Billy Hutchinson, Historian Aaron Edwards, and journalists Allison Morris, Mark Simpson, and Vincent Kearney. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Allison Morris, crime correspondent with the Belfast Telegraph
‘Óglaigh na hÉireann' means ‘young warriors of Ireland'. There are now fears that the struggle to claim the title and its history could spill over into violence in Belfast. The dissident republican group known as ‘ONH' has split in to rival factions – with each side making bitter accusations against the other. Belfast Telegraph security correspondent, Allison Morris, reports. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Allison Morris, Crime Correspondent with the Belfast Telegraph, looks at the number of requests made to the ICRIR to investigate incidents which led to death or serious injury during the Troubles.
After what it termed an ‘Armed Struggle' and the ‘Long War', the Provisional IRA called a “complete cessation of military operations” on 31st August 1994 – 30 years ago. By that stage, the organisation was responsible for the deaths of 1,700 people. This episode of the Indo Daily come from our sister podcast the BelTel. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Journalists Brian Rowan and Allison Morris, Former Belfast Telegraph Editor Ed Curran and historian Fearghal Mac Bhloscaidh to look back at how the IRA ceasefire came to pass.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Allison Morris, Crime Correspondent with the Belfast Telegraph discusses the evacuation of 400 homes in Newtownards following the discovery of an unexploded World War Two bomb.
Allison Morris, Columnist with the Belfast Telegraph
Allison Morris, Crime Correspondent with the Belfast Telegraph discusses today's preliminary hearing of the statutory public inquiry into the 1998 Omagh bombing.
Today, we revisit some of the amazing food and wine experts who have graced our show. It starts with Joanne Lee Molinaro, the Korean Vegan, who shares her journey blending Korean culture with veganism, emphasizing compassion and empathy in her recipes. Next, Allison Morris, a level-three sommelier, imparts some wine wisdom — like why you shouldn't trust the second-cheapest bottle on a menu. Then, “Top Chef” winner and host Kristen Kish joins, sharing her essential culinary tips (including a love for gummy candy!) and a hilarious “Top Chef” behind-the-scenes moment.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
DESCRIPTION: Sir Jeffrey Donaldson will return to court in the autumn to formally answer historical sex offence charges. He and his wife Lady Eleanor appeared in Court in Newry on Wednesday morning. The number of charges he faces is now 18 - an increase of seven alleged offences since his last appearance in court. This extra podcast of ‘The Indo Daily' comes from our sister podcast ‘The BelTel'. Ciarán Dunbar spoke to Liam Tunney and Allison Morris, who were in court in Newry. Host: Ciarán Dunbar Guests: Liam Tunney & Allison MorrisSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Allison Morris, crime correspondent with the Belfast Telegraph reports.