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The BelTel
‘Don’t call Jeffrey Epstein a paedophile’ - top Northern Ireland lawyer part of 2011 effort to defend Epstein’s reputation
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‘Don’t call Jeffrey Epstein a paedophile’ – that was the demand of a top NI lawyer to a London newspaper in 2011.
Paul Tweed was brought in to try and limit the damage to the sex-offender's reputation after he was released from prison.
The Belfast solicitor is one of the best-known libel lawyers in the UK and Ireland.
He has told the Belfast Telegraph that he “categorically rejects the suggestion that he acted in any way inappropriately”, saying he acted within his professional and regulatory obligations.
The Belfast Telegraph’s Northern Ireland editor Sam McBride joins Ciarán Dunbar in the studio.
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Drumcree: Suzanne Breen on how the impact Garvaghy dispute is having on politics
35:55|The stand-off between the Drumcree Orange men and the Garvaghy residents continues. In Belfast on Monday – a court reserved judgment on the residents’ renewed application to stop the march. The march – and the protest has sharply divided our politicians. Some fear real damage is being done to community relations. And in other news the SDLP in Armagh has saw fit to dump its siting MLA – Justin McNulty – why? Ciarán Dunbar joined by our political editor, Suzanne Breen.
Donaldson still in Maghaberry hospital as old home goes up for sale
21:40|He was once known as the Right Honourable Sir Jeffrey Donaldson but is now known as inmate number E5032. Donaldson once proudly walked the corridors of Westminster, ate in fancy restaurants, and commanded media attention. But now he spends his days behind bars in Maghaberry, reading, doing jigsaws and doing art. The home in Dromore, in which he lived in with wife Eleanor, who was found to have aided and abetting child sexual abuse, has appeared on the market for a modest £650,000. Donaldson was convicted of 18 charges concerning child sexual abuse in June. Prosecution lawyers want him to serve at least ten years in prison. To talk about Donaldson’s new life, Ciarán Dunbar is joined by the Belfast. Telegraph’s Kurtis Reid
‘They’ve got Marty’: the unsolved murder of Sunday World journalist Martin O’Hagan
22:53|A fearless investigative reporter who exposed the criminal underworld behind Northern Ireland’s paramilitaries, O’Hagan had made dangerous enemies on both sides, but no one has ever been convicted of his murder.Joining Fionnán Sheehan is Sunday World Northern editor Richard Sullivan and Irish Independent special correspondent Paul Williams, as they remember their friend and colleague and examine why, 25 years on, his killing remains unsolved.
Drumcree: No deal over Garvaghy march, £3m spent so far, O'Neill defiant
30:49|The standoff between the Orangemen on Drumcree and the residents of the Garvaghy Road continues in Portadown. Negotiations involving the Secretary of State Chris Bryant, the Orange Order and Garvaghy Road residents have so far failed to reach an agreement. Garvaghy Road residents' spokesman Breandán Mac Cionnaith, confirmed on Wednesday that there was a document on the table. However, both Jamie Bryson and Carla Lockhart said the Portadown district won’t be accepting any deal that sees them walk away from their right to parade down the Garvaghy Road. Sinn Féin's Mary Lou McDonald and First Minister Michelle O’Neill were back on the Garvaghy road with residents on Wednesday – with the First Minister saying that standing on the road with residents on Sunday was "the right thing to do". Meanwhile, the leaders of the DUP and UUP say they expect to see prosecutions over the protest in the next few days. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by the Belfast Telegraph’s Kevin Scott, Kurtis Reid, and Allison Morris.
The mistake that left ‘Slab' Murphy with a big bill and a massive problem
29:49|In 1990, Thomas ‘Slab’ Murphy lost his seminal libel case against the Sunday Times. But formerly secret files reveal the south Armagh republican was actually expected to win it – and that the paper was considering throwing in the towel. But a tactical error by Murphy led to the paper deciding to fight – and not settle, costing him a fortune. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Sam McBride.
Drumcree: nationalist and unionist camps completely divided over Garvaghy march
41:11|There is a stalemate in Portadown and deep division in Stormont.On the Orange side, the issue is the rights of a small number of people to march their traditional route – backed by a legal ruling. On the Garvaghy Road, a community feels that march is sectarian harassment - and a relic of another age. This is a local issue, but one which deep historical resonances, and one which many fear has brought Northern Ireland to the political brink.Unionists accuse nationalists of not accepting the rule of law, while nationalists accuse unionists of unnecessarily opening an old wound.Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Sam McBride and Allison Morris and hears from Claire Dickson in Portadown, and from Andrew Madden in Stormont.
Siobhán Fenton: Former insider on Sinn Féin' ideological conundrums
47:43|When journalist Siobhan Fenton was headhunted by Sinn Féin in 2020 she was an outsider. Entering the party press office in Dublin, she was from Belfast, and didn’t support IRA violence. At the time Sinn Fein was soaring, with Mary Lou McDonald expected to eventually become Ireland’s first female Taoiseach. But that hasn’t happened. Instead, the party’s momentum faltered – although it remains the biggest party on the island. What goes on inside of one of Ireland’s most secretive party, and how is the new generation of Sinn Féin staff changing the party? After five years working for Sinn Fein, Siobhán Fenton was ruthlessly dumped, learning that she was being ditched through a media report in 2025. She has released the book ‘Ourselves alone: Sinn Féin behind closed doors’ - and she joined Sam McBride on the BelTel.
Drumcree: Orange Order to march Garvaghy road again after 28 years
27:03|The Parades Commission has given go ahead for Drumcree Orange march down the Garvaghy Road - but with stringent conditions. Permission has been granted for no more than 35 people, including five named marshals, to take part in the parade, which will depart Drumcree Church at 8am on Sunday September 27. Nationalists are outraged by the decision; unionists have welcomed it. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by the Belfast Telegraph's security correspondent, Allison Morris.
'Donaldson should get 10 years', court hears
10:32|The former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson should serve at least 10 years in prison, a court in Newry has heard. The remarks were made during a submission hearing for disgraced former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson. The former MP was convicted of a series of historical sexual offences earlier this year.He was brought from Maghaberry high security prison to court for the hearing. Submissions were made from prosecutors about the length of prison term he should serve. Donaldson (63) had already been warned to expect a significant custodial term. Allison Morris was in court.