Episoder
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Ralph Brooker served in the British army touring Fermanagh, Derry and the infamous South Armagh, better known as "Bandit Country".
Having spent the majority of his time in rural, border areas Ralph recounts the British army's constant attempts to counteract the IRA's ever evolving methods and tactics. Ralph speaks to us about being on the receiving end of IRA mortar attacks, explosive booby-traps & landmines and the day-today realities of fighting a guerrilla army.
Ralph told me about his views on the IRA and how they changed over the years as well as whether he now considers his old foes to be "freedom fighters"
(Q&A coming soon so please drop any questions in the comments or email me at [email protected] )
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00:00 GETTING MORTARED while in a HELICOPTER
12:20 High Profile IRA men
21:40 How Ralph viewed the IRA- Freedom Fighters ??
44:40 Dealing w/ the Public
51:20 Clashes w/ UDR & RUC
1:02:50 Derry
1:07:50 Names in Stormont that Ralph remembers from COP (Close Observational) Days
1:23:05 Were the Loughall “A-Team” set up ?
1:25:15 IRA Booby-Traps
1:30:40 SOUTH ARMAGH
1:45:30 IRA’s
1:52:00 Final Thoughts -
****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)
Thanks a million!!
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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 -
Manglende episoder?
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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
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
BUY THE BOOK: https://www.mercierpress.ie/books/the-puppet-masters/ -
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)
Thanks a million!!
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/goodlistenerpodcast
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 -
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)
Thanks a million!!
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/goodlistenerpodcast
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 -
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)
Thanks a million!!
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/goodlistenerpodcast
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 -
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)
Thanks a million!!
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/goodlistenerpodcast
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 -
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)
Thanks a million!!
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/goodlistenerpodcast
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 -
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)
Thanks a million!!
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/goodlistenerpodcast
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 -
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)
Thanks a million!!
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/goodlistenerpodcast -
**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 -
Mick Hawkes is an ex-SAS soldier and 14th intel company (the Det.) operator who worked against the IRA and Loyalist paramilitaries in Northern Ireland as part of his military career.
Mick tells us about the daily ins and outs of carrying out surveillance on dangerous insurgents, the differences between republican and loyalist paramilitaries, how he helped to prevent a mortar attack on an RUC and much more.
(The first 30 mins or so are a little choppy due to wifi problems but completely fine after that.. apologies and thank you)
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
00:00 South Armagh
11:00 Any respect for the IRA ?
20:45 Any “off-base” activities
21:45 IRA men in the area
27:55 Between Mick’s 1980 South Armagh tour and returning to N.I in 1993- Joining SAS
33:00 THE DET
39:10 1993 Shankill fish shop b*mb
42:00 DET work II
1:04:00 Protestant paramilitary groups
1:08:30 The UDR (Ulster Defence regiment) & RUC
1:13:05 IRA informers
1:16:45 Face-to-face encounter w/ IRA man
1:26:48 Did Mick want to get into a “contact” with a terrorist ?
1:29:25 Foiling a mortar attack on RUC station
1:31:40 IRA in LONDON- Mick’s work with Mi5
1:44:20 Miss the “buzz’ from the job??
1:55:35 Ex soldiers doing mercenary work
2:01:35 Are SAS the best ?? -
My guest this week is Dr Michael Flavin, child to Irish parents who grew up in Birmingham, England during the IRA’s bombing campaign in England during the troubles.
Michael speaks to us about being a part of the Irish diaspora in England, anti-Irish discrimination at the time as well Michael’s writings on IRA leadership and INLA splits.
00:00 “NO BLACKS NO DOGS NO IRISH” sign- was it real??
03:50 Michael’s parents move to England
07:05 Many other children of immigrants ?
08:50 BIRMINGHAM B*MBINGS impact on Michael’s life
20:20 Gerry Adams leadership writings
26:30 INLA splits
54:30 Do most English people consider Northern Irish people to be “British” ?
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 -
Dan Lawton’s thrilling new book “The Hunted” explores the story of Kevin Barry Artt and how he was false-convicted of the IRA murder of deputy Maze prison governor, Albert Miles.
We speak about the so-called “confession factory” Castlereagh, Long Kesh’s Maze prison, the horrors of the “blanket”/“no-wash” protests and how Kevin Barry Artt took part in one of N.I’s biggest jailbreaks.
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 CASTLEREAGH “The Confession Factory”
08:15 LONG KESH & The lead up to Albert Miles’ murder
18:45 The murder of Albert Miles
24:30 Maurice Gilvarry (IRA member & RUC Agent)
27:35 PRISON ESCAPE
39:05 Escape almost goes wrong
48:00 Film or TV series ??
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
BUY THE BOOK: www.abovethegroundbook.com
instagram.com/danlawtonwriter/
twitter.com/DanLawtonwriter -
For this episode I’m joined by author and lecturer, Thomas Leahy, whose book “The Intelligence War against the IRA” gives a through and detailed account of Britain’s attempts to disrupt and defeat the IRA by way of intel gathering.
We discuss the various methods of intel collection, what “intel” is and can be used for in this context, the various times of ceasefire during the conflict and the reasons for them.
Thomas details why the rural IRA brigades were tougher infiltrate, how technological change effected the British army and the reasons for the peace talks at various points in the conflict.
00:00 What is INTEL ??
5:50 Structure of Thomas’ book
13:50 Derry IRA
18:55 Rural areas more difficult to affect in the Intel War
35:05 Technological changes thru-out the troubles
39:50 Tasking & co group
45:40 Misconceptions surrounding the subject
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
BUY THE BOOK: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/intelligence-war-against-the-ira/A34D7CEFB3118C4C2F9553F4D30D91ED -
Harry McCallion is an ex-paratrooper and SAS solider who served in the north during some of the troubles’ most violent years. Harry tells us about the brutal training regime they underwent before deployment, his thoughts on the mistakes that the British army made, his views on the “Ballymurphy Massacre”, his emotional state while policing violent riots and the effects that the job had on his mental health at the time.
Harry shares his insights on the uniques challenges of taking on a “guerrilla” army, rural vs urban warfare, his own personal relationship with violence/killing and much more..
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
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Joining the British Army (Paras) & becoming brutalized
12:45 Pre-deployment, does Harry consider N.I people to be British & do Irish people “live in the past” too much?
25:50 DEPLOYMENT TO NORTHERN IRELAND - Internment roundup
28:55 Thoughts on BALLYMURPHY MASSACRE & 2021 Inquiry
39:35 RIOTS - “absolutely terrifying”
APPEAL
51:15 Harry’s relationship with KILLING & violence
57:35 Does Harry know how many people he has killed?
58:40 Fist-fight w/ an INLA member
59:55 Joining the SAS
1:05:00 Loyalist dual membership of UDR & UVF/UDA
1:07:30 Were UVF/UDA as competent as the PIRA ?
1:12:50 SOUTH ARMAGH & TYRONE IRA
1:19:00 Gerry Adams story
1:23:00 Fighting against guerrilla soldiers
1:29:00 Protecting intel sources within the IRA
1:33:55 GUERRILLA OR TERRORIST ??
1:49:20 Rural or urban soldiering.. which was more difficult ?
1:52:00 The MRF
1:58:35 Harry’s latest book -
Author, lawyer and past guest of the show, David Burke reveals a previously unreleased statement from ex-Tara member and close-friend of Robin 'the jackal" Jackson, Charlie Simpson uncovering Jackson and the British Army's involvement in one of the trouble's most heinous attacks. We talk through the events of the tragic day, the logistics of the UVF operation and the political goings-on at the time of attack.
DAVID'S FREE E-BOOK (much more detail on the topic)
https://coverthistory.ie/2024/05/04/returning-the-serve-the-jackal-collusion-mi5-and-the-dublin-and-monaghan-bombings-by-david-burke/
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 -
Brendan Hughes (not to be confused with the deceased Brendan ‘The Dark” Hughes) shares his truly extraordinary life story, a life shaped by his membership of the East-Tyrone PIRA in the early days of the conflict in the North.
Brendan tells us about his time ambushing British soldiers in the countryside and robbing banks to fund raise for the IRA and his thoughts on having to take human life for his cause. Brendan shares the incredible story of how masterminded the second ever prison escape involving a helicopter on Halloween 1973 and how he himself ended up leading a 19 man jailbreak from Ireland’s most secure lock-up.
His tale later involves a split form the movement and a team of assassins being spent to NYC to take out Brendan, one of whom Brendan would later meet.
PLEASE SEND ANY & ALL SUGGESTIONS FOR GUESTS & EPISODE TOPICS to [email protected]
BUY THE BOOK: https://uplikeabird.com
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
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Growing up in Tyrone, first contact with sectarianism
07:20 Joining the IRA
13:10 Robbing banks
24:40 AMBUSHING BRITISH SOLDIERS
31:00 Becoming an intel officer
35:50 Lead-up to MOUNTJOY HELICOPTER ESCAPE
45:30 DAY OF THE ESCAPE
56:50 Getting caught & jailed
1:05:27 Planning the Portlaoise prison escape
1:14:20 DAY OF ESCAPE FROM PORTLAOISE
1:22:25 Immediately after escaping
1:36:25 Split from IRA (hit-team sent to NYC to get him)
1:42:40 Back to prison
1:44:25 Thoughts on united-Ireland -
My guest this week is ex-b*mb disposal man, Steve Smith. Steve worked as a EOD officer in Belfast during the early 80s and worked to rid the city of IRA & Loyalist b*mbs.
Steve gives us his insight into the various types of explosives used throughout the conflict, the differences between IRA & Loyalist b*mb-makers, how it feels to put on the b*mb-suit & approach an explosive device and the effects that such a job can have on one’s mental health.
Steve tells us about the unique challenges of b*mb-disposal in rural settings vs urban, the physical sensation of being caught in a b*mb blast and much more.
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.
Thanks a million!!
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/goodlistenerpodcast
PLEASE SEND ANY & ALL SUGGESTIONS FOR GUESTS & EPISODE TOPICS to [email protected]
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Putting on the “B*MB SUIT”
03:35 Training
10:00 Psychological aspect
14:20 The Hurt Locker (film) & mental toll of the job
17:00 FIRST EXPLOSIVES DISPOSALS
24:45 B*mb Disposal in RURAL AREAS
27:20 Robots
30:40 TOUGH JOB
35:10 Dealing with trauma from the job
37:25 IRA calling in car-b*mb
44:10 Loyalist b*mbs (better or worse b*mb-makers?)
46:13 TYPES of b*mbs throughout the conflict
55:10 Remote b*mbs & Mercury tilt
59:30 Light-activated explosives
1:00:30 Closest Steve has been to b*mb exploding
1:07:30 Cutting wires -
Graham Cousins grew up protestant in East Belfast and spent his late-teen years and early 20s in the Ulster Defense Association better known as the UDA, a loyalist paramilitary group formed in the early 70s. He has since become close friends with ex-paramilitaries from the other side including my last guest, ex-b*mb-maker Packy McMahon (https://youtu.be/R5XJQrUCeMk?si=zCipaXh0uMIK6P0j)
Graham speaks to us about his mindset during the early 70s, his reasons for joining up, his thoughts on the UDA’s policy of targeting innocent Catholics and how he left the group.
Graham shared some interesting thoughts/insights into his mentality during the UDA days, the time that RUC officers let him “steal” their weapons, his memories of Ian Paisley, thoughts on a united Ireland and much more
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 Patreon or Buy My a Coffee.
Thanks a million!!
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/goodlistenerpodcast
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Intro
6:20 RUC COLLUSION w/ UDA
10:10 Why join UDA not UVF
15:05 How were catholic families intimidated out ?
16:55 How did graham feel about his UDA activities at the time?
18:00 Does Graham identify as British ?
21:45 Ian Paisley
27:15 How did he view the UVF ?
29:10 Any respect for the IRA ?
31:25 Would Graham have known the main hitmen in the UDA ?
35:45 Women in the UDA
37:50 Dual membership UDA/UDR
39:35 Living in England - Vis mere
