Sex, lies and video tape: Julie McGinley and the murder of husband Gerry McGinley in Fermanagh

On a spring morning in June 2001 an eight-year-old girl gathers moss for her grandmother’s hanging baskets in a forest near Ballinamore in Co Leitrim. The child lets out a scream, she had discovered a body. The remains belonged to Enniskillen businessman, Gerry McGinley and it was clear that he be…

Black Widow Part 2: The trial of Catherine Nevin and the media sensation that followed

30 years on from the violent killing of publican Tom Nevin, part two of this special podcast looks at how Nevin's wife, Catherine Nevin, emerged as the prime suspect; the murder trial and media blitz that followed; and why Ireland’s ‘Black Widow’ still fascinates us to this day. Host: Fionnán Sh…

Black Widow Part 1: The murder of Tom Nevin and one of Ireland’s most notorious criminal cases

Thirty years ago, Wicklow publican Tom Nevin was shot dead as he counted the takings following a busy day at Jack White’s Inn. Initially, the incident appeared to be a robbery gone wrong, but grieving wife Catherine Nevin would eventually emerge as the prime suspect and later come to be known as ‘T…

Roger Casement: Protestant British hero who became a 'rebel and a traitor'

Roger Casement was hanged in August 1916 for treason against the Crown. Formerly Sir Roger, his assistance to Germany during the First World Ward was undeniable and from a British point of view he was a traitor. From from an Irish nationalist point of view, he was a rebel and a hero who now took…

‘Among Communists’: Belfast poet, Sinéad Morrisey tells her family and political story

Belfast poet, Sinéad Morrisey, was brought up in a Communist family. Hers was a childhood lived in the little world created by the party, a world apart from others and from the Troubles. It involved smoke-filled rooms, endless meetings, and dreams of a future utopia – coupled with a belief that …

Stephen McCullagh’s sick murder fantasy revealed in student film

Murderer Stephen McCullagh has been aptly described as “a monster hiding in plain sight”. A week on from his conviction there has been a lot of reaction to the the nerd-culture YouTuber’s conviction of murdering Natalie McNally. He denied the killing, but the jury unanimously found him guilty in a …

Was Gerry Adams in the IRA? Inside the landmark £1 court case

For decades, Gerry Adams has denied being a member of the Provisional IRA. Now, for the first time, that claim is being challenged in an English courtroom. Three men, all victims of separate IRA bombings, have taken civil action against the former Sinn Féin leader for the symbolic sum of £1 in dama…

Stephen McCullagh trial: Jury shown YouTube ‘live stream’ from night Natalie McNally was killed

The trial of the man accused of murdering Natalie McNally is continuing in Belfast. 36-year-old Stephen McCullagh of Woodland Gardens in Lisburn, denies murdering Ms McNally. She was fifteen weeks pregnant when was killed at her home in Lurgan in December 2022. On Tuesday, the state pathologist out…

Stephen McCullagh trial: Prosecution claims Natalie McNally murder was “planned, calculated and pre-meditated”

The murder of a pregnant woman in Co Armagh a week before Christmas in 2022 has been described in a Belfast court as “planned, calculated and pre-meditated”. 32-yearold Natalie McNally was 15 weeks’ pregnant when she was attacked and killed in her Lurgan home. 36-year-old Stephen McCullagh, of Woo…

Stephen McCullagh goes on trial accused of murdering Natalie McNally

The trial of the man accused of the murder of Lurgan woman Natalie McNally has begun. 32-year-old Natalie McNally was 15 weeks pregnant when she was stabbed to death at her home in December 2022. 35-year-old Stephen McCullagh, of Woodland Gardens in Lisburn, has denied the charge. The…