Stray Bullets
The Stray Bullets podcast, hosted by E.S. Haggan, frequently discusses the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), often drawing on Haggan's experiences as a former RUC/PSNI officer.
The podcast delves into various aspects of the RUC, including:
- The Troubles: Haggan openly addresses policing during the Troubles, including religion, politics, sectarianism, and related ideologies.
- Collusion: Episodes explore allegations of RUC collusion with loyalist paramilitaries and related inquiries like the Stevens Inquiries.
- Catholic officers: The podcast examines the experiences of Catholic police officers within the RUC and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), highlighting challenges like isolation, sectarianism, and racism.
- Specific incidents: Haggan discusses specific events and atrocities related to the Troubles, using his novel "The Bitter End of Dreams" as a framework to explore these topics while avoiding potential libel.
The podcast provides a unique perspective on the RUC and the Troubles, informed by Haggan's personal experiences and detailed discussions of his novel.
Stray Bullets
State-Terrorism and PIRA's 'No Alternative' to violence: Part II: 'The Thing Was Always Planned.'
Moving forward I consider some statements made in the past by PIRA volunteers in respect of 'engineering' the conflict, or, conversely, having the armed struggle forced upon them by the actions of the British.
As ever I must admit to straying off on one - or two - tangents, such as a 'murder safari', a term I've coined for, well, it'll become evident...
Sources referred to in this episode:
Alonso, Rogelio, The IRA and Armed Struggle, London and New York: Routledge, 2007
Hennessey, Thomas, Northern Ireland: the Origins of the Troubles, Dublin: Gill and Macmillan, 2005
MacStiofáin, Seán, Memoirs of a Revolutionary, Edinburgh: Gordon Cremonesi, 1975
O'Doherty, Malachi, The Trouble with Guns: Republican Strategy and the Provisional IRA, Belfast: Blackstaff, 1998
White, Robert W., Provisional Irish Republicans: an Oral and Interpretive History, Westpoint, CT: Greenwood Press, 1993
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