Rob Millington, ex-british army trooper, spent 6 months in Belfast during the final decade of the conflict that gripped the lives of anyone in the 6 counties.

Rob talks to us almost getting caught in an IRA b*mb which was set up to blow up security forces responding to sh*oting, the impact that first seeing dead bodies had on him and aftermath of the 1993 Shankill Road b*mbing.

Rob shares his story about meeting Johnny Adair while on patrol and his attempts to extract information from British soldiers as well as the surprising reaction that Rob and his men would get while meeting high-level republican paramilitaries in the street.

00:00 Responding to a sh*oting in North Belfast and almost getting caught in b*mb blast
17:50 Getting to NI
34:45 1993 Shankill Road B*mbing
41:30 Meeting JOHNNY ADAIR
53:05 See Dead Bodies For The First Time
1:01:00 Shooting During Tour ?
1:04:25 Leaving NI

CLIP OF ROB : https://youtu.be/WbcVovb4Kgc?si=cQ9EEqdHSesxJf02

(Q&A coming soon so please drop any questions in the comments or email me at thegoodlistenerpodcast@gmail.com )

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John Nixon, ex-Offical IRA and INLA member begins this episode at the start of his second prison term in Long Kesh during which he would volunteer for the IRA/INLA Hunger Strike of 1980, led by Brendan “The Dark” Hughes.

John speaks about the horrors and trauma of years in prison, beatings and torture from the guards and his account of the hunger strike that preceded the 1981 Hunger Strike, most known for Bobby Sands death.

I asked about the effect that 53 days without food has a man’s body and mind and how John has tried to moved past everything to life a normal life post prison

Please forgive us for any parts that might overlap or be repetitive, we recorded this part over several sittings as you can tell.

00:00 2nd Prison Sentence
12:45 Staying Sane in Prison
30:50 Would John Meet With an Ex-Prison Guard
36:45 Brendan Hughes
43:00 Hunger Strikes
57:42 1980 HUNGER STRIKE
1:04:42 Selecting Hunger Strikers
1:13:35 Stages of John’s Hunger Strike (53 days)
1:29:52 Hunger Strike ENDS
1:32:42 Prison after Hunger Strike
1:41:20 Release & Life after prison

(Q&A coming soon so please drop any questions in the comments or email me at thegoodlistenerpodcast@gmail.com )

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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 thegoodlistenerpodcast@gmail.com )

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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

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

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BUY THE BOOK: https://www.mercierpress.ie/books/the-puppet-masters/

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

****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)
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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

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)
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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

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

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