Stray Bullets
by E.S. Haggan
Latest episode
Drumcree and our Mutual Malice Part II
Drumcree and our Mutual Malice Part II
About this podcast
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.
'There are no facts, only interpretations.'
Friedrich Nietzsche
Episodes
The newest 20 of 100 episodes
- Drumcree and our Mutual Malice Part II · 1 h 8 min · Season 4 Episode 22Works cited in this episode: Aughey, A. Irish KulturKampf, Belfast, 1995 Hall, M, Are We Not Part of This City Too? In Collaboration with the Waterside Think Tank, Antrim, 1999…
- Drumcree and our Mutual Malice Part I · 1 h 8 min · Season 4 Episode 21For someone who's intent on winding down and deleting their podcast I'm doing a really bad job! Anyway, apologies for the length of this one - as you can see I'm going to have to…
- Brief about upcoming episode - Drumcree as well as RUC Special Branch · 7 min · Season 4 Episode 20Click here if you’d like to send me a comment or question. Thank you. Support the show Médecins Sans Frontières Unicef PEN International
- Drumcree in light of Stormont's Kakistocracy · 53 min · Season 4 Episode 19A hopefully less impassioned look at Drumcree, sectarianism and our continuing comfort in division and bitterness. Click here if you’d like to send me a comment or question…
- Drumcree: The Hill Unionism Will Die Upon? · 45 min · Season 4 Episode 18Seriously, what the hell?! I had just intended to record a very brief 'many thanks' to all the folks who'd sent kind messages via the Buzzsprout app as I can't directly reply…
- Ignobly Disbanded: Final Stray Bullets Episode · 56 min · Season 4 Episode 17Thank you to everyone's who's listened. I hope you got something from my podcast, no matter how small or fleeting. It's time to call time on the whole enterprise. There's a…
- RTB, BUT DON'T STAND-DOWN · 7 min · Season 4 Episode 16Just a short notice in relation to the longevity of the podcast. Click here if you’d like to send me a comment or question. Thank you. Support the show Médecins Sans Frontières…
- Whited Sepulchres: Jeffrey Donaldson, Sexual Offending and Moral Disguise · 49 min · Season 4 Episode 15In light of the conviction of Jeffrey Donaldson on Monday 22nd June 2026 I thought I'd take a look at some of the behaviour employed by sex offenders, especially in the context…
- Belfast Race Riots June 2026 · 41 min · Season 4 Episode 14The violence of the past week has brought Northern Ireland to the global media stage (violence and intolerance are two of our best products!). Fuelled by an abhorrent attempted…
- Asset Handling in Northern Ireland: A Return Examination Part II · 55 min · Season 4 Episode 13Continuing my look at asset handling during the Troubles. Some asides included: the light and dark of Special Branch as imagined by popular media (Blue Lights), the aspect of…
- Asset Handling in Northern Ireland: A Return Examination Part I · 59 min · Season 4 Episode 12Just a revisit to aspects of asset-handling / management post-Kenova. I conscious of not wishing to tread over old ground, but it may be inevitable given how much the subject…
- Stormont's Performative Politicians and the Maintenance of Societal Division · 50 min · Season 4 Episode 11I know. I do tend to stumble through my thoughts, at times spilling out a stream of consciousness. Nevertheless, I just recently realised that it's been just over forty years…
- Forty years ago I joined the RUC · 10 min · Season 4 Episode 10Well, just over forty years ago I joined the Royal Ulster Constabulary. So, I'd like to make my next podcast one in which I over my time in the RUC / PSNI. Hopefully I can draw…
- 'To Perfect Murder': The RUC, Collusion and Asset Handling. Coming Soon... · 10 min · Season 4 Episode 9Click here if you’d like to send me a comment or question. Thank you. Support the show Médecins Sans Frontières Unicef PEN International
- Brief Reflections On The Past Few Episodes · 37 min · Season 4 Episode 8Click here if you’d like to send me a comment or question. Thank you. Support the show Médecins Sans Frontières Unicef PEN International
- 'The Speech Being Irish, The Heart Must Needs Be Irish' · 1 h 10 min · Season 4 Episode 7A concise look at colonial mechanisms of suppression of indigenous language, customs and superstitions in the context of 18th century Ireland. The inception of this episode is…
- Swept Under The Rug: Toxic Masculinity in the Royal Ulster Constabulary · 1 h 11 min · Season 4 Episode 6Some succinct recollections about how some females were treated in the RUC, at the time a very patriarchal organisation. Also, to conclude a brief look at Irish right-wing groups…
- [Trailer] Toxic Masculinity in the Royal Ulster Constabulary and The Irish Language in the age of British Colonialism · 12 min · Season 4 Episode 5Details about some of the subjects I hope to discuss in the next Stray Bullets episode. Click here if you’d like to send me a comment or question. Thank you. Support the show…
- Addendum for: The Fallacy of 'Paramilitary' Transition in Northern Ireland · 46 min · Season 4 Episode 4Some additional aspects following messages and a few conversations with ex- and still serving police colleagues. '[My father] did not show me how to be sociable. I ended up…
- The Fallacy of 'Paramilitary' Transition in Northern Ireland · 1 h 1 min · Season 4 Episode 3A look at how the Northern Irish proletariat continue to allow themselves to be exploited through the maintenance of the legacy of flags and fear. Click here if you’d like to…
