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Stray Bullets

Stray Bullets

Written by: E.S. Haggan
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About this listen

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



© 2025 Stray Bullets Social Sciences True Crime
Episodes
  • The Corporals Killings, Poetry, and Peace Walls

    The Corporals Killings, Poetry, and Peace Walls
    Dec 31 2025

    An additional, unplanned, episode originating from some surplus material (AKA thoughts) I had left over from prior episodes. In this episode I talk about the murder of Derek Wood and David Howes as well as the peace walls in Belfast.


    Medbh McGuckian: New Selected Poems


    Row erupts over proposal to remove peace wall through Belfast park

    Click here if you’d like to send me a comment or question. Thank you.

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    Médecins Sans Frontières

    Unicef
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    55 mins
  • Subtle Alchemies IV: Miasma, the Stain of Spilled Blood

    Subtle Alchemies IV: Miasma, the Stain of Spilled Blood
    Dec 16 2025

    The concluding episode of Subtle Alchemies. Herein, I discuss the ideal / innocent victim / victim-perpetrator paradigm as well as looking at the cowardly murders of Edgar Graham and Sean Brown. Killed for who they were perceived to be representative of. Also, the murder of RUC officer Jonathan (Jon) Reid.

    An in-depth series of episodes revisiting subjects such as asset-handling, intelligence streams, RUC SB, MI5 et al, are planned for the new year.

    Works cited

    McKittrick, D., Kelters, S., Feeney, B., Thornton, C., and McVea, D., (eds), Lost Lives (updated and revised), Mainstream Publishing, Edinburgh and London, 2007

    Orwell, G., Homage to Catalonia, Penguin Classic, 2000

    Click here if you’d like to send me a comment or question. Thank you.

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    Médecins Sans Frontières

    Unicef
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    1 hr and 6 mins
  • Political Miasma and 'Proxy' Sectarianism in Northern Ireland

    Political Miasma and 'Proxy' Sectarianism in Northern Ireland
    Dec 4 2025

    A somewhat disjointed episode, unplanned and unscripted. Nevertheless, I felt necessary, as such, to get me back into producing an episode following a sharp dip along my mental road. Anyway, in this episode I talk about some of our politicians jetting off to Israel, the Palestinian flag at Belfast City Hall, the film Black '47, victimhood as agency, cognitive dissonance and extreme sensibilities among a myriad of other things!

    In the next episode I will, finally, conclude my look at victims, collective memory and forgiveness in our post-conflict society.

    Click here if you’d like to send me a comment or question. Thank you.

    Support the show

    Médecins Sans Frontières

    Unicef
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    1 hr and 2 mins
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