The Indo Daily

Lee McDonnell began what would become a prolific and fearsome career in crime when he was just a teenager. McDonnell’s violent and reckless actions characterised him as a different breed of Irish criminal – one that stood sharply apart from his peers. He was fond of boosting his own notoriety and didn’t seem to fear any reprisal, going so far as to publicly mock the prison system during his many stints behind bars. He even managed a high-profile escape that resulted in a nationwide manhunt. In total, McDonnell built up over 140 convictions and was suspected of numerous other crimes, including two unsolved murders and a recent high-profile stabbing. Last weekend, his lust for chaos came to an end when he died suddenly at the age of 34 after being found unresponsive in a Garda holding cell. On this episode of The Indo Daily, host Fionnán Sheahan is joined by Irish Independent news and security correspondent Robin Schiller to profile the life and crimes of the late Lee McDonnell. The Indo Daily is part of the Trust Project. You can view our ethics policies at independent.ie/ourjournalism See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder following a serious incident in north Belfast on Monday night. Video posted to social media appears to show a man stabbing another man several times in the head with a knife. One man can be heard saying in the video: ‘He’s trying to cut his head off.’ The Belfast Telegraph understands police recovered a knife at the scene.


The PSNI said this afternoon that the suspect’s nationality is Sudanese and “not Somalian as initially believed”.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has called the attack “sickening”, while DUP leader Gavin Robinson told the BBC Nolan Show the incident was “barbaric” and “medieval”.


This episode of The Indo Daily is brought to you by our sister podcast The BelTel.
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We want to earn your trust and are members of the Trust Project. See our ethics policies at independent.ie/ourjournalism
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

His killing shocked the nation, cast a shadow over the peace process, and left a family searching for justice. On today's Indo Daily, Fionnán Sheahan and John Downing look back at the killing of Detective Garda Jerry McCabe, the political fallout, and why the case remains open three decades later.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Jeffrey Donaldson trial has now entered its third week. Allison Morris, Crime Correspondent with The Belfast Telegraph joins Fionnán Sheahan to discuss the secret recordings, letters of 'repent' and WhatsApp's at centre of the high-profile trial.
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Jeffrey Donaldson, former leader of The DUP, faces historic rape and indecency charges. Donaldson has pleaded not guilty to a total of 18 alleged offences. The charges span a time period between 1985 and 2008 and involve two alleged victims.
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Eleanor Donaldson, from Dublinhill Road, Dromore, Co Down, denies several charges of aiding and abetting her husband’s alleged offending. She is subject to a trial of the facts after being ruled unfit to stand trial due to mental health issues.
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We want to earn your trust and are members of the Trust Project. See our ethics policies at independent.ie/ourjournalism
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was supposed to replace workers at speed. Instead, some of the world’s biggest companies are finding costly problems, poor results and frustrated customers.


This episode of The Indo Daily is brought to you by our sister podcast The Big Tech Show, as Adrian Weckler and JJ Clarke examine why firms such as Starbucks, Pizza Hut and Klarna are scaling back AI projects.


They also discuss the warning from Pope Leo, who has criticised AI for threatening human dignity, work and genuine human judgement, as companies race to cut costs and automate jobs before the technology is truly ready.


We want to earn your trust and are members of the Trust Project. See our ethics policies at independent.ie/ourjournalism
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.