243. Trump, the IRA, Kneecap & a United Ireland | Malachi O’Doherty

Writer and commentator Malachi O’Doherty joins Fender Jackson in Belfast for a wide-ranging conversation about Donald Trump’s intervention on Irish unity, Northern Ireland’s changing relationship with the border and whether either part of the island is prepared for constitutional change.

Malachi recounts his reporting on IRA punishment attacks, including the extraordinary story of a young car thief he calls “Pip.” He discusses Kneecap and what he describes as Belfast “hood culture,” being branded a “West Brit,” and his confrontations with senior republican figures including Bobby Storey and Gerry Kelly.

The conversation also explores healthcare, pensions and the practical questions that could determine Malachi’s vote in a border poll—as well as what might have happened had David Trimble refused to sign the Good Friday Agreement.

Recorded in Belfast on 17th September 2026.

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Chapter Timings

00:00 Introduction

01:28 Trump and a united Ireland

05:40 Is Irish unity simply “natural”?

09:00 Growing up with the border

14:20 IRA checkpoints and “no-go areas”

15:24 IRA punishment attacks and kneecappings