Audio interviews with P.J. O’Brien, tour bus driver, by Lisa McAllister and John Kehoe, tour bus owner, by Stephen Nolan for BBC Radio Ulster the Nolan Show on 18 December 2012. On 3 December Belfast City Council voted to only fly the Union flag above City Hall on designated days rather than the entire calendar year. The motion was supported by Sinn Fein, the SDLP and the Alliance Party. This decision led to public protests by sections of the unionist community across Northern Ireland, but particularly in Belfast, during December 2012 and early January 2013. In some areas PSNI members were attacked and death threats sent to Northern Ireland politicians. Two DUP members were also warned of death threats, apparently from dissident republicans, during this period. O’Brien and Kehoe discuss the impact of the flag protests on their future business in Northern Ireland. The Nolan Show is a daily current affairs programme on BBC Radio Ulster.
Date of Release/Broadcast: 18 December 2012
Name of First Interviewee: P.J. O’Brien
Name of Second Interviewee: John Kehoe
Role at time of Interview: P.J. O’Brien (tour bus driver), John Kehoe (tour bus owner)
Interviewer: Stephen Nolan
Purpose: News
Media: Audio
Copyright: BBC © 2012
Link: Listen to the interview
Programme/Book/Article: BBC Radio Ulster The Nolan Show
Time Period covered: 2012
Key Individuals: P.J. O’Brien, John Kehoe
Key Words: Flag, economy, border, Alliance Party, UUP, DUP, Sinn Fein, protest, SDLP, PSNI, violence, youth, security