IRISH REPUBLICAN NEWS: Archives

Decommissioning claims this week by the two main unionist paramilitary group are being treated with scepticism in the absence of any direct confirmation from Canadian General John de Chastelain.

SF marshals at Whiterock parade

A coat-trailing sectarian parade by the Protestant Orange Order was delayed on Saturday while British Army bomb disposal experts removed a number of suspicious devices.

Oppressive PSNI tactics in Fermanagh, Derry

PSNI brutality at a checkpoint in the Eniskillen area has been condemned.

Republican protest blockaded

A protest against an event at Belfast City Hall to mark British Armed Forces Day was prevented from entering the city centre on Saturday by scores of riot police.

‘Make your mind up time’ for devolution - McGuinness

Tensions continue between Sinn Féin and the DUP over the devolution of policing and justice, the handling of the Stormont budget and a host of other issues.

Row over policing of sectarian marches

The issue of who should police contentious loyalist parades reached a head this week after dissident republicans accused former Provisional IRA prisoners of facilitating a coat-trailing sectarian parade through republican north Belfast.

Immigrants abandon ‘racist statelet’

Intolerance is growing in the Six Counties, with a new survey showing the isolated statelet increasingly turning inward.

Union Jack to be hoisted over Belfast City Hall

Relatives of people killed by the British Army in the north of Ireland have protested over official plans for Belfast city council to celebrate ‘British Armed Forces Day’.

Dublin govt admits role in economic crash

Two reports have predicted a huge contraction in the 26-County economy and surging unemployment next year as Fianna Fail admitted its mistakes have fuelled the crisis.

Hunger strike furore continues

A meeting to tackle the controversy over the handling of the 1981 hunger strike has failed to resolve the debate.

PSNI prosecution of journalist defeated

A journalist has won legal recognition for her right to keep confidential her sources of information on the ‘Real IRA’ after the PSNI police had ordered her to surrender her documents.

Britain claims progress on loyalist decommissioning

Suggestions by the British government that unionist paramilitaries have begun to decommission their weapons are being treated with caution.

You can do it, Adams tells NY audience

Sinn Féin has held the first in a series of international conferences discussing the issue of Irish unity.

Collusion victims to bring civil case

A nationalist victims’ group has signalled its intention to take an Omagh-style civil action against senior British government ministers in connection to state killings of unarmed civilians.

Colonial rents paid for Irish lough

The British Crown is charging rent for the use of Lough Foyle, between Donegal and Derry, it has emerged.

Coalition clings to power

The Dublin government appears determined to cling to power despite its overwhelming rejection at the hands of voters in the 26 Counties.

Diplock deception continues

The British government timed a decision to announce the retention of non-jury Diplock courts for a further two years to coincide with one of the busiest news days of the year.

Prisoner assaulted by ‘delinquent’ warders

A Republican prisoner has been seriously assaulted in his cell in Maghaberry jail this Wednesday, according to Republican Sinn Féin.

Omagh civil case ends with inquiry call

So-called ‘dissident’ Michael McKevitt has announced he is appealing a judgment that found him and three other men financially responsible for the 1998 Omagh bombing.

Appeal to save ‘Foinse’

The only Irish-language newspaper in existence, Foinse, says it may be forced top cease publication after this weekend.

Christy Burke resigns from Sinn Féin

Dublin city councillor Christy Burke has resigned from Sinn Féin, it has been confirmed. He will remain on the council as an independent.

de Brun elected; Ferris, McDonald miss out

Sinn Féin MEP Bairbre de Brun’s emphatic re-election today in Belfast on the first count -- the first time a nationalist party has headed a Six County election -- has been tempered by the party’s loss of its sitting MEP in Dublin, Mary Lou McDonald.

Ferris in hunt for Euro seat; RSF wins county council seat

In the European elections, the first counts are in and have revealed a swing to the left.

‘A good election for SF’ - Adams

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams said the election had been a good one for the party and that key gains have been made.

Coalition suffers heavy losses

The Dublin coalition government has suffered a major drop in support in local and European elections, according to early tallies as well as an exit poll released today.

de Brun set to top poll

Early figures for voter turnout in the North’s European Parliament election are showing a significant drop in the numbers voting, but with Sinn Fein’s Bairbre de Brun in a clear lead.

PSNI man directed murder mob

A member of the PSNI is believed to have been behind last week’s sectarian loyalist mob assault in Coleraine in which one man died and another was left critically injured.

Election underway in the North

Voting is underway in the European Parliamentary elections at polling stations across the North and is being described as “slow”.

McIlveen sentences ‘reasonable’ - ruling

The family of the Catholic schoolboy Michael McIlveen have said they are “devastated” at a ruling that the jail terms given to his killers were not too lenient.

UN call for Irish Language Act

The United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has called for the adoption of an Irish language Act.

Brown heave could trigger Westminster election

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is under increasing pressure from his own MPs and is likely to be ousted, according to reports.

Peace worker killed for being Catholic

Kevin McDaid was killed for the crime of being Catholic -- but his Protestant wife Evelyn, who was also viciously attacked, has said he simply wanted peace.

Public turns against holy orders over abuse

A call for those responsible for child abuse in institutions run by the religious orders to face criminal proceedings has been led by the President of Ireland, Mary McAleese.

PSNI seize Liam Campbell, attempt extradition

Prominent republican Liam Campbell was arrested in dramatic fashion in County Armagh last weekend when the PSNI police rammed his car after discovering he had crossed the border from the 26 Counties.

Emotional hunger strike debate

The Republican Network for Unity held an event last weekend called “What is the Truth Behind the Hunger Strike?” to examine issues which have arisen in recent years regarding the negotiations which took place in 1981.

Election campaigning intensifies

Sinn Féin launched the final stage of the party’s EU and local election campaigns on Wednesday with the unveiling of billboards, advertisements and new posters across Dublin.

2009 election candidates

A list of Sinn Fein and other republican candidates in the forthcoming elections across Ireland on June 4th and 5th.

PSNI ‘never moved’ during fatal Coleraine attack

The Police Ombudsman is to investigate reports that a PSNI unit stood by and watched as Catholic father-of-four Kevin McDaid was beaten to death on Sunday evening.

Man dies after loyalist mob attack

A 49-year-old Catholic man has been killed in a loyalist rampage in Coleraine, County Derry.

Violent attack at UVF funeral

A press photographer was badly beaten at a unionist paramilitary funeral for a notorious mass murderer on Thursday afternoon.

Inquiry hears of investigation failings, PSNI distrust

Blood samples on the clothing of Catholic murder victim Robert Hamill were not analysed, the inquiry into into his murder has heard.

Westminster scandal reaches Ireland

In an ironic outburst, British Conservative leader David Cameron has used an electioneering visit to the north of Ireland to threaten to cut expenses from Sinn Féin’s Westminster MP

First official famine commemoration

The first Irish Famine Memorial Day commemoration took place in Skibbereen in west Cork last Sunday, May 17th.

Dublin/Monaghan victims remembered

Relatives of those who lost their lives in the Dublin and Monaghan bombings marked the 35th anniversary of the atrocity with a wreath-laying ceremony in Dublin this week.

Journo stands up to the police state

Belfast journalist Suzanne Breen and her newspaper, the Sunday Tribune, have received widespread support for their refusal to comply with demands by the PSNI police to identify journalistic sources within the ‘Real IRA’.

Report identifies institutional sectarianism

Young Catholics are far more likely to face prosecution than Protestant youths in the North, a new equality study has revealed.

Furore after attack on home of Mitchel McLaughlin

The 32 County Sovereignty Movement in Derry has denied that dissident republicans were behind a petrol bomb attack on the home of Sinn Féin leadership figure Mitchel McLaughlin at the weekend.

Deadlock as prison protest goes on

A dirty protest at Portlaoise prison is entering its sixth week, with prison warders admitting they see no signs that the ‘Real IRA’ men involved will soon end their demonstration.

UDA leader fined £1 after life of crime

A former unionist paramilitary ‘brigadier’ has been fined just one pound after prosecutors agreed a deal with the defence in a Belfast courtroom over the proceeds of his crimes.

Dismay as Ballymena killers receive light sentences

The family of Catholic schoolboy Michael McIlveen have criticised the lenient sentences given to seven people convicted in connection with his savage killing.

North election campaign underway

Sinn Féin’s European candidate Bairbre de Brun has emerged as the bookies’ favourite to top the poll at next month’s election but is facing a hard battle against the DUP’s Diane Dodds.

Coalition frays as election looms

The Green Party has moved to distance themselves from their Fianna Fail Coalition partners by refusing to call on their supporters to transfer their votes in the three sets of elections scheduled in hte 26 Counties for June 5th.

Court overturns Fianna convictions

In a landmark ruling, two men convicted in relation to IRA-related charges 30 years ago when they were teenagers have had their records cleared.

Queen moves closer to 26-County visit

A visit by the Queen of England to Derry has been condemned by Republican Sinn Féin.

UDA funding restored

The High Court in Belfast has ruled that a decision to withhold state funding for a UDA-related group over that organisation’s refusal to decommission its weaponry was “illegal”.

Duffy granted judicial review over spy tactics

Colin Duffy has been granted permission by the High Court to challenge prison service silence about any covert surveillance being used against him.

RUC kept loyalist plots secret

RUC Special Branch systematically failed to warn people under threat by loyalists, the Billy Wright Inquiry has heard.

Ballymena killers sentenced

Four men guilty of the sectarian murder of a Catholic schoolboy have been given minimum sentences of up to 13 years in jail.

Tesco facing boycott, strike

A British supermarket chain ordered two young GAA members to remove their sports jerseys while fundraising at a County Antrim supermar

Plan for mass ‘supergrass’ trials

A purpose-built ‘supergrass’ unit is to be constructed inside Maghaberry Prison in the North of Ireland following a decision to revive the policy of using informers’ evidence in courts.

Injunction bid to stop informer pressure

British intelligence has offered a six figure sum and a home abroad to a South Armagh man if he would work with them to help imprison a republican from the area.

‘Equality Commission’ rules against Easter Lily

A protest by Sinn Féin’s youth wing blocked the entrance to the Equality Commission’s Office in Belfast in protest at a recent ruling discriminating against the wearing of the Easter Lily by nationalists.

Activist hospitalised after Shell site beating

Farmer and environmental activist Willie Corduff is in hospital after being attacked by a masked gang during a protest at the planned Corrib gas pipeline early on Thursday.

Belfast’s Basque community in fear

A political activist from the Basque country was arrested in a raid in Belfast this week and faces 14 years in prison if extradited back to Spain.

‘Real IRA’ says it executed Denis Donaldson

The ‘Real IRA’ has claimed responsibility for killing infamous Special Branch informer Denis Donaldson in County Donegal just over three years ago.

Diverse groups mark Easter Rising

Hundreds of events, large and small, were held across Ireland to mark the 93rd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising by a variety of republican groups, large and small.

Anger at treatment of prisoners

Republican prisoners at Maghaberry jail have been punished for wearing Easter lilies in communal areas at the weekend.

Last chance for Pol Brennan

Pol Brennan, who has been imprisoned in a US jail since January of last year, has lost an appeal against a federal judge’s decision to deport him to Ireland.

Dublin govt recognises ‘Londonderry’ name

A controversy has arises after it emerged that loyalists from Derry are to be allowed to register their birth place as ‘Londonderry’ on Irish passports.

Hugh Orde to quit PSNI

PSNI police Chief Hugh Orde is to leave his position in the North of Ireland after securing a job in England.

‘Real IRA’ statement

A statement was read out at an Easter commemoration organised by the 32 County Sovereignty Committee in Derry city today.

Tensions rise in Belfast

Political tensions have increased in Belfast with an increased number of incidents at sectarian interfaces ahead of the marching season.

Gaza is ‘open-air prison’ - Adams

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams entered the Gaza Strip on Wednesday after former British Prime Minister Tony Blair was forced to intervene to enable the visit.

Increased loyalist threat

Several Gaelic sports clubs across the north have been forced to increase their security after a loyalist paramilitary group made threats to kill members.

CIRA statement amid disturbances

British Army bomb-disposal teams found a “viable explosive device” during a bomb alert in County Tyrone this week.

Fresh controversy over hunger strike talks

Claims of a possible deal that could have saved the lives of up to six republican hunger strikers have been rubbished by former Sinn Féin director of publicity Danny Morrison.

Sinn Féin Easter statement

On this the 93rd anniversary of the 1916 Rising the leadership of Sinn Féin extends its solidarity to the families of all our patriot dead.

Emergency budget revealed

The 26 County Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan has confronted the Irish people with the toughest Budget announcement in the history of the State

Budget from Hell 2

Concern is mounting over next week’s “emergency budget” planned by the Dublin government deal with the economic crisis.

Anger at treatment of Colin Duffy

Friends and relatives of Mr Duffy have expressed outrage at a protest meeting in Lurgan, Couty Armagh at his treatment and the conditions of his detention.

Israel refuses meeting with Adams

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams is to visit the Middle East next week.

Struggle to defend rights, jobs

Catholics are still more than twice as likely to be seeking work as Protestants in the north of Ireland, according to the latest labour statistics, published on Friday.

Rockall dispute rocks on

The Dublin government to make a claim to the United Nations for control of gas and oil exploration rights potentially worth billions of euro around Rockall, a tiny, remote island off Ireland’s north-west coast.

Disorder in Belfast, Armagh

Belfast and other towns in the north of Ireland were plunged into chaos tonight following dozens of co-ordinated bomb alerts and other disturbances.

Community punishment in north Armagh

Widescale PSNI raids and detentions have taken place in the Craigavon and Lurgan areas of County Armagh over the course of the past two weeks.

PSNI seeks funds for choppers, jeeps, informers

PSNI Chief Hugh Orde is in talks with the British government to secure up to 76 million pounds extra over the next two years to bolster the force’s efforts against republican armed groups in the Six Counties.

Adams rejects legacy report

Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams has said the recommendations of a British “legacy” panel are incapable of addressing issues of truth and reconciliation in the past conflict.

New talks to deal with economic crisis

Widespread strikes threatened for Monday in the 26 Counties have been called off after an invitation to the country’s largest unions to resume talks on a new national agreement on economic recovery was accepted.

Death of Marie Moore

A veteran republican who was the first female Sinn Féin deputy mayor of Belfast died last Saturday at the age of 72.

Duffy still held despite court ruling

A Belfast judge ordered today that those being interrogated by the PSNI over attacks by breakaway IRA groups early this month be released or charged.

Two detainees released amid human rights protests

Two men who were arrested last week in connection with dissident in which two British soldiers and a member of the PSNI were killed earlier this month have been released without charge.

Detained man hospitalised in hunger protest

One of the seven people arrested for questioning in connection with the recent IRA attacks was taken to hospital last [Saturday] night for medical treatment

Ireland claim historic rugby victory

Celebrations burst out across Ireland tonight after the national team clinched its first Grand Slam in 61 years.

Riots in Lurgan and Belfast

Nationalist youths threw petrol bombs and other missiles at the PSNI on Saturday following an aggressive raid and arrest operation in Lurgan and Craigavon in north Armagh.

McGuinness at centre of storm

Republican Sinn Fein President Ruairi O’Bradaigh has derided Martin McGuinness’s condemnation of the breakaway IRA groups as “traitors”.

Challenge to deployment of killer regiment

The Relatives For Justice group is to mount a legal challenge to PSNI Chief Hugh Orde’s decision to deploy special British armed forces in the North.

‘Is feidir linn’ - Obama

The Irish political establishment was broadly enthusiastic following the annual St Patrick’s Day ‘bowl of shamrock’ ceremony and celebrations in Washington DC with the new US President, Barack Obama.

Release of ‘death list’ loyalists appealed

The British government has been asked to investigate the leniency of sentences handed down to two loyalists who used a PSNI database to gather information in preparation for attacks on nationalists.

Colin Duffy arrested

Prominent Lurgan republican Colin Duffy has been arrested by the PSNI police following a series of early morning raids across the North of Ireland.

Loyalist response praised

A meeting between Sinn Fein’s Mayor of Belfast and representatives of the unionist paramilitary UDA took place on Wednesday in a bid to ease nationalist fears following the recent violence.

Wall of silence at Hamill Inquiry

A collective “loss of memory” has descended among witnesses at the public inquiry into the murder Robert Hamill.

Omagh bomb car ‘was bugged’

A listening bug may have been placed inside the Vauxhall car that carried the Omagh bomb, according to a High Court document.

Extradition hearing for Basque activist

A Belfast judge has approved the extradition of Jose Ignacio de Juana Chaos to Spain on the charge of “glorifying terrorism”, even though no homologous offence exists under British law

Tara campaign for St Patrick’s Day

The campaign group TaraWatch says that it plans to “mobilise 50,000 supporters worldwide” to demonstrate against individual 26-County Ministers as they attend St Patrick’s Day functions around the world.

Continuity IRA claims Craigavon attack

The Continuity IRA has claimed responsibility for shooting dead a member of the PSNI in Craigavon, County Armagh, last nigh

PSNI man shot dead

A member of the PSNI police has been killed tonight in a gun attack in Craigavon, County Armagh.

Breakaway groups claim base attack

Claims of responsibility have been made in the name of both the Real IRA and Oglaigh na hEireann for a gun attack on a British Army base on Saturday night which left two British soldiers dead.

Two soldiers killed in attack on British Army base

British soldiers in County Antrim have come under fire in a gun attack on a military base.

Devolution bill sparks new row

The passage of legislation to give effect to a deal on the transfer of policing and justice powers has seen sharp exchanges between the nationalist parties on the issue.

The people to pay for Cowen’s mistakes

The Dublin government is planning a new budget of cuts and taxes after the unemployment rate in the 26 Counties reached 10 per cent and is set to go higher.

Bradley seeks to end justice hopes

The future of the controversial Eames/Bradley proposals for dealing with the ‘legacy’ of conflict appears bleak after one of its authors lashed out at victims’ groups and Sinn Fein for seeking an independent truth recovery process.

Tories to renegotiate peace deal after UUP pact

The British Conservative Party has said “Northern Ireland would be a better place” if politicians agreed to end power-sharing structures negotiated in the Good Friday Agreement.

New efforts to recruit spies

Republican Sinn Fein said approaches have been made by Special Branch and MI5 in an effort to get party members to turn informer.

Death of Eddie Keenan

Veteran republican Eddie Keenan died at his home in Twinbrook outside west Belfast last week, aged 88.

Workers in struggle

The turnout of over 120,000 at Saturday’s national demonstration in Dublin showed the depth of anger among workers at the handling of the economic crisis by the 26 County government.

Britain ‘cherry picking’ legacy proposals

British Direct Ruler Shaun Woodward has ruled out implementing so-called “recognition payments” to families of victims as a means of tackling issues of truth, justice and reconciliation arising from the conflict.

Pursuit of justice goes on

The husband of a woman killed by an RUC police plastic bullet nearly 28 years ago has won permission to challenge a decision by British Crown prosecutors not to charge anyone with her murder.

Prisoners’ discrimination case for House of Lords

Two former IRA PoWs who were denied jobs with a top charity have taken their case to Britain’s House of Lords.

Call for ‘new alignment’ at Sinn Féin Ard Fheis

Sinn Féin’s annual conference at the weekend was dominated by the economic recession and the upcoming elections in the 26 Counties.

Adams's address to Sinn Fein Ard Fheis

The full text of this year's address by Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams to his party's annual conference.

100,000 march in national protest

The protest against the manner in which the financial crisis is being handled by the Dublin government today has seen the largest march in the capital in several years.

New armed group declares readiness

A man described as a spokesman for the Oglaigh na hEireann group has said that it is made up principally of former members of the Provisional IRA and denied it is linked to the ‘Real IRA’

Finucane inquiry under threat

The family of murdered Belfast defence lawyer Pat Finucane have warned that the British government has suggested that it could abandon a proposed public inquiry into his murder.

Sinn Féin holds conference on day of protest

The Sinn Féin Ard Fheis 2009 is taking place this Friday and Saturday February 20th and 21st at the RDS in Dublin.

John Davey remembered

Sinn Féin has marked the 20th anniversary of the murder of a veteran councillor who “laid the foundation stone for republicanism” in south Derry.

‘Vindictive’ fine for McGlinchey

Republican group eirigi hit out yesterday at fines imposed on the son of murdered INLA leader Dominic McGlinchey for his part in protests at Stormont against the Iraq war.

RSF blasts appeal for ‘informers’

Republican hardliners have accused Sinn Fein of telling “Irish people to become informers”.

Banks: The seven billion Euro run-around

The scandal over the dodgy dealings of Ireland’s top bankers took another turn this week when it emerged that vast sums of money were shuffled between institutions last year in order to conceal grave financial difficulties.

Support for coalition crashes amid jobs crisis

Fianna Fail has now slumped into third place behind Fine Gael and the Labour Party in the latest poll of public opinion in the 26 Counties.

Omagh families fobbed off again

Omagh bomb victims’ families held what they said was a heated but unproductive meeting with British prime minister Gordon Brown yesterday over the role of British intelligence in the attack.

Vigil held on Finucane anniversary

A vigil has been held in north Belfast to mark the 20th anniversary of the murder of defence lawyer Pat Finucane.

Massive bomb defused amid Belfast tension

A bomb weighing 300lb intended for use against a British military base in County Down was abandoned by republican militants last week.

McCrea admits meetings with serial killer

DUP MP Willie McCrea has been urged to set out in detail the extent and nature of his relationship with loyalist murder gang leader Billy Wright.

Dublin supports Ballymurphy appeal

The Dublin government is to raise the case of 11 people shot dead in Ballymurphy by the British Army in 1971 with British Direct Ruler Shaun Woodward.

EU to spend millions on pro-Lisbon campaign

The European Commission is spending 1.8 million Euro on a blatant propoganda campaign in a bid to win a second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.

Fresh appeal to save ‘Ireland’s Alamo’

A great grandson of a 1916 Easter Rising leader has made an appeal for help in a bid to safeguard a Dublin city centre building that played a key role in the rebellion.

Workers seize plant as Waterford Crystal ordered shut

Hundreds of workers were occupying Ireland’s world-famous Waterford Crystal factory tonight after being told by text message they were losing their jobs.

Long Kesh stadium proposal abandoned

Plans for a new international sports stadium at the site of the former prison at Long Kesh were finally axed yesterday.

‘Partitionism’ a form of sectarianism - McGuinness

Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness has hit out at the Dublin government for describing cross-border shoppers as “unpatriotic”.

PSNI raids in north Belfast

The PSNI police mounted raids in Ardoyne on Tuesday against an anti-drugs group which they say is linked to republican militants.

Release McCafferty call

eirigi spokesperson Breandan Mac Cionnaith has called for the immediate release of Belfast republican Terry McCafferty, who is currently languishing in a prison in the North.

Bloody Sunday march to protest delays

This year’s Bloody Sunday Commemorative March in Derry will stop in William Street - where the original march was stopped on its way to the Guildhall before it was fired upon by British soldiers, killing 14 civilians.

‘Truth panel’ provokes unionist anger

There were angry clashes in Belfast today before the publication of an official report for the British government on dealing with issues of truth and reconciliation in the North.

Flanagan, MI5 deny culpability

Former RUC police chief Ronnie Flanagan has denied any knowledge of Special Branch surveillance of prominent human rights lawyer Rosemary Nelson prior to her assassination in 1999.

Campbell extradition bid

Dundalk man Liam Campbell is the subject of an attempt to extradite him to Lithuania following his arrest this week.

Turmoil for Greens as economic crisis mounts

The Green Party is facing a mounting internal revolt over its participation with Fianna Fail in the crisis-hit Dublin coalition government.

PSNI technician found guilty in UVF plot

A victims’ campaigner has said he will sue PSNI Chief Hugh Orde after his personal details were passed on to unionist paramilitaries by a computer operator who was working for the PSNI.

‘Disappeared’ claim denied

A claim that the IRA executed a South Armagh man for working as an informer in 1979 has been denied by local MP, Sinn Féin’s Conor Murphy.

Closer to justice for Robert Hamill

Part of the centre of Portadown was sealed off on Thursday night to allow the family of Robert Hamill, as well as members of a public inquiry investigating his murder, to view the area where he was fatally beaten by a loyalist gan

Anglo-Irish Bank: Ireland’s Enron

The Dublin government has been forced to nationalise Anglo-Irish Bank because of a scandal over concealed debt and the serious erosion of confidence in the bank as a result, Taoiseach Brian Cowen admitted today [Friday].

Gaza protests continue

Thousands have demonstrated in Ireland against the continuing Israeli invasion of Gaza amid mounting calls for the Israeli ambassador to be expelled and economic sanctions against Israel.

Courts hear appeals for informer records

PSNI chief Hugh Orde is to be asked to provide the information which led to Danny Morrison’s conviction for kidnapping being quashed.

First Dail to be remembered

Sinn Féin have announced plans to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the first Irish parliament.

Pat Doherty steps down

Pat Doherty is to stand down as Sinn Féin Vice President after over twenty years in that office.

PSNI recruitment bid captured on phone

An Omagh teenager has recorded on his mobile phone an attempt by the PSNI police to persuade him to become an informer.

Sinn Féin has abandoned 2016 target - DUP

The DUP has interpreted comments by Gerry Adams as an admission that the hope of a united Ireland by 2016 has been abandoned.

Hamill inquiry set to open

After a decade of delays and deliberate procrastination, public hearings in the inquiry into the 1997 murder of Robert Hamill are to begin in Belfast next Tuesday.

International events to mark Famine

Ireland is to officially recognise the Great Hunger - more than 160 years after British colonial policies coupled with the collapse of the critical potato harvest resulted in the death or emigration of some two million people.

Invasion of Gaza condemned

The Dublin government and all of the political parties in the 26 Counties have condemned Israel’s invasion of Gaza and have backed calls for a ceasefire in the region.

Anger as republican is returned to jail

The summary imprisonment of Belfast man Terry McCafferty on the eve of Christmas is being viewed by republican activists as a vindictive reprisal for the release of the ‘Derry 4’, whose trial collapsed in Dublin just days before.

Secret to unity is Irish abroad - Adams

Campaigns to lobby for a united Ireland could tap into the huge Irish populations living in the US and in Britain, Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams has said.

Christmas bomb attempt at GAA club

A bomb discovered on Christmas Eve close to an Armagh Gaelic club could have been picked up by children who regularly use the area.

Peace move claim ‘false’ - O Bradaigh

The President of Republican Sinn Féin, Ruairi O Bradaigh, has rejected a claim that the IRA sought peace talks with the British government in early 1978.

Deaths of Tony Gregory TD and Sean McKenna

Independent TD Tony Gregory died today [Friday] at the age of 61 after a long illness.

Ireland condemns Israeli bombings

Ireland has joined a wave of international anger and revulsion at the saturation bombing by Israel of the Palestinian-ruled Gaza Strip in the middle East this week.

‘Derry 4’ trial collapses

The trial of four Derry City men accused of membership of the ‘Real IRA’ collapsed dramatically at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin today.

Nelson murder suspects let go

A British soldier has said that locally recruited RIR soldiers allowed two well-known unionist paramilitaries, stopped a short distance from the home of human rights lawyer Rosemary Nelson shortly after her murder, to escape.

PSNI loyalists caught on camera

Four PSNI members have been suspended after they were caught on camera singing sectarian songs and waving guns while joyriding in their patrol vehicles.

Catholics forced out of homes

A Catholic man is planning to move out of the house where he was tied up and beaten by a loyalist gang who also ransacked the property on the outskirts of south Belfast.

Stone to appeal jail sentence

Convicted UDA murderer Michael Stone has said he is to appeal the 16-year jail sentence handed down last week for the attempted murder of Sinn Féin leaders Martin McGuinness and Gerry Adams.

Miami Showband hold Banbridge gig

The Miami Showband were treated like heroes by adoring fans after completing a “milestone performance” in the town where three of their members were massacred by the unionist paramilitary UVF 33 years ago.

Bill of Rights proposed for North

More than 10 years after a bill of rights was first agreed in the Good Friday Agreement, the North’s Human Rights Commission has presented its recommendations on the bill to the British government.

Provocative speech by Tory leader

The leader of the British Conservative party, David Cameron, has reversed two decades of Tory policy on Ireland.

British Army in ‘draw down’

The British Army is to change its official status in Ireland in a move to highlight the demilitarisation and so-called “normalisation” in the North.

Loyalists target former INLA man

A former republican PoW last night blamed loyalists for a pipe-bomb attack on his west Belfast home.

United Ireland referendum soon - SF

A referendum on a united Ireland could be held before 2016, Sinn Féin’s Conor Murphy has said.

Major Irish food health scare

All pork products originating in the 26 Counties since September have been declared a health hazard by the Dublin government, which has ordered that all of it be recalled and destroyed.

Cowen planning Lisbon II

The Taoiseach Brian Cowen has been accused of “colluding” with European Union leaders as he pushes for a re-run of the Lisbon Treaty next year.

Brennan to appeal deportation

The family of Pol Brennan say that he will appeal a court ruling that he can be deported from the US.

Call for HET to be dismantled

The campaigning family of a woman killed in the McGurk’s Bar bombing have called for a cold-case PSNI police team investigating the killings to be “dismantled”.

‘Derry 4’ in court

The four Derry men who were arrested during a “Real IRA show of strength” for members of the media near the Derry/Donegal border last March have finally appeared at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin.

Tory councillor forced out over IRA past

A Conservative Party councillor has resigned an education post because of the disclosure of her associations with the IRA in the early 1970s.

Judge orders deportation of Pol Brennan

Former IRA PoW and H-Block escapee Pol Brennan, who has been living in the US for nearly 25 years, has been denied the right to remain in the country by a US

CIRA raid gunshop, drugs factory

The Continuity IRA is being linked to a raid in the premises of a gun dealer in the border village of Garrison, County Fermanagh, on Saturday night.

Outrage at Dublin’s ‘Disneyworld government’

There have been calls for 26-County health minister Mary Harney to resign after it emerged she used the state jet and expense accounts as part of a thinly-disguised six-figure vacation in Florida.

Ahern refuses to release border killing report

A call by Sinn Féin for the publication of a report of Deputy Garda Commissioner Eugene Crowley on the shooting of Aidan McAnespie has been rejected by the Dublin government.

Republican movement ‘being rebuilt’

Republicans gathered in the Tower Hotel in Derry last week to form a new coalition bringing together several republican groups to oppose Sinn Féin’s political strategy.

President visits Orange hall

President Mary McAleese has made the first official visit by an Irish head of state to an Orange Order hall.

IRA Army Council ‘has disbanded’ - DUP

DUP leader Peter Robinson has said he has received direct assurances that the Provisional IRA Army Council has permanently gone out of business.

Brennan in deportation hearing

A Texas judge now has the power to set free former prisoner of war Pol Brennan -- or deport him to Ireland.

SF councillor targeted as attacks mount

A Sinn Féin councillor in County Tyrone is believed to have been the target of a pipe-bomb attack by the unionist paramilitary ‘Orange Volunteers’.

Tories enter pact with unionists

The British Conservative Party, under David Cameron, has agreed to form an electoral pact with the Ulster Unionist Party.

Harassment of former Basque prisoner

The PSNI police arrested a former political prisoner from the Basque Country this week on foot of a Spanish extradition order which charged him with a kind of sedition.

Poll shows drop for govt, support for Lisbon

Public support for the 26-County government, the Taoiseach Brian Cowen and his Fianna Fail party has collapsed to the lowest level recorded since polling began more than a quarter of a century ago.

Talks deal announced at Stormont

The North's First and Deputy First Ministers have said that their parties have reached an agreement on the devolution of policing and justice powers from London to Belfast.

Stone found guilty of attemped murder

Loyalist killer Michael Stone was found guilty today of attempting to murder Sinn Féin leaders Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness in a one-man armed attack on the Stormont Assembly.

SDLP crosses the line

The SDLP is to cease designating itself as a nationalist party in the Stormont Assembly in a move that could herald a realignment in politics in the North.

Dismay at Holy Cross ruling

Britain’s highest court has denied that former RUC police chief Ronnie Flanagan failed to protect Catholic schoolgirls from degrading and inhumane treatment during the Holy Cross dispute.

Progress in search for ‘Disappeared’

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams has welcomed the discovery of what appear to be the remains of Danny McIlhone, a victim of the conflict who was killed by the IRA in 1981.

PDs out, Libertas in?

A decision taken by the Progressive Democrats party at the weekend to disband after 23 years in existence has been widely welcomed.

Call for British Army base to be Tan War museum

While debate drags on over the future of the prison at Long Kesh there have been calls for an army base in County Down to be transformed into a War of Independence tourism centre.

British Army’s march of shame

Last weekend saw a major setback for the peace process as British forces staged a provocative sectarian parade through Belfast city centre.

Tensions spill over in east Belfast

Two nights of violence at an east Belfast interface erupted after St Matthew’s Church and nationalist homes in the Short Strand came under attack from fireworks, stones and petrol bombs this week.

PSNI funds go to UVF, not investigations

PSNI police chief Hugh Orde was forced to publicly apologise this week after it emerged that his force had lied about millions of pounds it paid to a construction firm connected to the UVF.

Paisley calls for Taser attack as war of words goes on

Ian Paisley jnr told a DUP audience at the weekend that he would like to see his fellow Policing Board member, Sinn Féin’s Martina Anderson, ‘Tasered’.

Disappointment at Bloody Sunday Inquiry delay

The final report into the Bloody Sunday killings will not now be ready until, at the earliest, the autumn of next year.

RIR parade passes quietly

A British Army parade has passed off relatively quietly in Belfast city centre this morning in one of the largest Crown force operations seen in the city in many years.

Anger at education cutbacks

Up to 15,000 teachers, parents and students gathered outside the Leinster House parliament in Dublin this week to express their opposition to spending cuts by the 26 County government.

Call for govts to intervene at Stormont

The political crisis at Stormont has deepened with DUP leader Peter suggesting that the British government should respond to the continuing stalemate.

Inquest reopens after coroner views secret files

The North’s most senior coroner John Leckey has revealed that new evidence had been uncovered in top secret Crown force files regarding an IRA attack in 1982.

Anti-Irish penal law challenged

A British ban on the use of the Irish language in courts in the North which stretches back to 1737 was challenged this week.

New republican unity project launched

A number of different republican groups have said they will join forces to explore a united approach in future.

Republicans to protest RIR triumphalism

Sinn Féin and eirigi are to stage separate protests against a British Army parade through Belfast city centre on Sunday week.

Riots in Armagh as SAS men testify

Shots were fired during serious riots in Craigavon and Lurgan, both in north County Armagh, on Wednesday night.

DUP claim permanent veto on Justice Ministry

Fresh disagreement has emerged between the DUP and Sinn Féin over the selection of a future justice minister, with the DUP claiming a unionist veto over the choice into perpetuity.

Retrial ordered in sectarian murder trial

The trial of six Ballymena youths facing charges arising out of the sectarian murder of Catholic schoolboy Michael ‘Mickey Bo’ McIlveen in May 2006 was dramatically halted and the jury dismissed yesterday [Thursday].

Long Kesh stadium in doubt

The DUP’s Gregory Campbell indicated this week that plans to build a multi-sports stadium at the site of the Long Kesh prison have been scrapped.

Govt wins crucial budget vote

A vote in the Dublin parliament on proposed cutbacks was carried by the coalition government with a reduced majority of seven votes tonight.

Dublin govt under threat amid budget backlash

Brian Cowen may be forced to back down on elements of last week’s budget amid signs that the stability of his 26-County coalition government is under threat.

Arms cache found as UDA get cash

Scores of guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition were discovered by accident this week in a loyalist area of north Belfast as it emerged that UDA death-squads are receiving huge cash hand-outs from the Stormont administration.

US envoy in crisis talks

The US government’s special envoy to the north of Ireland met northern political leaders this week in a bid to avert the collapse of the Stormont administration.

‘Get out of jail card’ for Murray

A suspected British Crown ‘agent provocateur’ has simply walked out of Maghaberry Prison in the North.

Omagh bomb inquiry motion blocked

An Assembly motion calling for full disclosure of information received by the British and Irish intelligence agencies about the 1998 Omagh bomb was rejected by the North’s two main unionist parties this week.

Empey in pact with extremist

The Ulster Unionist Party has agreed a joint “strategy” with unionist hardliner Jim Allister to try to ensure that two unionists are returned as MEPs in next June’s European elections in the North of Ireland.

Budget 2009 - Main points

The main points of the 26-County state budget for 2009, presented this afternoon by Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan,

‘Budget from hell’ warning

Ministers in the 26-County government have admitted that tomorrow’s budget will be a tough one, impacting on everyone, and that major tax increases are on the cards.

Robinson in bitter personal attack on Adams

DUP leader Peter Robinson directed a stream of invective against Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams tonight in the clearest sign yet that the political stalemate gripping the North is at breaking point.

Obama backs Finucane inquiry

US presidential candidate Barack Obama has backed calls for an inquiry into the murder of Belfast defence lawyer Pat Finucane.

Fermanagh attack claimed

Two republican groups have separately claimed responsibility for a roadside device which targeted the PSNI police in County Fermanagh this week.

RUC bugged Rosemary Nelson’s home

British Crown forces bugged a house belonging to human rights lawyer Rosemary Nelson and tried to tap her office phone, the inquiry into her murder has learned

Dublin pressure over new border checkpoint

A border checkpoint is operating again more than a decade after the last permanent border post from the conflict was closed.

Death of Peggy McGuinness

The funeral took place on Wednesday morning of Peggy McGuinness, mother of the Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness.

Northern Bank trial collapses

The man accused of the massive Northern Bank robbery in Belfast walked free from court this morning after all charges against him were dropped.

Bigotry renewed, 25 years on

Unionist councillors in Limavady have refused to explain why they blocked a peace gesture towards a past victim of of an infamous act of sectarianism.

Race to kill PSNI member - Orde

The chief of the PSNI police, Hugh Orde, has claimed that republican militants are engaged in a deadly competition to see who can be the first to kill a member of the PSNI.

Policing Board backs Tasers

There was widespread dismay among nationalists after the Policing Board backed PSNI Chief Hugh Orde’s call for the deployment of Taser electric stun guns.

Adams seeks talks with Orange Order

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams has called for a face-to-face meeting with Orange Order Grand Master Robert Saulters.

Racist chant exposes Scottish fault-line

The Dublin government has been forced to take action over an anti-Irish chant sung by a section of the Glasgow Rangers supporters during recent soccer games in Scotland.

Dublin govt defends deposits, banks

Sitting in emergency session, the Dublin parliament has agreed legislation to guarantee and underwrite the banking system in the 26 Counties.

HET investigations ‘compromised and censored’

A police unit set up to reinvestigate conflict-related killings has been totally compromised by the malign influence of the murderous Special Branch and should be scrapped, according to a new report.

Sectarian attacks on GAA, supporters

A Gaelic sports clubhouse in south Down has been gutted in a loyalist arson attack.

Adams backs Truth Commission

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams today called for an Independent International Truth Commission on the confict as the best way forward on the issue of truth recovery.

Stone presents ‘art’ defence

Multiple killer Michael Stone has told a trial judge that his infamous armed assault on the Stormont Assembly was a “comic parody” and a “performance artistic protest”.

Talks seek to resolve Stormont stand-off

First Minister Peter Robinson and deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness are expected to attend a British-Irish Council meeting in Edinburgh today [Friday], despite the fact the Stormont executive is not meeting.

Court action over secret Omagh tapes

Legal action is to be taken against the British government unless it hands over recordings of the telephone conversations of a ‘Real IRA’ team as it was transporting the devastating 1998 Omagh bomb.

Mystery of Morrison frame-up

Sinn Féin’s former Publicity Director Danny Morrison has demanded to know why his conviction for the abduction of an IRA informer is to be quashed without explanation.

War of words after South Armagh bomb find

The Stormont Assembly this week debated their concerns over continued armed actions by republicans after a 100lb bomb was discovered hidden in a hedgerow in south Armagh.

Appeal for calm as Shell sets sail

It is hoped that a 10-day hunger strike by Mayo teacher Maura Harrington will end shortly following the announcement by Shell Oil on Thursday that its pipe-laying ship is to leave Irish territorial waters and sail to Britain for repairs.

Politicians challenged over informer pressure

A Derry man has called on members of the Policing Board, which oversees the PSNI, to state where they stand in relation to Special Branch pressure on people to turn informer.

DUP retains Fermanagh seat

Unionist hardliner Arlene Foster has retained the DUP’s seat in the closely watched Enniskillen local council by-election.

Progressive Democrats to be disbanded

Ireland’s small Progressive Democrats party is set to be wound up after its members in the Dublin parliament agreed that the organisation was “no longer politically viable”.

Omagh bomb calls were monitored

Pressure is growing today for a public inquiry into the Omagh bombing after it was revealed British intelligence chiefs were listening in to the Real IRA’s mobile phone calls on the day of the attack.

IRA Volunteers ‘used as spies’

Republican Sinn Féin has accused the Provisional IRA of gathering intelligence on other republican groups and passing the information on to the police north and south of the border.

British PM for key Belfast talks

As the DUP and Sinn Féin continue talks to reach a deal on difficult issues, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is expected to visit Belfast next Tuesday.

Northern Bank trial opens

The trial has begun before a juryless Diplock court in Belfast of a bank official for the robbery in 2004 of the Northern Bank.

UVF assault raises feud fear

Members of a notorious unionist paramilitary death sqaud have been accused of carrying out a savage assault in which a young mother was held down by four men and bitten on the face.

Strong turnout urged in Fermanagh by-election

Next Thursday sees an important local council by-election in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh.

Dublin govt admits economic crisis

The 26-County government, facing an unprecedented budget deficit, has brought forward its annual economic policy statement by two months amid heavy criticism of its failure to act over a looming meltdown in the Irish economy.

Irish Navy deploys for Shell destruction

Eight more environmental activists were arrested in County Mayo today [Friday] after an extraordinary confrontation between the Irish Naval Service and campaigners attempting to halt the construction of a potentially dangerous high-pressure gas pipeline.

Controversy mounts over British military parades

Belfast City Council this week voted that a civic reception for British troops should go ahead in November, despite nationalist opposition

Prison warders urged to reveal CR gas concern

The British government is coming under renewed pressure to admit a cancer-causing gas was used on republican prisoners during a 1974 Long Kesh riot.

Obama seeks to recover from Irish policy blunder

US Presidential candidate Barack Obama has asked former senator George Mitchell and six leading Irish-American politicians to advise him on Ireland amid a backlash over his campaign’s handling of Irish issues.

IRA leadership ‘has ceased to function’ - IMC

The Provisional IRA’s ruling Army Council that once directed its armed struggle is no longer operational, a report for the British and 26-County governments has declared.

Crisis talks at Stormont

Sinn Féin has called for urgent talks with the Democratic Unionists to resolve the crisis that is said to be confronting the new political institutions in the north of Ireland.

IRA prisoners seek to clear record

IRA prisoners falsely imprisoned are to attempt to have their convictions overturned and their records cleared.

Obama downplays Irish issues

Barack Obama could abolish the post of US special envoy to the north of Ireland if he becomes president as he responds to the Taoiseach’s call for a review of the relationship between Ireland and the US.

Sharp reaction to Lisbon re-run proposal

Opposition parties in the 26 Counties joined forces this week to strongly criticise the Dublin government’s Europe minister Dick Roche after he said that a second referendum on the European Union’s Lisbon Treaty was on the cards.

Ogra Shinn Féin goes postal

Sinn Féin’s youth wing has been causing controversy over attempts to literally ‘green’ the north - one postbox at a time.

British soldiers observed murder of teenager

A Police Ombudsman investigation into the murder of Belfast teenager Damien Walsh will confirm British soldiers watched the killing by the unionist paramilitary UDA and did not intervene, it has been reported.

Wreathes not enough for Omagh victims

A cross-border public inquiry is the only proper tribute to relatives bereaved by the Omagh bomb blast, a memorial service heard on Sunday.

Controversy at hunger strike commemoration

Unionist condemnation of the use of a replica machine gun during a republican commemoration ceremony has pointed up the hypocrisy of the current debate on weapons decommissioning.

PSNI involved in killing, inquest told

A PSNI Special Branch agent was involved in the brutal assassination of a Belfast man outside a school in the North of Ireland, an inquest heard today.

Fr Troy moved from Belfast

The priest hero who famously went to the defence of besieged Catholic schoolgirls in Belfast’s Ardoyne in the face of loyalist attacks is moving against his wishes to Paris, as a chaplain to English-speaking residents there.

Paisley calls for return of shoot-to-kill

Policing Board member Ian Paisley Jnr today urged the PSNI to shoot republican militants on sight following an abortive rocket attack in County Fermanagh at the weekend.

RIR to march in Ballymena

It has been announced that the British Army’s Royal Irish Regiment is to stage a full military parade in Ballymena, County Antrim, fuelling tensions over the summer marching season

Adams cites need for ‘Plan B’

The British and Irish governments should intervene in the event of the failure of the Stormont Executive to guarantee political progress by “other arrangements”, Gerry Adams has said.

Anger at desecration of IRA memorial

A memorial to IRA hunger strikers in Newry has been vandalised by loyalists.

Republicans urged to ‘report sinister approaches’

The 32 County Sovereignty Movement has urged all republicans, regardless of which movement they are affiliated with, to make contact with a solicitor and publicise any approach made by British or 26-County intelligence services immediately.

Resignation follows Robinson outburst

A controversy over comments by DUP MP Iris Robinson has led to the resignation of one of her advisors, a psychiatrist who Robinson claimed could “cure” homosexuals.

SF postpones justice post ambition

Sinn Féin and the DUP have agreed that neither party will fill the post of justice and policing minister -- but Sinn Féin has reserved the right to take the job at a future date.

Hurricane delays Brennan hearing

Three US congressmen have signed a letter to Department of Homeland Security secretary calling for H-Block escapee Pol Brennan to be granted bail, pending resolution of deportation proceedings against him.

Britain ‘ignoring’ human rights judgements

European court judgments on British Crown force killings and collusion with unionist paramilitaries have been ignored, human rights campaigners said yesterday.

Surge in PSNI raids

A series of raids and arrests connected to the death of County Armagh man Paul Quinn last October has drawn protests.

Sinn Féin flags debate

The Sinn Féin Mayor of Belfast has unveiled an Irish flag in his official offices, while a County Derry colleague has questioned the public’s use of the flag.

Spy device linked to SAS ambush

A Crown force spying device has been discovered at a house used by IRA Volunteer Sean O’Farrell, who died in an SAS ambush in 1992.

Mob attacks Dublin soccer kids

Dublin children as young as 12 years of age have been subjected to a terrifying sectarian attack while attending a high profile youth soccer tournament in Coleraine, County Derry.

Power struggle over Ballymena bonfire

Scuffles involving Sinn Fein representatives broke out after materials assembled for a republican bonfire in Ballymena were removed on Wednesday night at the request of a resident opposed to the event.

Restorative justice group approved

The British government has said that funding for a controversial republican neighbourhood justice scheme has been approved.

Eight years pressure to inform

A County Fermanagh man has been forced to flee the Six Counties after refusing to work as a Special Branch informer.

DUP creating a crisis - Adams

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams has accused the DUP of pushing the North's power-sharing government toward crisis.

Mixed reaction to Sarkozy visit

Thousands gathered outside the Dublin parliament this week to demonstrate their opposition to a second Lisbon Treaty during the visit of Nicolas Sarkozy, the French premier and current president of the European Unio

Struggle will re-ignite in Derry - 32CSM

A republican group in Derry has predicted that the conflict will begin again in the city as the conditions return for armed struggle.

Political realignment seen in North

The Ulster Unionist Party is in negotiations with the British Conservative Party over moves towards a possible merger between the parties.

Protestors arrested, removed in Shell land grab

Thirteen members of the Shell 2 Sea Group were arrested on July 22nd for challenging the legality of construction work on a contentious pipeline in an area designated for "Special Conservation

North recovers from ‘Orangefest’

Attempts by the Dublin and London government to rebrand sectarian marches and ghoulish bonfires as “cultural events” failed before they began last weekend when loyalists embarked on violent rampages on the eve of the ‘Twelfth’, the height of the marching season.

British apology, 37 years on

The British government has accepted that its deliberately lied when it claimed that the IRA was responsible for a bomb which killed 15 people in December 1971.

Call for end to Stormont stalemate

The North’s power-sharing executive has failed to meet for over a month amid fears of a stalemate between Sinn Féin and the DUP.

RSF denounce Fermanagh arrest operation

Republican Sinn Féin has accused the PSNI police of “abducting” three republicans in County Fermanagh.

Gag order on ‘Stakeknife’ reports

Newspaper reports on the ‘Stakeknife’ spy, who was reputedly the British Army’s highest-ranking double agent within the IRA, are being censored by the British government.

Sarkozy to defy Irish referendum

The French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, intends to pressurise Irish voters to back the Lisbon Treaty in a second referendum after ruling out any possibility of renegotiating the draft constitution for the European Union.

Britain denounced for massive spying operation

The British government has been strongly criticised by the European Court of Human Rights for illegally and secretly monitoring all electronic communications between Ireland and Britain for years.

Sectarian attacks in north Belfast

A North Belfast father-of-three was stabbed in the head and neck with a spear in a near-fatal sectarian attack.

Call on Britain to release files

The Dublin parliament has urged the British government to release security files on the Dublin and Monaghan bombings.

Welcome for McShane inquest verdict

A jury has unanimously found that the British Army was responsible for the death of a former republican prisoner in Derry almost 12 years ago.

Media frenzy as McCartney trial ends

The case of a fatal stabbing outside a republican bar, and a subsequent media campaign which reached the White House, ended this week in a Belfast courtroom.

Parades held amid tensions over ‘secret’ Drumcree talks

An Orange Order march in west Belfast passed off quietly last weekend despite a controversial incursion onto the republican Springfield Road.

Republicans clash after Derry shooting

The PSNI have arrested two teenage girls and are also questioning three male teenagers in connection with the death of Emmett Shiels.

Inquiry hears of intimidation of lawyers

The Rosemary Nelson inquiry has been told that defence lawyers were subject to “deliberate and systematic intimidation” by the RUC police.

Report ‘sexed up’ in Tara fraud

A leading archaeologist employed to survey the motorway through the ancient Irish capital city of Tara has said her findings were altered to support the motorway when in fact she pointed to evidence against it.

Anger over Derry killing

The INLA have denied any involvement in the murder of 22 year-old Derry man Emmett Sheils, who was shot dead in Derry on Tuesday morning.

Report highlights British checkpoint killing

The family of a County Tyrone man shot dead by the British Army 20 years ago has said the publication of a report into his killing marks the “beginning and not the end” of their fight for justice.

Adams in historic Drumcree talks

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams has confirmed that he has met with the Protestant Orange Order to discuss the infamous Drumcree parade in Portadown.

A battle a day for Irish speakers

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams has accused unionists of “irrational hostility” to the Irish language and Irish speakers.

PSNI attempt to recruit informer in Spain

A prominent republican hardliners has accused the PSNI police of following him on holiday to Spain in an attempt to recruit him as an informer.

British gun killed Donegal child

A boy from County Donegal killed by unionist paramilitaries was shot down using a standard-issue British Army sub-machine gun, it emerged this week.

Landmine attack in Fermanagh

Members of the British Crown forces were lucky to escape with only minor injuries following a roadside landmine attack in County Fermanagh at the weekend.

‘Corridor of Hate’ mother pursues British justice

Seven years after the blockade of a north Belfast primary school by unionist paramilitaries, the mother of one former student has taken her legal challenge over the handling of the 12-week Holy Cross protest to Britain’s highest court.

Warning over Drumcree march

The 32 County Sovereignty Movement has claimed that the Drumcree parade in Portadown is likely to go ahead this year for the first time in 11 years.

Bush visit inspires protests, photo-ops

Irish Republicans were divided this week as US President George Bush visited Belfast to support the Irish peace process while evading questions over his war in Iraq.

Lisbon Treaty rejected - final results

In a shock for both the Irish and European political establishment, the European Union’s Lisbon Treaty has been defeated in Thursday’s 26-County referendum.

Lisbon Treaty set for rejection

First results from the Lisbon Treaty referendum have confirmed that the treaty is set to be rejected by the Irish electorate.

Early Lisbon tallies suggest ‘No’ victory

Counting of votes in the Lisbon Treaty referendum began at 9am today, and early tallies show the vote leaning toward the ‘No’ side.

‘Yes’ camp see Lisbon victory after high turnout

The outcome of the Lisbon Treaty referendum is thought to be close following a relatively high turnout of voters on Thursday.

President subjected to loyalist hate

A mob of loyalist bigots gathered outside the gates of a school in County Derry on Tuesday to jeer and hurl sectarian abuse at the President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, and her husband Martin.

DUP gloating ahead of talks

The leaders of the four parties that make up the northern Executive have not formally met since power-sharing was established in May last year, it has emerged.

McFarlane trial opens

The trial of senior Provisional IRA figure ‘Bik’ McFarlane has opened at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin.

Vindication for Derry peace activists

There were jubilant scenes in a Belfast court this week as six Derry anti-war protesters were unanimously acquitted of destroying property belonging to multinational arms company Raytheon.

Robinson investigated for ‘hate crime’

There have been calls for the DUP’s Iris Robinson to resign as chair of the Assembly’s Health Committee following her extraordinary outburst against homosexuality, which she described as a mental illness and “an abomination”.

Support for Lisbon Treaty collapses

The number of people intending to vote ‘No’ to the European Union’s Lisbon Treaty has almost doubled in three weeks, according to the latest poll.

SF praise for Paisley despite controversies

Ian Paisley left Stormont Castle as First Minister for the last time yesterday, blowing the building a kiss.

Tom Hartley elected Belfast Mayor

Sinn Féin’s Tom Hartley was elected as the new Mayor of Belfast on Monday night, narrowly defeating the DUP’s Diane Dodds.

UN man’s regret at Nelson murder

A leading human rights expert from the United Nations has expressed deep regret that he had been unable to save the life of Lurgan lawyer Rosemary Nelson.

Former PoWs launch US campaign for status

A group of former IRA prisoners living in the US has launched a campaign to secure their legal status there.

Power-sharing crisis averted

A potential political crisis in the North has been averted after Sinn Féin agreed to resume power-sharing alongside the Democratic Unionist Party tomorrow ahead of talks in London on Friday.

Sinn Féin denies threat to process

Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness has said he hopes outstanding issues in the peace process can be resolved in time to allow tomorrow’s nomination of the DUP’s Peter Robinson to replace Ian Paisley as First Minister.

Justice for victims unlikely, says British truth panel

In a carefully-crafted public address yesterday, the new “Consultative Group on the Past” warned that, while the British role in the conflict should be acknowledged, victims should not expect to secure the justice they were seeking.

Trimble links DUP to killings

Former First Minister and Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble has said that unionist paramilitary violence during the period of the first Belfast Assembly was linked to DUP opposition to the Good Friday Agreement.

Attack on Belfast commercial property

Two incendiary devices were discovered at a department store in Belfast after one partially detonated in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Annual Famine memorial day approved

Forgotten victims of the Irish Famine are to be remembered in an annual official memorial day for the first time.

Triumph for hunger-strike movie

A film about hunger striker Bobby Sands has won a major award at the Cannes film festival.

RIRA claim bomb attack

The Real IRA has claimed responsibility for a bomb attack against a member of the British Crown forces in County Tyrone on Monday of last week.

PSNI’s stalling tactics blasted by coroner

The senior coroner in the North of Ireland has strongly criticised the PSNI after an inquest into the killing of an IRA man almost 16 years ago was delayed again.

Arms ‘ultimatum’ for unionist paramilitaries

British Direct Ruler Shaun Woodward has warned the UDA and UVF the “train is leaving the station” for them to hand in their weapons and commit to the peace process.

Bush to visit Belfast to back stalled process

US President George W Bush is planning to visit Belfast next month, where he is expected to claim the Irish peace process as part of the legacy of his presidency.

H-Block movie draws prejudice

Unionists attacked a film about life on the H-blocks during the 1981 IRA Hunger Strike even before it was screened for the first time as part of the Cannes Film Festival last week.

Death of Brian Keenan

Senior Provisional IRA commander Brian Keenan has died after a battle with cancer.

Britain recognises UVF ceasefire

The British government has announced that it has decided to once again recognise a ceasefire by the unionist paramilitary UVF.

FBI agent is focus of Omagh trial

Fresh doubts have been cast over the testimony of top FBI informer David Rupert in the Omagh civil action, which is sitting in Dublin.

Inquest secrecy opposed

Nationalists have warned the British government that they will oppose any attempt to introduce 'draconian' new laws allowing a British Direct Ruler to order that inquests must be held in secret.

Attacks continue despite peace efforts

A Catholic man is recovering from head injuries after he was attacked with baseball bats and a knife in a sectarian attack in Ballymena.

Court hears details of Stormont murder bid

Unionist serial killer Michael Stone planned to "slit the throats" of Sinn Féin's Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness, Belfast Crown Court was told this week.

McGuinness says IRA finished, attacks hardliners

Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness has warned that any attempt to bring the Provisional IRA back into the political equation “is a big mistake”.

Paisley, Ahern declare history at Boyne site

First Minister Ian Paisley at the Battle of the Boyne site said on Wednesday that people should together share “this island home” of Ireland and be an example to the world.

Tear down the walls, urges Bloomberg

A high profile US-Northern Ireland investment conference has been taking place in Belfast this afternoon [Thursday].

US still holds H-Block escaper

H-Block escapee Pol Brennan will remain in a Texas jail for several more weeks, and possibly months, after an immigration judge denied him bail.

Real IRA convictions quashed

The Court of Criminal Appeal in Dublin has quashed the convictions by the non-jury Special Criminal Court of five Munster men on charges of membership of the Real IRA.

Cowen elected Taoiseach, names Cabinet

The newly elected Taoiseach Brian Cowen has appointed Mary Coughlan as his Tanaiste [Deputy Prime Minister] in his new Cabinet announced this evening in Dublin.

New victim support group

A new victims support group has been set up this week by the father of a Protestant collusion victim and a Catholic priest.

IRA not involved in Quinn murder - IMC

A government-appointed commission which monitors the conflict in the north of Ireland has concluded that the Provisional IRA was not involved in the death of south Armagh man Paul Quinn.

PSNI goes easy on UDA feud

Charges have been dropped against all 18 unionist paramilitaries arrested in relation to UDA violence in Carrickfergus, County Antrim, despite renewed feuding in the town.

Shell rejects residents’ proposal on gas terminal

Shell Oil has rejected a proposal by County Mayo residents that it should move its gas refinery to a coastal, rather than offshore, location.

Spy equipment ‘removed in raid’

The PSNI have been accused of using the search of the home of leading republican hardliner Gary Donnelly as a cover to remove sophisticated electronic equipment

Parades Commission to be scrapped - reports

Plans to replace the North’s Parades Commission have been described as “absolute madness” by nationalist

Justice group sues over Dublin’s secrets

Victims of the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings said this week they are suing the Dublin government because it has failed to release part of an investigation into the single most devastating attack in the history of the conflict.

Orange Order singled out for compensation

A new British government scheme offering financial compensation for attacks on Orange Halls has been described as sectarian.

Protests as departing Paisley attends Cork reception

Three men were arrested during a republican protest objecting to Ian Paisley’s attendance at a civic event in Cobh, County Cork.

National treasures under the hammer

Sinn Féin has condemned the sale of historical artefacts relating to the 1916 Rising and the War of Independence at an auction in Dublin.

Hopes for justice as Nelson Inquiry opens

The head of British military intelligence in Ireland is among a string of top spooks to have been questioned by the inquiry into the murder of human rights lawyer Rosemary Nelson, it has been revealed.

Spotlight on sectarianism

A BBC television documentary has shown footage of their crew being attacked and intimidated in the village of Stoneyford as they were filming a programme about sectarianism.

Police Ombudsman complains of workload

The new Police Ombudsman Al Hutchinson has warned that his office is in danger of reaching a “tipping point” because of its heavy workload.

Welcome for equality-based US investment

A $150m investment package is being provided to the Six Counties from New York and will be subject to the MacBride equality principles.

Surge of support for Scottish independence

For the first time, independence has taken a lead in an opinion poll on Scotland’s constitutional future.

Peter Robinson to be next First Minister

The DUP has elected Peter Robinson to succeed Ian Paisley as its new leader and First Minister in the northern Executive.

Good Friday Agreement marked ‘transition’

Unionists must be persuaded to scrap partition, Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams has said.

Omagh civil case begins

The Omagh bomb civil action must be public, the judge said during legal discussion this week at the start of the trial.

No police role for IRA - Adams

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams has said people in west Belfast must “get real” and understand that the Provisional IRA is not going to return to tackle criminality in the area.

Cowen assumes FF leadership, backs process

Tanaiste Brian Cowen has been elected leader of Fianna Fail unopposed and is set to become 26-County Taoiseach when Bertie Ahern steps down on May 6.

Appointment of Victims Commission disrupted

Growing tensions between Sinn Féin and the DUP over the proposed appointment of a chief Victims’ Commissioner has caused the passage of a Bill to be unexpectedly postponed.

Brian Cowen to be next Taoiseach

Brian Cowen will be the next 26-County Taoiseach and leader of Fianna Fail, it was confirmed today.

Loyalists rampage in Castle Street

A Celtic fan remains seriously ill in hospital after his throat was slashed during a mob loyalist attack on a pub in west central Belfast.

PSNI ‘alienating nationalists’ - Maskey

A furious row erupted between the PSNI Chief Hugh Orde and Sinn Féin’s Alex Maskey at a public meeting of the policing board on Thursday amid rising fears over a crime wave in nationalist west Belfast.

Hunger-strike dispute lost in translation

New light has been shed on reported republican reaction to a British offer which might have ended the 1981 hunger strike after four deaths.

UDA ‘will never go away’, court hears

A guarantee that the unionist paramilitary UDA would not disband was set to be declared before a planned 'show of strength', according to court documents.

Baby steps for Bill of Rights

A proposed Bill of Rights for the Six Counties was published in Belfast this week despite major public differences by its drafters on its main proposals.

Bertie Ahern announces resignation as Taoiseach

The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, has announced he is resigning as the Prime Minister of the 26 Counties and as the leader of Fianna Fail.

Riot at Derry Easter commemoration

The PSNI police clashed with republican youths in Derry during what the PSNI described as an “illegal” Easter commemoration at the city cemetery on Monday.

Ahern under pressure over British currency payments

The 26-County Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has come under serious political pressure from his Coalition partners for the first time since the formation of the current Dublin government.

Bugging device found

A piece of electronic equipment described as a “sophisticated bugging and tracking device” has been found in the vehicle of one of its Dublin-based members, the 32 County Sovereignty Movement has said.

Tenth anniversary of Agreement marked

Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness has said Sinn Féin is proud of the role they have played in the course of the negotiations which led to the Good Friday Agreement.

Marching season begins

Easter saw the first major day of parading in the new season, which will see thousands of parades take place through the summer months.

Diggers move in after Tara con job

Hopes for progress in efforts to save the Tara heritage site were dashed on Thursday this week after the National Roads Authority (NRA) tore up an agreement with conservationists.

Blair helped draft IRA statements - Adams

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams has confirmed that British prime minister Tony Blair edited IRA statements in the course of the peace process, saying it was “normal in a process of negotiation”.

PSNI accused after murder spree

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams has lashed out at the PSNI police after another brutal murder in west Belfast highlighted the massive increase in crime in the area in recent years.

Inquiry bid to question prosecutors blocked

The British government has refused to allow the actions of the Crown prosecution service be included in the inquiry into the sectarian murder of Robert Hamill and subsequent cover-up, it has been revealed.

Ahern angers Irish-America on St Patrick’s Day visit

US President George Bush said that “more progress can and will be made” in the north of Ireland during the annual gathering of politicians in the White House for St Patrick’s Day.

Bitter exchanges between parties

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams and DUP deputy leader Peter Robinson held talks Tuesday in an attempt to defuse growing tensions between the two parties.

Local government plans agreed; elections postponed

It was announced on Thursday that the Northern Executive has agreed on a compromise proposal to create 11 “super-councils” by 2011.

Paisley claims he ‘smashed’ Sinn Féin

The DUP leader Ian Paisley, who is set to resign in May, has revealed that he never shook Martin McGuinness’s hand in almost a year of government.

Gibraltar and Milltown victims remembered

An event celebrating the life of IRA Volunteer Mairead Farrell went ahead in Sinn Féin’s private offices at the Belfast Assembly last weekend following a ban on the commemoration using a public space at the Assembly buildings.

‘Bik’ to face trial after appeal rejected

The Supreme Court in Dublin has dismissed an appeal against the trial of H-Block escaper Brendan ‘Bik’ McFarlane on charges connected with an IRA kidnapping in 1983.

Dismay as Mairead Farrell commemoration is banned

A memorial for Mairead Farrell, one of three IRA Volunteers shot dead by the SAS in Gibraltar 20 years ago, has been banned.

Rejectionists attacked at SF Ard Fheis

Every step Sinn Féin took brought it closer to its “central and most urgent” goal of a 32-county republic, Martin McGuinness has said.

‘Unrepentant unionist’ addresses Ard Fheis

Anti-collusion campaigner Raymond McCord surprised Sinn Féin organisers by addressing the party’s annual conference wearing his father’s Orange Order sash.

Hamill inquiry delayed again as Woodward stalls

The delayed public inquiry into the death of Robert Hamill, who was kicked to death in Portadown in 1997, faces a new delay.

Eleventh-hour appeals to save Tara

Poet and Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney has described the M3 motorway as a ruthless desecration of the sacred landscape around the Hill of Tara.

Ian Paisley announces resignation

Rev Ian Paisley has announced he is to resign as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party and First Minister in the northern Executive in May.

Adams address to Sinn Fein Ard Fheis 2008

An abridged version of Gerry Adams’s Presidential Address delivered this evening to the Sinn Fein Ard Fheis 2008.

The Dark’s ashes are scattered

The ashes of former IRA hunger striker Brendan ‘The Dark’ Hughes have been scattered in west Belfast and in County Louth.

IRA refuses to meet British truth panel

The Provisional IRA is to refuse to meet the ‘Eames/Bradley consultative group on dealing with the past’, it has been revealed.

March in defence of Irish language

Thousands of people took to the streets of Belfast city centre on February 23 to show their support for the Irish language and cultural diversity.

SF to discuss Irish unity policy

The Sinn Féin Ard Fheis will take place in the RDS in Dublin this weekend.

Clinton to mark Agreement anniversary

Former US president Bill Clinton has confirmed his attendance at celebrations in Belfast to mark the 10th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement in April.

Death of Brendan ‘The Dark’ Hughes

One of Belfast’s most senior republican figures and a legendary IRA fighter, Brendan Hughes, died at the weekend after a short illness aged 59.

‘Should have been open war’, say unionists

The Belfast Assembly repeatedly descended into an angry shouting match this week over the suggestion that the conflict in the North should be classified as a war in order to begin the healing process.

British blamed for ‘assassination attempt’

Republicans in Derry have stepped up their security after what they believe was an assassination attempt on a senior ‘Real IRA’ figure.

US Homeland Security turns vindictive

The US Department of Homeland Security has deported Mark James McAllister, the son of former Irish Republican prisoner Malachy McAllister, to Ireland.

EU to ignore Irish referendum result

There has been anger and incredulity in Ireland over a vote by the European Parliaments today [Thursday] NOT to respect the result of the Lisbon Treaty referendum.

McGuinness blasts republican militants

Martin McGuinness, Sinn Féin’s Deputy First Minister, has described republicans who still believe in armed struggle as “no-hopers” who are “detached from reality”.

DUP to block transfer of powers

The North’s First Minister Ian Paisley and Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams have clashed over the devolution of policing and justice powers, scheduled for May.

Family forced out of Stoneyford

A Catholic father of three has expressed anger at being forced to leave Stoneyford, County Armagh by a long campaign of sectarian intimidation and death threats.

RTE to cut off northern radio listeners

Politicians on both sides of the border have expressed dismay about a decision by the Irish state broadcaster, RTE, to drop its Radio 1 medium-wave service.

McKevitt appeal opens

Michael McKevitt has begun a Supreme Court appeal against his conviction of the charge of “directing terrorist activities”,

Pol Brennan arrested, faces deportation threat

A former IRA Volunteer who escaped from Long Kesh prison more than 24 years ago and fought a long battle against extradition from the US has been arrested by immigration officials in Texas.

Low copy justice for Strabane men

A County Tyrone republican has been ‘interned’ despite being cleared of attempted murder charges this week.

State support for Orangeism, not Irish

The Orange Order in the 26 Counties is to receive substantial funding from the Dublin government, it has been announced.

Raymond McCord to address SF Ard Fheis

Sinn Féin has confirmed that Raymond McCord Snr has agreed to speak at this year’s Sinn Féin Ard Fheis at the end of this month.

No more Bloody Sunday lies, marchers demand

The report of the second Bloody Sunday Inquiry must be given to the families of the victims at the same time it is received by the British government, the large crowd at this year’s commemoration march was told.

Parades Commission appointments ruled illegal

The Parades Commission was thrown into turmoil this week with leading Orangeman David Burrows forced to resign after Britain's highest court ruled that the British decision to appoint him was illegal.

Provisional IRA urged to disband

A leading Derry republican has called on the Provisional IRA to disband.

Four Victims' Commissioners named

Sinn Féin and the DUP have rejected claims that four new victims' commissioners were named this week because the First and Deputy First Ministers could not agree on a single person

Civil rights movement remembered

Tuesday marked the formal establishment in 1967 of the 'Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association' (NICRA).

Child victim of sectarian assault

A Toomebridge schoolboy was assaulted on Thursday as he waited for a school bus in what the PSNI have admitted was an anti-Catholic attack.

Now tell the truth, Flanagan urged

Former RUC/PSNI police chief Ronnie Flanagan last night apologised to the families of people killed in the 1998 Omagh bomb.

SF councillors assaulted by baying mob

wo Sinn Féin councillors were struck by unionist protesters amid chaotic scenes at a meeting of Limavady Borough Council last week.

LVF linked to hospital spy

A patient who discovered his medical files may have been leaked by a hospital worker to unionist paramilitaries has said he is “disgusted” at the hospital’s handling of the c

Call to halt Taser deployment following death

The PSNI police is being urged to withdraw plans to deploy Taser guns in the North of Ireland following the death of a man in England.

SF prepare for Lisbon Treaty vote as Greens go quiet

In a close vote at the weekend, the Green Party leadership failed to secure enough support from party delegates to support the Lisbon Treaty referendum.

PSNI training for Taser attacks

There has been anger at the announcement that members of the PSNI have begun training with high-voltage Taser weapons and will be deploying them on the streets within weeks.

Paisley ‘peace for land’ deal revealed

The Democratic Unionist Party’s Ian Paisley Jr used the peace process talks at St Andrews to push for a shopping list of property-based demands for his own constituents, it h

Bomb attack follows informer claims

A unionist paramilitary group calling itself the ‘Real UFF’ has admitted responsibility for planting a pipe bomb at the home of a former Sinn Féin member in Antrim.

DUP Minister in anthem protest

The North’s ‘Culture Minister’, Edwin Poots of the DUP, is calling for an end to the playing of the Irish national anthem before Gaelic games in the North.

Secret papers reveal one-sided war

Top-secret British military documents reveal the British Army’s failure to tackle unionist paramilitary death squads during one of the darkest periods of the conflict.

PSNI in the dock on Omagh

The Policing Board is to investigate the extent of the attempted frame-up of Sean Hoey by senior members of the PSNI police over the 1998 Omagh bomb.

No new checkpoints on border - Brown

The British Prime Minister has said there are no plans to introduce immigration controls at the border between the British-ruled Six Counties and the rest of Ireland.

LVF behind firebomb attack

Concerns have been raised about escalating violence and criminality linked to the unionist paramilitary LVF following a firebomb attack on a house in County Armagh.

Church of Ireland attacks Bill of Rights

The Protestant Church of Ireland has criticised plans to draft a Bill of Rights for the North of Ireland

Republican denies working as informer

High-profile republican Paddy Murray has denied being a police informer.

Paisley to oppose devolution of powers

The DUP leader Ian Paisley has clashed with British Secretary Shaun Woodward over the devolution of police and justice powers from London to Belfast, which is scheduled for May.

Demos planned as dozers target new Tara find

TaraWatch, the group campaigning against the construction of the M3 motorway close to the archaeologicaly sensitive Hill of Tara in County Meath, has said it will hold international protests on January 8th.

Attacks on GAA, Orange Halls continue

A Gaelic sports club in County Fermanagh has been damaged in a sectarian arson attack. Graffiti was also painted on the walls of the club in Drumgoon near Maguiresbridge.

Stone claims he was ‘artist in residence’

The assault on the Belfast Assembly buildings by notorious unionist paramilitary killer Michael Stone was a work of art, he has claimed.

New Year statements

The annual New Year statements issued by Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams and by the 32 County Sovereignty Movement.

McGuinness claims British directing groups

Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness has said he believes British military intelligence is directing some republican activities.

‘No evidence’ for PSNI raids

A man questioned by the PSNI police in connection with the recent IRA gun attack on a PSNI member says some of the ‘evidence’ against him was a page from Wikipedia, the online encyclopaedia.

Sectarian attacks ‘orchestrated’

A sectarian attack on a 12-year-old schoolboy in a County Antrim village is linked to continuing loyalist death threats against a Catholic family in the area.

Unionists walk out over Long Kesh plans

The future of the former Long Kesh prison, scene of decades of resistance by Irish republican prisoners to British rule, descended into farce yesterday amid warnings that a planned peace centre/sport stadium project could collapse.

Aer Lingus language move provokes anger

Aer Lingus has scrapped its familiar Irish-language greeting in the North of Ireland because it might upset unionists flying to and from Belfast.

Devolution threatened over IRA structures

The DUP has insisted there will be no devolution of policing and justice powers to the Six County Executive without the complete dismantling of the Provisional IRA’s structure.

Ireland complicit in US human rights abuses - report

Ireland is failing to live up to its human rights obligations by accepting US assurances that CIA flights used for smuggling prisoners to detention and torture centres are not passing through Irish airports, the Irish Human Rights Commission said on Tuesday.

Paisley/McGuinness delegation meets George Bush

First Minister Ian Paisley and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness have been praised by US president George Bush for their “courage” during a meeting in the White House.

Fianna Fail registers in Six Counties

Fianna Fail has officially registered as a political party in the Six Counties, party leader Bertie Ahern has announced.

Sinn Féin builds new 26-County strategy

Sinn Féin held a major conference in Dublin at the weekend to plot a new way forward for the party in Irish politics, particularly in the South.

Coroner to receive shoot-to-kill reports

Top-secret reports on the shoot-to-kill policy of political killings operated by the British government in the north of Ireland are to be opened to the chief coroner John Leckey.

Gerry McHugh resigns from Sinn Féin

Sinn Féin Assembly member Gerry McHugh has resigned from the party, blaming “undemocratic” practices.

Bugging lawyers unlawful, says judge

The bugging of conversations between lawyers and clients has been ruled unlawful by a British judge.

US visit pushes investment buttons

First Minister Ian Paisley and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness opened the Nasdaq stock market in New York today (Wednesday) as part of a trip to promote the Six Counties to US capitalists.

Catholic north-west is most deprived

The sectarian divide still dominates the North’s economy according to new figures on the continuing east/west polarisation in the Six Counties.

Real IRA issues statement, video

The ‘Real IRA’ have issued a statement that they intend to launch further attacks on the PSNI police following two gun attacks on PSNI members in Dungannon and Derry in the past two weeks.

First DPP meeting in west Belfast

Republican traditionalists are planning to mount a protest against this week’s first ever meeting of the District Policing Partnership (DPP) in west Belfast.

Harney clings to post as cancer scandal deepens

Fianna Fail has been forced to threaten parliamentary backbenchers with expulsion in an effort to win the no-confidence vote on the 26-County Minister for Health, Mary Harney today [Wednesda

Colombia 3 book launched

One of the Colombia 3, Jim Monaghan, has this week published a book about his experiences, Colombia Jail Journal.

Rebel songs controversy

A chorus of denunciation has appeared in the mainstream Scottish media against University of Glasgow lecturer Dr Jeanette Findlay for defending soccer fans who sing Irish rebel songs.

Judge rules out McAliskey extradition

Roisin McAliskey will not be extradited, the Belfast Crown court said today.

Threats, protest in policing dispute

A District Policing Partnership (DPP) meeting in Belfast was called off on Monday night following a republican protest.

Man hospitalised after vicious PSNI assault

A republican in Derry has had his arm fractured in three places during PSNI raids in the city.

New ‘peace line’ built as loyalist attacks continue

A new ‘peace line’ is under construction in north Belfast to protect the nationalist Throne estate from sectarian attacks by loyalists living in White City, on the other side of the school.

McGuinness, Paisley to visit White House

US president George Bush is to meet Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness at the White House on December 7 and congratulate them on taking “the historic path” towards a peaceful future in the North.

‘Race hate’ parade cancelled

A parade seen by residents as racial intimidation has been called off after talks between the ‘Pride of the Raven’ loyalist band and representatives of the Chinese community in south Belfast.

Horror at Omagh arson massacre

A devastating house fire in which a nationalist family of seven died in the early hours of Tuesday morning was deliberately set, the PSNI police has confirmed. A sectarian motive has not been ruled out.

UDA renegades mount attacks

Nationalist homes at a north Belfast interface came under attack from a sectarian gang just hours after statements were read by leading UDA paramilitary members at Remembrance Day commemorations.

Welcome ‘up to a point’ for UDA move

Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness has given a qualified welcome to the decision by the largest faction of the unionist paramilitary UDA to “stand down”.

Row continues over Quinn killing

One of the men named in England’s ‘House of Lords’ over the murder of Armagh man Paul Quinn yesterday [Wednesday] challenged his accuser to repeat the claims in public.

‘Section 31’ censorship on health issues

A decision to remove whistleblower medic John Crown from the panel of a popular Irish chat show has been strongly condemned as a new form of censorship.

UDA gangs to ‘stand down’

The largest faction of the unionist paramilitary UDA has announced that its armed gangs -- who use the cover name of the ‘Ulster Freedom Fighters’ (UFF) -- will “stand down” from midnight tonight.

Paisley seeks deal on border checkpoints

The North’s First Minister Ian Paisley has lobbied British Prime Minister Gordon Brown for an assurance that planned new border passport controls will not be established between Britain and Ireland but between the North and South of Ireland.

Departing Ombudsman warns of collusion dangers

Police Ombudsman Nuala O’Loan - who left office this week - has revealed that she could not believe what she was seeing when she compiled her major report on police collusion with UVF killers earlier this year.

Pressure on Ahern after poll drop

Fianna Fail has suffered a large drop in support since the general election in May and satisfaction with the party leader and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern is also down significantly.

FIFA presents plan on political football

Proposals by the sport’s international regulators FIFA have been welcomed by nationalist politicians as paving the way for an all-Ireland soccer team.

Oration at the funeral of Martin Meehan

Full prepared text of the oration delivered by Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams at the funeral of Martin Meehan this week.

Death of Martin Meehan

Veteran republican Martin Meehan has died, aged 62. It is believed he suffered a heart attack at home in Belfast on Saturday morning.

McAliskey ordeal is prolonged

The plight of Tyrone woman Roisin McAliskey was prolonged further this week when a Belfast court deferred a decision on whether or not the mother-of-two will face extradition to Germany.

Anger at report on Cairns killings

The campaign to find the truth behind the truth of the murder of the two Cairns brothers in 1993 will continue despite a controversial finding by Police Ombudsman Nuala O’Loan that there was no evidence of British Crown force collusion in the killings.

Visitor subjected to racist nightmare

An engineer falsely accused of being an illegal immigrant while holidaying in the North of Ireland was arrested and imprisoned purely because of his race, the Equality Commission said this week.

Executive seeks to boost Six-County economy

The North’s first programme for government aimed at boosting investment and employment was overshadowed this week by the announcement that over 900 jobs have been lost in a County Derry plant closure.

US bid to bring down ‘peace lines’

A key American behind-the-scenes player in the Irish peace process visited Belfast in recent days in a bid to encourage what once were warring communities to come together.

New UDA coercion threat

Senior members of the unionist paramilitary UDA have made a thinly-veiled threat to return to full-scale violence following a decision by the Belfast Executive to halt funding for a UDA-linked 'peace' group'.

Billy Hutchinson arrested over Devlin killing

A leading unionist politician is among seven members of the unionist paramilitary UVF who have been arrested by the PSNI investigating the brutal sectarian murder of a Catholic child two years ago.

Adams denies Provisionals to blame for death

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams has denied his movement had any involvement in the murder of a 21-year-old County Armagh man.

McAliskey testifies in daughter's extradition case

Former MP Bernadette McAliskey told a court yesterday that she could never see her daughter Roisin allowing herself to be extradited to Germany to stand trial for an alleged IRA attack on a British Army base in 1996.

Queen, Pope to mark peace with Irish trips

Dublin officials are on standby to prepare for a historic visit by the English Queen sometime next year, it has been confirmed.

‘Irish language rights will not be stifled’ - Adams

The British government is under pressure to intervene after a minister in the Six-County executive ruled out plans to introduce an Irish language bill in the Belfast Assembly.

CIRA vows to maintain struggle

Republican hardliners in County Armagh have vowed to continue their armed campaign in the area despite a massive PSNI/MI5 operation in the Craigavon area on Thursday.

Cameras show PSNI allowed Catholics to be attacked

The Police Ombudsman’s office is to investigate a murderous mob attack on three young Catholic men in Portadown town centre last week which mirrored the controversial murder of Robert Hamill in the town ten years ago.

Dublin ‘Love Ulster’ rally called off

Organisers of last year’s attempted ‘Love Ulster’ rally have withdrawn their request to hold another rally in Dublin after a meeting with the 26-County government.

Europe takes action as new Tara monument uncovered

The European Commission has begun legal action against the 26-County government over the continuing construction of the M3 motorway through the Tara Valley.

MI5 take over North ‘security’

MI5 -- British military intelligence -- has taken charge of all British security interests in the North of Ireland for the first time, it was revealed today.

Death threat over UDA funds

The North’s Social Development minister Margaret Ritchie has received a death threat days before she was due to withdraw government funding for a group linked to the unionist paramilitary UDA.

Unionists attack Irish language

An extraordinary unionist attempt to ban the use of the Irish language at the Belfast Assembly has been defeated.

INLA outs informer

A man who worked as an informer within the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) has been uncovered within the ranks of the republican socialist movement in Derry.

Sectarian attack mirrors Hamill killing

Community representatives have condemned the PSNI for failing to intervene during a sectarian attack on two Catholic men in Portadown, County Armagh.

Peace hopes fade in the Basque Country

A top member of banned Basque political party Batasuna has said the arrest and detention of most of the party’s leadership is a declaration of war by the Madrid government.

Children under attack in north Belfast

Residents at a north Belfast interface say they are being forced to run a gauntlet of sectarian violence every time they leave their homes.

Progress seen in Tara campaign

A decision by 26-County Environment Minister John Gormley to place a preservation order on an ancient fort has been hailed as a potential breakthrough in the campaign to save the historic Tara Valley from a motorway development.

Sinn Fein leaders threatened

Bullets have been sent to news studios in Belfast with the names and details of six people, including Sinn Fein party president Gerry Adams and the party’s senior press officer Richard McAuley.

Pressure grows on new coalition

The Green Party has come under fire from opposition parties in the South for “an extraordinary abdication of responsibility” following its continued backing of Bertie Ahern despite a mounting corruption scandal.

British PM seen calling snap election

Parties in the North are bracing for a likely Westminster general election that could undermine attempts to ‘bed down’ the Belfast Assembly.

Ahern survives vote of no confidence

The 26-County Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, last night won a vote of confidence in the Dublin parliament, despite a challenge by the main opposition parties over the veracity of his evidence before the Mahon corruption tribunal.

British imperialism appears again

Britain is preparing natural resource claims on tens of thousands of square miles of the Atlantic Ocean floor, stretching from Rockall Island off the Irish coast down to Las Malvinas and Ascension in the south Atlantic.

Policing Board divided over human rights

Sinn Féin representatives have refused to endorse the Policing Board’s latest human rights report.

Adams speaks out against suicide, crime

The governments on both side of the border need to show leadership in tackling suicide and self-harm, Gerry Adams has said.

Diarmuid O Neill remembered

A large crowd assembled at Timoleague Cemetery last Sunday to remember IRA Volunteer Diarmuid O’ Neill whose 11th anniversary was that day.

‘Republican Party’ heads North

In a significant policy shift, Fianna Fail is to become an all-Ireland political party with a view to gaining power in the North -- but will not contest elections to the Westminster parliament in London.

RUC faulted over Nelson murder

Death threats against prominent human rights lawyer Rosemary Nelson were broadly ignored by the RUC police prior to her assassination, according to a new report.

Tension in north-west following threats

A brick and a package containing three bullets were thrown through Sinn Féin offices in County Fermanagh last week. The same offices were badly damaged in a suspected arson last month.

Protesters enter Shell site

Up to one hundred protesters breached the perimeter of the Shell site in Erris, County Mayo as part of a planned ‘day of action’ last weekend against plans for a high-pressure gas pipeline and refinery.

Irish speaker wins court appeal

An appeal court has acquitted an Irish language teacher who had been arrested for talking to the PSNI police in Irish.

Paisley quits church role amid protests

DUP leader Ian Paisley will step down in January as Free Presbyterian Moderator to avoid a split in the church with those who disagreed with his political position.

Loyalists issue death threats

Ten families in County Antrim have been warned their homes may be targeted in UDA gun attacks within the next week.

New shoot-to-kill hearings

New hearings are to be held into six deaths at the centre of a Crown force shoot-to-kill policy in the North 25 years ago.

British soldier back in combat despite killings

A soldier who was jailed for life following the shooting dead of two teenagers in the North of Ireland is to serve in Afghanistan, according to a report today.

Veteran republican opposed oppression

More than 1,000 people attended the funeral in Maghera, County Derry, on Saturday of founder Provisional IRA member and former Sinn Féin Assemblyman, John Kelly.

Death of John Kelly

Provisional IRA founding member and former Sinn Fein assemblyman John Kelly has died.

North’s politicians lend experience to Iraq

It has emerged this week that senior unionist and nationalist politicians from the North have been working to build relationships between Iraq’s warring factions.

Republicans criticise PSNI actions

The PSNI police have been accused of acting ‘in a brutal manner’ during an incident in a County Derry village in the early hours of Saturday morning.

SF, DUP hit by resignations

Sligo Sinn Féin councillor, Sean MacManus, has dismissed speculation that he is about to resign from the party after two others councillors in the South quit the party last week.

Sectarian attacks continue

A bomb attack on a Catholic church in County Down is the latest in a series of sectarian attacks across the North.

Gilmore is new Labour Party leader

Eamon Gilmore is certain to become the next Labour Party leader after a number of potential rivals confirmed that they would not be contesting the leadership election.

Real IRA claim attacks

The Real IRA has claimed responsibility for a bomb which exploded on the railway line in Newry last month, which it said was aimed at drawing in members of the PSNI to the area.

Derry shoot-to-kill remembered

A vigil was held in Derry at the weekend to mark the 25th Anniversary of the murder of Eamonn “Bronco” Bradley, who was shot dead by the British Army’s Royal Anglican regiment on the 25th August 1982, aged 23.

Parades Commission rulings ignored

Residents of a nationalist enclave in east Belfast are furious that a loyalist parade engaged in provocation on Saturday in open defiance of a ban by the Parades Commission.

McAliskey mounts extradition defence

A defence lawyer has told an extradition hearing in Belfast that Roisin McAliskey was not in Germany at the time it is claimed she was involved in an attack there.

Euro legal action against Tara motorway

Environmental campaigners are to take legal action against the 26-County State to stop the destruction of heritage sites in the Tara valley during the construction of the M3 motorway.

Rabbitte resigns as leader of Labour Party

Pat Rabbitte has resigned as leader of the Labour Party following Labour’s disappointing showing in May’s general election in the 26 Counties.

Sectarian rampage in Tyrone village

A loyalist mob rampaged through the Catholic district in the Tyrone village of Castlederg last week.

Executive ‘fudge’ as UDA violence continues

Supporters of a disaffected UDA gang are believed to have been behind a spate of attacks in Carrickfergus at the weekend including one on the home of a single parent mother of two.

Paisley vows to block language rights bill

A letter by the DUP leader Ian Paisley promising to block legislation aimed at preserving the Irish language in the North of Ireland has been condemned by Sinn Féin.

Talks break out in Shannon dispute

Aer Lingus pilots have agreed to call off their planned 48 hour strike after airline bosses went into talks over the airline’s controversial announcement two weeks ago to axe the Shannon Heathrow route and open a hub in Belfast.

Bridging the way to an independent Scotland, united Ireland

Cross-border proposals are being prepared to link Ireland to Scotland through a 21-mile bridge or tunnel from the Antrim coast to Galloway in south-west Scotland.

Omagh trial described as a ‘farce’ by victim’s husband

The husband of a victim of the Omagh bomb says the only man in the North to stand trial in connection with the attack should be acquitted.

Furore over airport decision

A decision by Aer Lingus to set up a new base in Belfast at the expense of existing services at Shannon Airport in the west of Ireland has created an escalating controversy which could see the airline completely grounded next week - by its own pilots.

Vulnerable autistic child deported

There is public anger after an autistic boy and his family were forcefully deported from Dublin this week.

Apprentice Boys march ‘an example to others’

The Apprentice Boys parade in Derry at the weekend saw eight nationalist youths arrested as petrol bombs were thrown during clashes with the PSNI, but without major violence.

Danish apologise for Viking invasion

The Danish government did its bit for the peace process this week when it expressed regret over the Viking invasion of Ireland more than 1,000 years ago.

Adams calls for Truth Commission

An independent truth commission, including international experts, should be considered for dealing with the past conflict, Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams said on Tuesday.

Craigavon riot after bomb find

Republican youths fought running battles with the PSNI police on Monday following a day-long military-style police operation in the town of Craigavon, County Armagh.

All-island bid to stop foot and mouth disease

The Dublin government and the Belfast Executive have promised to co-operate closely to stop foot and mouth disease spreading from England to animals across the Irish Sea.

ritish Army to use North as training ground

The North of Ireland is to be used increasingly to train British soldiers before they are sent to conflict zones such as Afghanistan and Iraq, it has been confirmed.

Anger at PSNI role in South Armagh

The 32-County Sovereignty Movement has accused Sinn Féin of making “choreographed” moves to bring the PSNI police into South Armagh.

Hamill inquiry delayed again

The legal battle by RUC/PSNI police bidding for anonymity during a public inquiry into the 1997 killing of Catholic man Robert Hamill was sent back to the High Court in Belfast today.

DUP says no to Irish language rights

The DUP’s minister for culture in the Six Counties, Edwin Poots, has given no commitment on providing an Irish language Act despite a high-profile meeting with Sinn Féin’s Gerry Adams.

Commissioner appointment was sectarian - report

The appointment of the widow of an RUC policeman as the North’s interim victims’ commissioner was discriminatory and was designed to placate Ian Paisley and the DUP, a report has confirmed.

Cold-blooded shooting was ‘lawful’

The wife of a man shot dead by British soldiers in 1971 has spoken of her hurt and anger after a police investigation team told her they could not find the killers and concluded his death was lawful.

Sinn Féin wins first Seanad seat

Sinn Féin has made history by winning a seat in the Upper House of the Dublin parliament.

Shoot-to-kill: Answers demanded

One of the most controversial inquiries of the conflict involving the RUC’s notorious “shoot to kill” policy, has been reopened.

Campaigners rally in defence of Tara

Campaigners opposed to the route of the M3 motorway through the ancient city of Tara carried the flags of all 32 counties in a protest march in Dublin on Saturday.

UVF get Dublin grant aid

26-County Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has sanctioned a hand-out of Irish taxpayers’ money to a Belfast community group under the control of one of most notorious units of the Ulster Volunteer Force.

Republicans explode roadside device

The PSNI police has described two roadside bombs planted near a roundabout in Newry as a “dangerous but ultimately pointless, cowardly and empty gesture”.

‘Twelfth’ parades pass without serious violence

Nationalists across the North refused to be provoked as hundreds of sectarian parades passed off last week without major incident.

PSNI station bombed

Republican hardliners have been linked to a bomb attack on a PSNI police station in Strabane, County Tyrone.

Firework attack across peace-line

A man was struck in the chest by a firework thrown over a ‘peace wall’ that runs across Manor Street, near their north Belfast home.

Clashes at Tara protest

Five people who are protesting against the M3 motorway being routed through the historic Hill of Tara site in Meath have been arrested.

Shell protesters defy Garda clampdown

Two more supporters of the ‘Shell to Sea’ campaign may now face charges following a five-hour protest related to the Corrib gas project in north Mayo.

Drumcree march peaceful

Several hundred Orangemen and loyalist bands were stopped by PSNI police at Drumcree Bridge in Portadown on Sunday as the annual confrontation over a sectarian march passed off without incident.

Springfield tensions rising

Tensions are rising ahead of a controversial Orange Order parade in west Belfast.

School atrocity plan revealed

A unionist paramilitary gang linked to British Crown forces planned to murder 30 Catholic schoolchildren in south Armagh in 1976, it has emerged.

Defending Long Kesh

Elements within Ian Paisley’s DUP are attempting to remove the historic status of the Long Kesh prison and hospital wing where hunger-strikers died.

PSNI found guilty of serious discrimination

The PSNI police are refusing to pay after an equality tribunal issued a judgement in favour of a police photographer who suffered abuse for marrying a Catholic.

RUC man blows whistle on collusion cover-up

A former RUC police ‘whistleblower’ has blasted a decision not to prosecute 20 members of the British Crown forces who had previously been identified in the investigations by John Stevens as having been involved in collusion with unionist paramilitaries.

Vicious sectarian attack in north Belfast

A 15-year-old Catholic boy was beaten unconscious with a golf club in a savage attack by a sectarian gang who then tied wire around his neck and dragged him along a street.

Adams calls in PSNI chief

Members of the Irish Republican Socialist Party have protested outside a hall last night where PSNI chief Hugh Orde, at the invitation of Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams, spoke in west Belfast on how to tackle anti-social crime.

‘Dignified’ protest at Whiterock Parade

A sectarian parade by the Protestant Orange Order passed off without incident in west Belfast on Saturday.

New focus to campaign for undocumented Irish

Campaigners on behalf of undocumented Irish immigrants in the United States are pressing for a special immigration deal for Ireland after the US Senate rejected a comprehensive reform Bill.

Shaun Woodward replaces Peter Hain as Northern Secretary

Shaun Woodward has been named as Britain’s new Northern Secretary, replacing Peter Hain.

Blair resigns; Gordon Brown becomes British PM

In a carefully choreographed handover of power in London, Tony Blair has tendered his resignation as British Prime Minister to the Queen at Buckinghame Palace.

New body to rewrite history

Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness has strongly criticised British Secretary Peter Hain and former Policing Board vice chairman Denis Bradley over the establishment of a new group to ostensibly examine ways to deal with the past conflict.

British soldiers pull out of south Armagh

The last British soldiers pulled out of south Armagh at the weekend.

Anger over Whiterock parade

Nationalist residents are considering legal action following a Parades Commission ruling on the controversial Whiterock parade in west Belfast next Saturday.

New Police Ombudsman appointed

There has been a cautious welcome to the appointment of former oversight commissioner Al Hutchinson as Police Ombudsman in the North.

Employment discrimination continues - report

Unemployment among Catholics remains twice that of Protestants, despite advances in the peace process and increasing employment north of the border.

Ahern names Cabinet; vows not to govern indefinitely

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has given the clearest signal yet that Tanaiste Brian Cowen will replace him as leader of Fianna Fail and Taoiseach during the course of the new parliament in Dublin.

All change as Adams, McGuinness meet Blair, Salmond

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams and the party Chief Negotiator Martin McGuinness have held what is expected to be their last talks with the British Prime Minister Tony Blair in the House of Commons.

No peace process for ‘Larry the Chef’

Larry Zaitschek, the American chef who faces extradition proceedings against him over the so-called Castlereagh barracks ‘break-in’, has been warned by the FBI that he faces a death threat if he returns to the North.

‘Real IRA’ admits McGurk killing

A breakaway republican paramilitary group has admitted responsibility for the murder of a father-of-five in west Belfast four years ago, saying the killing was “criminally wrong”.

PSNI not trusted with stun guns

The Chief Constable of the PSNI police, Hugh Orde, has been told to rethink plans to arm his force with 50,000-volt stun guns.

Ahern elected Taoiseach as Greens back FF/PD agenda

The 30th Dail has elected Bertie Ahern to a third term as Taoiseach in a three-party coalition between Fianna Fail, the Green Party and the Progressive Democrats.

Green Party set for coalition with FF, PDs

Green Party negotiators this evening agreed to join a Fianna Fail-led 26-County government and will put proposals to members tomorrow.

ETA ends ceasefire

The Basque group ETA has called off its 15-month-old ceasefire, marking the end of a troubled peace process with Spain.

‘Tour of the North’ to go ahead

The Parades Commission has ruled that a controversial Orange Order march can pass a north Belfast interface next week.

Ballymena man played dead

A Ballymena man has told a court in chilling detail how he played dead to escape being murdered and of having to watch and listen as his would-be sectarian killers plotted to saw up his body.

Councils struggle with power-sharing

A bitter war of words erupted between Sinn Féin and the SDLP at the weekend after the SDLP agreed a last-minute deal with Ulster Unionists to take the two top positions in Belfast City Hall.

Concern over Maghaberry death

A former republican socialist activist and volunteer is the latest in a long list of deaths which have occured in the ‘special supervision unit’ of Maghaberry Prison.

Coalition talks break down

Talks between Bertie Ahern’s Fianna Fail and the Green Party to agree a programme for a coalition government have broken down without a deal, raising new question marks over which parties will be in a position to form a government when the Dublin parliament sits next Thursday.

Coalition talks continue

Sinn Féin has said it will not be willing to support a minority government from the opposition benches amid continuing negotiations over possible coalition partnerships in Dublin.

Assembly debates policing powers

The policing Oversight Commissioner in the North, publishing his final report on the conversion of the RUC police to the PSNI, has warned that real change could be over a decade away.

Band parades provoke anger

Participants in a unionist band parade engaged in threatening and provocative behaviour in the small Suffolk estate in west Belfast on Saturday.

New ‘peace line’ divides school

A 25ft-high security fence is to be built inside the grounds of an integrated primary school to protect nearby homes from sectarian attacks.

Paisley Jr defends anti-gay views

Northern Executive junior minister Ian Paisley jnr has stood by controversial recent remarks denigrating homosexuality and has complained that criticism of the remarks amounted to an abuse of his freedom of expression.

SF takes up seats on Policing Board

Sinn Fein has taken up its position on the North’s Policing Board for the first time this morning.

Sinn Féin looks to the future

Sinn Féin’s hopes for a major breakthrough in the 26 Counties with this election were not borne out, despite some impressive performances and an increase of some 20,000 votes over their 1997 total.

Unionists block equality bill

A Sinn Féin motion calling for new equality legislation was defeated due to unionist opposition in the assembly last week.

NIO plot to renege on stop and search powers

British officials have proposed deploying special ‘anti-terrorist’ legislation across England, Scotland and Wales in an attempt to retain the repressive measures in Ireland.

PSNI accused of harassment

PSNI police have raided the home of a Strabane republican in an escalation of tensions between local republicans and the force.

Protestors defy Tara destruction

There have been clashes at the construction site in the Tara valley where the Dublin government is attempting to construct a motorway through an important archaeological site.

Election counts conclude

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern is considering a number of coalition options as the 26-COunty general election counts are completing.

Michael McDowell quits politics

Deputy Prime Minister and Progressive Democrats leader, Tanaiste Michael McDowell, has quit Irish politics in a dramatic response to his election defeat today.

Small parties suffer as FF set to retain power

The 26-County general election now seems almost certain to return Fianna Fail’s Bertie Ahern as Taoiseach, who may do so without the need to again form a coalition with the decimated Progressive Democrats.

Ahern likely to return as Taoiseach

In unofficial tallies in Thursday's 26 County General Election, the vote for Bertie Ahern's Fianna Fail appears to be up and, while it is early days in the election count, the party looks likely to form part of the next government in Dublin.

Roisin McAliskey arrested

Roisin McAliskey has been arrested on foot of a new extradition bid by Germany.

Diplock ruling overturned

Derry Republican Charlie McMenamin has walked free from court 27 years after he was wrongly convicted.

DUP may veto Irish Language Act

The DUP’s Gregory Campbell has said his party will veto an Irish Language Act for the North of Ireland.

Arthurs arrest ‘political policing’

Sinn Féin has criticised the PSNI after a prominent republican was arrested during a raid on addresses in County Armagh and in Dungannon, County Tyrone.

McGuinness backs Omagh bomb inquiry

Sinn Féin is prepared to co-operate with any independent, international inquiry into the 1998 Omagh bomb, it has been confirmed.

Ahern makes landmark speech at Westminster

The restoration of power-sharing in Belfast marks the dawning of a new era for the island of Ireland and for Anglo-Irish relations, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern told British parliamentarians last week.

DUP to get files on republicans

The appointment of two senior members of the DUP to the Privy Council, allowing the party to gain access to high-level security intelligence, has been criticised by nationalists.

Paisley visits Boyne battlefield

The planting of a walnut tree on the Battle of the Boyne site in County Meath by 26-County Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and DUP leader Ian Paisley on Friday has highlighted a new dispensation in north-south relations.

Sinn Féin confirms policing move

Sinn Féin has confirmed that it will take up its seats on the North’s Policing Board, which has a supervisory role with the PSNI police.

Prison protest suspended

Republican prisoners held in Maghaberry jail have agreed to suspend their 10-month long protest.

British choppers engage in suspicious activity

British army helicopters being flown in rural County Tyrone at night-time, apparently as part of preparations for “foreign” war zones, are infuriating residents.

Blair announces resignation

British Prime Minister Tony Blair has announced his decision to stand down as leader of the British Labour Party and resign as Prime Minister on June 27th.

‘Bertiegate’ scandal hogs election headlines

The Progressive Democrats said they were within hours of quitting the 26 County coalition government with Fianna Fail yesterday as a crisis over corruption allegations continued to dominate the general election campaign.

Sinn Féin campaign ‘quietly confident’

The North’s deputy first minister-designate Martin McGuinness has predicted Sinn Féin will be “the story of the election” in the 26 Counties later this month.

Cautious welcome for UVF statement

An announcement by the unionist paramilitary UVF that it is effectively ‘standing down’ has been welcomed, but there were calls for it to go much further.

Govt to mark Great Hunger

Campaigners have won a four-year battle to force the Dublin government to officially recognise an annual event to commemorate the Great Hunger.

Scottish nationalist triumph challenges union

Scotland moved closer to independence after the Scottish National Party (SNP) became the largest party in the Scottish parliament this week.

Devolution restored

British Direct Ruler Peter Hain has signed the order paving the way for a new era of power-sharing to begin.

UVF issue statement on new role

The unionist paramilitary UVF has said it “will assume a non-military, civilianised, role” from midnight and claimed that its arms have been “put beyond reach”.

EU chief in Belfast backs power-sharing

The President of the European Commission Jose Barroso visited Belfast on Tuesday to announce financial aid and support for the new Six-County administration.

Ahern address at Westminster sparks debate

A row how has broken out over plans by the 26 County leader Bertie Ahern to make a high-profile address to the London parliament at the height of the 26 Countyh election campaign.

Important find vindicates ‘Save Tara’ campaign

Just 24 hours after the 26 County Minister for Transport ‘turned the sod’ on the billion-Euro M3 motorway project in Co Meath it has been confirmed that a site of major archaeological importance has been discovered.

Official IRA mark death of Johnny White

A man has been arrested after shots were fired at the funeral of former Official IRA leader Johnny White.

SNP within reach of historic victory

Campaigning is today drawing to a close in the British local elections which could see Scottish nationalists become the largest group in the devolved Scottish parliament at Holyrood.

Election called in the South

The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, has set Thursday May 24th as the date for the general election in the 26 Counties.

Paisley to join Ahern in Boyne visit

DUP leader Ian Paisley and the 26-County Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, will visit the site of the Battle of the Boyne together next month, it has been confirmed.

UVF will wait and see on arms

A political representative of the UVF has said unionist paramilitaries will wait to see whether power-sharing between Sinn Féin and the DUP succeeds before decommissioning their weapons.

Nominees to Policing Board ‘not cheerleaders’

Former IRA prisoner Martina Anderson, who will be one of three Sinn Féin nominees to the newly-constituted Policing Board, has said she will be going in to hold the PSNI to account.

Martin Ferris arrested

Sinn Féin TD Martin Ferris was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving at the weekend, the party has confirmed.

Award for Rossport activist

Mayo farmer Willie Corduff, who was jailed for three months in 2005 over his opposition to Shell’s inland gas refinery at Rossport and high-pressure pipeline through his farm, has been awarded the world’s most prestigious environmental prize.

Sinn Féin meets Policing Board

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams has said his party is set to take up its positions on the Policing Board following a first ever meeting with the controversial body.

Back-room Garvaghy deal denied

Sinn Féin has dismissed accusations that it is negotiating a deal with the DUP to allow the Protestant Orange Order march through the nationalist Garvaghy Road in Portadown.

Paisley to see out full term

The DUP leader Ian Paisley has stated that he will see out the full four-year term of the Belfast Assembly as First Minister, despite the initial understanding that he would resign within the first two years.

UDA and UVF listed as charities

A British government document has described unionist murder gangs as voluntary organisations in the same bracket as children’s charities.

No peace process for McDowell

The 26-County Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, has refused to allow a jailed IRA Volunteer temporary release to sit a college entrance exam.

Special Branch linked to Ormeau Road massacre

A number of Catholic families whose loved ones were murdered in the 1990s have asked the Police Ombudmsman’s office to investigate the role of self-confessed RUC/PSNI Special Branch agent Stephen ‘Inch’ McFerran in some twenty killings.

Clashes follow Easter events

Trouble broke out in Derry after a heavy PSNI presence turned out to monitor an Easter commemoration organised by the 32 County Sovereignty Movement.

Collusion files shredded

The British army and MI5 military intelligence shredded files on collusion returned by the Stevens Inquiry, it has been confirmed.

Family welcome IRA apology

The Provisional IRA has apologised to the family of a republican killed by its members 17 years ago.

Free cross-border travel for Irish pensioners

A new cross-border agreement travel scheme has come into effect, giving senior Irish citizens unlimited use of bus and rail services and other transport services throughout Ireland.

Breandan Mac Cionnaith resigns

Sinn Féin political adviser Breandan Mac Cionnaith has resigned from the party without commenting on the reasons for his departure.

Hardliners ‘becoming more sophisticated’

A primed mortar rocket was defused in County Armagh and two other bombs were made safe in County Tyrone amid signs of increasing activity by republican militarists.

McDowell denies Dublin/Monaghan cover-up

The Dublin government has denied that it is trying to cover up the truth about the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings, in which 33 civilians died.

Driver’s life wrecked by sectarian harassment

A Catholic bus driver who endured half a decade of sectarian harassment and intimidation at work said the ordeal has “ruined his life”.

US Congressional delegation celebrates peace moves

The deal between Sinn Féin and the DUP marks a significant triumph for US foreign policy, senior congressmen said in Belfast on Sunday.

IRA Easter statements

The annual Easter statements issued by the main republican groups.

Bombs investigation ‘buried and forgotten’

Survivors and the bereaved of the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings have vowed to continue their battle for justice after a report by criminal lawyer Patrick MacEntee failed to provide significant new information.

UDA to remain armed

A leader of the unionist paramilitary UDA has ruled out weapons decommissioning, claiming loyalists still “feel threatened”.

Prison walls come down

Demolition of the perimeter wall of the infamous H-Blocks has begun, marking a final end to Long Kesh’s function as a prison and the first phase in the construction of a new multi-function development on the site.

SF lines out Six-County Ministerial team

Sinn Fein has confirmed its team of ministers for the Belfast executive.

Tributes to plastic bullet campaigner

Emma Groves, a west Belfast woman who became a major factor in the campaign against plastic bullets after being blinded 35 years ago, has died.

Mixed reaction to power-sharing delay

“Everything we have done over the last 10 years has been a preparation for this moment,” proclaimed British Prime Minister Tony Blair, leading a vocal and mainly positive response by Irish and British political leaders to the successful outcome of the DUP-Sinn Féin negotiations this week.

Dissent at deal within DUP

The representative of Ian Paisley’s DUP at the European Parliament, Jim Allister MEP, has resigned following the party’s deal to begin sharing power with Sinn Féin in May.

Legal breakthrough in shoot-to-kill cases

The father of an IRA Volunteer shot dead by the British Army’s SAS in 1990 today won a five-year legal battle over disclosure of confidential British reports about the killing.

Bombers may escape justice - Ahern

Nobody will be brought to justice as a result of the long-awaited report into the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings, the 26-County Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has said.

UDA tensions follows grant aid

The unionist paramilitary UDA is still heavily involved in extortion rackets, the PSNI police has said, despite the British government handing the group 1.2 million pounds sterling last week.

Parties agree new date for power-sharing

Sinn Féin and the DUP have agreed a new deal to start sharing power on May 8 following historic face-to-face talks between DUP leader Ian Paisley and Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams at Stormont today.

Adams and Paisley to meet

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams and DUP leader Ian Paisley will hold their first ever face-to-face talks today as parties are faced with a deadline for the restoration of the Six-County political institutions, or, more likely, an agreement to suspend the process for a number of weeks at the request of the DUP.

Devolution restored pending agreement

British Direct Ruler Peter Hain has signed the restoration order to devolve governmental powers from London to Belfast, requiring the Belfast Assembly to meet tomorrow [Monday] to nominate a new locally elected administration of unionists and nationalists.

Adams calls for 'Plan B'

Responding to the news that Ian Paisley’s DUP is seeking a further delay in Monday’s planned restoration of the political institutions in the Six Counties, Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams has said the Dublin and London governments must now proceed to put in place their all-Ireland partnership arrangements for the governance of the North.

DUP refuse to commit to power-sharing

Nominations to the Belfast Assembly executive will not take place by Monday’s ‘deadline’ following a resolution of the DUP’s ruling council, reports have indicated.

‘Yes but No’ - DUP mulls options

A long-awaited commitment to power-sharing by Ian Paisley is in doubt this weekend amid reports that the DUP may go through the motions of appointing a Six-County Executive but will block meetings of the Executive taking place for an undefined “testing period” of at least two months.

Brit chopper crashes in border town

Villagers in Crossmaglen, South Armagh are outraged after a British Army helicopter crashed, narrowly missing a nearby estate.

Sinn Féin set to join Policing Board

Sinn Féin will participate fully in the Policing Board and other structures once the power-sharing institutions in Belfast are restored, party president Gerry Adams has said.

McGeough still being held

A bail application for republican political leader Gerry McGeough has been postponed after lawyers for the British Crown claimed that either Germany or the USA might seek to have him extradited.

RSF warned of ‘threats’

Two members of Republican Sinn Féin in Belfast were visited in their homes by the PSNI police and informed that their lives are under threat from a previously unknown group, the party has said.

Bush backs deadline at shamrock ceremony

At the annual St Patrick’s Day White House reception, US President George Bush threw his weight behind efforts to hold all sides to the March 26th deadline for the return of a local Six-County power-sharing administration.

Double murder mystery

Allegations and rumours have multiplied in Belfast following the murder of two nationalist taxi-drivers on Monday.

False dawn for Irish speakers

The British government has reneged on new Irish language legislation at the insistence of the DUP.

MacEntee report on bombings completed

The injured and bereaved of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings reached a potentially crucial milestone yesterday with the completion of an long-awaited report into the attacks.

St Patrick’s Day shame for Dublin government

Part of the ancient Irish capital of Tara dating from the seventh century has been dismantled this week to make way for the controversial M3 motorway.

Plan ‘A’ for Sinn Fein after gains

Further electoral gains for Sinn Fein has effectively turned the Six Counties into a two party statelet and created a situation unimaginable a decade ago.

McGeough arrest ‘highlights lack of change’

The arrest at an election centre of an independent republican candidate has been described as an abuse of the democratic process and a return to the dark ages of political policing.

RSF blames censorship for low vote

Republican Sinn Fein president Ruairi O Bradaigh has said RSF’s failure to make an impact in last week’s Assembly election was “as expected” after an “almost total media blackout” of his party.

Ombudsman to investigate ‘Dirty War’ killings

Allegations that British military intelligence and Special Branch police sanctioned their informers and agents within the IRA to carry out certain killings are being investigated by the North’s Police Ombudsman.

SF backs Irish ‘illegals’ campaign

Sinn Fein has backed a campaign on behalf of undocumented Irish immigrants in the United States.

Assembly election - Final update

Counting in the Belfast Assembly elections is drawing to a close this evening with significant gains for Sinn Féin and Ian Paisley’s DUP, a major setback for Reg Empey’s UUP, a breakthrough for the Green Party and the apparent final demise of Bob McCartney’s UKUP.

SF and DUP set to dominate Executive

Gerry Adams’s Sinn Féin and Ian Paisley’s DUP have continued to add seats in the election to the Belfast Assembly as counting continued late into the night in some centres.

Gains for SF, DUP; Gerry McGeough arrested

Results are being announced in the North of Ireland’s Assembly election with the DUP and Sinn Féin polling very well.

Pre-election PoW shock for SF

Sinn Féin has dismissed an election-eve statement by 320 former IRA and INLA prisoners who have called for republicans to vote against the party and for independent republican candidates in today’s election.

SF Ard Fheis builds party momentum

Seven motions running contrary to Sinn Féin’s policy of tentative support for Britain’s PSNI police were either voted down or withdrawn during the party’s annual conference (Ard Fheis) at the weekend, which mainly focussed on election preparations.

Injustices mount for ‘McCabe killers’

A High Court judge has again allowed the 26-County state another three weeks to avoid a challenge by four republicans jailed for the manslaughter of a Garda police detective to its repeated refusal to grant them temporary release.

Election: Constituency profiles

An indicative constituency-by-constituency look at today’s election, with the emphasis on the nationalist and republican contests.

Election: Pre-election statements

Election-eve statements by the Presidents of Sinn Fein and Republican Sinn Fein.

RSF blasts ‘exclusion politics’

Republican Sinn Féin has criticised what it says is a “media blackout” of their candidates.

March for Irish language rights

Thousands of supporters of the Irish language took part in a march through the city centre last weekend demanding equal rights for the language.

Republican graves attacked

The graves of nearly 40 people have been desecrated in an overnight attack on the republican plot at Milltown Cemetery in west Belfast.

Connolly House reopens

Sinn Féin’s traditional Belfast headquarters has reopened following a refurbishment, including new repairs to structural damage suffered in loyalist attacks.

Holy Cross case goes to House of Lords

The mother of a Holy Cross schoolgirl is taking her legal claim to the House of Lords with her complaint at the manner in which the PSNI failed to defend her daughter from sectarian violence and intimidation five years ago.

UDA claim peace move

The unionist paramilitary UDA has announced that it will recognise and accept the authority of future Sinn Féin ministers following Assembly elections.

‘Internment’ of the Special Criminal Court

Republicans have called for international sanction against the Dublin government over the use of “internment” in the 26 Counties.

PSNI, MI5 on election agenda

A Sinn Féin delegation last week took part in a conference on policing organised by the Policing Board amid continuing controversy over the issue ahead of next week’s election.

Betwixt and between the election hustings

The North’s election campaign moved into full swing last week, with the Democratic Unionist Party publishing its manifesto.

Sinn Féin promises to tackle water charges issue

A recurring theme in the assembly election in the North is the British government’s proposal for water charges.

Anger at Croke Park insult

The London government has ruled out a gesture of reconciliation ahead of the controversial appearance of an English rugby team at the site of a notorious British massacre in 1920.

Adams in Castlereagh talks

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams has held a first meeting with the PSNI chief since his party made its historic decision to support British policing in the North.

IRA convictions overturned

A judge who quashed a conviction against a Sinn Féin assembly member and a Derry-based journalist has spoken of a “distinct feeling of unease” about the 1979 convictions.

Intimidation threat over GAA facilities

A unionist group in Antrim has threatened ‘another Harryville’ if plans for development of facilities by St. Comgall’s Gaelic Athletics club proceed.

Family of New Lodge Six appeal for meeting

The families of six men shot dead in the New Lodge area of Belfast have called on the British government to launch a new investigation into their deaths after a former unionist paramilitary admitted he helped plan the attack with British intelligence.

Election candidates declared

The Six Counties is facing its biggest election contest in years as some 250 candidates launch their bids for seats in the troubled Belfast Assembly.

British Army spytower comes down

The last remaining British Army spypost in South Armagh has been dismantled in a move which has been described as ‘the end of an era’.

OTRs could be ‘deal breaker’

DUP leader Ian Paisley has said any move to allow republicans facing conflict-related prosecutions in the north of Ireland to come home would be “a deal breaker” for sharing power with Sinn Féin.

O Caolain suffers heart attack

Sinn Féin’s leader in the Dublin parliament, Caoimhghin O Caolain, is recovering after suffering a heart attack at his home last week.

UVF man links FRU to New Lodge massacre

A former unionist paramilitary has revealed that British military handlers organised and took part in a gun attack that left six Catholic men dead.

Tourists caught up in sectarian violence

The ‘Paddywagon’ company, which uses green minibuses decorated with leprechauns and shamrocks, released photographs of a bus which was targeted in Belfast on Tuesday.

Justice bill provokes anger, concern

Nationalists have expressed dismay at the draft legislation relating to justice issues in the Six Counties which is currently passing through the London parliament.

DUP dissent ahead of election

The DUP is experiencing its own problems as it faces into an election amid a public expectation that the result could see it sharing power with Sinn Féin.

Finucane conspirator Mark Barr found dead

UDA paramilitay Mark Barr, who was once charged with the killing of Belfast defence lawyer Pat Finucane, has been found dead in mysterious circumstances.

Informer told not to return

So-called ‘supergrass’ Raymond Gilmour has been warned he will be targeted by the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) if he tries to set foot back in Derry.

‘Devolution or dissolution’ threat as DUP stalls

The future of the northern Six Counties must lie in a local, accountable, devolved, power-sharing government, 26-County Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has said at the conclusion of a meeting with the British Direct Ruler Peter Hain.

New plastic bullets found to be more lethal

So-called safer plastic bullets, first fired in 2005, have caused more harm than those used previously, according to research on people struck by them in the North of Ireland.

Northern committee back on Leinster House agenda

Plans for Six County members of the Westminster parliament in London to take part in a special committee of the Dublin parliament have been welcomed as a step forward by nationalist politicians in the North.

Republicans consider electoral strategy

An umbrella group led by former republican prisoners opposed to Sinn Féin’s new political direction is due to meet in the Gasyard Centre later today [Monday] to plan a strategy ahead of the Assembly elections in March.

July 03, 2009