IRISH REPUBLICAN NEWS: Archives

A loyalist mob carried out a savage sectarian attack on a Catholic teenager, her Protestant friend and her friend’s sister in a south Belfast ‘Rangers supporters club’, it has emerged.

Garda scandal rumbles on as Minister ‘names and shames’ TD

A row over the cancellation of thousands of motoring offences continues unabated in the 26 Counties, despite the report of an internal Garda police investigation which cleared the force of corruption.

PSNI ‘attacking families’, shots fired

The PSNI have been accused of using excessive violence against whole families, including young children, amid increased concerns over heavy-handed policing in republican areas.

McKevitt appeal decision ‘another injustice’

The Republican Network for Unity has condemned the decision of a court in Dublin not to allow an appeal by Michael McKevitt to proceed, describing the case as a miscarriage of justice.

Bus strike ends as unions win concessions

The threat of serious industrial unrest in the 26 Counties has receded following progress in public service pay talks and a separate deal to end a two-day stoppage early last weekend at the state-funded bus company, Bus Eireann.

Bus Éireann crippled by industrial action

Workers at the state-owned bus company have called a nationwide industrial action which has severely reduced public transport services across the 26 Counties.

Mini-Twelfth ‘madness’

A decision to allow the anti-Catholic Orange Order to gather in a public park surrounded by Catholic homes in Portadown has been described as ‘an act of unionist political madness’ by the Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition (GRRC).

IRA leaders divided on armed struggle, say Thatcher memos

The British government was aware before the 1981 hunger strike that some senior Provisional IRA figures were privately opposed to the use of physical force, according to secret documents found in the papers of Margaret Thatcher.

Fears for prisoner ‘under terrible pressure to inform’

The mother of a remand prisoner has said she fears for his mental health after attempts were made to recruit him as an informer while under 24-hour lock-up behind bars.

Prosecutors condemned after retrial acquittal

Brian Shivers has been fully vindicated after the terminally ill Magherafelt man walked out of Belfast Crown Court last Friday, his lawyer said this week.

Martin Corey denied a hearing

Interned republican Martin Corey has been refused permission to appeal to Britain’s Supreme Court the refusal to provide his lawyers with the ‘closed intelligence’ used as an excuse to keep him behind bars for the past three years.

PSNI to pay for harassment

The harassment of republicans through ‘Section 21’ stop and search operations has been found to be illegal by the Court of Appeal in Belfast.

Craigavon Two appeal ‘sabotaged’

An appeal by two men convicted of a Continuity IRA attack in 2009 was dramatically derailed this week after the PSNI arrested and interrogated a key witness in an apparent attempt to pressure him into withdrawing his evidence.

Fresh loyalist provocation as parades crisis mounts

The Stormont administration in Belfast has been accused of engaging in a ‘charade’ after a sectarian Orange parade once again ignored a ruling of the Parades Commission against playing music outside a Catholic church in Belfast.

Flags not our problem - Baggott

PSNI police chief Matt Baggott has washed his hands of the controversy over UVF paramilitary flags and other loyalist symbols across Belfast, insisting that the North’s politicians introduce new laws on the issue.

‘X case’ legislation finally drafted

There has been a broad political welcome for a new bill which will finally legislate for the 1983 ‘X case’ referendum, providing for a possibility of abortion in the limited case of a threat to the life of the mother.

Irish President joins voices against austerity

President of Ireland Michael D Higgins has joined the growing campaign in Ireland against the austerity agenda, with comments directly critical of the decisions being handed down by European leaders and the European Central Bank.

Unionist delaying endangers border bridge plan

Unionists have been accused of delaying and seeking to scupper a plan for a bridge across the neck of Carlingford Lough which would link county Louth in the South and Down in the North.

Brian Shivers cleared of all charges

Brian Shivers has been cleared in a retrial of all charges relating to a Real IRA attack in 2009 at Massereene British army base in which two British soldiers died.

Holy Cross tensions renewed

Loyalists have returned to intimidate the Holy Cross Catholic girls’ school in north Belfast, almost 12 years after a previous campaign of violence and terror made international headlines.

Sinn Fein urged to engage in debate

Suggestions by Sinn Fein for talks with ‘dissidents’ has been met with a proposal for a series of public debates.

Loyalist politics in flux

A new, openly sectarian political party called ‘Protestant Coalition’ has been formed in the North by those involved in the recent loyalist flag protests and disturbances.

Long Kesh plan to go ahead

The site of the Long Kesh prison will be used to create “a shrine to peace”, Sinn Fein’s deputy First Minister has said, following a decision to go ahead with the project.

Judge to decide on Finucane files disclosure

British government documents are being examined by a High Court judge who will decide if they should be disclosed to the family of Pat Finucane.

Parades Commission infuriates north Belfast residents

Nationalists in north Belfast have walked out of a meeting with the Parades Commission after being told to stay clear of their own parish church this Sunday as yet another incendiary loyalist parade marches by.

PSNI back UVF flag display

Masked loyalist paramilitaries erected more than 600 UVF flags in east Belfast last weekend along key arterial routes, without consultation or notification in an operation that involved cherry pickers operating in broad daylight.

Thatcher considered ethnic cleansing of Catholics

Margaret Thatcher once encouraged her advisers to consider a ‘clearance’ of Catholics from the Six Counties as a solution to the conflict, it has been revealed.

Savita probe confirms legal, medical failures

An inquest into the death of Savita Halappanavar in Galway has uncovered grave shortcomings in the care she received prior to her death, chiefly the failure to terminate her pregnancy when her life was threatened by a miscarriage.

Unions find their voice as pay deal rejected

Proposals to extend the current ‘Croke Park’ public service pay agreement have been comprehensively rejected by Ireland’s trade unions.

‘Real UFF’ bomber is former DUP candidate

A prominent DUP figure has been jailed for three years for his part in a sectarian pipe-bomb attack on Polish neighbours.

US political push follows Supreme Court decision on tapes

The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected an appeal to keep secret interviews with former IRA members from being turned over to the British authorities in the North of Ireland.

Presidential address to the Sinn Fein Ard Fheis 2013

The address delivered last night in Castlebar to the Sinn Fein Ard Fheis by party leader Gerry Adams.

Celebrations follow Thatcher’s death

There were street parties in Derry and Belfast following news of the death of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher this week.

Fifteen years since Good Friday Agreement

The 15th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement has prompted a wave of political commentary and a fresh debate on whether the promises made at the time of the agreement have been honoured.

CIRA says it shot man linked to sword attack

The Continuity IRA has been criticised this week after it admitted it shot dead a man in west Belfast who it accused of “terrorising the community”.

Documents reveal US fear of ‘emotional’ Irish Americans

Secret US embassy cables have revealed that officials in Dublin warned of the “emotional involvement” of Irish Americans in Irish politics, but expressed satisfaction that senior politicians in the main Irish parties were supportive of US government interests.

Demands for action to save 1916 buildings

Descendants of Easter Rising leaders have expressed anger at the dilapidated condition of the historical Moore Street buildings in Dublin, where the last headquarters of the rebel leaders was based during the 1916 Easter Rising.

Sinn Féin looks west

Sinn Féin is hoping it can build its support in the West of Ireland by holding its annual ard fheis [party conference] in Connacht for the first time.

Ireland reacts to Thatcher’s death

There has been a mixed reaction in Ireland at news of the death of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher.

Commemorations in contrast

Thousands of republicans gathered at scores of events across Ireland last weekend to mark the 97th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising.

PSNI targeted as Continuity IRA holds commemoration

A device detonated inside a litter bin in the Kilwilkie estate in Lurgan, County Armagh, last Saturday close to where the PSNI were attempting to film those attending an Easter commemoration in St Colman’s cemetery.

Creggan family assaulted

The PSNI police have been accused of mounting a “vicious unprovoked attack” on a young family in the Creggan in Derry last week.

MI5 faces legal action over information ‘shake-down’

A young County Tyrone man is to sue MI5 after attempts were made to recruit him as an informer while working in England.

Loyalists march through republican areas without music

An early morning sectarian parade by loyalists through the republican Ardoyne passed off without incident as two nationalist groups held protests on Saturday.

Headstones of IRA heroes vandalised

Headstones and monuments at a plot maintained by Sinn Fein activists in Cork’s St Finbarr’s Cemetery on Glasheen Road were targeted by a vandal just 24 hours ahead of the party’s Easter Rising commemorations events last weekend.

Old order reasserts?

Ireland’s two largest conservative parties battled it out yesterday in a by-election count which saw the left-wing vote decimated and Fine Gael ultimately hold onto a seat thanks to a wave of sympathy for a grieving daughter.

Parties struggle to mark Easter sacrifice

The removal by British officials of a banner on the Falls Road in west Belfast advertising a planned 1916 commemoration on Easter Monday has recalled events surrounding the removal of an Irish tricolour flag almost fifty years ago, eirigi has said.

ONH raises stakes for security agenda

Breakaway IRA group Oglaigh na hEireann has claimed that a bomb abandoned in County Fermanagh last weekend was intended to target the hotel hosting British Prime Minister David Cameron and other world leaders attending June’s G8 summit.

Parishioners told ‘stay away’ as loyalists parade past church

North Belfast nationalists are expected to defy a ban on holding a protest outside a Catholic church during one of the biggest sectarian parades of the year.

Cost of ‘touts’ hits record level

A record amount of money has been paid out to informers in the past year, according to new figures.

Liam Campbell bailed as ‘Real IRA’ cases proceed

A former member of the Real IRA’s ruling army council has just been released from the jail where he was held for four years during a lengthy extradition battle.

Apology but no answers

The family of a man with special needs shot dead by British soldiers in County Armagh almost 40 years ago have said an apology from the British government is not enough.

Loyalists target St Patrick’s Day events

Loyalist ‘flag protestors’ set upon St Patrick’s Day celebrations in Belfast city on Sunday evening before engaging in a full-blown riot.

Noonan linked to Cyprus ‘tithe’

Sinn Fein Finance Spokesperson Pearse Doherty has said the Dublin government is complicit in a disastrous attempt by the European Union to expropriate up to 10% of the savings of some of the EU’s poorest citizens.

Meath East could herald new electoral dynamics

Voting takes place this Wednesday for the Meath East by-election. A total of eleven candidates are to contest the seat previously held by the late Fine Gael Minister of State, Shane McEntee.

Donaldson inquest adjourned for 11th time

After nearly seven years and 11 attempts to find out the truth, the inquest into the killing of senior Sinn Fein member turned MI5 informer Denis Donaldson is on hold again.

Boost for US campaign to legalise the Irish

There are renewed hopes for the undocumented Irish in the US after President Barack Obama made positive comments on the issue at the annual St Patrick’s Day shamrock ceremony in Washington.

Civil rights denied in Derry

The 32 County Sovereignty Movement (32CSM) has reacted angrily after three of its members in Derry were arrested Wednesday and charged with “terrorist offenses” for having participated in a peaceful ceremony last year to commemorate the 1916 Easter Rising.

Glengormley terror after loyalists attack Irish flags

There were brief but intense clashes north of Belfast last weekend when loyalists invaded a nationalist area to tear down Irish flags and symbols and then left a bomb outside a Catholic church.

Oglaigh na hEireann escalate campaign

Breakaway IRA group Oglaigh na hEireann (ONH) has claimed responsibility for a bomb attack on the PSNI police on the northern outskirts of Belfast on Saturday night.

‘Whistle blower’ TD condemned in corruption furore

An independent member of the Dublin parliament has admitted that he availed of a backroom process by which prominent public figures and other well connected individuals can avoid motoring offence penalties in the 26 Counties.

Frazer bailed as Bryson enters UVF wing

In contrasting developments, one high-profile loyalist flags protest leader has received bail after claiming to suffer from terminal cancer, while another has moved into the UVF paramilitary landing of Maghaberry Prison.

Protest against social injustice on St Patrick’s Day

The deepening social inequality in both parts of Ireland is being highlighted as the island’s political leaders are again jetted off to exotic destinations for the annual St Patrick’s Day celebrations.

‘Infiltrated’ claims follow mortar bid

An attack apparently planned by the ‘new IRA’ against the PSNI’s Strand Road base in Derry bore the hallmarks of a similar attack in 1991 by the Provisional IRA on Downing Street, according to security experts in the North.

Robinson attacks police, judges

The First Minister and DUP leader Peter Robinson has attacked the policing and judicial system in the North after three ringleaders of the recent flags disturbances were arrested last week.

Coalition in media push ahead of Meath by-election

A two-year coalition ‘progress report’ published by the 26 County government has been described as an attempt by the coalition to give itself a ‘pat on the back’.

‘Broken promises’ to republican prisoners

Republican Sinn Fein have said that promises of a breakthrough in ending full-body strip-searching of prisoners in Maghaberry jail in County Antrim “have come to nought” following the announcement last month that the electronic scanning machine will not now be installed in the jail.

Pressure mounts for Price’s release

Fermanagh District Council has passed a motion calling for the immediate release of interned political activist Marian Price. It agreed to write to the current British Direct Ruler, Theresa Villiers, calling for her release.

DUP finds offence in Korean concept car

The DUP has drawn international amusement and scorn after claiming to be offended by the name given to a proposed new car by Korean manufacturer Kia.

Molloy retains Mid-Ulster seat for Sinn Fein

Sinn Fein’s Francie Molloy has won the Mid Ulster by-election to fill the seat at Westminster vacated by the party’s Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness.

PSNI finally acts

Two prominent loyalists and a British right-wing extremist have been arrested and charged in the first action so far against the alleged ringleaders of the recent disturbances in Belfast and across the North.

Unionists out to stop Sinn Féin ‘walk in the park’

A television debate planned as the climax of the Mid-Ulster by-election campaign went awry this week with only two of the four candidates attending.

Omagh victims seek judicial review

Relatives of the Omagh bomb victims are launching a legal action in a bid to force the Dublin and London governments into granting a full cross-border inquiry into the horror.

‘Warhead’ revealed as abandoned rocket

PSNI press officers grabbed international headlines this week when they declared they had found a “warhead” in west Belfast.

Arrest of Armagh republican condemned

The arrest of a prominent South Armagh republican this week was described by Sinn Féin as an act of “political policing”.

Hunger striker close to death

Today marks the anniversary of the start of the 1981 Long Kesh hunger strike against the criminalisation of republican policical prisoners. Another prisoner who has followed the same path is Samer Issawi.

Bryson ‘on the run’ after abortive PSNI arrest

Jamie Bryson, one of the key organisers of the recent flag “protests”, is being described as on the run tonight after the PSNI police said they were seeking to question him.

New pay ‘deal’ declared despite trade union walkout

The Dublin government has today announced a ‘deal’ on 26-County public sector pay despite four major trade unions walking out of negotiations last night.

Orangemen ‘can march at will’

The Protestant marching orders have said they can simply bypass the Parades Commission in the future after loyalist flags protestors held scores of parades last month without any approval.

PSNI force cancellation of soccer derby

The PSNI police combined with loyalists to force the postponement of a key Belfast soccer match last weekend.

Stark figures reveal deprivation and discrimination

More than four in ten children in West Belfast are living in poverty, it has emerged.

Taoiseach to address internment issue

The 26-County Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said he will raise Marian Price’s plight in Maghaberry prison when he meets the British Prime Minister David Cameron early next month.

Justice for family of Eileen Doherty

A loyalist killer was jailed for life last week after a judge convicted him of the sectarian murder of a Catholic teenager.

Concerns at British plan to despoil Irish midlands

British and Irish ministers have signed an agreement that could see the world’s largest wind turbines built across the Irish midlands.

Kenny finally apologises for Magdalene laundries

After an initially dismissive response to the McAleese report on the Magdalene laundries, 26-County Taoiseach Enda Kenny has fully apologised to those who were incarcerated in the unofficial women’s prisons.

UUP in meltdown

Two senior figures have quit the Ulster Unionist Party and are set to form a rival political organisation after a row with party leader and former television presenter Mike Nesbitt suddenly erupted into a full party split.

Ardoyne man returns to political spotlight

An incident involving senior republican Sean Kelly caused a furore this week when he was arrested but swiftly released in connection with an apparent ‘punishment attack’ in north Belfast.

Relief for families as inquests to proceed

Over 20 inquests into controversial killings by British and pro-British forces in the north of Ireland can proceed after a suspension on the probes was lifted this week.

Unions hold giant protests, but significance questioned

On Saturday February 9, up to 100,000 people took to the streets of the 26 Counties in a display of mass opposition to austerity, with demonstrations taking place in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Sligo, Galway and Waterford.

Anti-Irish racism reported on the increase

Irish community activists in Britain have sought high-level political discussions following an increase in attacks on Irish events by far-right organisations and loyalists.

Frazer suggests republican horsemeat cheats behind attack

Loyalist hardliner Willie Frazer has blamed “criminal elements in the republican movement” after his car was set on fire last weekend.

A legacy of debt

Public demonstrations are to be held around the 26 Counties tomorrow (Saturday) to demand a fairer deal on the state’s banking crisis, which will now leave taxpayers paying €60 billion for one bank alone.

Kenny expected to make full apology to Magdalene women

The survivors of the Magdalene laundries have demanded a meeting with the Taoiseach after a report showed the state had heavy involvement in the unofficial detention centres.

Loyalist violence in Belfast and Antrim

There have been a series of attacks against Catholic church goers in County Antrim.

Detentions fuelling prison crisis

Overcrowding in the North’s jails has reached a crisis point with the prison population at its highest in three decades.

Judge’s frustration at inquest hearing delays

The British ministry of defence has uncovered up to 100 new documents linked to the police investigation into the UVF murder of a Catholic pensioner in 1994.

Acknowledging grief and trauma

Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams clarifies his apology last week for the death of Garda Jerry McCabe in 1996.

Emergency legislation on bank debt rushed through Dáil

After a wretched day for the Dublin government, the Fine Gael/Labour coalition has this morning forced emergency legislation through the Dáil to liquidate the Irish Bank Resolution Corp, formerly the failed Anglo Irish Bank.

State involved in Magdalene laundry workhouses - report

An offical report has found the 26 County state was heavily involved in the religious-run workhouses known as the Magdalene laundries.

‘A moment in history’

The funeral of Dolours Price on Monday was a seminal event for Irish republicans as they paid their last respects to an IRA heroine.

Apology puts Adams on defensive

An ill-advised apology by Gerry Adams for the death of Garda Jerry McCabe in County Limerick 17 years ago has created a storm of controversy and left the Sinn Féin leader battling with condemnation from political rivals and demands to apologise for other actions during the conflict.

Union has ‘never been stronger’ as flags protests abate

The British Direct Ruler Theresa Villiers has said loyalist flags protestors are wrong to believe that Britishness in the north of Ireland is being “eroded” and condemned them for “dishonouring our flag”.

CIRA claims attack on undercover troops

The Continuity IRA has said that its members fired on British soldiers engaged in an undercover operation in County Armagh.

Injustice as journalists’s killers go free

The family, friends and former colleagues of respected journalist Martin O’Hagan have been “shocked and devastated” at the decision of Crown prosecutors not to pursue a prosecution against a loyalist gang for the 2001 murder.

Seven families see progress

There have been a number of positive developments in regard to historical cases this week. We detail seven cases in which families are coming closer to securing justice.

Gerry McGeough freed

Political prisoner Gerry McGeough has been released from Maghaberry Prison after serving two years of his sentence for his part in an IRA action more than 30 years ago.

Marian Price refused parole to attend sister’s funeral

The family of Marian Price have been told this evening that her application for compassionate parole following the tragic death of her sister Dolours has been refused.

A tragic loss

The passing of Dolours Price, a republican legend, has come as a deep shock to the entire community, regardless of politics or allegiance.

Police deal with UVF, UDA brings change in protest dynamics

Loyalists engaged in illegal flag protests are facing the threat of arrest this week for the first time since the disturbances began.

Britain rules out border poll ‘diversion’

The British Direct Ruler Theresa Villiers has dismissed nationalist calls for a border poll on Irish unity, saying political attention was “better focused elsewhere”.

Suicides spike as mental health budgets are cut

The rate of suicide among young people in Ireland is one of the highest in Europe, new figures show, with the rate even higher in the Six Counties area.

Spooks at work in Ireland, England, France

A Derry man has revealed how he was approached at a French airport by two men who identified themselves as members of MI5. Another man has said he was recently approached to become an informer by the PSNI in Derry, while another reported recruitment bid took place recently in Manchester.

Death of Inez McCormack

Tributes have been paid to Inez McCormack, a key supporter of the MacBride principles on fair employment, who died this week aged 69 following a battle with cancer.

Dolours Price dies

Veteran republican Dolours Price, sister of Irish political prisoner Marian Price, has died.

Short Strand stands unbroken

The Short Strand, a small working class nationalist and republican enclave of less than 3,000 men, women and children, has come under a renewed siege in the past week by violent loyalists.

Talks seek to end flag ‘protests’

New efforts to end the flag riots in the North of Ireland have seen church leaders and even loyalist paramilitary figures take the lead in seeking an end to the violence.

Freedom refused even as guilty verdict overturned

A terminally ill Derry man has experienced elation and heartbreak this week after an appeal court in Belfast quashed his controversial conviction for the 2009 Real IRA attack on the Massereene British Army base -- only to order a retrial, while refusing him bail.

UVF men signed up by media as threats ignored

The media coverage of the flag protests and riots is being increasingly called into question after members of the UVF were seen to act as guides for some members of the international media covering the flags protests.

Border poll campaign launches this weekend

Sinn Féin is to hold a major conference in Dublin this weekend to launch the party’s campaign for a Border poll.

Goodman, Tesco accused in horsemeat scandal

Britain’s Tesco retail chain store has been linked to factories manufacturing and selling beefburgers in Ireland containing a high percentage of horsemeat.

Brian Shivers’ conviction overturned

A terminally ill man jailed for a Real IRA attack on a British Army base has had his conviction overturned.

Loyalists in surprise attack on Short Strand

A sudden attack on the small nationalist enclave of the Short Strand tonight saw the homes of elderly residents set ablaze and a group of adults with special needs come under petrol bomb attack.

PSNI blamed as loyalists attack Short Strand

A flags protest at Belfast City Hall swiftly degenerated into violence this afternoon after a unionist mob charged towards a nationalist enclave in east Belfast, attacking homes and launching into hours of intense riots.

Intense rioting as flags protests continue

img alt="burningbusflags.jpg" src="http://republican-news.org/current/news/burningbusflags.jpg" width="220" height="123" class="mt-image-left" style="float: left; margin: 0 20px 10px 0;" /> Plastic bullets were fired and water cannons were used as rioting erupted early this evening at loyalist flags protests.

Garda pact with loyalist ‘idiot’

A deal between the 26 County Garda police and arch-loyalist Willie Frazer for a secret protest in Dublin has been revealed -- just hours after Frazer said he would not condemn an assassination attempt on the life of Six County Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness.

Price’s internment opposed at Derry courthouse

Legal proceedings against Marian Price were adjourned on Wednesday at Derry’s Magistrate’s Court after District Judge, Mr Barney McElholm said he would have to take advice from medical professionals regarding the republican prisoner’s fitness to appear.

Pan-unionism hailed as forum meets

Unionist political leaders have said they are willing to hold talks with loyalist murder gangs about increasingly violent flag protests.

Students starved by new grants requirements

Hundreds of Irish students have been forced to accept free food boxes because they cannot afford to eat, it has emerged.

Omagh case to go before European court

Two senior republicans are seeking to go before the European Court of Human Rights in a bid to overturn a ruling that they were liable for the Omagh bombing.

Furore over hunger-strike art

A row has erupted in the Irish midlands over an artwork featuring messages written by republican hunger strikers in Long Kesh Prison.

Third night of loyalist riots, shots fired

A loyalist gunman opened fire tonight in east Belfast as three nights of rioting by the paramilitary UVF escalated. Tonight again saw attacks against both the PSNI police and residents of the nationalist Short Strand enclave.

Unionist aggression

Unionists and loyalists angered by the removal of the British Union Jack flag above Belfast City Hall are increasingly turning to violence and threats as their protests fail to deliver any progress.

PSNI targeted in three bomb incidents

A member of the PSNI police discovered a potential bomb under his vehicle in east Belfast last Sunday afternoon, and republican militants are believed to be responsible.

Loyalist crime wave in the Antrim glens

A loyalist paramilitary gang is engaged in a spate of attacks in the Glens of Antrim, with little interest shown by the police, according to Sinn Féin.

‘Sinister approach’ to man as he worked

A Newry tradesman has been the subject of a failed PSNI attempt to recruit informers, according to the socialist republican party, eirigi. The latest such incident occurred just before Christmas.

Martin McGuinness resigns from Westminster seat

Sinn Féin’s Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness has been awarded an English aristocratic title in order to secure his resignation as an MP, it has been confirmed.

HET report challenged

The mother of a Belfast teenager is seeking a judicial review into the police inquiry into his death at the hands of the British Army in 1972.

British sought hunger strike 'capitulation'

Official records have revealed that the British government had a plan to ‘brainwash’ Long Kesh hunger strikers to end their protest individually.

Corey’s bail order overturned

British Direct Ruler Theresa Villiers has won a legal bid to continue the internment of veteran republican Martin Corey.

PSNI target Christmas celebrations

A County Derry Sinn Fein councillor has accused the PSNI police of harassment after his brother’s house was raided on Christmas Eve, while the family of an eirigi activist were kept apart for the holiday by bizarre bail demands.

Flags tension dissipates

Protests by loyalists and hardline unionists on the issue of flying the British flag at Belfast City Hall have sharply decreased in size and number.

Coalition targets internet critics

The 26-County government has been accused of planning to introduce censorship and free speech ‘chilling’ measures following the tragic death last week of Fine Gael’s junior minister at the Department of Agriculture, Shane McEntee.

Arson attack on Catholic church

A Catholic priest has urged those responsible for a suspected sectarian arson attack on his County Antrim church to leave their Catholic neighbours in peace.

Loughinisland report quashed

The report of the former police ombudsman into the murder of six men in the Loughinisland massacre has been scrapped after a court hearing on their judicial review.

Fresh loyalist disturbances underway

Loyalists are again attempting to bring the North to a standstill this evening with road closures in Belfast and across the north.

Family’s nightmare as retrial expected in ‘Micky Bo’ murder

A retrial is to be sought in the case of three Ballymena men whose convictions were quashed this week for the 2006 sectarian murder of Catholic teenager Michael McIlveen.

Progress seen in Bloody Sunday justice campaign

The Bloody Sunday families have welcomed news that former British soldiers may finally be questioned by the PSNI as part of a murder investigation into the killings.

Pan-unionism returns as Stormont flags talks stall

Multi-party talks on the flags issue at Stormont have been suspended until next year following an announcement that a forum to unite different forces within unionism has been organised.

Family of UDA ‘romper room’ victim seek answers

The family of a Catholic murder victim are calling for a new investigation into his death amid claims that his killers were informers protected by the police and British intelligence.

Clashes follow traffic chaos in Belfast

Trouble broke out tonight in several areas after Belfast was again brought to a standstill by groups of loyalists demanding the return of the British flag on Belfast City Hall.

Spin and shadows

Most of the 500-page review of the 1989 murder of Belfast defence lawyer Pat Finucane released this week has been heavily censored “in the interests of state security”, the Finucane family has been told.

PSNI facilitating loyalist roadblocks

The failure of the PSNI to move small numbers of loyalists from busy public roads has brought Belfast and nearby towns to a halt for several hours at a time this week during some the busiest days of the year.

Unionists feud in flags blame-game

The former Ulster Unionist First Minister David Trimble has accused DUP leader Peter Robinson of cynically stoking tensions over the flying of the Union flag at Belfast City Hall in order to win back his parliamentary seat in its former East Belfast stronghold from the Alliance Party.

Nationalists arrested amid loyalist disorder

A PSNI operation against the nationalist residents of Ardoyne has heightened tension at a time when the Six-County police have openly facilitated loyalist roadblocks and disturbances.

Labour party in crisis

The chairman of the 26-County Labour Party Colm Keaveney has called for a special party conference amid upheaval within the organisation, founded by Irish socialist heroes James Connolly and Jim Larkin, over its support for a swingeing right-wing Fine Gael budget.

Protestants decline as ‘Northern Irish’ are tallied

The Protestant population is continuing to fall with the gap between the two religious traditions narrowing further.

Finucane family reject de Silva report

The widow of murdered Belfast defence lawyer Pat Finucane today dismissed the report into his death by British barrister Desmond de Silva as “a sham” and “a whitewash”

Cameron admits collusion, denies conspiracy in Finucane murder

The British Prime Minister has admitted the assassination of Pat Finucane was “an appalling crime” which involved three state agents, the RUC police and the British Army, but he has stopped short of ordering a public inquiry.

Unionism in ‘identity crisis’ as violence expands

The leaders of the two main unionist parties held urgent meetings on the unionist identity tonight following a week of violence and disorder in the North of Ireland.

Unionist intimidation and violence continue

Trouble has broken out again in Belfast this evening after more than a thousand loyalists, including a number of masked paramilitaries, marched to the city centre to demand the Union Jack flag be reinstated year-round atop Belfast City Hall.

Bigots turn against Alliance

A wave of unionist violence and intimidation has followed a vote in the Belfast City Council on Monday to sharply reduce the number of days the British Union Jack flag flies over the City Hall.

Unionists seeking flags ‘revenge’

Unionist politicians are to try to turn the tables after a vote to reduce the flying of the British Union Jack flag above Belfast City Hall -- with a motion that the ‘Butcher’s Apron’ flies 365 days a year above Stormont, the seat of the Six County Assembly.

Politics behind decision to charge éirígí activist

The PSNI has been accused of “a crude attempt at political censorship” after Newry-based eirigi representative Stephen Murney was remanded without bail on charges that he had information “likely to be of use to terrorists”.

Carers’ nightmare after cruel coalition budget

The inequity and sheer viciousness of the Dublin government’s Budget for 2013 has come as a shock to the Irish public.

Emergency heart procedure for Gerry McGeough

Fears over the health of jailed former Sinn Fein Ard Chomhairle member Gerry McGeough have grown after he was removed for emergency heart treatment last week.

Unionists urged to attend Irish constitutional convention

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams has urged unionists to reconsider an invitation to join the 26-County constitutional convention.

Horrific Budget for poor, elderly, students, workers

There were scuffles this evening between protestors and 26-County Garda police at the Dublin parliament following arguably the harshest budget in living memory.

Loyalists slash guard, storm City Hall over Belfast flag vote

A loyalist mob which had gathered outside Belfast City Hall this evening erupted into violence following a vote to limit the days on which the British Union Jack flag flies above the building.

éirígí under attack

Republican socialist group éirigí is being subjected to a concerted smear campaign following the arrest of one of its members this week.

Hopes increase for Maghaberry resolution

The remaining block of republican prisoners have ended their protest in Maghaberry prison after getting what they say was a “goodwill gesture” from Six-County justice minister David Ford.

15,000 march in pre-Budget demonstration

The Dublin government’s fiscal ‘kite flying’ season is well and truly underway ahead of next month’s annual 26-County Budget announcement.

‘End impunity’ for Bloody Sunday killings

A number of relatives of those murdered by British paratroopers on Bloody Sunday say they will continue to march until those responsible for the 1972 massacre are held to account.

Price family condemns Parole Commissioners delay

The family of Marian Price has said it is “appalled” at what it says are deliberate delays by the Parole Commission in reviewing her case.

No protest against small loyalist march

Nationalist residents have asked the Apprentice Boys why they intend to hold a parade past St Patrick’s Church in Belfast involving just 25 people.

CIRA prisoners suspend Maghaberry protest

A statement was issued today by republican prisoners aligned to the Continuity IRA on Roe 3 in Maghaberry jail, suspending their protests at the County Antrim jail from Monday.

A prisoner initiative

A decision by a group of 22 prisoners on Maghaberry’s Roe 4 landing to call off their ‘dirty’ [no-wash] protest to facilitate talks on a solution to the prison crisis has been welcomed by politicians in the North.

Inquiry fiasco adds to Savita controversy

The Dublin government has been forced to organise a second inquiry into the death of a pregnant woman at University College Hospital Galway (UCHG) after it drew international condemnation for the profoundly incompetent manner in which it constituted the first.

Global power-brokers to get Irish ‘welcome’

An announcement by British Prime Minister, David Cameron, that a G8 summit of the leaders of world powers will be held in June next year in County Fermanagh has seen contrasting responses from Irish republicans.

Inquest families granted judicial review

The families of a number of civilians killed by the British Crown forces won the first round this week in a legal battle over a decision to suspend their inquests.

Family challenges PSNI’s refusal to investigate

Systematic and repeated failures by the PSNI police led to the murder of a Catholic teenager in north Belfast, a new investigation into the shooting has revealed.

Sinn Fein praised for progressive budget alternative

Expenditure and taxation proposals for the 26 Counties unveiled by Sinn Féin this week have presented a serious challenge to the Dublin government’s own plans ahead of its annual budget announcements early next month.

Maghaberry prisoners end protest

A statement was issued today by the group of protesting prisoners on Roe 4 landing in Maghaberry prison, announcing the end of their current protest action

The liquidation of Gaza?

Israel is feared to be planning a scorched-earth invasion of the besieged Palestinian enclave of Gaza after days of heavy bombardment reduced large areas of the territory to rubble and killed dozens of men, women and children.

British state security ‘threatened by inquests’

New inquests into the deaths of a number of nationalists killed by British Crown forces in the north of Ireland have been blocked on the grounds that the security of the British state may be implicated.

Coalisland man ‘records recruitment bid’

An attempt by Special Branch police to recruit a republican as an informer has been captured on camera for the first time, it is believed.

Famine Song played again near interface

A sectarian song banned in Scotland was played by loyalists in their latest march past a church which has become the focal point of unionist intimidation of Catholics in north Belfast.

Finucane family address review claims

A British declaration that a review into the murder of high-profile Belfast defence lawyer Pat Finucane will reveal substantial new information on his assassination have been dismissed by his family.

Sinn Féin calls for ‘X’ case legislation

Sinn Féin is to bring forward a motion before the 26 County parliament that seeks to prevent pregnant women falling into a medical and legislative limbo, such as that which led to the death of Galway dentist Savita Halappanavar last month.

Death of pregnant woman reopens Irish abortion debate

The death of a woman who was 17 weeks pregnant at University Hospital Galway last month has created a storm of protest after it emerged that a potentially life-saving termination of her miscarrying pregnancy had been refused.

Statement claims responsibility for attack

A statement has been issued in the name of the IRA, claiming responsibility for the attack on a prison warder earlier this month.

Children’s referendum passes by 57% to 43%

The children’s referendum passed narrowly on a near-record low turnout in counting today, but the unconvincing manner of the victory has added to doubts over the validity of the result.

Politics and policing collide

Padraic Wilson, a former leader of IRA prisoners at Long Kesh jail and now a senior Sinn Féin figure, was released on bail on Tuesday after the party strongly protested a court decision to remand him on IRA membership charges.

Duffy to challenge ongoing PSNI harassment

Lurgan republican Colin Duffy is to sue the PSNI for unlawful arrest after a judge ordered his release from custody following his latest detention last week.

Prisoner beaten at Maghaberry

A republican prisoner has sustained multiple injuries in what was described as a “savage” attack by prison warders at Maghaberry Prison.

‘Arrogant’ government provokes constitutional crisis

The validity of Saturday’s constitutional referendum on child protection has been put in doubt after the Supreme Court ruled that information provided by the 26 County government was biased and misleading.

Sinn Féin calls for release of Price, McGeough

Sinn Féin party president Gerry Adams and Six-County Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness have written to US political leaders urging them to support calls to free Marian Price from prison.

Border poll campaign heads to USA

Sinn Féin’s campaign for a border poll is to intensify next year, party president Gerry Adams has said.

Maghaberry crisis turns fatal

The shooting of a senior British prison official has drawn attention to the conflict in the north of Ireland and the increasingly bitter dispute over the treatment of republican prisoners at Maghaberry jail.

Finucane report to be vetted by MI5

A British government “security check” on a new report into the murder of Belfast defence lawyer Pat Finucane by British agents has further undermined the credibility of the document.

Eirigi man gets PSNI death threat

Members of the PSNI police in Newry have made a direct threat to kill a prominent member of the republican socialist party eirigi, the party said this week.

Reports highlight Irish wealth extremes

News that members of the Dublin government have awarded themselves over 36 million euro of pension entitlements has highlighted the growing inequality between the ‘L’Oreal’ generation and the lost generation of Irish society.

Orange Order breach parade ruling yet again

The anti-Catholic Orange Order has admitted it again acted illegally in breaking a Parades Commission ruling during its latest march past St Patrick’s Church in Belfast.

British troops attacked the Four Courts - memoir

British Army artillery crews were used to bombard the Four Courts in Dublin in the opening battle of the Irish Civil War, according to a recently unearthed memoir.

Maghaberry prison warder shot dead

A prison warder has died in an apparent IRA attack on his way to Maghaberry prison today.

Internment by deception

A County Tyrone republican has lashed out at the justice system in the North of Ireland after charges against him and four others were quietly dropped by Crown prosecutors this week -- after more than 14 months held without bail at Maghaberry prison.

PSNI attacked as tensions continue

The PSNI said one of its patrols was targeted in an attack in Poleglass, on the outskirts of west Belfast, on Thursday evening.

Judge orders continuation of Price’s detention

After almost 18 months interned without trial, a court in Derry has insisted that Irish political activist Marian Price should remain incarcerated despite the evidence of prison and UN doctors that she is unfit to stand trial.

New investigation into PSNI collusion with UVF

A decision by the Police Ombudsman to investigate allegations of collusion between the PSNI and the unionist paramilitary UVF has been welcomed.

Politicians clash over republicanism, reconciliation

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams has said that the attainment of Irish unity through reconciliation would represent the “big democratic phase” of his party’s struggle as he and Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin clashed over the mantle of constitutional Irish nationalism this week.

British ‘blacklist’ confirmed

British spy agency MI5 investigated Irish construction workers in England during the 1970s through a bogus consulting company and had them blacklisted with major employers as a result, it has emerged.

Kenny says ‘No’

The 26-County Taoiseach Enda Kenny has ruled out any political moves towards a united Ireland by 2016, the centenary of the Easter Rising, despite a historic step towards Scottish independence this week.

Loyalists to march past church once again

The anti-Catholic Orange Order is to hold yet another march past St Patrick’s Catholic Church in Belfast, despite again failing to talk to the nearby Carrick Hill residents’ group.

RUC killer testifies

The man who shot Pearse Jordan dead has finally given evidence at his inquest, despite having previously refused to take part in proceedings for nearly a decade.

North-South body meets

The first meeting of the North-South Inter-Parliamentary Association has been held, over 14 years after it was planned as part of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.

Judicial review for shoot-to-kill inquest

The family of one of two IRA Volunteers shot dead by the British Army’s ‘elite’ SAS unit has won permission to challenge an inquest verdict that the killings were justified.

Cash windfall for Apprentice Boys

More than two million pounds worth of financial assistance has been granted to a sectarian marching organisation from the European Union’s PEACE III programme.

The Burnings 2012

A Catholic mother and her three children narrowly escaped being burned to death today following a loyalist attack.

Charity shamed over link to killer regiment

An Irish children’s charity has been inundated with complaints after it engaged a unit of a murderous British Army regiment to take part in a charity fundraiser.

Amnesty concern over British torture cover-up

There have been calls for a full investigation into cases of torture, including waterboarding, by members of the RUC and British army in Ireland during the 1970s.

IRA membership case immersed in legal quagmire

Four west Belfast nationalists facing charges of membership of the Provisional IRA have been named by a court in Belfast -- after almost three months of legal wrangling.

Ballymurphy campaign lobby Tory conference

Families of the 10 men and one woman killed by the British Army’s Parachute Regiment in Ballymurphy in Belfast during the early days of internment in August 1971 have demanded a Hillsborough style investigation.

Abortion clinic opens in Belfast

The opening this week of a private abortion clinic in Belfast, the first of its kind in Ireland, has been given a mixed reaction.

Austerity protests multiply

A number of protests took place in Dublin this week as the 26-County government faced a mounting corruption scandal and a wave of anger over policies which favour the wealthy over the poor.

Orange law paraded in Belfast

There have been calls for the Parades Commission to be scrapped after legally-binding restrictions on the giant Ulster Covenant parade were again ignored by Orangemen and loyalist bands on Saturday.

More ex-RUC hired by the PSNI

More than 1,000 senior members of the notorious RUC police who left the force as part of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement have been rehired, it has emerged.

Dirty protest at Justice Minister’s HQ

A protest over prison conditions in Maghaberry prison has seen horse manure thrown at the Belfast headquarters of the Alliance Party.

PSNI declare ‘no risk’ to McIntyre over tapes

A High Court bid to prevent the PSNI police taking possession of confidential academic interviews with a former IRA Volunteer has been refused after a PSNI member said there was no increased threat to the interviewer.

Europe is in open revolt

A general strike in Greece, massive protests by the indignados in Spain, public transport strikes in Portugal (and Spain), and industrial action by aluminium, steel and public sector workers in Italy headlined this week.

Kilkenny win all-Ireland final replay

The normal order in Irish hurling was restored in Croke Park this afternoon when Kilkenny won the all-Ireland hurling final replay thanks to another stunning performance by veteran Henry Shefflin over a luckless Galway side, who never quite gained enough altitude to threaten the serial champions.

No violence at Covenant march

One of the biggest unionist parades in decades passed off without disorder in Belfast today.

Anger at Covenant ruling

Nationalist residents of north Belfast have said they are “bewildered” by a decision of the Parades Commission to permit a giant unionist parade to march past St Patrick’s Church in Belfast and the Carrick Hill interface on Saturday, with only the lightest of restrictions.

Dolours Price, Gerry Adams clash over IRA claims

Republican veteran Dolours Price has accused Sinn Fein’s Gerry Adams of “betraying” the republican cause.

Hunger protest ends as prisoners await transfer

A hunger fast by four Tyrone men at Maghaberry seeking to be housed alongside other republican prisoners in the jail has ended following developments inside and outside the prison.

RUC ‘ignored death threats’

The RUC police did not do enough to prevent the loyalist paramilitary murders of two men in County Tyrone 20 years ago, a report has said.

Marian Price unable to attend court

Interned political activist Marian Price is reported to have suffered another lung infection, preventing her from receiving a complicating treatment for her arthritis. She was unable to communicate with her legal team ahead of a court hearing this week.

Call it ‘Northern Ireland’ - Robinson

Nationalists have dismissed claims by DUP leader Peter Robinson that the union is “more secure” than ever as political tensions escalated ahead of the centenary of the Ulster Covenant.

Dublin govt weakened by shock resignation

The Minister of State at the Department of Health Roisin Shortall has resigned in a row over political interference in the siting of new healthcare facilities.

Donegal win all-Ireland football final

Donegal have won the All-Ireland football final with considerable skill and resilience at Croke Park this afternoon, raising the Sam Maguire Cup for the first time since 1992.

‘The IRA is gone’ - Adams

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams has condemned so-called ‘dissidents’ in Dublin despite a rally in the city last weekend which saw hundreds of republicans of all hues unite to march in support of interned political activist Marian Price.

Sinn Féin backs SDLP motion on McCausland

A joint effort by the two main nationalist parties in the North to seek to exclude unionist extremist Nelson McCausland from holding a Ministerial position for three months is being seen as a potentially significant development.

Notorious LVF paramilitary released

A unionist paramilitary killer, jailed for shooting dead a Catholic teenager as she slept, has been freed early.

Court blocks identification of RUC killer

The identity of a former RUC sergeant who fired the shots that killed unarmed Pearse Jordan 20 years ago will not be revealed at his inquest, a court has ruled.

Record emigration amid government ‘dysfunction’

Almost 40,000 are leaving Ireland each year as a result of the continuing decline in the 26 County economy, bringing Irish emigration to its highest level since the famine.

Children’s referendum to go ahead

The 26-County Government has said the referendum on the proposed new 31st amendment of the Constitution, giving the State increased powers to take children into care, will take place on Saturday, November 10.

Reprisal raids follow Ryan funeral

The 26 County police have carried out a wave of raids and arrests following a large IRA funeral in Dublin for Alan Ryan.

DUP man to oversee Long Kesh ‘redevelopment’

A member of the hardline unionist DUP is to take the helm of a body tasked with overseeing the conversion of the former site of Long Kesh prison, including the demolition of most or all of the world-famous H-Blocks.

No sign of Covenant march talks

No consultations have yet taken place with residents of a nationalist area which 20,000 members of the anti-Catholic Orange Order and thousands more supporters are due to parade past later this month.

Court finds British Army interrogations were illegal

Hundreds of people could be in line for compensation after a British military document revealed that the British army continued to interrogate suspects it had captured, despite being banned from doing so.

Failed attempt to recruit Newry man

Covert undercover British operatives are actively spying on eirigi’s Newry spokesperson Stephen Murney, it has emerged.

Legal actions continue against PSNI bid to seize interviews

The case of the Boston College IRA tapes is to go before the US Supreme Court as the British authorities continue their efforts to investigate those allegedly named in the interviews as IRA member

All-Ireland final ends in a draw

A spectacular All-Ireland hurling final between Galway and Kilkenny ended this afternoon in a draw, ensuring a replay in three weeks time.

A first step

The most senior of the Protestant marching organisations has taken the unprecedented step of apologising to the clergy and parishioners of the Catholic St Patrick’s Church after three nights of march-related violence in north Belfast.

Republican activist shot dead by criminals

The 32 County Sovereignty Movement has paid tribute to former political prisoner Alan Ryan who was brutally shot down by a hired hitman in Dublin earlier this week.

Hunger strike at Maghaberry

Four remand prisoners at Maghaberry jail have commenced a hunger strike for their right to be recognised as republican political prisoners.

Britain admits miscarriage of justice

The conviction of former Sinn Féin publicity director Danny Morrison and others entrapped by IRA informer Sandy Lynch and Freddie Scappaticci have been deemed a miscarriage of justice.

Warning over UVF influence on marches

Sinn Féin’s Gerry Kelly has warned that loyalists have become the “spokespersons for the Protestant marching Orders when it comes to parading issues in North Belfast”.

Chaos reigns in health cuts shambles

Controversial 26-County Health Minister James Reilly was shamed into a U-turn on cuts to personal assistant services for the disabled after disabled people and their carers gathered in protest -- but he quickly seized funds which had been earmarked for the mentally ill.

Paterson replaced as British Direct Ruler

Theresa Villiers MP is to replace Owen Paterson as Britain’s Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

UVF attack republican event in Belfast

A commemoration for the Protestant republican Henry Joy McCracken, the founder of the United Irishmen, was attacked by a loyalist mob this evening, triggering a wave of rioting in north Belfast.

Churchmen lead the way

A row has developed between Protestant church leaders and the anti-Catholic loyal orders following Saturday’s Royal Black Institution march in Belfast.

Unionist figures seen behind parade trouble

With unionist politicians and loyalist figures expressing defiance despite last weekend’s trouble at the intersection of Carrick Hill and Donegall Road, fears are growing that a giant loyalist parade planned for the end of September could lead to further conflict.

Massacre bid in Coleraine

Loyalist paramilitaries sprayed bullets at the home of a man who is due to give evidence about the UDA murder of his cousin, Kevin McDaid, on Wednesday night.

Sinn Féin seeks funding for Tyrone loyalists

As nationalist residents battled with loyalist marchers and their supporters on Saturday, both the main nationalist parties have been embarrassed by news of compromising stances on the loyal orders and the marching organisations.

‘Savage’ new health cutbacks

A new round of health cuts to home help and services for high-dependency patients in the 26 Counties has provoked a furious reaction from groups working with older people and the disabled. It has also seen fresh signs of disagreement between the government coalition parties.

Ken Maginnis quits UUP

Former Ulster Unionist MP Ken Maginnis has announced his resignation from the Ulster Unionist Party amid a row over his attitude to gay men.

Clashes after loyalists, PSNI ignore Parades Commission

Trouble broke out in Belfast city centre this afternoon after a loyalist band was permitted to march past a Catholic church to the same spot where it had conducted a provocative sectarian ritual last month.

The Price of oppression

The family of interned political dissident Marian Price have hit out at the North’s prison authorities after warders refused to leave the room while the veteran republican underwent an invasive medical procedure.

UDA threat to Belfast journalist

The unionist paramilitary UDA is believed to be behind a death threat against a Belfast journalist, despite a belated denial issued on behalf of the group.

Rasharkin victim of loyalist attack arrested

A member of a County Antrim nationalist residents’ group has said the PSNI took him “off the streets” ahead of a contentious loyalist -- by arresting him over an attack on his wife’s car.

Dublin commemoration for the RIC

An attempt to rehabilitate members of pro-British police militias who brutally opposed the Irish struggle for freedom during the War of Independence has provoked outrage in the 26 Counties.

Loyalist defiance feared over RBP parade

A notorious loyalist band has called on other unionists to join it in defying a Parades Commission ruling over a contentious sectarian parade tomorrow [Saturday August 25].

Demand for genuine inquest into teen’s death

The family of a teenager shot dead by soldiers during Operation Motorman has called for a new inquest into his death.

Nationalists told: 'Stay indoors'

A Catholic pub was attacked by loyalists during a ‘feeder’ Apprentice Boys parade in County Down last week -- but the DUP has said there would have been no violence if nationalists had stayed indoors.

Price handcuffed during hospital switch

A lawyer acting for internee Marian Price has accused the Six County prison authorities of being “inhumane” after she was handcuffed while travelling in an ambulance between two Belfast hospitals.

PSNI slammed for child riot propaganda

The PSNI has been strongly criticised for making absurd claims that children as young as seven were involved in petrol bomb attacks in Derry.

Villagers concerned as parade tensions escalate

There have been fears that a loyalist parade through the strongly nationalist village of Rasharkin in County Antrim this evening could provoke disorder.

Campaign for Kelly’s bar inquiry

The police ombudsman Michael Maguire has been asked to investigate a bombing and shooting incident of the early years of the recent conflict that bears strong similarities to the McGurk’s bar atrocity.

Irish athletes cheered by large crowds

Ireland’s Olympians for 2012, including gold medal winner Katie Taylor, were welcomed home like heroes on Dawson Street in Dublin on Wednesday.

Serious clashes over internment bonfires

A 13-year-old girl was among those arrested after the PSNI attacked nationalist anti-internment bonfires this week.

Sinister agenda seen behind Belfast evacuation order

Securocrats have been strongly criticised for a ham-fisted attempt to evacuate over a hundred homes in west Belfast last week -- before declaring that a claimed rocket attack on a PSNI police landrover, which prompted the evacuations, had been a hoax.

Nationalist cities forced to host sectarian festivals

Concerns have been expressed over major Protestant marching season events planned for the overwhelmingly nationalist cities of Derry and Newry this month.

UUP inflames nationalists with road signs, comments

“Welcome to Northern Ireland” road signs have been provocatively raised in border areas of the North by the Ulster Unionist minister for regional development, Danny Kennedy.

Murder of West Belfast boy to be investigated

The brother of a Ballymurphy boy who was shot in the back by a British Army sniper 35 years ago has appealed for witnesses to come forward as the Historical Enquiries Team (HET) looks into his death.

British soldier’s message of hate

The SDLP has said a serving British soldier has desecrated the memory of those who died on Bloody Sunday by posting an offensive slogan on the internet.

Katie Taylor wins gold for Ireland at London Olympics

Wicklow woman Katie Taylor has won a hugely celebrated gold medal for Ireland in the 2012 Olympics this afternoon when she beat Russian Sofya Ochigava.

Price in intensive care

Interned political dissident Marian Price has contracted pneumonia, it has emerged.

ONH claims rocket attack

Following the announcement of a regrouping of the IRA last week, the Belfast-based Oglaigh na hEireann has said it carried out a gun and mortar rocket attack in west Belfast last weekend.

Arrests break out as Shell machine sinks into Mayo bog

Prominent environmental activist Willie Corduff was arrested close to where a truck carrying a 160-tonne section of a giant tunnel boring machine sank in boggy ground in north County Mayo this week.

Wanted ad sparks Special Branch recruitment bid

A County Tyrone taxi driver has told how PSNI Special Branch tried to recruit him as an informer after he placed a small classified ad on a website.

Clonoe families launch shoot-to-kill report

Relatives of four IRA Volunteers killed by undercover British soldiers 20 years ago have launched a report to highlight their campaign to establish how they died.

Sinn Féin at odds over Sean Quinn scandal

Sinn Féin representatives have expressed sharply conflicting positions over wealthy Fermanagh businessman Sean Quinn, whose family faces a number of court-imposed legal and financial obligations.

Historic IRA realignment

A regrouping of previously distinct breakaway IRA groups is being described as the most significant development within physical-force republicanism since the Provisional IRA split in 1997.

Derry youths riot over ‘stolen’ bonfire

A PSNI operation to remove materials gathered to build a bonfire marking the anniversary of internment sparked four nights of riots and disorder in the nationalist Galliagh area of Derry this week.

Smithwick lawyers ‘bewildered and alarmed’ by PSNI secrecy

Five intelligence documents were deliberately withheld from the Smithwick Tribunal by the PSNI police, the force has said, deepening the mystery over a profoundly murky incident from 1989.

Television networks respond to Irish viewer anger

US television network ABC was this week forced to apologise live on air for branding the victims of Bloody Sunday as ‘IRA protesters’ in a recent news report.

Martin Corey case set for European courts

The European Court is to be asked to challenge a decision to overturn a ruling that internee Martin Corey should be released from prison.

First arrests in Anglo fraud case

The former chairman and chief executive of Anglo Irish Bank, Sean Fitzpatrick, and two other former high-ranking executives at the bank have finally been charged with offences relating to white-collar crimes at the collapsed bank.

Unity statement by ‘IRA Army Council’

The Real IRA and a number of breakaway IRA organisations, including Republican Action Against Drugs and Oglaigh na hEireann, have come together to issue the following public statement this evening in the name of the IRA Army Council.

Sectarianism on show

A member of Sinn Fein has described how he was set upon as he videoed a loyalist ‘kick the Pope’ band deliberately circling and playing sectarian tunes outside a Catholic church during the Orange Order’s main Belfast ‘Twelfth’ parade.

PSNI arrests continue

The fallout from the decision to force an anti-Catholic parade through Catholic north Belfast on July 12th continued this week with a series of arrests.

SF challenges British on prisoner issues

Sinn Fein’s party leader Gerry Adams has challenged the British Direct Ruler, Owen Paterson during a meeting at the Dublin parliament over political prisoners in the North, including the continued imprisonment of Marian Price and Martin Corey.

Loyalists extend bonfire message of hate

The Polish community in the North have reacted angrily after it emerged that Polish national flags were placed on loyalist bonfires alongside Irish tricolour flags in a public display of racism and bigotry.

IMF demands more cuts as protest councillor jailed

The International Monetary Fund has ordered the Dublin government to slash dole payments, cut child benefit, and take medical cards away from more old age pensioners.

Opposition walkout over anti-democratic action

All Opposition members of the Dublin parliament walked out of the Dail chamber on the last day of parliamentary session in a rare protest at the government’s handling of legislation on Gaeltacht (Irish language speaking) areas.

Parade chaos in Belfast

The sound of gunfire echoed across north Belfast on Thursday night following disturbances over an incendiary and bitterly opposed sectarian parade.

Legal turmoil as Martin Corey’s bail release overturned

Irish political dissident Martin Corey remains in jail this weekend after a Belfast High Court decision to release him was initially blocked by the British government before being controversially overturned by the Court of Appeal.

Problems mount for Boston College journalists

Efforts to prevent a peace process ‘research project’ being used to prosecute and jail senior republicans suffered a setback this week following a court ruling in Boston.

Violence follows ‘Eleventh Night’ bonfires

The annual period of sectarian strife surrounding the July 12th marches saw an increased number of loyalist ‘Eleventh Night’ bonfires.

Attempt to recuit informer at Derry hospital

The 32 County Sovereignty Movement has condemned what it said was a recruitment attempt by British MI5 agents which took place at the breast cancer unit at Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry.

Minister shamed over private hospital deal

Sinn Féin has strongly challenged the leadership of the Labour Party this week after the 26-County Minister for Health James Reilly was publicly named in Stubbs Gazette over a 1.9 million euro bad debt.

Rioting in Ardoyne after Orange parade forced through

Trouble has erupted in Ardoyne today after the republican area was cleared by the PSNI police to allow an incendiary Orange march pass through.

Corey ordered held until appeal hearing tomorrow

The British government is to bring an appeal tomorrow against Martin Corey’s legal victory against his internment, it has emerged. Mr Corey was released on bail yesterday [Monday], but his release was dramatically blocked at the request of the British Direct Ruler, Owen Paterson.

Outrage as Martin Corey’s release is blocked

A veteran republican today won his court challenge against his internment -- but his release was dramatically blocked by the British government.

Marching into the past

A provocative sectarian parade by the anti-Catholic Orange Order has again been given permission to march past the nationalist Ardoyne shops area of north Belfast.

McGeough's challenge to imprisonment rejected

The Court of Appeal in Belfast has rejected political prisoner Gerry McGeough’s attempt to secure his release on the grounds of discrimination in the issuance of pardons.

Councillor quits Sinn Féin over queen decision

One of Sinn Féin’s most senior councillors has quit the party in protest at Martin McGuinness’s meeting with English queen Elizabeth Windsor.

Family forced out of Magherafelt home

A Catholic mother-of-five says she has been forced out of her County Derry home after a five-year campaign of sectarian abuse.

O’Hagan family ‘left in limbo’

SDLP deputy leader Dolores Kelly has called on the Six-County justice minister to probe the investigation into the murder of journalist Martin O’Hagan, describing the lack of action as “unacceptable”.

Ulster Bank chief ‘must accept blame’

There have been calls for the head of Ulster Bank to resign after the bank was unable to process routine financial transactions or release funds for a third week.

PSNI seek cash to investigate Bloody Sunday

Forty years after the infamous atrocity in which British paratroopers shot dead 14 innocent civil rights demonstrators and injured another 22, a police investigation into the Bloody Sunday massacre is possible, it has been announced.

An ending or a beginning?

Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness put clear blue water between himself and mainstream Irish republicanism when he shook the hand of English queen Elizabeth Windsor on Wednesday in a historic but hugely divisive act of political theatre.

Breakthrough for family of Manus Deery

The family of Manus Deery has won a fresh hearing into the fifteen-year-old’s murder in the nationalist Bogside area of Derry in May 1972.

Anti-royal protestor survives murder bid

A west Belfast man badly beaten by a gang of loyalists on Black Mountain earlier this week says he is lucky to be alive.

Marian Price move linked to UN visit

Jailed political dissident Marian Price was moved to an outside hospital last weekend without her consent, her family have said.

New evidence in rubber bullet death

An inquest has been ordered to be reopened after new evidence was uncovered about the death of the first child killed by a rubber bullet in the north of Ireland.

Interview with Bernadette Devlin McAliskey

Hugh Hamilton of WBAI Pacifica Radio interviews Bernadette Devlin-McAliskey about the imprisonment of Marian Price

Historic handshake takes place amid ongoing tension

Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness met and shook hands with British monarch Elizabeth Windsor today, both in private and in the presence of an official photographer. The unprecented event has provoked protest and division among Irish nationalists and republicans.

Trouble breaks out ahead of historic handshake

Rioting erupted in west Belfast last night ahead of an unprecedented meeting later today [Wednesday] between Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness and British monarch Elizabeth Windsor.

Adams defends decision to greet British monarch

Amid an outcry among Irish nationalists and republicans, Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams has today issued a statement in support of his party’s decision to give the go-ahead to a meeting and handshake between Sinn Féin’s Stormont Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness and English queen Elizabeth Windsor.

Martin McGuinness to meet Queen Elizabeth

Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness is to meet the British monarch Elizabeth Windsor during her visit to the north of Ireland next week, it has been confirmed. McGuinness, a former IRA commander, is to meet Windsor, the commander-in-chief of the British Armed Forces, at a reception to celebrate the arts in Ireland.

Ballymurphy inquiry ‘not in public interest’

The families of 11 people murdered by British paratroopers in west Belfast 40 years ago have said they are “deeply disappointed” by the decision to refuse an independent investigation into their deaths.

Marian Price moved to Belfast hospital

Interned Irish political dissident Marian Price has been moved from Hydebank Prison to a hospital in Belfast this [Friday] morning.

Royal handshake could follow major nationalist protest

Sinn Fein has still not ruled out the participation of Martin McGuinness in events surrounding the visit by the British queen and commander-in-chief, Elizabeth Windsor, amid speculation that a deal may already have been done on the matter.

Referendum too late for neglected children

A referendum on children’s rights is to go ahead in the 26 Counties following a devastating report that found that the deaths of almost two hundred children who were in state care could have been prevented.

Tracking device found on car of political activist

The 32 County Sovereignty Movement have blamed British intelligence for planting a tracking device on the car of one of their members in Derry.

Paramilitary flags raised as Orangemen march

A controversial loyalist parade takes place tonight, and there are fears of potential trouble as the parade passes nationalist communities in north Belfast, particularly around North Queen Street.

Royal rally hits handshake plan

Sinn Fein has said it was caught off guard by the announcement last Friday that the visit of British royal Elizabeth Windsor to Stormont later this month will involve a giant celebration by tens of thousands of unionists.

Half of young working parents are living in poverty - report

Under pressure from the Dublin government, the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has censored its own economic report which said a huge proportion of Irish workers fall into the category of working poor.

Loyalists attack GAA pitch; UDA issues Loughinisland warning

Loyalists who hacked down Gaelic football goalposts at a County Down pitch and branded them ‘British’ are intent on driving Catholics from the area, a local Sinn Fein councillor has said.

PSNI assault Newry man; trouble in Craigavon, Belfast

There was a “vicious” assault by the PSNI against a local republican during a stop and search operation in Newry last week, according to eirigi.

Democracy still on hold in some local councils

Amid protests over continuing sectarianism in unionist-controlled councils, an Ulster Unionist councillor has said “pigs will fly” before there is a Sinn Fein mayor of Antrim.

Fine Gael Minister denies ‘Londonderry’ gaffe

The 26-County Justice minister Alan Shatter appeared to confirm his government’s unionist credentials this week he referred to the city of Derry as “Londonderry”.

Martin McGuinness to step down as Mid-Ulster MP

Sinn Fein MP for Mid Ulster Martin McGuinness is to resign his seat, forcing a Westminster by-election, as part of an overhaul by Sinn Fein’s of its elected representatives.

Derry tensions escalate

Vigilante group RAAD have claimed responsibility for a grenade-style attack on a PSNI patrol in Derry during aggressive Crown force raids in the nationalist Creggan area last weekend.

New royal visit set to divide nationalists

While Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness appears set to personally welcome a British monarch to the north of Ireland later this month, others have said they plan to protest the visit.

Referendum result hits bank debt negotiations

European officials have already taken advantage of last week’s 26-County referendum result by curtly dismissing calls by Taoiseach Enda Kenny for a new deal on the state’s banking crisis.

McConville family appeals for justice

The family of former Sinn Fein councillor Brendan McConville has called for the Stormont administration to recognise a miscarriage of justice following his recent conviction for a Continuity IRA attack three years ago.

McGurk’s cover-up linked to internment

A former British army information officer has said that a loyalist massacre was blamed on the IRA in 1971 in order to justify the internment of Catholics without trial.

Unionist anger over republican victim appointment

Unionists have reacted with anger at the involvement of a senior republican in the North’s Victims and Survivors Forum.

Austerity Treaty passes by three-to-two margin

The Austerity Treaty referendum has been passed in the official result at Dublin Castle this afternoon.

Austerity treaty set to pass

Counting of ballots in the referendum on the European fiscal treaty has begun, and early indications are that the treaty will be approved.

Half of voters stay away from Austerity referendum

Voting closed in the 26-County Euro Treaty Referendum at 10pm this evening, and an unusually low turnout has been reported, ranging from 35% to 55% of registered voters at polling stations across Ireland.

No to inequality

At this time, the people of the 26 County state have already begun voting in the EU fiscal treaty referendum. They are facing another crucial decision on the future governance of their state, and rarely have they been so misinformed or deceived.

Belfast housing plan linked to H-Block project

A deeply controversial Protestant ‘settlement’ in nationalist north Belfast is a trade-off for the development of a conflict resolution centre at the site of Long Kesh prison, it has been claimed.

Humanitarian appeals for Marian Price

Up to a thousand people showed their support for jailed political dissident Marian Price at a rally in west Belfast on Sunday.

PSNI accused in Newry trouble

The police in Newry, County Armagh have been blamed for provoking a riot in nationalist areas.

McGuinness condemns republican opponents

Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness launched a blistering attack on ‘dissident’ republicans at his party’s Ard Fheis (annual conference) in Killarney last weekend.

The torture of Marian Price

Marian Price has been imprisoned for more than a year on the basis of secret evidence neither she nor her lawyers have been allowed to see.

Presidential Address Sinn Féin Ard Fheis 2012

The address delivered this evening by Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams at the party's annual conference in Killarney.

Opening address to Sinn Féin Ard Fheis 2012

The opening keynote address to Sinn Féin’s annual conference in Killarney this evening delivered by Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness.

Morning raids terrorise communities

The PSNI police have been accused of the outright repression of republicans following a wave of dramatic heavy-handed raids across the North.

Adams and Kenny set for duelling public addresses

In the absence of a televised leaders’ debate, voters in the 26 Counties will get an opportunity to make up their mind on the austerity referendum this weekend when Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams and Taoiseach Enda Kenny make competing, but separate, television addresses.

Anger at sectarian housing plan

The Stormont Executive has been accused of creating an Israeli-style settlement for Protestant in north Belfast after it issued an appeal to that community to “put down roots” in an area of north Belfast where the waiting list for housing is dominated by Catholics.

Major rally planned for internees; Corey challenges detention

A special march and rally has been organised to highlight the plight of the internees in Belfast on Sunday. The focus of the march will be west Belfast republican Marian Price, whose health continues to deteriorate as she is held in isolation at Hydebank Women’s Prison.

Dublin and Monaghan justice campaign continues

Sinn Fein TD Caoimhghin O Caolain has again raised the need for an independent international inquiry into the Dublin and Monaghan bombings of 17 May 1974.

Call for Rising ‘battlefield’ to be recognised

Sinn Fein has called for a section of Dublin’s Moore Street to be recognised as part of a “historic battlefield” and preserved as a historic cultural quarter.

Duffy family members arrested, charged

Three members of Colin Duffy’s family are behind bars today as a major PSNI arrest operation continued across the North of Ireland this weekend.

The Fine ‘Gaffe’ party

Taoiseach Enda Kenny told an unemployed man protesting against budget cuts to get a job, while his Employment Minister Richard Bruton revealed that a referendum re-run has already been considered, in a series of embarrassing campaign gaffes by Fine Gael's leadership this week.

Poignant gesture for Loughinisland victims

A decision by the Irish national soccer squad to wear armbands to mark the 18th anniversary of the Loughinisland massacre has been widely welcomed.

Concerns over return to political policing

The Police Ombudsman in the North has been asked to investigate a stop-and-search operation conducted by the PSNI in the grounds of a primary school, in full view of young schoolchildren.

UN doctor to visit Marian Price

A doctor appointed by the United Nations is to assess the condition of internee Marian Price as concerns grow for her health.

Dublin and London “on the same page”

Britain is Ireland’s closest friend, Taoiseach Enda Kenny told an assembly of parliamentarians from both jurisdictions at the Dublin parliament this week.

Sectarian hate flagged in Tyrone

A flag of British Army’ murderous SAS unit, raised in Loughgall on the 25th anniversary of the ambush of eight IRA men in the village was designed to “intimidate and offend” people, a Sinn Fein assembly member has said.

Marian Price case collapses

The campaign for the release of Marian Price has taken a dramatic turn after a judge dismissed charges against her and three other republicans. Despite the decision, British officials have said the interned former spokesperson for the 32 County Sovereignty Committee will remain behind bars.

‘Carry on regardless’ despite Treaty confusion - Kenny

The European Union’s Austerity Treaty is to be renegotiated following major political changes in France and Greece, but the Dublin government has insisted Ireland’s referendum on the treaty must go ahead later this month in any event.

Prisoners denied medical treatment

Republican prisoners at Maghaberry are being denied all medical consultations following policy changes at the prison, according to a prisoners’ support group.

Suspicion grows over ‘feud’ deaths

The families of two republicans brutally murdered five years ago in Belfast say they are alarmed at reports surfacing this week that indicate British intelligence may be protecting the killers.

DUP insists on ‘vetting’ of SF appointments

The DUP has refused to approve funding for Sinn Féin’s most recently appointed political adviser, Jarlath Kearney, because the party refused to follow a new ‘security’ vetting procedure, it has emerged.

Loyalist death threats follow Euro call-up

A Derry-born soccer player has received death threats in the wake of his selection to play for Ireland in the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship.

New evidence of Omagh cover-up

Fresh evidence that state forces allowed the 1998 Omagh bombing to proceed -- and later took part in a cover-up -- has been revealed by a new independent inquiry.

Border bomb warning

A large bomb left on the border last week appears to have signalled an escalation of the armed campaign by the breakaway IRA groups.

Shoot-to-kill ‘reasonable’ - inquest

An inquest jury has shocked human rights groups in the North after it ruled that the execution of an IRA Volunteer by British soldiers as he lay dying on the ground was “reasonable”.

McGuinness may meet queen during royal visit

The North’s Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness has given the strongest indication yet that he is prepared to meet British monarch Queen Elizabeth, who is expected to travel to the north of Ireland this summer.

‘No’ campaign condemns government austerity ‘bullies’

Warnings that a key government strategy to win the 26-County referendum on the EU Austerity Treaty would be to “put the frighteners on the electorate” were quickly borne out this week.

Michéal Martin lashes out at Sinn Féin

Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams this week accused Michéal Martin of an “outrageous” attack after the Fianna Fail leader claimed Sinn Féin had “prolonged the suffering” of the Irish people.

Huge pressure on Cardinal to resign

Political leaders from across the party spectrum have called on Cardinal Sean Brady to consider his position following allegations that he failed to pass on information about the activities of notorious paedophile priest Brendan Smyth.

Bairbre de Brún resigns as MEP

Sinn Féin’s only member of the European Parliament, Six-County MEP Bairbre de Brún, has resigned.

The spies in our midst

British intelligence agents operate across the 32 counties of Ireland and have received information from politicians, members of An Garda police, Revenue tax officials and the 26-County Army, the Smithwick Tribunal has heard.

A call for freedom

Hundreds of people gathered in Derry’s Bogside on Sunday in what was one of the largest demonstrations held yet in support of the interned political prisoner Marian Price to demand her immediate release.

Government plays dirty on treaty referendum

Lawyers for Sinn Féin have written to the Attorney General seeking advance copies of government “information” being sent to homes about the EU Austerity Treaty.

Portadown ‘Covenant’ monument fuels centenary warnings

A plan to hoist a large granite monument in the centre of Portadown commemorating the centenary of the signing of the Ulster Covenant, a unionist pact to oppose Irish independence in 1912, has been strongly criticised.

A lifetime of sectarian attacks

An elderly couple say they have had enough of sectarian abuse after suffering almost 50 years of attacks on their south Belfast home.

Protests grow over PSNI harassment

A public meeting in Derry last week heard of several serious allegations of the misuse of stop and search powers against people with ‘dissident’ views, their children and wider family circles.

Bleeding us dry

The coalition government’s plans for the introduction of new water taxes has generated a new wave of resentment at the financial pressures being imposed on people in the 26 Counties.

Coalition sends out the bully-boys

There is increasing concern at the Dublin government’s use of heavy-handed tactics in support of its austerity agenda.

British general identifies Freddie Scappaticci as ‘Stakeknife’

A recording of a telephone conversation with a former British army General Officer Commanding in the north appears to confirm allegations that Belfast man Freddie Scappaticci was the infamous British double-agent known as ‘Steak-Knife’ or ‘Stakeknife’.

PSNI raiders leave gun, CS gas on child’s bed

A member of the PSNI police left a loaded gun, ammunition and deadly CS gas lying on a nine-year-old girl’s bed following a raid on her family’s north Belfast home.

Prisoners punished over Easter lilies

Republican prisoners at Maghaberry jail were placed under 24-hour lock-up on Easter Sunday for refusing to remove their Easter lilies, it has emerged.

Joe McCann remembered

Forty years to the day after he was gunned down by British paratroopers, Official IRA Volunteer Joe McCann was commemorated in Belfast.

Protesters break through police lines at Labour conference

Chaos erupted at the annual conference of the Labour Party in Galway today as Gardai were unable to hold back protestors against the 26-County government’s austerity program.

“There is only one IRA”

A member of the breakaway ‘Real IRA’ has told a public Easter commemoration in Derry that the group will continue its armed struggle against British rule in the north of Ireland.

Pressure grows for release of Gerry McGeough and Marian Price

Former Fianna Fail minister Éamon Ó Cuív has added his voice to a campaign for the release of a high-profile republican dissident, former Sinn Fein Ard Chomhairle member Gerry McGeough.

PSNI accused of using civilians as cover

The PSNI police took almost two hours to respond to a bomb alert in Newry on Saturday, raising fresh questions over the force’s attitude towards the civilian population in the North of Ireland.

Referendum an insult to 1916 leaders - Adams

Speaking at an Easter Rising commemoration in Bandon, west Cork, Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams has said the 26-County State has failed the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising.

Redmond recalled as Dublin launches ‘decade of commemorations’

The centenary of the Third Home Rule Bill for Ireland was marked by an event in Waterford city hall on Wednesday evening.

Stormy weather for Titanic Belfast

A new tourist attraction based on the Titanic in Belfast, where the ship was built, has been hit by a controversy following accusations that it is perpetuating the class divide with which the ship is synonymous.

Unionists see a golden era

The former news anchorman of ‘Ulster Television’, Mike Nesbitt, who was elected new leader of the Ulster Unionist Party last weekend, has said “there has never been a better time” for unionism and said he wants to address Sinn Fein’s Ard Fheis.

Fine Gael ‘blind to the people’

A decision to order the blinds at the National Convention Centre to be pulled down as over ten thousand angry citizens descended on Fine Gael’s annual conference last weekend has become a metaphor for the coalition government’s attitude to the Irish people.

Craigavon anger over jailings

There were serious disturbances in Craigavon, County Armagh last weekend following the convictions of two local men over a Continuity IRA attack in 2009.

Courtroom battle over IRA interviews

A US appeal court has adjourned to consider whether an academic project by Boston College involving confidential interviews with former IRA Volunteers must be handed over to the PSNI police.

Police bias exposed in report

The police Historical Enquiries Team (HET) in the North has given favourable treatment to British soldiers linked to killings during the conflict, a University of Ulster report has confirmed.

Family forced out for Ireland t-shirt

The unionist paramilitary UDA has intimidated a Protestant family out of their County Derry home after their son was spotted wearing an Ireland t-shirt.

Easter commemorations 2012

A list of Easter Rising Commemorative events in Ireland for 2012. Please contact your local organisation for details.

Huge crowds gather outside Fine Gael Ard Fheis

Over ten thousand protestors have gathered outside the Fine Gael Ard Fheis [annual conference] this afternoon, with more still arriving.

Can’t pay, won’t pay

Over a million households have boycotted the 100 euro household charge in an extraordinary act of public defiance against an austerity flat tax imposed by the Dublin government.

Raids in Craigavon and Newry

Three homes of Republican Sinn Féin members were raided by armed PSNI and CID police units this week in Craigavon in County Armagh. In each home computers, media storage devices and mobile phones were seized.

Fianna Fáil ‘purged’ as attention turns to Kenny

A decision by former 26-County Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, former European Commission Padraig Flynn and other party colleagues to resign from Fianna Fáil this week over the report of the Mahon tribunal is being seen as a potentially defining moment in the battle against corruption in Ireland.

More delays for Marshall and shoot-to-kill inquests

The family of a man shot dead by loyalist paramilitaries while eight undercover British soldiers were hiding nearby yesterday criticised a decision not to hold an inquest into the murder.

MI5 turns holiday into nightmare

A newlywed Derry couple have recounted how a planned five day break in Spain turned into a nightmare after they were approached by British military intelligence.

Date set for treaty referendum

The date for the referendum on the European Union’s permanent austerity treaty has been set as Thursday, May 31st, opening the way for a debate on a treaty which, if passed, could restrict Ireland’s economic freedom forever.

Decades of lies

Corruption affected every level of government from cabinet ministers to local councillors during two decades of political dominance by Fianna Fáil, according to the final report of the Mahon planning tribunal.

Dessie Grew shot as he lay dying, inquest hears

An SAS soldier celebrated with drinks after shooting dead an IRA man, a Belfast inquest heard this week.

Evacuations and arrests as loyalists march on St Patrick’s

Sinn Fein MP Conor Murphy has described a loyalist march which was allowed to take place as local residents were celebrating St Patrick’s Day in the centre of Armagh, as having “killed the spirit of St. Patrick”.

UUP man backs border poll

The main contender for the leadership of the Ulster Unionist Party has said unionists should have nothing to fear from a border poll in the North on reuniting Ireland.

Protest blocks British Army recruitment campaign

Amid signs of increased patrols by British soldiers, a group of activists at Queens’ University in Belfast has succeeded in preventing a British military recruitment exercise on the campus.

Adams seeks votes for emigrants, northerners

A number of Irish political leaders gathered in Washington this week for the St Patrick’s Day celebrations. Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams thanked US supporters for their past commitment to the peace process and discussed a number of ongoing issues.

St Patrick’s Day message from President Michael D. Higgins

I wish to send warm greetings on this St Patrick’s Day to Irish people at home and abroad and to our wider Irish family around the world.

Adams rejects British statements

A referendum within the Six Counties on the future of the border in Ireland is “inevitable”, Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams has said.

Shoot-to-kill inquest opens

One of the oldest outstanding inquests in the North of Ireland has finally begun in Belfast.

‘Stand up for Ireland’, Kenny told

The Dublin government’s futile attempts to secure relief from its budget and banking crises continued this week in the face of increasingly arrogant debt repayment demands by European Union authority figures.

RAAD not republican

Pressure is growing to disband a ‘vigilante group’ in Derry after two men from republican families were injured in gun attacks.

‘Spooky’ encounter for west Belfast man

An eírígí activist has said he was offered a cash inducement in return for information about the organisation’s future direction during a disturbing roadside encounter on the outskirts of Belfast.

Irish overcome St Patrick’s Day provocations

Mayor of London Boris Johnson and US sports wear manufacturer Nike have both been forced to apologise to the Irish community after making insults related to St Patrick’s Day.

A managed murder

The family of Sam Marshall are to seek a full inquest into his death after it was revealed this week that he was under observation by at least nine British soldiers when he was killed in 1990.

Sinn Féin chairman urges party members to ‘say sorry’

One of the most senior figures in the Sinn Féin leadership has challenged members of the organisation to “say sorry for the human effects of all actions during the armed struggle”.

Fine Gael parties as it evicts opponents

The early-morning destruction by the Gardai police of the ‘Occupy Dame Street’ protest camp took place as the divide between Ireland’s 99% and a ruling elite appeared wider than ever.

Loyalists to march into St Patrick’s Day celebrations

A loyalist march has incredibly been given permission to march directly through the centre of Armagh next Saturday, on a night when thousands of people will have descended on the city for its annual St Patrick’s Day celebrations.

Ford claims spirit of prison agreement adhered to

The Six County ‘Minister for Justice’ David Ford has clashed with a prisoner recently released from Maghaberry over the treatment of political prisoners and the ongoing ‘dirty protest’ at the jail.

Marian Price campaign gains momentum

A packed meeting in Belfast on Thursday night heard prominent speakers denounce the continued internment of veteran republican Marian Price.

Tom Elliott quits as UUP leader

The Ulster Unionist leader Tom Elliott is quitting as party leader. Elliot said tonight he would not seek re-election to the position at the annual general meeting, in just over three weeks time.

Kenny signs treaty

Fine Gael leader and 26-County Taoiseach Enda Kenny provoked the wrath of a large swathe of Irish public opinion this morning when he signed the EU’s Fiscal Compact Treaty, without waiting for a referendum of the people of the State.

Poll surge for Sinn Féin

A new opinion poll has suggested that Sinn Féin is now the most popular political party on the island of Ireland.

McGeough appeal denied

A former member of the Sinn Féin leadership has been refused a pardon used to free other republicans at the end of the conflict.

Centenary events should unite - Stormont

Unionists should attend republican events -- and nationalists turn out to mark unionist anniversaries -- in a bid to prevent historical centenaries such as the 1916 Easter Rising fuelling public unrest, Sinn Féin has said.

No ruling out the truth

Sinn Féin West Tyrone MP Pat Doherty has told Britain’s Direct Ruler, Owen Paterson, that his government cannot rule out an independent international Truth Commission for the North of Ireland.

Fianna Fáil in turmoil

On the eve of his party’s annual Ard Fheis conference, Fianna Fáil leader Micheal Martin has suddenly sacked his deputy leader and the grandson of party founder Eamon de Valera, over his stance on the EU Treaty referendum.

Govt forced to hold Treaty referendum

The Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, has just confirmed in the Dáil that the people of the 26 Counties will be asked in a referendum to ratify the Brussels Treaty.

UVF show trial shame

The end of a loyalist ‘supergrass’ trial, which saw twelve alleged unionist paramilitaries cleared of the murder of UDA leader Tommy English in 2000, has again raised fresh question marks over the credibility of the so-called ‘justice system’ in the North of Ireland.

Vicious treatment for terminally ill prisoner

Republican prisoner Brian Shivers, who was controversially handed a 25-year sentence by a Diplock court earlier this month, was brutally assaulted by prison staff while attending Belfast City Hospital last week.

‘Treachery’ of state sell-off

The sale of 26-County State assets is to begin next year, the Taoiseach Enda Kenny has confirmed.

Human rights ignored as govt pursues Chinese cash

Socialist Party TD Joe Higgins has criticised what he calls the “obsequious welcome of the political, business and media establishments” of the Chinese vice-president Xi Jinping who has been visiting Ireland.

Deery family dismiss investigation

The family of a Derry teenager killed by the British army in 1972 have rejected the findings of a police Historical Enquiries Team (HET) investigation into his death.

Statement on Gordon Gallagher

A statement was released to the Pat Finucane centre in Derry today [Friday] regarding the tragic death of Gordon Gallagher in 1973.

The Clonoe 514

More than 500 bullets were fired at four IRA Volunteers who were killed in an undercover British army ambush 20 years ago this week, it has emerged.

‘No Irish need apply’

Sinn Féin has condemned the government’s Finance Bill for the year 2012, which has intentionally created a new tax loophole for highly paid workers from outside the state.

Shivers appeals Massereene conviction

Brian Shivers has launched an urgent appeal against his wrongful conviction for the 2009 Real IRA attack at Massereene British Army base.

Marian Price being held is ‘internment’ - Msgr Murray

A prominent Catholic priest has agreed that the continuing detention of veteran republican Marian Price is internment without trial.

Support for Palestinian hunger striker

Republican groups of all hues have rallied in support of Palestinian hunger striker Khader Adnan, who is said to be near death while shackled to a bed in an Israeli hospital.

Cearta Gael á n-éileamh [Irish speakers demand their rights]

Ba bheag an t-iontas a bhí ar phobal Gaeilge nuair a rinneadh tagairt d’Acht na Gaeilge i gcuimhní cinn Peter Hain. [There was little surprise in the Irish language community when the Irish Language Act was referenced in Peter Hain’s memoirs.]

‘Inform or we’ll have you executed’

A well-known County Derry pub-owner has had a gun held to his head by a member ofthe British Crown forces who threatened to have him killed if he did not become an informer.

SF’s appeal for Paisley infuriates nationalists

A call by Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness for people to “give prayerful support” for an unwell Ian Paisley has led to a backlash against the party by some of its own supporters.

Militants claim intelligence success

Breakaway IRA group Oglaigh na hEireann (ONH) has said it has recovered intelligence on the PSNI and British Army in the North from a mobile phone dropped by a member of the PSNI during an arrest operation.

Loyalist murders ‘could have been stopped’

The family of a victim of the Shankill Butchers is taking a case against the PSNI chief constable, arguing that the murder could have been prevented.

Groups work together to oppose fracking

$frackingprotest.jpg$ Hundreds of environmental activists took part in the first national meeting in Ireland against efforts by multinational energy companies to extract gas by using high-powered jets of water to fracture the earth’s crust, a process known as ‘fracking’.

Oil grab at Las Malvinas

A war of words has erupted between the British government and Argentina over the icy and remote British colony known in English as the Falkland Islands, which lie 290 miles off the coast of Argentina.

EU-surpers

Amid outrage over the government’s intensive efforts to avoid a referendum, the leader of the main opposition groups in the 26 Counties have issued separate calls for the people to have a say on Europe’s draconian new finance plan.

Marching through adversity

Thousands marched through heavy rain showers in Derry on Sunday to mark the 40th anniversary of the Bloody Sunday massacre and to appeal for justice for the victims.

Deception around the Ormeau Road massacre

The families of five men killed in a unionist paramilitary gun attack 20 years ago have uncovered new evidence which shows that the killers had been pre-armed by the RUC police -- and there was no genuine attempt to bring those responsible to justice afterwards.

Criminalisation policy hasn’t changed - Duffy

State harassment victim Colin Duffy says current conditions on Maghaberry prisons Roe House wing “could be equated to the harshness of what took place in the late 70s and early 80s” in the notorious H-Blocks.

PSNI ‘picking man’s life apart’

A Derry man has said the PSNI attempted to recruit him as an informer against dissident republicans or “ruin his life” if he refused.

Indo stirs race-hate controversy

A Polish woman who was the subject of a ‘mistranslated’ article suggesting she was a ‘welfare tourist’ has said she was shocked to learn of it and that the allegation was “completely not true”.

Kenny’s blame game

Taoiseach Enda Kenny is the focus of mounting anger in the 26 Counties after criticising the Irish people for their “greed” and “mad” borrowing-- just days after he paid one and a quarter billion euros of public funds to international bond speculators.

Duffy ‘will not change’ despite ordeal

Colin Duffy has spoken out after he was dramatically cleared last week of involvement in the 2009 Real IRA attack on the Massareene British Army base.

North’s politicians at odds over Scotland vote

The Scottish government has this week unveiled the question that could lead to the end of the union between Scotland and England.

March showdown over Boston College subpoenas

Researchers employed by Boston College to conduct interviews with former IRA members -- the subject of a British government subpoena -- have said they are not surprised at the latest court ruling against their efforts to prevent the interview transcripts falling into the hands of the PSNI.

Sinn Fein hold talks on Maghaberry

A Sinn Fein delegation of Stormont Assembly members -- Raymond McCartney, Sean Lynch and Jennifer McCann -- met with the Six-County Justice Minister David Ford on Wednesday to discuss the ongoing crisis at Maghaberry prison.

Compensation award over ‘appalling’ harassment

An award-winning social worker has won “significant” damages following a campaign of sectarian harassment by her ‘colleagues’ at a care centre.

Duffy freed but Shivers jailed over Massereene attack

Prominent republican Colin Duffy has today been found not guilty of the Real IRA attack on Massereene British Army base in 2009, although there was disbelief at the court when his co-accused, Brian Shivers from Magherafelt, was found guilty.

RUC killers rehired by PSNI

Former RUC Special Branch police who were forced to retire as part of the policing reform process have been rehired as civilian contractors for the PSNI, it has emerged.

Emigration is ‘lifestyle choice’, says Noonan

The 26-County Finance Minister Michael Noonan infuriated the Irish public on Thursday when he described emigration as “a choice of lifestyle”.

Warnings over UVF attacks

No arrests have been made and no searches carried out, two weeks after the brutal sectarian attack on Catholic teenager James Turley.

Derry explosions raise tensions

Two explosions in Derry last night [Thursday night] appeared to target government offices and have again ratcheted up concerns for the political process in the North.

Politicians clash as poverty deepens

Over 80,000 children in the Six Counties are living in poverty, according to a new report published this week, with nationalist areas such as west Belfast experiencing the highest figures.

Appeal for republican prisoner

The wife of a Derry republican prisoner has appealed to the city’s political leaders to do something about the crisis at Maghaberry prison before someone dies.

PSNI silence over film set nightmare

A vicious attempt to murder Catholic teenagers last Friday was covered up by the North’s police for over three days before details finally emerged.

Cameron may pre-empt Scottish independence move

British prime minister David Cameron has dramatically attempted to hijack moves towards a referendum on Scottish independence. The move has accelerated a British constitutional crisis which could have profound implications for London’s rule in the north of Ireland.

SF ‘not interested’ in all-Ireland efforts

Both the Dublin government and the Six-County executive have been accused of turning their back on cross-border co-operation, one of the cornerstones of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.

McGeough case could set precedent

Lawyers for prominent republican Gerry McGeough argued for his entitlement to release under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement for more than four hours this week.

A step forward for the Finucane family

The family of murdered Belfast defence lawayer Pat Finucane has been granted a judicial review of the decision by the British government not to hold a public inquiry into his death.

‘No public interest’ to PSNI’s use of rally footage

The PSNI police have failed in a legal bid to force the handover of unseen TV news footage from a rally by the 32 County Sovereignty Committee.

Betrayal and bloody-mindedness

Participants in Boston College’s ‘Troubles Archive’ project have demanded the return or destruction of all of its taped interviews after parts of the archive were delivered to the British Crown forces.

‘Lucky escape’ for British soldier

Breakaway IRA group Óglaigh na hÉireann says it was behind an attack on a British soldier in north Belfast on Thursday.

Rebel Cork versus the NAMA republic

Two protests in Cork have demonstrated the city’s fighting spirit in the face of social injustice.

Released prisoner recounts Maghaberry nightmare

A republican prisoner on dirty protest in Maghaberry jail has warned the North’s highest security prison is fast deteriorating into a cesspit of disease.

1981 archive papers

A round-up of the revelations from the historical papers, mostly pertaining to 1981, which were released over the New Year period.

New Year’s statements

Messages issued by three republican political organisations on the occasion of the New Year 2012.

Provocative ‘history’

The publication of declassified papers from thirty years ago has brought new controversy over the British view of the 1981 hunger strike, in which ten men, including Bobby Sands, died.

Demand abides for Bloody Sunday justice

The annual march commemorating the 1972 Bloody Sunday massacre will take place under the theme ‘March for Justice’, despite calls by some relatives of the victims that the campaign should come to an end.

University to give up confidential IRA files

Boston College has agreed to turn over research interviews recorded in confidence by a former IRA member to the PSNI police.

Gaelic sports club burned out

Loyalist paramilitaries are being blamed for an arson attack which badly damaged a GAA clubhouse in Derry on Wednesday.

No right to protest for nationalists

A residents’ group whose members were convicted this week for protesting against a sectarian parade said the case highlighted the one-sided nature of the justice system in the North of Ireland.

Dublin government confirms water tax

Every drop of clean water in the 26 County state is to be metered and taxed as part of a new government fundraising drive which emerged over the Christmas break.

A liberty shredded by Britain

Pressure is growing for the immediate release form jail of former republican spokeswoman Marian Price after it was admitted that a royal pardon central to her case has been shredded by the British government.

Duffy-Shivers trial ends in further controversy

A lawyer told Belfast Crown Court this week that the trial of Colin Duffy and Brian Shivers for the March 2009 Real IRA attack on a British Army base in Antrim has “miscarriage of justice all over it”.

Corey wins internment review

Armagh man Martin Corey has won High Court permission to mount a challenge to his re-imprisonment.

History made as coroner recommends prosecution

A prosecution in the case of a Derry teenager killed in 1972 could pave the way for cases to be brought against those responsible for Bloody Sunday and other British military atrocities in the North of Ireland.

Sinn Fein issues PSNI warning

In an unusually frank statement, Sinn Fein strategist Declan Kearney has said his party’s support for the PSNI is “not unconditional”.

Adams is South’s most popular political leader

The latest opinion poll in the 26 Counties places Gerry Adams as the most popular political leader, and Sinn Fein as the second most popular party in the state.

Sean Garland wins extradition case

The extradition of veteran republican socialist Sean Garland to the United States has been rejected by an Irish court this afternoon.

An appeal for the truth

There have been new calls for a truth commission in the north of Ireland following confirmation that one of the North’s deadliest terrorists was a police agent.

Family’s relief as inquest finally held

British soldiers involved in shooting a 15-year-old boy nearly 40 years ago should face prosecution, a lawyer for the teenager’s family has said, following the long-sought inquest into his death last week.

SF condemns euro deal “madness”

Sinn Fein has described the deal done by European leaders last week as “madness” which could condemn the 26-County state to a draconian austerity program from which it can never escape.

PSNI base targeted in south Armagh

A bomb was defused on Sunday night close to the PSNI station in Keady, south Armagh.

Prisoner’s wife sexually assaulted by MI5 man

An MI5 attempt to recruit the wife of a dissident republican prisoner as an agent ended with the mother-of-three being groped and intimidated by an intelligence officer.

‘Boycott the charge’ campaign launched

A campaign by members of the Dublin parliament to boycott the 100 euro household charge is “a very dangerous road for our democracy”, according to the coalition government.

RUC/UDR gang carried out showband massacre - report

Both the RUC police and the British Army’s Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) were directly involved in the Miami Showband massacre, according to a report by the North’s Historical Enquiries Team.

‘Neither King nor Kanzler’

A historic Franco-German drive for a new superstate has seen the Eurocrats of Brussels demand political and fiscal powers to rival those of the US federal government in Washington.

Austerity budget sparks further coalition tension

A 26-County Government backbencher, Patrick Nulty has formally left the Labour parliamentary party amid a public outcry over the Fine Gael/Labour coalition’s austerity budget, announced this week.

PSNI target Sinn Fein’s policing trailblazer

The former head of Sinn Fein on Belfast city council has criticised the PSNI police who confiscated his taxi, falsely claiming it had been used in relation to ‘dissident’ activity.

Finucane decision faces judicial review

The British government is to face a legal challenge over its failure to launch a public inquiry into Crown force collusion in the murder of defence lawyer Pat Finucane.

McGurk’s families take up legal challenge

The families of victims of the 1971 McGurk’s bar bombing have lodged papers at the High Court in Belfast challenging both the PSNI and the police ombudsman over failings in the recent handling of the case.

History comes knocking

A massive unionist rally is being organised to mark the centenary of the signing of the Ulster Covenant.

Budget taxes unveiled

An announcement of new taxes in the Dublin parliament has brought confirmation that those living on low and middle incomes will be the main victims of the 26-County government’s austerity program.

Families, elderly, students hit by budget cuts

Sinn Fein has accused the Fine Gael/Labour overnment of targeting the vulnerable and low and middle income families with the same failed austerity budgetary measures as pursued by Fianna Fail.

Police killings shelved

A total of 49 cases in which members of the RUC/PSNI police were responsible for extra-judicial killings have been consigned to a “legal limbo”, according to reports.

Coalition frays ahead of budget

Tommy Broughan, who represented Dublin North-East in the Dail, has been expelled from the Labour Party after he refused to support an extension of the bank guarantee.

Deaths of three Newry nationalists ‘a tragedy’

The family of a teenager shot dead by the British Army 40 years ago said they hope a report into the killing will help them finally come to terms with the atrocity.

Dismay as Diplock judge endorses computer DNA test

There was disappointment but little surprise for justice campaigners this week when a judge declared in Antrim Crown Court that controversial DNA evidence, never before allowed in a British of Irish court, was “reliable and acceptable”.

Convoy for the prisoners

A ‘car convoy’ protest is planned for the weekend to draw attention to the crisis over the treatment of Irish political prisoners at Maghaberry jail in County Armagh.

O Donnghaile issues apology over royal award ceremony

The mayor of Belfast, Sinn Fein’s Niall O Donnghaile, has been condemned by unionists for not presenting a Duke of Edinburgh award to a British Army cadet at a ceremony in Belfast.

The DNA of a frame-up

There is growing concern that the trial of two men for the Real IRA attack on Massareene British Army base two years ago, currently underway, could result in a major miscarriage of justice.

Public urged to support prison camp-out

A 24-hour rally and fast is to take place overnight this Friday night, November 25th, at the gates of Maghaberry prison.

Protests over PSNI visits to Croke Park, schools

A football match later today [Friday] involving the PSNI police at the Croke Park headquarters of the GAA is to be protested by Republican Sinn Fein.

Coalition seen using leaks to plan cuts, taxes

Dublin cabinet ministers have engaged in widespread leaks this week in an attempt to ‘soften the blow’ of the worst austerity measures and to see how palatable other budget measures were.

Christmas is recruitment season for British spooks

British military intelligence have attempted to lure a man across the border with the promise of cut-price Christmas toys in order to effect his arrest.

Long memories at Leinster House

A civil-war era spat broke out in the Dail this week when Kerry North-Limerick West Sinn Fein TD Martin Ferris sought to remove restrictions on prisoners released under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.

No to Berlin’s budget

It was revealed today that members of the German parliament have already discussed details of the forthcoming 26-County Budget, including a planned 2% hike in VAT (sales tax).

Ballymurphy delight at inquest news

The families of 11 people killed during a 36-hour rampage by British paratroopers 40 years ago have described a decision to reopen inquests into ten of the deaths as “a very important step on our journey for truth”.

Price’s pardon document is ‘lost’, Britain claims

A document which could free the North’s most famous female republican from jail has been lost by the British government, its Northern Ireland Office has said.

Pensioner battered by UDA gang

A pensioner who was attacked while trying to defend her son and grandson has described being held over a railing and punched in the face by a unionist paramilitary.

Kelly wins compensation over Martha Pope smear

Senior Sinn Féin politician Gerry Kelly is to be paid a five-figure sum by a Sunday newspaper which accused him of being involved in an affair with a US diplomat in a story published 15 years ago.

Stormont fuss over nothing

The Six-County First Minister, DUP leader Peter Robinson has been accused of contriving a “stunt” when he threatened to resign over changes to the North’s prison regime.

Ireland qualifies for Euro 2012

The Irish national soccer team has qualified tonight for the 2012 European Football Championship, the first major soccer tournament it will contest since the 2002 World Cup in Japan and Korea.

Sinn Fein's pre-budget submission 2012 - summary

The Executive Summary, including an itemised list of proposed financial measures, savings and stimulus packages from Sinn Féin's pre-budget submission for the year 2012, published today.

Michael D. Higgins is inaugurated as President

Michael D Higgins was inaugurated as the ninth President of Ireland at a ceremony in Dublin Castle this afternoon. He was sworn in by the Chief Justice in front of the Taoiseach, other dignatories and invited guests. His first address as President Higgins received huge applause and a standing ovation from the assembled guests. Here is the full text of that address.

Ireland's kleptocrats

Over a hundred former government ministers are sharing an annual cash pot of almost nine million euro, it has been revealed. The figures were supplied in response to a Sinn Fein parliamentary question.

Gaza campaigners subjected to Israeli abuse, imprisonment

Irish human rights activists remain imprisoned by Israeli authorities after they attempted last week to deliver aid to Palestinians trapped behind an Israeli military blockade.

PSNI threat to arrest lawyer ‘oppression of the worst kind’

A top human rights lawyer was threatened with arrest on the eve of the opening of the trial this week of republican Colin Duffy, one of his highest profile clients.

Cash bonanza for UDA relatives, prison warders

The son of a notorious unionist paramilitary leader has received a record payment of 400,000 pounds sterling ($640,000) from the British government in a move which has angered the families of those he killed.

Provocative march set for New Lodge interface

A sectarian parade is to be held at a troubled north Belfast ‘peaceline’ tomorrow in memory of a loyalist youth who blew himself up with a bomb he was about to throw over the wall at Catholics.

EU/IMF ‘orders’ termination of cross-border peace project

The 26-County government has been accused of reneging on a deal struck during the North’s peace talks after it pulled the plug on funding for a major cross-border road link.

McDonnell is new SDLP leader

Members of the SDLP today selected Alasdair McDonnell to be their new leader.

The billion dollar giveaway

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams led a walk-out from the Dublin parliament this week in protest over the coalition government’s decision to hand over more than 700 million euro (more than 1 billion dollars) to an unknown private investor in the failed Anglo Irish Bank.

Real IRA issue statement

The ‘Real IRA’ has claimed responsibility for three bomb attacks over the past few months, and has warned that it will continue to target economic interests which reinforce British rule in the North.

Mixed feelings for Sinn Fein over election result

Sinn Fein plans to build on its 26-County presidential campaign by targeting the local elections in 2014, party officials have said.

Ardoyne protestors on trial

The trial of 22 people charged with holding a sit-down protest against a sectarian march in north Belfast this summer was quickly enveloped in controversy after the PSNI police admitted they had no evidence to present against at least two of those charged, and suggested that much of their knowledge had come from informers.

Family welcomes British statement on murder, beatings

The British government has expressed its “deep regret” over the British army killing of a Catholic man in the Markets area of Belfast.

New mission to Gaza

The Irish ship MV Saoirse is en route to the Gaza strip as part of its latest relief mission and has already reached international waters in the Mediterranean Sea.

Inquiries amendment rejected

The 30th Amendment to the Irish constitution, to give more powers of investigation to the Dublin parliament [Oireachtas], has been defeated in a shock reverse for the coalition government.

Final election results declared

Michael D Higgins has finally been declared elected as President of Ireland following the fourth and final count in Dublin Castle this afternoon.

Higgins is President-elect as rivals concede

Labour Party candidate Michael D Higgins is now certain to be inaugurated the ninth 26-County President and will be declared elected later tonight, when the results of the final election count are revealed in Dublin Castle.

Michael D Higgins set to claim Presidency

Labour veteran Michael D Higgins is likely to win the 26-County Presidential election over independent Sean Gallagher with the help of transfers from a strongly placed Martin McGuinness of Sinn Fein, according to early tallies of votes coming in from constituencies across the State.

The fixer, unmasked

The 26-County presidential election campaign erupted in a major controversy in its final days as so-called independent candidate Sean Gallagher admitted he secured substantial Fianna Fail ‘donations’ in exchange for dinner in the company of then Taoiseach Brian Cowen.

Report confirms rampant sectarianism within North’s prisons

Catholics prisoners in the Six Counties are far more likely to be subjected to violence (or prison ‘discipline’) than their Protestant counterparts, a new report has revealed.

Concerns over broad new powers for politicians

Two referendums to be put to the voters of the 26 Counties on Thursday, the same date as the Presidential election, are facing increasing criticism over the lack of public debate as well as the content of the constitutional changes proposed.

MI5 targeting young people in Fermanagh

The 32 County Sovereignty Movement has said it has been made aware of more approaches by MI5/Special branch who have been actively targeting “vulnerable” members of society in an attempt to recruit them as informers.

Campbell ‘has strong grounds’ to appeal conviction

An appeal is to be launched after Louth man Michael Campbell was sentenced to 12 years in a Lithuanian prison following an MI5 sting operation.

Voting for change in Dublin West

As well as voting in two referendums and the presidential election on Thursday, the constituents of Dublin West will be voting in a by-election to fill the seat vacated by the death of Brian Lenihan earlier this year.

The search for a new Judas

British Intelligence agencies sent the wife of a former IRA prisoner an envelope stuffed with cash in an extraordinary attempt to recruit her as an informer.

Finucanes expose Cameron’s deception

The family of Pat Finucane have released documents which confirm the British Prime Minister deliberately reneged on a promise to hold a public inquiry into the murder of their loved one.

Hutchinson cover-up revelations continue

The highly controversial Police Ombudsman in the North, Al Hutchinson, refused a request by former police chief Hugh Orde to investigate allegations that IRA informer Freddie Scappaticci was ordered by his handlers to kill other IRA Volunteers.

Tragic incident was ‘major success’ for British Army

A confidential British government document has been unearthed that describes one of the most painful incidents of the conflict, resulting in the deaths of three children, as a “carefully planned operation” and “a major success”.

IRA families reject McGuinness comments

Families of some IRA men executed by the British Army have accused Martin McGuinness of betrayal as he attempts to woo voters in the South’s Presidential campaign.

Father wins rights to abandoned NAMA property

He was on the housing list for five years and, out of desperation to find somewhere to call home, eventually resorted to squatting in one of the thousands of empty houses in ghost estates littering Ireland.

Basque peace development welcomed

The Basque armed group ETA has issued a statement tonight saying it is ending its 43-year armed campaign for independence, and calling on Spain and France to open talks.

Cheated

The peace process was rocked this week by the sudden British declaration that a public inquiry will not now be held into the assassination of Pat Finucane.

Bomb strikes Derry’s ‘UK culture’ headquarters

The ‘UK City of Culture’ offices in the centre of Derry was badly damaged on Wednesday night by a small but powerful ‘Real IRA’ bomb.

RTE launches anti-McGuinness campaign

Presidential candidate Martin McGuinness has said that an election debate on state-run RTE television on Wednesday night amounted to a “trial by television”.

Loyalists attack Catholic, Polish families

A couple have fled their east Belfast home after a sectarian attack by a loyalist mob left their young daughter injured.

Protest grows outside Central Bank in Dublin

An internet-based campaign of peaceful resistance to the political and economic corruption of the 26-County state has taken to the streets.

No murder charge for loyalist killers

The family of Kevin McDaid has described a decision to drop murder charges against seven men accused of killing him as “an insult” .

Finucanes quit Downing St meeting over QC review plan

The widow of murdered Belfast defence lawyer Pat Finucane said today she felt “angry” and “insulted” after David Cameron told her he was proposing a review of her husband’s case by a QC (British government lawyer).

The uncivil war

A hysterical attempt by Fine Gael and their media allies to attack Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness has seen a surge in support for Mr McGuinness’s campaign and propelled Sinn Fein into second place in the polls.

Govt cash bonanza for developers, advisers, bankers

The coalition government in Dublin has defended their decision to give further bonuses, deferred payments and inflated salaries to bank executives, property developers and political insiders.

eirigi man attacked after Newry raids

A prominent member of eirigi was detained for seven hours and charged with a string of offences after he intervened to check on the welfare of a neighbour who was having his car searched by the PSNI.

Truth commission ‘ruled out’ ahead of Finucane decision

Britain’s Direct Ruler in the North, Owen Paterson, has dismissed Sinn Fein’s long-standing call for a truth commission to deal with the North’s past.

Demand for equality in the right to vote

There have been increasing calls for a referendum to allow northerners and emigrants the right to vote in the Irish presidential election.

Liam Adams appeals extradition

The brother of Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams is to appeal against his extradition to the North following a High Court decision that he should stand trial in Belfast on allegations that he sexually abused his daughter.

Historic campaign underway

A large crowd turned out in Derry on Thursday as Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness launched his Presidential election campaign.

McGuinness candidacy highlights partitionist attitudes

Despite coming under intense criticism from the 26-County establishment in Dublin, Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness has received support from the former British Direct Ruler in Ireland, Shaun Woodward.

Teachers blast pension ‘larceny’

The two largest teacher unions in Ireland, the INTO and ASTI, have condemned changes to pensions proposed by the 26-County Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin as “larcenous” and “probably illegal”.

Paper still targeted, ten years after O’Hagan death

A decade after the murder of crime journalist Martin O’Hagan by loyalist paramilitaries, his colleagues at the newspaper he worked for are still receiving loyalist death threats.

Loyalists head for US talks

A number of loyalist paramilitary figures are to visit US political and business leaders in a visit being organised by the Dublin government, it has emerged.

Rhianna encounter stranger than fiction

International pop sensation Rhianna was this week confronted in a County Down cornfield by a DUP councillor who told her to “cover up” while she was on his farm.

Final nominations for Irish Presidential election

The line-up for the Irish Presidential election next month has been decided tonight after controversial Senator David Norris and former pop/gospel singer ‘Dana’ Rosemary Scallon both secured the necessary support of local councillors for their nomination as candidates.

Carnival of reaction

The nomination of Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness for next month’s election to the President of Ireland has provoked a chaotic and bitter response from the 26-County ‘elite’.

Presidential candidate McGuinness tackles IRA past

Sinn Fein nominee Martin McGuinness was repeatedly questioned about his past involvement with the IRA this week, with the issue dominating the early days of the presidential campaign.

Justice comes first for Bloody Sunday relatives

Britain’s Ministry of Defence has confirmed that the British government intends to make a cash payment to the families and wounded of the Bloody Sunday massacre.

Ongoing harassment of republicans and families

Runai ginearalta eirigi [the general secretary of eirigi] Breandan Mac Cionnaith has condemned the continuing harassment of Lurgan republicans after three homes were raided on Wednesday morning by the PSNI.

Ombudsman forces mother to relive her grief

The mother of a Catholic murdered by the unionist paramilitary UDA has added to calls for Police Ombudsman Al Hutchinson to resign after she was again fobbed off over a report on her son’s murder.

Coalition selling state assets to pay private debts

There were rowdy scenes in the Dublin parliament this week between the 26-County government and Sinn Fein over the planned sell-off of part of the ESB (Electricity Supply Board), the semi-state body which until recently held a monopoly on Ireland’s energy market.

A Presidential opportunity

On the centenary of the Easter Rising in 2016, it could be Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness taking the salute outside the GPO in Dublin, following a dramatic and imaginative proposal by the party this weekend for his nomination in next month’s Presidential election.

Renewed IRA attacks on PSNI

Breakaway IRA groups carried out four separate attacks against the PSNI this past week, including an attack in County Antrim in which members of the police force are reported to have received minor injuries.

British apology after 40 years

The head of the British Army has written a letter of apology to the family of a Derryman who was shot dead in 1971.

Orangemen reprimanded over Kerr funeral

The leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, Tom Elliott, and UUP Assembly member Danny Kennedy are to face disciplinary proceedings from the Orange Order for attending the funeral mass of PSNI member Ronan Kerr in April.

Germany’s humiliation agenda

Germany’s European Union [EU] commissioner Guenther Oettinger caused an outrage this week after he called for the Irish tricolour to be flown at half-mast in Brussels to embarrass the country over its economic problems.

Boundary changes pose electoral questions

Proposals to radically change the Westminster constituencies in the North are expected to see the main unionist DUP party, as well as the nationalist SDLP, both lose a valuable seat in the Westminster parliament in London.

Martin McGuinness set to contest Presidency of Ireland

Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams has confirmed reports that the party’s Ard Chomhairle [high council] is to meet on Sunday morning to discuss a proposal from the party’s leadership to nominate Martin McGuinness to stand in the 26-County presidential election.

‘A new Republic for 2016’

The Sinn Fein annual conference has heard calls for a national conversation on the future of Ireland, between now and the centenary of the Easter Rising in 2016.

Warning as supergrass trial goes ahead

British Special Branch double-agent Mark Haddock ordered the murder of a paramilitary rival and smirked as he told the gunmen, “try not to shoot the kids”, a high-profile trial in Belfast was told this week.

As cuts deepen, NAMA keeps developers in style

Bankrupted Irish property speculators are being paid ‘salaries’ of up to 200,000 euro (US$280,000) a year by the Dublin government, it was revealed this week.

Waterford facing employment meltdown

A surprise announcement of the loss of almost 600 jobs from a call centre operation in Waterford has shocked staff and left government officials struggling to frame a response.

The case for Gerry McGeough

Pressure is growing on the authorities at Maghaberry prison to release internee Gerry McGeough, who suffers from a serious heart condition, into hospital care.

The brutality is not ‘systematic’, it’s the lying

The death of Baha Mousa reminded Robert Fisk of his days working as a journalist in the North of Ireland.

Address by Gerry Adams at 2011 Sinn Fein Ard Fheis

The Presidential address to this year's Sinn Fein annual conference this [Saturday] evening.

Flash: ‘Love unionists’, McGuinness tells party conference

Sinn Fein’s Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness has told his party’s Ard Fheis [annual conference] today that unionists are “brothers and sisters” who are to be “loved and cherished”.

Margaret Ritchie to quit as SDLP leader

The leader of the smaller of the two nationalist parties in the North of Ireland is to stand down, it was announced this afternoon.

Showdown for Mount Vernon gang

A trial involving 14 unionist paramilitaries which begins this week could see new revelations of conspiracy, collusion and hidden agendas by the PSNI police.

Ombudsman mulls resignation

The man charged with handling complaints against the police in the North of Ireland has said he may consider his position following the public release of the latest damning report into his handling of historic cases.

Corey imprisoned for his beliefs, say family

The family of jailed Lurgan republican Martin Corey have called for his immediate release.

Scottish anger as Lennon’s attacker beats charge

There has been disbelief in Scotland after a man who assaulted the manager of Glasgow Celtic Football Club escaped punishment -- despite the attack taking place during a live televised football match.

Shamed PSNI ‘punish’ freed man

A young man arrested by the PSNI but released unconditionally has been vindictively prevented from getting an Australian visa, Sinn Fein has said.

MEP takes action after Shell protest assault

Dublin’s representative in the European Parliament has lodged a formal complaint over an assault on him by 26-County police at a peaceful environmental protest in County Mayo.

Omagh agent targeted

An informer who helped the Garda and RUC police forces to plan, track and co-ordinate the 1998 Omagh propaganda atrocity has escaped serious injury following a targeted ‘Real IRA’ attack.

Prison brutality continues

Two republican prisoners at Maghaberry were assaulted by a prison riot squad in full body armour after they refused to submit to a strip search this week.

PSNI harassment in focus after arrest of society couple

The false arrest by the PSNI of a retired Dutch naval officer and his former magistrate wife in raids targeting republicans has made international headlines.

‘Blackmen’ hold provocative march

Sectarian tensions were again elevated last weekend as the Royal Black Preceptory, a shadowy masonic organisation comprising of senior members of the Orange Order, held parades across the North.

Adams subjected to PSNI ‘fishing’ subpoenas

British authorities have broadened their demands for the contents of oral history testimonies dealing with the conflict in Ireland and given to Boston College on the basis of confidentiality.

Republican mural displaced by advertisement hoarding

A controversy erupted in west Belfast this week after a mural honouring republican women killed in the conflict was replaced by an ad promoting landlordism.

End selective internment

Pressure is growing for other internees at Maghaberry jail to be released following the decision to free critically ill Brendan Lillis last week.

Warning over media threat as PSNI raids go on

Concern is growing at the level of harassment by the PSNI police and their increasing use of the pro-unionist media to set up members of the nationalist community for attack.

Colin Duffy refused bail ‘as a message’

Prominent republican Colin Duffy continues to be held without trial after a judge astonishingly declared that his release might encourage breakaway IRA groups.

Sectarian parade forced through nationalist village

A provocative loyalist band parade in the County Antrim village of Rasharkin passed off peacefully at the weekend.

McGuinness condemns hardliners

Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness has hit out at ‘dissident’ republicans, labelling them ‘imposters’ for carrying on the name of the IRA.

Hunger strike march in Belfast

A march to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the deaths of ten republican hunger strikers took place in Belfast at the weekend.

A freedom won

There was shock, disbelief and tears of joy for the friends, family and supporters of critically ill prisoner Brendan Lillis on Thursday when news emerged that their campaign had succeeded in securing his freedom -- and a rare victory against state brutality in the North of Ireland.

Fears over ‘United States of Eurozone’

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have presented proposals for a Eurozone government to carry out centralised European decision making on economic matters and extract a new tax on all financial transactions within the Eurozone.

Police Ombudsman scandal grows

A new report into the Police Ombudsman’s office in the North has revealed that it is routinely engaging in the cover-up of key intelligence details and censoring its own reports in order to bolster the reputation of the PSNI police and its predecessor, the RUC.

Blame game follows Derry violence

Recriminations have followed an outbreak of trouble which followed Saturday’s parade through the heart of nationalist Derry by the loyalist Apprentice Boys organisation.

Adams sees further gains for Sinn Fein

The Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams has predicted further growth for his party in an address at a south Armagh rally to mark the 30th anniversary of the prison hunger strikes of 1981.

Hopes for justice at Strabane commemoration

The brother of a disabled County Tyrone man killed forty years ago by the British Army says he is hopeful a new investigation will clear his brother’s name.

Brendan Lillis released, says partner

Critically ill internee Brendan Lillis, currently receiving medical care at City Hospital in south Belfast, has been freed, according to his partner.

The truth about Billy McKavanagh

An unarmed Catholic man shot dead by the British army 40 years ago was innocent of any wrongdoing, an inquiry has found.

Lillis held incommunicado in ‘a pantomime of callousness’

The Life Sentence Review Commissioners sat yesterday [Friday] to consider the case of critically ill internee Brendan Lillis, who remains under the watch of prison warders at a hospital in Belfast following his transfer from notorious Maghaberry jail earlier this week.

No relief from marching season

Clashes erupted in Derry today [Saturday] following a sectarian parade by the loyalist Apprentice Boys’ organisation, one of the largest of the Protestant marching season.

‘Lock-on’ protest at Alliance Party HQ

A number of members of the Republican Network for Unity (RNU) group dramatically stormed the Alliance Party’s headquarters in south Belfast on Thursday morning in protest at party leader David Ford’s handling of the situation at Maghaberry jail.

Internment trauma recalled

Forty years after the introduction of internment, a group of ex-internees have said they will take legal action against the British government over the policy of internment.

Gaybo backs away from Presidential ‘coronation’

The 26-County Presidential campaign bordered on absurdity this week when television personality Gay Byrne briefly became favourite to win the election, before confirming he would not be a candidate.

Lillis under heavy guard at City Hospital

Brendan Lillis is receiving urgent treatment at City Hospital in the south of Belfast where he remains under the close watch of British prison authorities.

Lillis, nearing death, is removed to hospital

Interned former political prisoner Brendan Lillis has been taken from Maghaberry jail today to an unknown destination after a prison doctor admitted his condition was “critical”.

Save Brendan Lillis

Following last week’s refusal by the Stormont authorities to release him, the partner of Brendan Lillis has said their campaign is no longer working to free the ailing prisoner, but to save his life.

Hunger strike families appeal for action

The families of most of the 1981 Hunger Strikers have called for an end to the abuses taking place at Maghaberry prison in County Antrim.

New protest at Maghaberry

A group of republican prisoners at Maghaberry have begun a 48 hour fast to protest the failure of the British/Stormont authorities to implement an agreement last August on conditions within the jail.

PSNI launches media crackdown

News organisations must submit to the PSNI any footage or photographs of rioting or other public disorder in the north of Ireland, a judge has ruled.

Schoolboy fights for life after attack

A 17-year-old schoolboy is critically ill in hospital after being beaten in a sectarian attack in Antrim.

Fortieth anniversary of Ballymurphy and Internment

An event to mark the 40th anniversary of the 1971 Ballymurphy massacre has heard renewed calls for an independent international inquiry.

Ford refuses release of Brendan Lillis

There have been demands for the resignation of Six-County Justice Minister David Ford after he rejected an appeal by the broad nationalist community for the release of a dying prisoner today.

British Army protected UVF ‘Butcher’

The British Army withheld evidence for more than three decades which confirms that some of its locally recruited units were used to finance and support UVF paramilitary death squads.

McGuinness backs Lillis release

Members of the two main nationalist parties in the North are to join the partner of critically ill prisoner Brendan Lillis in a meeting with the Six-County Justice Minister later today [Wednesday] to plead for his release from Maghaberry jail on compassionate grounds.

Shell ‘goons’ battle protestors as pipe construction begins

A day of action by environmental protestors was greeted with violence as full construction work on a gas pipeline by Shell and contractors in north County Mayo began at the weekend.

Housing project spiked by new DUP minister

A project to build 200 houses at a former north Belfast British Army barracks has been blocked by unionists for naked territorial and sectarian reasons.

Child abuse scandal hits Presidential campaign

Senator David Norris yesterday withdrew his candidacy from the 26-County presidential election in the autumn after a scandal erupted over his intervention on behalf of an Israeli man, a former lover, who was convicted of the statutory rape of a 15-year-old boy in 1992.

SDLP’s Ritchie facing leadership threat

The deputy leader of the SDLP has said he will stand against current leader Margaret Ritchie for the post at the party’s annual conference in November.

Policing in ‘cloud-cuckoo-land’

A heavy-handed series of arrest operations against families of prominent republicans backfired significantly on the PSNI this week as public opinion turned against them.

No compassion for dying prisoner

The Life Sentence Review Commission has refused release of critically ill republican prisoner Brendan Lillis on compassionate grounds as a growing human rights campaign continues to demand his release.

PSNI ignoring loyalist violence - SF

Sinn Fein has accused the PSNI of an “obvious disparity” between how riots in loyalist and nationalist areas are policed.

Orangemen attempt Garvaghy march

The Orange Order yesterday [Wednesday] attempted to stage a march along part of the nationalist Garvaghy Road in Portadown.

New tax inspires public boycott

Householders in the 26-County state face hundreds of euro in new charges, starting with a flat-rate charge in January and separate water and property charges by 2014.

Presidential election date named

The coalition government in Dublin has named Thursday, October 27th, as the date for the presidential election and two constitutional referenda.

Reject Stormont brutality

The Six-County administration is still resisting intense pressure to release dying prisoner Brendan Lillis, who remains critically ill at Maghaberry prison despite having the charges which put him there withdrawn.

Marian Price charged over 2009 attack

Veteran republican Marian Price has been charged by the PSNI in a move widely seen as a political response to the growing controversy over selective internment and the plight of Brendan Lillis.

‘Twelfth’ fallout continues

A Ballycastle man assaulted on the Twelfth of July has said he was set upon only because he had walked across the road during a contentious parade by the anti-Catholic Orange Order.

No justice for abuse victims as Kenny blasts Vatican

The Taoiseach Enda Kenny has mounted a strong verbal attack on the Catholic church as pressure again grows in Ireland for action to be taken in the wake of the latest child abuse scandal.

EU forced to cut Irish interest rate

A lowering of the interest rate being charged by the European Union for its share of the current 85 billion euro bailout loan will not deflect the Dublin government from implementing further cuts to services as well as new stealth taxes, the government has said.

PSNI invade wedding, arrest couple, question guests

The PSNI in Derry have been accused of mixing sectarianism with racism as they interrupted a wedding ceremony between a local man and a woman who had moved to Ireland from China, and arrested the couple.

Blanketman on the threshold

Supporters of critically ill Maghaberry prisoner Brendan Lillis are to stage a hunger protest in a last-ditch attempt to convince the Stormont and British authorities to release him from prison before he dies.

Mid-Ulster UVF blamed for Portadown attack

Over 100 loyalists were involved in a serious mob assault at a ‘peaceline’ in Portadown on Friday night, throwing bricks, bottles, paint-bombs, fireworks and at least one blast bomb.

Stormont buries its head after riots

The Six-County administration at Stormont has been criticised for adopting a ‘securocrat’ response to the marching season.

Soccer team attacked in north Belfast

Members of a north Belfast soccer team have been left with injuries including stab wounds and a broken leg after being attacked by a loyalist mob.

CIRA dismisses talks offer

A member of the Continuity IRA has dismissed offers from senior Sinn Fein figures to enter into talks, according to the Guardian newspaper.

Minister in ‘Thatcherite’ attack on welfare recipients

‘Minister for Social Protection’, Labour’s Joan Burton, has been widely condemned after she suggested that social welfare is becoming a “lifestyle choice”.

The Battle of Ardoyne

The PSNI attacked a peaceful protest in the republican Ardoyne area of north Belfast to facilitate a sectarian march, triggering hours of rioting on Tuesday evening.

Interfaces attacked amid surge in UVF activity

A series of sectarian and racist attacks were carried out by loyalists in the nights leading up to the ‘Eleventh Night’ bonfires and the ‘Twelfth’ marches.

Kenny and Gilmore caught as false promises are exposed

The Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore both misled voters in pre-election assurances about the future of hospital services in Roscommon, it has emerged.

Call for prosecutions after new abuse report

There has been another shocking report on the failure of the Catholic Church to protect child abuse victims in the 26 Counties.

McGeough’s legal challenge to conviction gets go ahead

Jailed former Provisional IRA commander Gerry McGeough has passed the first stage of a legal battle to be given an amnesty, in line with those accorded to some other combatants in the North’s conflict.

Inverted priorities at the Dail

The Dublin government postponed Ireland’s National Famine Commemoration Day due to the visit of ‘Queen of England’ Elizabeth Windsor -- and is still refusing to name a date for the event.

Nationalists riot as parade forced through

Intense rioting has engulfed north Belfast after a parade by the Orange Order was forced through the republican Ardoyne area.

Eleventh Night mayhem in Belfast

Serious disturbances broke out across Belfast and elsewhere last night as loyalist bonfires spilled over into sectarian attacks and quickly evolved into general rioting.

UVF riots in Ballyclare, Newtownabbey, Carrickfergus

Riots orchestrated by the unionist paramilitary UVF erupted in a number of towns in county Antrim overnight, ostensibly over the removal of UVF flags erected for the marching season.

Austerity protests grow

More than a thousand people have protested outside the Dublin parliament as the coalition government begins to wield the axe against frontline health services around the country in order to serve European/IMF demands for spending cuts.

RSF arrests linked to Drumcree protest

A controversial plan by the Orange Order to hold a parade in Portadown in County Armagh without the usual notification was apparently averted when the organisation was informed of pending arrests of the Republican Sinn Fein leadership, it has emerged.

Children terrorised by PSNI

Anger at police intimidation in the North is mounting after children returning from a bus trip to Dublin last week were terrorised by heavily armed PSNI members for up two hours

Robinson rejects strip-search compromise

A report which could end the protest by republican prisoners at Maghaberry jail has been shelved, it has emerged.

Weapons and security bodies are decommissioned

No inventory of the arms decommissioned by the Provisional IRA and loyalist paramilitaries is to be made public, the arms body which oversaw the process has announced in its final report.

Irish questions over Tory tabloid hacks

A journalist who worked for the ‘News of the World’ has admitted the phone hacking practices used in the newspaper’s British operations were also used in researching some of the stories for its Irish edition.

Republican Sinn Fein leaders seized by PSNI

The President and Vice President of Republican Sinn Fein were arrested in Lurgan, County Armagh last night on the way to a protest rally in support of republican prisoners.

Nationalist nightmare

The homes of nationalists in the Short Strand were again attacked by loyalists on Friday night as both unionist paramilitaries and the Protestant Orange Order combined to create a living hell for the beleaguered community.

Israel accused of ‘lethal’ attack on Irish aid ship

The Irish ship, the MV Saoirse, has been covertly attacked in a Turkish port as it prepared to sail to Gaza as part of an international aid mission.

Prisoners protest at Maghaberry amid talks reports

A new protest is underway at Maghaberry jail to bring pressure for a resolution to a long-running standoff over conditions at the notorious County Antrim prison.

New revelation points to Loughinisland cover-up

The gun used in the Loughinisland atrocity was used in the mass murder attempt of eight workmen just months earlier, it has been revealed.

Acrimony around Smithwick Tribunal deadline

The 26-County Minister for Justice Alan Shatter has been strongly criticised by all those involved in the Smithwick Tribunal after he imposed a deadline on the tribunal’s efforts to investigate allegations about a deadly IRA attack in March 1989.

MI5 ‘offered to care for son’

A West Belfast man has said that after years of harassment by the PSNI police, he is now being harassed by British military intelligence.

Police Ombudsman must go

Nationalists have united behind calls for the Police Ombudsman to quit amid outrage over a report in which he denied that the PSNI (then RUC) police had not colluded in the Loughinisland massacre.

Talks due on sectarian marches

The body that rules on contentious marches in the Six Counties is to meet the North’s First Minister and Deputy First Minister at Stormont tomorrow [Tuesday] in advance of the climax of the Protestant sectarian marching season.

Ireland’s rich grow richer on bailout money

Cash from the EU/IMF bailout loans are being used to fund the extravagant lifestyles of the 26-County state’s wealthy elite, according to reports from a number of quarters.

Pressure mounts for release of Brendan Lillis

A meeting next month of the Parole Commission (formerly the Life Sentence Review Commission) has raised hopes for the family and supporters of former political prisoner Brendan Lillis, who is gravely ill at Maghaberry Prison.

Irish ship joins Gaza mission

The Dublin government has been urged to ask the Israeli authorities to allow an Irish ship joining an international flotilla to be allowed access to the port of Gaza.

Derry bridge ‘is peace symbol’

A new bridge in Derry is being described as a symbol of the city’s journey out of conflict to a brighter future.

Families angered by new Loughinisland cover-up

The families of the men murdered by the unionist paramilitary UVF in a 1994 massacre in Loughinisland, County Down have vehemently rejected an investigation by the PSNI Police Ombudsman into the killings.

Short Strand quiet amid talks with UVF ‘Beast of the East’

Despite crowds of over a thousand gathering in east Belfast, the Short Strand experienced a tense but relatively trouble-free night last night.

A heroic defence

A sudden, unilateral and large-scale loyalist terror attack on the tiny nationalist community of the Short Strand was bravely fended off this week in an act of courage reminiscent of previous generations of the nationalist struggle.

Clashes follow ‘Tour of the North’

Members of the Protestant Orange Order and loyalist bandsmen clashed with the PSNI after a controversial sectarian parade was rerouted from the republican Ardoyne area of north Belfast on Friday.

Colin Duffy to stand trial

An attempt to have the case against Colin Duffy and Brian Shivers dropped has been refused by a judge.

US college battles to preserve history project

An American university is fighting a British bid to get hold of interviews with members of the Provisional IRA, gathered as part of an oral history project.

Kingsmills victims may bring civil case

Relatives of those who died in a gun attack at Kingsmills in south Armagh in 1976 may take a civil action against those they believe to be responsible.

Republican hardliners urged to unite

The former head of Irish Northern Aid, Martin Galvin, has urged republicans of all factions to unite to draw up a new strategy to defeat the British, in opposition to Sinn Fein.

Short Strand attacked again

There was serious rioting for a second night in east Belfast tonight as masked unionist paramilitaries renewed their attempts to attack the nationalist Short Strand enclave.

Shots fired at St Matthew’s

Shots have been fired by loyalists tonight towards St Matthew’s chapel amid a serious assault by unionist paramilitaries on the nationalist Short Strand.

Loyalist mob attacks Short Strand

Catholic homes in east Belfast’s Short Strand area and elsewhere have been attacked by over a hundred masked loyalists tonight, and several injuries have already been reported.

100 days of dithering

Faced with intense criticism over their failure to deal with the deep economic crisis in their first 100 days of office, the 26-County coalition leaders this week renewed promises to ‘burn the bondholders’ of two of the state’s nationalised banks, while vowing to maintain social welfare and income tax at current levels.

Cancer victim tortured at Maghaberry

A republican prisoner who is undergoing cancer treatment has been brutally strip-searched en route to the hospital.

Unprecedented harassment of republicans

The brother of a man shot dead by British soldiers in County Armagh is to take legal action after he was followed by British intelligence officers on holiday all the way to Dubai.

Police Ombudsman damned in new report

The Police Ombudsman’s Office is heavily criticised in a new report into its work.

Sectarian tension linked to marching season

The controversial Whiterock parade by the Protestant Orange Order in Belfast later this month will go ahead, despite the opposition of local nationalist residents.

Bloody Sunday prosecutions still awaited one year on

A decision on the prosecution of British paratroopers over the Bloody Sunday killings is expected before the end of the summer.

Drugs gang kill top RSF man

A founder member of a Sinn Fein breakaway group was assassinated on Thursday in an attack which has shocked the broader republican community in Dublin.

IRA members meet tribunal team

A meeting between former Provisional IRA Volunteers and the Smithwick Tribunal into the deaths of two senior RUC policemen in 1989 was facilitated by Sinn Fein, party President Gerry Adams has confirmed.

Cameron seeks end to ‘shared-out Stormont’

British Prime Minister David Cameron has outlined his vision for the future of the Six Counties, urging the North’s politicians to “move beyond” the question of British rule in Ireland, and instead focus on “the economic and social issues that affect people in their daily lives”.

‘Tour of the North’ rerouted from Ardoyne

A triumphalist parade by the Protestant Orange Order has again been banned from passing a republican community in north Belfast.

New inquest ordered into UDA murder

The Six-County Attorney General has ordered a new inquest into the murder of a Catholic man shot dead by a loyalist death squad in west Belfast in 1988.

UN demands investigation into Magdalene torture

The UN Committee Against Torture has recommended the 26-County State investigate “all allegations of torture, and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment that were allegedly committed in the Magdalene Laundries”.

Death of Brian Lenihan

Condolences have been expressed to the family of Brian Lenihan after he passed away this morning.

Paul Maskey elected MP for West Belfast

Sinn Fein Assembly member Paul Maskey has been elected as the new MP for West Belfast, replacing party president, Gerry Adams.

Stormont faces appointment test

Sinn Fein is under heavy pressure to sack one of their Stormont advisors as a controversy continued over her appointment this week.

RUC killed U.S. citizen in 1997, inquest finds

A coroner is to prepare a file for the Public Prosecution Service after an inquest found that an American father-of-one died from injuries inflicted by the PSNI police (then the RUC) in 1997.

Support grows for Maghaberry campaign

Up to 500 people gathered outside the gates of the notorious Maghaberry prison in Lisburn on Sunday afternoon in protest at the treatment of republican prisoners at the jail.

Dublin cabinet lurches towards flat taxes

The coalition government in Dublin appears set to move ahead with controversial plans for new water and family home taxes from next year despite mixed signals about the plans at cabinet level.

‘Uniting Ireland’ conferences scheduled

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams TD has released details of two major conferences the party is holding in Dublin and Cork to promote the objective of uniting Ireland.

The Mavi Marmara massacre, one year on

As peaceful demonstrators continue to die at Israel’s border, a look back at a notorious massacre of international human rights activists.

Prison protest ‘could spill over’

Prison authorities at Maghaberry prison have confirmed that a lockdown is being imposed on the republican wings amid a mounting crisis at the jail.

Coalition chaos over new bailout, wage cuts

Dublin officials have been issuing contradictory statements over how they might fund the operations of the 26-County state next year, while threatening the wages of the state’s lowest paid workers.

Stormont Justice is ‘direct rule in drag’ - SDLP

Members of the police and government officials who contributed to the murder of human rights lawyer Rosemary Nelson are still working in the Six-County establishment, it has been claimed.

Sinn Fein secures post of Belfast Mayor

Sinn Fein’s Niall O Donnghaile became the youngest ever mayor of Belfast on Thursday night.

‘War criminal’ interviewed on RTE

The Pat Finucane Centre, a Derry-based human rights group, has protested against recent television interviews with the man most held responsible for the Bloody Sunday massacre.

Neil Lennon hung in effigy

A sectarian lynch mob, with some wearing Rangers tops, have hanged an effigy of Celtic soccer club manager Neil Lennon from a lamp-post in Antrim.

The collusion spin

The British government have been condemned for attempting to protect the PSNI from the fallout of the Rosemary Nelson inquiry.

Politicians succumb to state visit mania

The Sinn Fein mayor of Cashel created controversy on Friday when he became the first member of his party to shake the hand of a British monarch.

Conforming prisoners attacked in Maghaberry clampdown

The introduction of a change to the regime for conforming republican prisoners at Maghaberry jail has led to a series of violent assaults on the prisoners by warders, according to reports from inside the jail.

Attacks and alerts prompt questions, criticism

Mystery surrounds an attack in Derry city centre on Saturday, in which a small device exploded inside a bank.

RUC let loyalist murder suspects go - HET

Those thought to have been involved in the murder of a Catholic cafe owner in 1987 were never questioned by RUC (now PSNI) police, despite being identified by a witness, it has emerged.

IRSP mark hunger strike anniversary

Around 400 people took part in a commemoration march on Saturday to mark the 30th anniversary of the death of Derry hunger striker Patsy O’Hara.

Obama wows Dubliners, seeks ‘missing apostrophe’

US president Barack Obama is addressing huge crowds of people at College Green in Dublin this evening.

Rosemary Nelson Inquiry finds PSNI ‘failures’

The report of a public inquiry has claimed that British state agencies did not directly collude with loyalists who assassinated high-profile human rights lawyer Rosemary Nelson in Lurgan 1999.

Queen of propaganda

The state visit of Elizabeth Windsor to the 26-County state came to an absurd anti-climax on Wednesday night when the British monarch admitted England’s relations with Ireland have “not been entirely benign”.

Pre-emptive arrests of royal protestors

The 32 County Sovereignty committee has said “close on twenty” of its members were arrested last [Thursday] night as they assembled in Dublin to protest against the British royal visit.

Death of Garret Fitzgerald

The death has taken place of former Taoiseach, Garret FitzGerald. The former Fine Gael leader died on Thursday morning in Dublin, aged 85, following a short illness.

More progress in shoot-to-kill inquests

A coroner investigating the killings of two IRA men shot dead by soldiers more than 20 years ago must examine the “planning and control of the operation” that led to the deaths, senior judges have ruled.

Maskey may face Price in west Belfast election

Sinn Fein’s Paul Maskey is to stand in the Westminster by-election next month for the West Belfast seat left vacant by Gerry Adams.

Ireland braces for whirlwind Obama visit

This coming Monday, May 23, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will arrive in Ireland for an official state visit, the highlight of which is likely to be a stop in the tiny village of Moneygall.

Dubliners riot over provocative state visit

Hundreds of rioters clashed with gardai police for almost three hours following the visit of the British queen to the Garden of Rememberance in Dublin city centre yesterday, throwing fireworks, glass bottles and bricks.

Cold Irish welcome for British Commander-in-Chief

A convoy of armoured vehicles today shepherded British monarch Elizabeth Windsor through the empty streets of Dublin city centre in the first and most controversial day of a hugely expensive and oppressive ‘royal visit’.

Royal stupidity

An unprecedented security lockdown has been put in place in several locations across Dublin, in Cork and in other sites across Ireland in preparation for the first visit to the 26-County state by the 'Queen of England', Elizabeth Windsor.

Detention of Marian Price criticised

The British government and the Stormont establishment have been accused of using totalitarian tactics following the effective internment yesterday [Monday] of veteran republican Marian Price.

Calls to ‘open the files’ on bombings

Bereaved families and survivors of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings have written an open letter to Elizabeth Windsor to mark her arrival in Ireland on the 37th anniversary of the atrocities.

Finucanes expect inquiry announcement; Nelson report due

After decades of campaigning by the family of Belfast defence lawyer Pat Finucane, they are to be told within weeks that a full inquiry into his murder will go ahead, according to reports at the weekend.

Mystery checkpoint as harassment, psy-ops mount

The North’s police ombudsman is to investigate after republicans were challenged by men wielding machine guns in a terror operation involving more than 80 police and 10 armoured vehicles last week.

New Sinn Fein Ministers in Six-County Executive

The political parties at Stormont appointed a new Six-County Executive today [Monday], with Sinn Fein surprisingly dropping its entire Executive team, with the exception of its Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness.

Marian Price interned

Prominent dissident republican Marian Price has been summarily jailed by the British government following her rearrest at a Derry courtroom today.

Marian Price arrested

Veteran republican Marian Price has been arrested by the PSNI. She was arrested in west Belfast today and taken to Antrim interrogation centre.

Prisoners confront criminalisation

Republican prisoners were attacked at Maghaberry prison and dragged from their cells at the weekend after a protest action against the failure of the British government and prison authorities to implement an agreement on prisoners’ rights.

Six-County Assembly begins new term

Sinn Féin has struck a deal with the DUP to share the post of Stormont Assembly speaker following last Thursday’s elections.

Coalition’s inaction saps confidence, claims lives

26-County Taoiseach Enda Kenny has been accused of not standing up for Irish interests following secretive emergency meetings of the European Union.

Britain to pay for injustices

A number of miscarriage of justice victims in the north of Ireland are to receive compensation following a landmark Supreme Court ruling in the case of two men whose convictions were overturned.

Driver saves life of man in loyalist mob attack

A young Catholic man was knocked unconscious in a random sectarian attack on Monday as a gang of twenty loyalists kicked and punched him.

Donnelly calls for national sovereignty vote

A leading dissident republican movement has said a vote on an all-Ireland basis on the question of Irish unity and national sovereignty could help bring an end to the conflict in Ireland.

SF gains 12 council seats, becomes largest party in Belfast

The balance of power at Belfast City Council has shifted, with Sinn Fein leapfrogging the DUP to become the largest party.

IRSP falls short by half a vote; SF’s Kelly injured in crash

Almost two-thirds of council posts in the Six Counties have been declared so far this evening.

Local election setbacks for UUP; others poll well

Electoral woes have continued for the Ulster Unionist Party in the local elections in the North.

SF wins seat in east Antrim as counts conclude

Final results in the Assembly election has confirmed power flowing from the smaller parties to the larger parties at Stormont, with both Sinn Fein and the DUP consolidating their positions at the expense of their nationalist and unionist rivals, the SDLP and UUP respectively.

UUP leader Tom Elliott lashes out at ‘Sinn Fein scum’

The embattled leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, Tom Elliott, described Sinn Fein as “scum” after the party won three seats in the Fermanagh/South Tyrone constituency.

Anger over election chaos

The electoral system in the North has been branded a “laughing stock” by a leading academic, while the last speaker of the Stormont assembly has branded it a “disgrace”.

DUP and SF tighten grip on Stormont

Sinn Fein and the DUP are still polling strongly as counting draws to a close on the first day of the election results in the north of Ireland.

First counts indicate Sinn Fein gains

n the first results in the Assembly election, Sinn Fein are making gains or holding their own as the long delayed numbers start to come in.

Huge leap forward for Scottish independence

Scotland is on course to secure independence by 2016 after a near-revolutionary transformation in British politics today.

UUP vote collapses amid drop in turnout

The dominant feature of the Six-County Assembly election, which is being counted today, is the sharp drop in turnout, although Sinn Fein are upbeat that they can increase their representation at Stormont.

Election triumph for Scottish nationalists

The Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP) could be on course for a historic victory in the Scottish parliament in Edinburgh, wiping the board in constituencies across that country.

Turnout or turnoff?

Elections are underway in the North today [Thursday], where Sinn Féin is hoping to become the biggest party in the Belfast Assembly.

Palestinian peace breakthrough

Palestinians said they had turned the page on division at a ceremony in Egypt to heal a four-year rift between the Fatah movement and the more militant group Hamas.

Call for action over suicides

Concerns over the high level of teenage suicide in west and north Belfast have reached a new level following a series of deaths in the past few months.

Republican groups clash outside church gates

Members of Sinn Fein clashed with members of the National Graves Association outside a county Tyrone church on Easter Sunday weekend.

Tory media bashes referendum; Breakthrough hopes for Scotland

The coalition government in London of David Cameron’s Tories and Nick Clegg’s Liberal Democrats is under strain following a Tory ‘black propoganda’ campaign to discredit the Alternative Vote system prior to today’s referendum in Britain.

Assembly Elections 2011 - Constituency Profiles

Six Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) will be elected in each of the 18 constituencies in the Six Counties. A brief summary of the constituencies and candidates for this year’s Assembly election.

Real IRA responds

In a dramatic public address on Easter Monday, the ‘Real IRA’ affirmed its determination to pursue its armed struggle against British rule.

Three Senate seats for Sinn Fein

Sinn Fein has secured three seats in what may be the last ever 26-County Seanad [Senate].

Sectarian attacks and bomb alerts

A series of bomb hoaxes and alerts also intensified in the past week and fuelled a sense of rising tension in the North.

Gerry Kelly rejects call to repudiate IRA

With elections to local councils and the Stormont Assembly due to take place within a week, Sinn Fein is coming under pressure from the unionist parties and the mainstream media to turn its back on the IRA.

Union Jack raised over Sinn Fein offices

The first contentious loyalist parades of the year have passed off peacefully.

Uncertainty shrouds health services after HSE board quits

The new 26-County Health Minister Dr James Reilly has cleared out the board of the Health Service Executive (HSE), claiming the dramatic shake-up will improve services and accountability.

A new IRA?

A group of former Provisional IRA members have declared that they will continue the armed struggle until a united Ireland is achieved.

Golden circles continue to rob 26-County state

A number of elite public servants continue to be paid up to one million euro ($1.46m) in annual salary and associated benefits, despite the economic demise of the 26 Counties and the arrival of the IMF.

UVF boss, Celtic manager targeted for assassination

A senior UVF unionist paramilitary was left in critical condition after being stabbed outside a busy north Belfast supermarket, apparently by a feuding rival.

Child clubbed by PSNI in stop-and-search

A County Armagh schoolboy was assaulted by a member of the PSNI who batoned the 12-year-old just over a week ago, it has emerged.

Unity referendum subject to GFA - Sinn Fein

With all of the mainstream political parties unanimous on three key issues -- the need to defeat dissident republicanism, safeguard the Six-County political institutions and oppose cuts to the British subvention -- only the call for an all-island referendum has caused a stir in the Assembly election campaign.

‘Fun’ menu for Irish treaty signatories sold at auction

A “humorous” menu prepared for an Irish delegation dinner during the Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiations in London in 1921 has been sold in Dublin for a four-figure sum.

A stand against the securocrats

Policing in the North is once again in crisis after the chief executive at the Police Ombudsman's office suddenly quit, blaming senior government officials for interfering in the office's investigations.

Concerns over new human rights violations

Sinn Fein has criticised the PSNI's continued detention and interrogation of a number of people in connection with dissident republican activity.

HET draws a blank

The mother of a six-year-old boy shot in the head during the conflict has expressed her frustration after the police Historical Enquiries Team (HET) dismissed evidence of loyalist involvement in the death.

IMF, EU join in Dublin fudge exercise

The Fine Gael/Labour government in Dublin declared last week it had "passed" a review of its economic progress by its International Monetary Fund and European Union creditors without any penalty.

Kenny meets Cameron

The 26-County Taoiseach Enda Kenny held his first bilateral meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron in London this afternoon.

McGuinness to represent SF in leaders debates

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams will almost certainly not be representing the party in televised leaders' battles ahead of the North's election.

Adams calls for talks

Sinn Fein has offered to meet with “the militarist factions” to outline the party’s strategy for advancing republican objectives and in its belief in “the futility of armed actions”.

Assembly election candidates named

There are 218 candidates in total for the 108 Six-County Assembly seats up for grabs in the election on May 5, spread over the traditional 18 six-seater constituencies.

Govt seeks gullible property investors

The state-operated bank NAMA is to provide mortgages for home-buyers in the 26 Counties -- despite acknowledging that house prices are likely to fall further.

PSNI in bomb alert controversy

A furore has arisen after the PSNI allowed motorists to drive past a van containing what was described as a 500 pound bomb on Thursday evening last week.

Sinn Fein rules out royal visit demo

Any activity that Sinn Fein organises to mark the British royal visit next month will not involve picketing of events and no “confrontation for the sake of it”, the party’s deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald has said.

Double-agent’s ex-wife can sue Scappaticci

A woman who became embroiled in Britain’s ‘Dirty War’ has received High Court permission to bring anunprecedented legal actionagainst Freddie Scappaticci, the reputed British double-agent known in the media as ‘Stakeknife’.

A record of hate

A recording of Gardai police laughingly planning to rape two environmental protestors, including a US citizen, has renewed attention on the policing operation to secure the construction of a hugely controversial onshore gas refinery in County Mayo.

Windsor to visit Croke Park, republican memorial

The planned itinerary for a visit next month by the professed ‘Queen of England’ has provoked anger and disbelief.

Conflict is ‘useless’ - McGuinness

British forces in Ireland are said to be increasingly concerned at the technical capacity of breakaway IRA groups following Saturday’s killing of a PSNI man in a limpet-mine attack in County Tyrone.

Donaldson family say PSNI, MI5 central to killing

The family of high-ranking Sinn Fein official Denis Donaldson who was murdered for being a spy believe his PSNI Special Branch handler has secret information that could help the Garda murder investigation.

‘Treasonous’ to oppose bondholders - Lenihan

Former Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan has said proposals to share the cost of Ireland’s collapsed banking system with those European banks who had funded their lending practices as “a form of economic treason.”

Concern over new military parade plan

Belfast City Council has voted to approve a parade for British soldiers through the city.

Gerry McGeough sentenced to 20 years

Prominent republican Gerry McGeough has been sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for an IRA attack on an off-duty British soldier 30 years ago.

Dublin tugs the forelock

The coalition government parties have reneged on promises made during the general election by refusing to share the losses of Ireland’s banks with those who sought to profit from their reckless lending.

Shock as PSNI man dies in clinical attack

Waves of political and official condemnation have followed the killing of a member of the PSNI in a targeted ‘dissident’ bomb attack in County Tyrone on Saturday.

Questions continue for MI5 in Derry killing

The family of Derry man Kieran Doherty have called on the PSNI to reveal any information they have on MI5’s involvement with him prior to his death in February last year.

Relief for Armagh man in Nairac ‘show trial’

South Armagh man Kevin Crilly has been cleared of any involvement in the execution of British soldier and spy Robert Nairac in May 1977.

Duffy detention for Supreme Court

Colin Duffy is to go before Britain’s highest court to challenge his period of pre-charge detention.

Assembly, local election campaigning underway

Sinn Fein’s newly elected TDs are to take part in a series of pre-election events as the party presents itself as an effective all-Ireland party, in contrast to the SDLP.

PSNI man killed in bomb attack

A member of the PSNI police has been killed in an undercar booby-trap type attack in County Tyrone.

An apology for murder

The British government has apologised for killing a south Armagh girl, who was shot dead by a paratrooper almost 35 years ago.

Maghaberry stitch-up exposed

The personal details of a former Maghaberry governor were planted by a prison warder in a prominent republican’s cell at the County Antrim prison, it has been admitted.

Bomb defused at Derry courthouse

The armed group known as Oglaigh na hEireann has said it planted a device near Derry’s courthouse which caused a major bomb alert on Sunday evening and Monday morning.

Kenny denies corruption in Tribunal brush-off

The governing Fine Gael party has been accused of corruption over its links with businessman Denis O’Brien in a heated Dail debate.

Irish census contractor ‘linked to war crimes’

Anti-war organisation ‘Shannonwatch’ has said that the 2011 census, taking place across the 26 Counties on April 10th, is being managed by a company accused of committing torture, war crimes and civil conspiracy in Iraq.

De Valera’s secret betrayal

Dublin governments were conspiring with Britain to smear prominent republicans and defeat the IRA as long ago as the 1930’s, according to a new radio documentary.

‘Job-sharing’ offer rejected

A suggestion by Sinn Fein’s Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness that he is prepared to consider sharing the role of First Minister if Sinn Fein tops the polls in the North’s Assembly election has drawn a hostile, if predictable, reaction from unionists.

McGeough sentencing deferred after strip-search drama

Prominent republican Gerry McGeough developed chest pains while refusing to be strip-searched before his court appearance in Belfast on Monday.

Low standards in public office confirmed

The Dublin government has been accused of seeking to cover up the findings of the Moriarty report, which found former Fine Gael minister Michael Lowry had acted in “profoundly corrupt” manner.

Britain ends equality in PSNI hiring

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams TD has attacked a decision by the British Secretary to scrap the 50-50 recruitment procedure to the PSNI police, under which equal numbers of Catholics and Protestants were employed by the force.

Coalition cop-out in Brussels

Despite his previous prediction two weeks ago, Taoiseach Enda Kenny has failed to secure reduction in the interest rate on the EU bailout for the 26-County State at a summit of European leaders today.

Orwellian Ministry strikes again

The DUP’s Six-County ‘Minister for Culture’ Nelson McCausland has insisted an annual arts festival held in south central Belfast include pro-Israeli views and Christian music in its line-up, according to a BBC report.

Tribunal finds former Minister guilty of corruption

In its final report, the Moriarty Tribunal in Dublin has accused former Fine Gael minister Michael Lowry of “profoundly corrupt” dealings and a “venal abuse of office”.

Circuses

One of the largest military operations in the history of the 26-County State is being prepared in advance of the back-to-back state visits of British monarch Elizabeth Windsor and US President Barack Obama.

High spirits at White House bash

US President Barack Obama has described an “incredible bond” between the US and Ireland at the annual St Patrick’s Day party at the White House.

Fine Gael faces backbone test

Speculation is growing that the new Dublin government will this week be forced to require that at least some bond-holders ‘share the burden’ of losses in the Irish banking system as tensions mount within the European Union over the cost and scale of the international bailout loan plan for the 26-County State.

Spy data was destroyed, court hears

The British Army had secretly bugged a car belonging to a County Armagh teenager on the night he is accused of involvement in a Continuity IRA attack on a member of the PSNI in 2009, it has been revealed.

Sinn Fein displays cross-border unity

Sinn Fein brings its strengthened team of southern representatives to Stormont today [Monday] for the first time since the party’s General Election gains in the 26 Counties.

Heritage plan sought for Dublin city centre

Dublin Sinn Fein TD Aengus O Snodaigh has called for the establishment of a 1916 Quarter encompassing the GPO and the historic buildings on Moore Street and for a Ceathru Gaelteachta [Irish speaking quarter] to develop the Irish language in the city.

Obama to visit Ireland

US President Barack Obama has said he intends to visit Ireland in May.

A week to betrayal

The new Fine Gael-Labour coalition has already backed away from pre-election promises to give the people a say on the EU-IMF bailout deal.

Nelson report suppressed until after election

The British government has said it is carrying out “checks” the findings of a public inquiry into the murder of human rights lawyer Rosemary Nelson, which it is now feared will be withheld until after the May 5 election.

St Patrick’s Day controversy

A row has erupted over the flying of the tricolour at a St Patrick’s Day parade in Downpatrick, County Down.

Nuclear concerns follows Japanese calamity

Taoiseach Enda Kenny is to raise the issue of the Sellafield nuclear plant on the west coast of England following fresh anxiety in Ireland in the wake of the partial meltdown of a number of reactors in the northeast of Japan.

Ballymurphy families join in USA visit

Sinn Fein’s Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness will join DUP leader Peter Robinson and 26-County Taoiseach Enda Kenny among a smaller coterie of Irish politicians than usual to visit Washington DC for the annual St Patrick’s day bash at the White House this wee

Deaths of Sean Cronin, Brian Moore

Leading republicans have expressed their sadness at the death of well-known IRA veteran, author and journalist Sean Cronin.

A fresh start

A new government has started work following a day in which a significant change in the political order in the 26 Counties finally became tangible at Leinster House.

Repression of republicans intensifies

A number of British Army Landrovers rolling through the streets of Derry have been linked to a new wave of repressive Crown force raids across the North.

Sinn Fein warns over royal protests

Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness has warned against protests turning violent when Elizabeth Windsor, the professed ‘Queen of England’, is brought to the 26 Counties later this year.

Stormont in disarray as budget vote passed

A pre-election row has erupted over the ‘Six-County budget’ in the Stormont Executive, with the Ulster Unionist Party and the SDLP both vehemently opposing financial plans agreed by Sinn Fein and the DUP.

St Matthews attacked again

There were clashes in east Belfast on Wednesday night after a Catholic church was defaced by loyalists for a second time in a week.

Address by Gerry Adams to the Dublin parliament

The following is the full text of the address by Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams on the first meeting of the new parliament at Leinster House.

Enda Kenny becomes Taoiseach

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny has received his seal of office from President Mary McAleese at Aras An Uachtarain this afternoon following his election as Taoiseach of the 26-County state. He received 117 votes to 27 at the first sitting of the new Dublin parliament.

A coalition for cuts

Fine Gael and Labour have reached an agreement on entering a new coalition government in the 26 Counties.

PSNI attack mourners, make arrests

Riot police used CS gas to attack dissident republicans following the funeral of veteran IRA man and former H-Block escaper Peter ‘Skeet’ Hamilton.

RIRA claim gun attack

The Real IRA in Derry has said it was behind a gun attack on a PSNI patrol in the Glen Road area of the city and warned that more attacks will follow

Baggott urged to resign

There is pressure on the PSNI police chief Matt Baggott to resign following his abject failure to apologise for the force’s lies about those killed in the McGurk’s Bar massacre.

Closure for Fusco family

A loyalist was jailed for life last week after being convicted of the sectarian murder in Belfast of cafe owner Alfredo Fusco in 1973.

Sectarian, racial tensions on the rise

Graffiti threatening the life of Glasgow Celtic soccer boss Neil Lennon has been daubed on a chapel in east Belfast.

Windsor visit confirmed

British monarch Elizabeth Windsor will make an official visit to the 26-County State later this year, it has been confirmed.

All change?

Predictions of a political transformation in Ireland came to fruition on Friday, when in the space of fifteen hours of polling, angry voters eviscerated the Fianna Fail and Green parties.

The greening of Ireland

Sinn Fein is set to be a major player in 26 County politics after it more than tripled its seats in the Dublin parliament.

Anniversary of start of hunger strike marked

A new exhibition was launched in Belfast on Tuesday, 30 years to the day from the beginning of the second hunger strike for political status by republican PoW Bobby Sands.

Britain to be sued for Omagh damages

A High Court judge has reversed a previous decision to throw out a damages claim brought by the husband of one of the Omagh bomb victims.

Departing Minister signs off on Corrib pipeline

A decision by the outgoing Minister for Energy Pat Carey to sign permissions for the last section of the hugely controversial Corrib gas pipeline on the day of the general election has drawn a furious reaction.

Councillor defiant at protest trial

Dublin City Councillor Louise Minihan has refused to pay a fine of 1,500 euro she received in court last Friday, for dripping red paint on the former Health Minister Mary Harney.

Brian Stanley elected TD for Laois/Offaly

Brian Stanley has clinched a seat for Sinn Fein in Laois/Offaly, the first in 78 years.

Counting continues; coalition talks underway

Fine Gael and Labour have commenced talks on the formation of a new coalition government following a historic collapse in the vote of the outgoing coalition partners, Fianna Fail and the Green Party.

Seats pile in for Sinn Fein

A series of stunning upsets has seen Sinn Fein dominate news coverage of the election by winning 13 seats so far.

Further gains for SF; Crowe, O Caolain, Mac Lochlainn elected

Sinn Fein’s Sean Crowe has returned to the Dail, reversing his painful loss in 2007. Mr Crowe took the third of four seats in Dublin South-West on the sixth count, with the help of transfers from the Socialist Party.

Gerry Adams elected TD for Louth; Pearse Doherty re-elected

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams has topped the poll and secured election on the first count amid jubilant scenes at the constituency count centre in Louth.

Results begin to be announced in General Election

First count declarations are currrently coming in from Friday’s 26-County General Election.

Adams set to win seat in Dail

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams is on course to win a seat for the party in Louth as his party looks set to achieve a historic breakthrough in Friday's general election in the 26 Counties.

Exit poll released as election count begins

Counting begins this morning in the 26-County General Election in which Fine Gael is expected to take power following a collapse in the Fianna Fail vote.

‘Make a stand’ - SF

In the last pre-election rally, Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams vowed his party would stand up for Irish citizens against bad government and bad government decisions.

Historic election is underway

Polling stations will remain open until 10pm on Friday in what is sure to be one of the most significant Irish elections in recent times. Voting has already begun on Ireland’s offshore islands.

Final insult for McGurk’s massacre families

The memories of the 15 McGurk’s bar victims have been vindicated by a new report on the atrocity, but relatives of the dead and injured are still angry over a shocking response to the report by the current PSNI police chief Matt Baggott.

Stormont parties squabble over coalition carve-up

Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness has accused two parties within the struggling Stormont Executive of trying to cut his party out of the Six-County administration.

Date set for Pearse Jordan inquest

An inquest into the death of unarmed IRA man Pearse Jordan, shot by police in west Belfast almost 20 years ago, may be held in October.

Libyan rescue bid ends in fiasco

An attempt to evacuate desperate Irish citizens fleeing from the chaos of Libya’s descent into civil war failed on Wednesday night.

The return of Tweedledee?

Fine Gael is likely to be in a position to form a new Dublin government next week as opinion polls show Sinn Fein, Labour and Fianna Fail now in the race for second place in Friday’s 26-County general election.

Gerry McGeough ‘jailed for his beliefs’

A former member of the Sinn Fein leadership has been put behind bars in Maghaberry Prison after being convicted for an IRA action 30 years ago.

Sinn Fein in campaign overdrive

With less than a week to go, Sinn Féin has sharply escalated its 26-County general election campaign by outlining key policies in a number of high-profile media events.

Breakaway groups struggle to assert role

A Republican Sinn Fein breakaway group elected a leadership for itself at a gathering of the organisation at the weekend.

Monument to Brendan Hughes destroyed

A granite monument in honour of former IRA hunger striker Brendan ‘The Dark’ Hughes has been vandalised within days of being unveiled.

Coins marked as ‘RIRA’ currency

Dissident republicans in Belfast are engraving pound coins with the initials of the breakaway ‘Real IRA’.

Gerry McGeough convicted by Diplock court

Promiment Tyrone republican and former Sinn Fein Ard Chomhairle member Gerry McGeough has been found guilty of taking part in an IRA attack on a British soldier in August 1981

‘Down here’, backs are up

Political campaigning ahead of the general election has heated up significantly following Monday night’s televised leaders’ debate, which saw sharp clashes between Sinn Fein’s Gerry Adams and Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin.

Fine Gael attacks Irish language education

A shock Fine Gael proposal to abolish the compulsory teaching of Irish if put into power in this month’s 26-County general election has provoked spontaneous protests in Dublin.

EU to insist on punitive interest rate

The European Union has demanded “continuity” in government economic and fiscal policy following the 26-County general election on February 25th.

Inequality at Bombardier

One of the British government’s high-profile beneficiaries remains an overwhelmingly Protestant-staffed company, it has emerged.

McGuinness escapes air disaster

Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness escaped death in a plane crash on Thursday, thanks to a last minute change of plan.

‘Censorship’ over television debate plan

The first major television debate of the 26-County election campaign - between Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin and Labour leader Eamon Gilmore - saw sharp and energetic exchanges on budgetary policy, the EU/IMF bailout and the introduction of the bank guarantee.

Lenihan leaves a ten billion euro question

A decision by the Dublin government to defer the recapitalisation of the banks until after the 26-County general election has been condemned as ‘a stroke’ by the opposition parties.

Royal visit points up political divide

Enda Kenny, leader of the largest opposition party in the 26 Counties, has said a visit to Ireland by an English monarch is “overdue”.

European Court rejects prisoner’s challenge

A republican prisoner has lost his European Court challenge over the right to wear an Easter lily in memory of the 1916 Irish Rising.

Appeal for chronically ill prisoner

The partner of a chronically ill prisoner being held in Maghaberry has said he could die in jail unless an urgent decision is made on his release date.

Plane crashes at Cork airport

Six people were killed today when a Manx2 regularly scheduled airline flight from Belfast to Cork overturned and caught fire while making a second attempt to land in dense fog.

Ousting the corrupt elite

Sinn Fein opened its election campaign on Sunday with a strong attack by party president Gerry Adams on corruption in the political system in the 26 Counties.

Charles paves way for Queen’s visit

The first visit to the 26-County state by a reigning British monarch will take place over three days in May, according to reports.

Kenny refuses to join TV debate

The first televised leaders’ debate of the 26-County election will take place on Tuesday night with only two taking part, Fianna Fail’s new leader Micheal Martin and Labour’s Eamon Gilmore.

McGuinness as First Minister would be ‘endorsement’

Unionist politicians have called on the British Secretary Owen Paterson to resign after comments he made on BBC’s ‘Hearts and Minds’ programme.

Lisburn’s memorial to murder

Sinn Fein has protested after it emerged a huge memorial to the British Army’s murderous Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) is due to be erected in Lisburn, County Antrim later this year.

Progress in Loughinisland campaign

The long-awaited report into the 1994 Loughinisland massacre will be published by the Police Ombudsman’s office at the end of March.

A discredited regime evicted

Following over two years of intense political struggle, a general election in the 26 Counties will take place on February 25th following the dissolution of the 30th Dail by President McAleese, on the advice of Taoiseach Brian Cowen.

Justice still the goal after ‘final’ Bloody Sunday march

Over ten thousand people took part in what some have argued should be the final Bloody Sunday march in Derry.

Bloody Sunday march participants attacked

Some of those returning from the Bloody Sunday commemoration in Derry on Sunday were taken from a train near Coleraine and brutally attacked by the PSNI police.

Game on as parties set out election stalls

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams has appealed for an alliance of left wing parties and candidates as the 26-County parties brace for a general election which could bring dramatic change to Ireland’s political landscape.

Hamill report to be published in 2012

The report into the 1997 sectarian murder of Robert Hamill will be completed at the end of this month but will not be published until next year at the earliest, British officials have said.

eirigi names local election candidates

West Belfast will see a battle for the republican vote after eirigi named two candidates who will stand against Sinn Fein in the Belfast City Council elections in both wards along the Falls Road.

Brian Cowen quits politics

The 26-County Taoiseach Brian Cowen has announced he will not contest the upcoming general election.

ONH calls off attack

The breakaway IRA group known as ‘Oglaigh na hEireann’ said this week it had to abandon an attack against the PSNI in north Belfast after a civilian became endangered.

Cowen to bring down the shutters

Taoiseach Brian Cowen has said he will finally dissolve the Dublin parliament next Tuesday.

Dail ‘a failed parliament’ - Martin

Newly elected Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin has called for major political reform just weeks before the 26-County general election.

Sectarianism in riot investigations exposed

Figures have shown a significant disparity between the arrest and charges rate for riots in loyalist and republican areas in Belfast.

Campaign against refinery steps up

Opposition to Shell’s inland refinery and high-pressure onshore pipeline in County Mayo will continue and escalate, environmental activists have said.

‘Baron’ Adams bristles over Crown appointment

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams, who tendered his resignation as a member of the Westminster parliament last week, was subsequently appointed without his agreement to a paid Crown position in order to satisfy a 400-year old statute, according to British officials.

Martin replaces Cowen as FF leader; Finance Bill passes

Former minister for foreign affairs Micheal Martin has been elected as the new leader of Fianna Fail to replace Brian Cowen.

The establishment closes ranks

The two largest opposition parties in the Dublin parliament, Fine Gael and Labour, have stunned the Irish people after they backed a plan to ensure the passage of Fianna Fail’s financial programme through the Dublin parliament.

Four candidates vie for Fianna Fail leadership

Four contenders - Ministers Brian Lenihan, Mary Hanafin and Eamon O’Cuiv as well former Minister Micheal Martin - have said they will contest the race to succeed the Taoiseach Brian Cowen as leader of the crumbling Fianna Fail party.

eirigi to contest local elections

The socialist republican party eirigi will contest the forthcoming local elections in the Six Counties after voting in favour of the move at their annual Ard-Fheis in Belfast on Sunday.

Heavy gang treatment for Belfast republican

Prominent north Belfast republican Mairtin Og Meehan has said he had to receive medical treatment following an assault by the PSNI police last Friday.

Bomb defused at British Army building

Dissident republicans are thought to have planted a bomb at a British army officer training corps building in south Belfast.

Bizarre law puts Adams’s Westminster seat in limbo

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams remains as a member of the Westminster parliament for West Belfast even though he has lodged a letter of resignation, the Speaker of the House of Commons insisted last night.

Green Party quits government

The Green Party are to pull out of the coalition government in Dublin, party leader John Gormley has announced. The party’s two Ministers have submitted their resignations from Brian Cowen’s rapidly diminishing Cabinet.

Cowen quits as leader of Fianna Fail

Brian Cowen has stepped down as leader of Fianna Fail just five days after he won a vote of confidence from his parliamentary party. He will remain on as Taoiseach.

Coalition in meltdown

The wheels finally started coming off Brian Cowen’s premiership this week when he was forced to announce a date for the general election following a devastating bust-up with his coalition partners.

Sinn Fein gears up for historic election

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams has formally resigned from his Westminster seat in West Belfast following news that an election date has been set for a 26 County general election.

Leading 32CSM man targeted by MI5

The 32 County Sovereignty Movement have urged republicans to be vigilant following the arrest and subsequent approach by British forces to one of its members from South Armagh.

Most of PSNI served in RUC, statistic shows

More than half the current PSNI force at work across the North once wore the uniform of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, it has emerged.

Shell wins permission for new Corrib Gas plan

Environmental campaigners have said that their opposition will escalate following a planning ruling that approved revised plans by Shell E&P for a hugely contentious inland refinery and high-pressure onshore pipeline in County Mayo

Bloody Sunday committee members quit

Three members of the ‘Bloody Sunday Weekend Committee’ are to step down from their roles after twenty years, citing “political differences” in how forthcoming commemorations are to be held.

Election called amid political chaos

Following a morning of chaos and farce in the Dublin parliament, 26-County Taoiseach Brian Cowen has finally announced the General Election for Friday, March 11.

Mary Harney resigns from government

Mary Harney has quit as Minister for Health in the latest departure from the ailing Fianna Fail/Green Party coalition government.

Cowen retains control of Fianna Fail

Taoiseach Brian Cowen tonight retained control in Dublin of the ruling Fianna Fail party after winning a motion of confidence in his leadership.

Cowen’s last stand

The 26-County Taoiseach Brian Cowen may narrowly win a confidence vote among his Fianna Fail party TDs tonight [Tuesday], but his leadership of a withering political organisation is likely to be short-lived.

British spy operated in 26 Counties

Calls are growing in Britain for a wide-ranging inquiry to establish the full extent of undercover British operations within Irish protest movements, following the unmasking of a undercover spy who had spent time with several campaigns in Ireland, including the Corrib Gas protest.

‘UK City of Culture’ office attacked

A small bomb exploded at the office in Derry of the ‘UK City of Culture’ program early on Monday.

Bloody Sunday families issue statement on commemoration

The majority of Bloody Sunday families have signed up to an agreement that this month’s commemoration march should be the last.

Don’t come back, emigrants told

The Dublin government has been accused of telling the unemployed to ‘get out and stay out’ amid further evidence of a crackdown on claims for social welfare by returning emigrants.

National grief at bride’s murder

Huge crowds have attended the funeral in Tyrone of Michaela McAreavey, the daughter of GAA sports star Mickey Harte and the honeymoon bride of John McAreavey.

Cowen calls for confidence vote

26-County Taoiseach Brian Cowen is to precipitate a vote of confidence in his leadership at Tuesday’s meeting of the Fianna Fail parliamentary party.

‘Golden circle’ meetings exposed

Political condemnation of the coalition government in Dublin has increased after it emerged the 26-County Taoiseach Brian Cowen held previously undisclosed meetings with the former principal of the fraudulent Anglo Irish Bank in 2008 prior to the public emergence of the banking crisis.

Negotiations over Finucane inquiry

The British government has said it will take another two months to decide if there should be a public inquiry into the murder of Pat Finucane -- one of the most controversial killings of the conflict.

Upsurge in sectarian attacks

A Catholic primary school and a Gaelic sports club have been targeted in an orchestrated series of sectarian attacks at the weekend.

Euro challenge to strip searches

A republican prisoner has won the right to challenge prison strip search policies in a case which could have wider implications.

Omagh civil judgement appealed

An appeal is underway againt the civil court decision to find Michael McKevitt and three other dissident republicans liable for the 1998 Omagh bomb.

Sugar industry recriminations

The Sinn Fein Spokesperson on Agriculture Martin Ferris TD has claimed that the Irish sugar factory at Mallow in county Cork was closed unnecessarily in order to facilitate property speculation.

Ceasefire call dismissed

A senior Derry republican has challenged a call from local politicians for armed groups to end their campaign, urging politicians instead to “address the causes of conflict rather than vilifying those who are engaged in it”.

Loan payment is ‘final nail’ in sovereignty

Sinn Fein Finance Spokesperson Pearse Doherty has hit out after it was revealed that the first tranche of the EU/IMF bailout loan will be paid out to Ireland on Wednesday.

Adams sets sights on government

Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams has said the party is open to forming a coalition with Labour if it secures enough votes in the forthcoming election.

Nairac trial begins

The trial has begun of a south Armagh man accused of killing an undercover British Army officer over three decades ago.

Stone’s conviction upheld

Loyalist killer Michael Stone has failed in his attempt to overturn convictions for trying to assassinate Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness.

Sheehan interview ‘an insult’

During a recent interview, Pat Sheehan said the North had not suffered from the mass sectarian attacks of other conflicts, and described the conflict in the North as “probably quite civilised”.

H-Block smashed the phony diplomacy

The emergence of the hunger strike protest in 1980 and the degree to which all sides were unprepared to deal with it are the dominant features of the historical papers which were released over the New Year.

Teflon Bertie steps down

Former Taoiseach and Fianna Fail leader Bertie Ahern has announced he will not run for the Dublin parliament at the next general election.

Lithuanian detention violates Euro law

A republican prisoner in Lithuania is being held in inhuman and degrading conditions that are in clear breach of the European Convention on Human Rights, his lawyer has said.

Bloody Sunday commemoration’s future in doubt

A difference of opinion has emerged among Derry’s Bloody Sunday families over the future of the annual commemorative march.

New Year statements by republican groups

A New Year statement attributed to the Real IRA has vowed to expand its ‘theatre of operations’ and claimed that the British state forces are failing to deal with the threat that it poses.

Thaw brings water crisis

Tens of thousands of people across Ireland were left without water over the New Year because of burst water mains and dry and depleted reservoirs.

Behind closed doors

The 26-County Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan has drawn a veil of secrecy around the state’s banking system and the Dublin government’s efforts to reinvent the sector.

Prisoners’ Christmas visits cancelled

Republican prisoners’ families were turned away from Maghaberry jail on Christmas Eve in an apparent reprisal by warders for a new agreement on oral searches.

Grenade incident prompts questions, criticism

A grenade found outside the County Fermanagh home of a PSNI policeman has been strongly condemned by the North’s political parties.

Independence ‘almost lost’ under de Valera

One of the most respected civil servants to work for the Dublin government, TK Whitaker, has said that an almost bankrupt Ireland was in danger of losing its independence in the late 1950s.

New Year message from Gerry Adams

A statement was issued by Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams on Christmas Eve.

Escape from Europe’s Alcatraz

On the 50th anniversary of the successful breakout from Crumlin Road jail in 1960, we publish a review of his book published earlier this year, ‘Prisoner 1082, Escape From Crumlin Road - Europe’s Alcatraz’. Review by Gerry O’Hara, for the Bobby Sands Trust.

White Christmas chaos

People returning home for the festive season in Ireland continue to endure hellish travel conditions as an ice storm has severely disrupted road and air transport.

PSNI actions provoke Newry riot

The Derrybeg estate in Newry saw heavy clashes between the PSNI and nationalist youths after armoured jeeps descended on the republican estate, sealing off the entrance to the area.

Hamill prosecutions to go ahead

Three people are to be charged in connection with the sectarian murder of Portadown Catholic Robert Hamill, Crown prosecutors in the North have said.

New Parades Commission named

The British Secretary Owen Paterson has appointed a totally new seven-member Parades Commission.

Abortion ruling raises fresh controversy

There have been calls for a new referendum to legislate for limited abortion in the 26 Counties following a European court ruling that a woman with cancer had her human rights violated when she was refused an abortion.

Television stand-off ‘to end in 2012’

Television channels from the South will be beamed for free across the Six Counties by the end of 2012, it was confirmed this week.

Betrayed public demands change

A poll has confirmed the demand of the people of the 26 Counties for a political renewal following Wednesday’s humiliating vote by the Dublin parliament to cede control of economic decision-making to the European Union and the International Monetary Fund.

Stormont agrees draft budget

After weeks of delays, the DUP and Sinn Féin have signed up to the draft budget to meet 4 billion pounds (4.7 billion euro) in savings demanded by British exchequer chancellor George Osborne.

Ahern feared for career over renditions - WikiLeaks

A leaked cable published by WikiLeaks has described how former 26-County Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern knew that at least three illegal ‘extraordinary rendition’ flights had used Shannon airport when he held a meeting with the US ambassador in December 2007.

Finucane protest planned as inquiries stalled

The publication of two inquiries into collusion killings has been hit by further delays.

Fusco murder trial underway

A man accused of murdering Belfast chip shop owner Alfredo Fusco has refused to give evidence in his own defence.

Belfast attacks ‘ridiculous’ - SF

Two pipe bomb attacks took place in south and north Belfast over the past 24 hours-

Dail surrenders economic sovereignty

The Fianna Fail/Green Party coalition has won a vote in the Dublin parliament which will cede control over the day-to-day running of the 26-County economy to the International Monetary Fund and the European Union.

WikiLeaked: Politics over peace

Classified cables from the US Embassy in Dublin released by the Wikileaks organisation have revealed that the 26-County government acted contrary to nationalist interests and consistently briefed against Sinn Fein during the peace process in the North.

Cables point to MI5’s collusion files

Calls for an independent international inquiry into the murder of Belfast defence lawyer Pat Finucane have been renewed after documents revealed British military intelligence offered to hand over secret files on the killing.

Bankers’ bonuses an injustice too far

The 26-County government has been forced into a sharp policy reversal over the payment of bonuses to senior bankers.

26-County public services in disarray

A series of reports in the past week has pointed to increasing levels of incompetence, negligence and dysfunction in the provision of state services in the 26 Counties.

Two arrested over murder of Catholic teen

Two men have been arrested in connection with the loyalist murder of 19-year-old Eileen Doherty, whose taxi was hijacked by gunmen in south Belfast over 37 years ago.

Sinn Fein in Dáil pact ahead of IMF debate

The five Sinn Fein TDs and two Independents, Finian McGrath and Maureen O’Sullivan, have agreed to form a technical group in the Dublin parliament.

Bankers celebrate as kids starve

Irish children are now scavenging in bins for food, such is the dire level of poverty among some families, even as the Dublin government transferred billions from the poor to the rich.

Shamed government backs away from election

The likely date of a 26-County general election has been pushed back to March or even later as Fianna Fail and Green Party Ministers attempt to cling to power.

Duffy trial to go ahead

High-profile republican Colin Duffy suffered two beatings en route to and from a court hearing on Thursday at which he was told he would have to attend a trial in the New Year.

Tories shy away from Ballymurphy inquiry

A British minister has indicated that an investigation into the killing of eleven people in west Belfast by the British Army in 1971 is to be refused.

Adams quits Stormont

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams has ended his Stormont career by praising what he said was the “remarkable” achievement of power-sharing.

Paterson linked to new Tory/UUP deal

Sinn Fein MP Pat Doherty has called on the British Secretary of State Owen Paterson to come clean on any involvement he had in brokering the latest political deal between the Tories and the UUP.

Royal convoy attacked as English students revolt

A vehicle carrying ‘Prince of Wales’ Charles Windsor and his wife, ‘Duchess of Cornwall’ Camilla Parker-Bowles, was attacked by student protesters in London amid heavy rioting in the city.

Lenihan unveils ‘slash and burn’ budget

Ordinary workers, families and social welfare recipients have borne the brunt of 6 billion euro in cuts and taxes in the 26-County Budget today by Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan.

Shame on them

A casino in Tipperary and a new road in Kerry are part of two late, shabby back-room deals which have given the green light to a disgraceful political crime.

Bomb cover-up reached highest level

A classified document that details a meeting between former Six-County prime minister Brian Faulkner and British Home Secretary Reginald Maudling shows that a cover-up around the McGurk’s bar bombing went right to the top of the government.

UUP disintegration continues

The new leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, Tom Elliott has insisted he is not a “political dinosaur” after another prominent party figure quit.

SF seeks two seats in Cavan-Monaghan

Sinn Fein is to run two general election candidates in Cavan-Monaghan in a sign of confidence that the party will increase its support at the polls.

Unionists oppose Ballymurphy exhibition

Unionists have sought to prevent the families of those who died in the Ballymurphy massacre from displaying photographs in Belfast City Hall next August on the 40th anniversary of their deaths.

Adams holds talks on marches

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams met senior loyalists at Stormont on Monday to discuss the ongoing impasse over sectarian parades.

SF overtakes Dublin govt in poll

Sinn Fein’s support in the 26 counties has surged according to a new opinion poll, which also predicts Fianna Fail is facing a virtual wipeout in the forthcoming general election.

Doherty enters Dail as IMF/EU rules are revealed

Newly elected TD Pearse Doherty has taken his seat in the Dublin parliament, where he will be Sinn Fein’s new Finance spokesperson.

Dissident goals ‘not achievable’ - McGuinness

Sinn Fein’s Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness has said republicans still engaged in armed struggle face prison “for an aim that is simply not achievable”.

Murdered man was innocent - HET

A former British soldier who said he had shot dead a young Catholic man in north Belfast could not have carried out the killing, according to the North’s Historical Enquiries Team (HET).

US govt annoyed by Shannon policy, judgement - WikiLeaks

A former US ambassador to Ireland said the Dublin government imposed new conditions on the use of Shannon airport by US troops in 2006 in a bid to secure extra votes ahead of a general election the following year, according to a leaked diplomatic cable.

Concerns over Lundy parade

The Apprentice Boys’ Lundy Day parade takes place in Derry tomorrow [Saturday] once again raising fears of sectarian clashes in the second largest city in the North.

Scottish parliament gets taxation powers

Scotland is to get limited powers to set its own income tax rates and borrow money in a new phase of devolution from London to the Scottish parliament in Edinburgh.

Sold out

The Dublin government triggered a torrent of national anger on Sunday night when it handed over economic sovereignty to European and International Monetary Fund administrators for an 85 billion euro loan.

100,000 march in Dublin against austerity measures

Up to 100,000 people took part in Saturday’s march and rally organised by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions in protest at the government’s planned programme of austerity.

Sinn Fein seeks to build on by-election win

The result of the Donegal South West by-election has changed the balance of power in the Dublin parliament, with Sinn Fein poised to create a ‘technical group’ over the last weeks and months of the current Dail.

Trigger-happy PSNI open fire in Portadown

The family of a 79-year-old grandfather say he is lucky to be alive after a shot fired by the PSNI police went through his living room window.

‘Unite Ireland’ - Adams

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams tonight [Monday] launched a new cross-border initiative at a United Ireland Rally in Monaghan.

Cowen govt receives 85bn euro bailout

The International Monetary Fund and the European Union have approved an 85 billion euro rescue package for the 26 County state at an average interest rate of 5.83 per cent.

Pearse Doherty elected TD for Donegal South West

Sinn Fein Senator Pearse Doherty has been elected to the Dail for Donegal South West, without reaching the quota after securing a massive 40% of the first preference vote and the lion’s share of the second preference transfers in Thursday’s by-election.

Sinn Fein on the march

Sinn Fein’s Pearse Doherty has weakened the Fianna Fail/Green Party coalition’s slender hold on power with a stunning and historic election victory in Donegal.

National fury at bailout austerity plan

A major demonstration is to go ahead on the streets of Dublin tomorrow against the savage cuts being imposed by an illegitimate government at the behest of greedy bankers, European bureaucrats and the International Monetary Fund.

Cover-up feared over Loughinisland massacre

Nationalists have expressed disbelief at news that ‘no prosecution’ is be taken against an RUC policeman over the 1994 Loughinisland Pub Massacre.

McGeough speaks out over injustice

Gerry McGeough was at the Six-County Assembly this week to challenge British injustice in selectively pursuing historical cases in the conflict.

Dissident protest forces abandonment of DPP meeting

Republicans in Derry forced the abandonment of a local meeting on policing which was to take place in the Guildhall on Wednesday night.

Commemorations held for fallen heroes

Around 150 people gathered in Belfast’s Milltown Cemetery on Saturday afternoon, November 20, to mark the 19th anniversary of the deaths of IRA volunteers Patricia Black and Frank Ryan on active service.

Sinn Fein set for by-election triumph

Counting is underway in the by-election in Donegal South West, with Pearse Doherty on course to win a historic victory for Sinn Fein.

Austerity plan to hit poor, students, pensioners, services

The Dublin government today unveiled a raft of budget measures it claimed would restore the 26-County State’s finances by 2014, but fudged key facts and figures on how it would affect the public.

Greens ‘cut and run’

Independent TDs have joined with the opposition parties to pile pressure on the crumbling Dublin government to pull the plug after the Green Party finally succumbed to public outrage and said it is set to pull out.

Dublin govt submits to international bailout pressure

The public finances of the 26-County state will, for the next three years at least, be subject to “regular reviews” by external monitors working on behalf of the International Monetary Fund, the European Union, and the British and Swedish governments.

Sinn Fein TD, protestors attacked

A group of 100 protestors clashed with Gardai as they made their way the gates of the Dublin parliament earlier this [Monday] afternoon, following a protest against the government’s handling of the economy.

Donegal election breakthrough predicted

Residents of Donegal’s outlying islands are casting their by-election votes today [Monday].

‘Mouth search’ increases Maghaberry tension

A number of republican prisoners have been refused their visits in Maghaberry prison after they refused to open their mouths and wiggle their tongues before entering the visiting area.

Republican rivals to hold debate

Sinn Fein and new republican political party eirigi will share a platform this week, for the first time, during a debate to discuss Ireland’s economic crisis.

Green Party calls for general election

The Green Party has called for a date for a 26-County general election to be set for the second half of January.

Coalition to get IMF/EU bailout

The Dublin government tonight confirmed that the European Union and the International Monetary Fund have agreed to its request for a financial aid package.

Decline and Fianna Fáil

Pressure is weighing on the 26-County government to leave the stage this week as a team of economists from the International Monetary Fund arrived in Dublin to begin planning massive cutbacks in government spending.

Britain seeks to strengthen union

British Secretary Owen Paterson has reasserted the British government’s claim on the Six Counties.

Shoot-to-kill families without representation

Families of shoot-to-kill victims could be denied representation at a long-delayed inquest because of a hold-up over fees, a pre-hearing heard today [Friday].

No bailout for homeowners

A bailout for thousands of homeowners in mortgage arrears has been ruled out by 26-County Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan and Financial Regulator Matthew Elderfield.

Adams confident as Assembly successor named

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams has said Sinn Fein is strong enough in west Belfast to retain its Westminster and assembly seats without him.

Ballymurphy families at Westminster

Families of those massacred by British soldiers in the Ballymurphy area of west Belfast over 30 years ago have taken their campaign for an independent international investigation to Lon

IMF, EU teams arrive in Dublin

Representatives of the International Monetary Fund have arrived in Dublin to begin work on a financial aid package for the insolvent 26 County state.

Adams steps up

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams has called for others to join with him in providing leadership to help bring Ireland out of the current crisis.

EU bailout talks confirmed

The European Union, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank are working on a solution for the Irish banking sector, EU economic and monetary affairs commissioner Olli Rehn confirmed today.

Miscarriage of justice overturned for Newry man

A man who was serving a 14-year jail term for attacking a PSNI station with a mortar rocket was acquitted of the attack on Friday.

UVF parade bid renews Ardoyne tensions

The family of a loyalist murder victim have raised concerns that the UVF may attempt to exploit his death to divert attention away from calls for it to disband.

Dissidents ‘97%’ of Provo strength

An Ulster Unionist member of the Policing Board has claimed that ‘dissident’ republicans have almost reached the same level of terrorist capability as the Provisional IRA.

Suu Kyi invited to Ireland

Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is to be invited to Dublin by Mayor Gerry Breen to accept in person the freedom of the city conferred on her 10 years ago.

Adams to seek Louth nomination for General Election

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams has today announced his decision to put his name forward for the Sinn Fein nomination for the Louth constituency at the next 26-County General Election.

Sovereignty slipping away

The 26-County government has been almost completely sidelined in the battle over Ireland’s economic destiny as the larger European Union governments and ‘bond vigilante’ investment funds fought over plans to deal with Dublin’s soaraway budget deficit.

Spence calls for disbandment of UVF

The man behind the emergence of the unionist paramilitary UVF in the 1960s has called for the organisation to stand down

Equal PSNI recruitment to end

The equal recruitment of Catholics and Protestants to the North’s police is to end next year, the British government said today.

Doherty clashes with Cowen on election trail

The 26-County Taoiseach Brian Cowen has attacked Sinn Fein’s Pearse Doherty as election campaigning heated up in Donegal.

Govt swindling pensioners of care - report

The Dublin government has deprived thousands of older people of their legal entitlement to nursing home care, according to a report by the Ombudsman and Information Commissioner Emily O’Reilly.

Arthur Morgan not to contest seat

Sinn Fein’s Arthur Morgan, the party’s spokesman on finance, will not contest the next general election. The Louth deputy confirmed this week he wanted to return to his family business, after serving two terms.

Arthur Morgan to step down

Sinn Fein’s finance spokesman Arthur Morgan said tonight he will not stand in the next general election.

Grenade attack stuns PSNI

The use of a military fragmentation grenade in an attack on a PSNI patrol in west Belfast marks a new departure for the armed campaign of Oglaigh na hEireann (ONH) and the breakaway IRA groups.

‘Germans’ running 26-County finances

On the day it emerged European bureaucrats have taken up offices in the 26-County Department of Finance, EU economic commissioner Ollie Rehn flew into Ireland to inspect the Dublin government’s economic plans.

PSNI aggression in Armagh

Sinn Fein Six-County Minister Conor Murphy has lambasted the PSNI police after they used loudhailers, spotlights and marksmen to arrest a man who was later cleared of any involvement in a suspected robbery.

Hunger strike dispute goes on

Former IRA prison leader Brendan ‘Bik’ McFarlane has declared that a document from the 1981 hunger strike proved that republicans did not reject a British government deal to end the 1981 Hunger Strike.

Protest at Garda brutality

Student groups have organised an anti-Garda brutality march following last week’s scenes of state violence against students protesting at planned fee increases in the 26 Count

Heritage ‘on sale now’

Memorabilia spanning a thousand years of Irish history is set to go under the hammer in the latest controversial sell-off of historical treasures by Whyte’s auction house in Dublin.

Blood on the streets

A brutal Garda attack on a student protest in Dublin which injured and traumatised protesters as young as 16 and 17 years of age has been strongly condemned.

By-election date set after SF court triumph

An impressively strong High Court judgement in favour of Sinn Fein’s Pearse Doherty has delivered a stunning blow to Brian Cowen’s crumbling regime and forced it to finally hold the long-delayed Donegal South West by-election.

Loyalists attack west Belfast homes

A four-year-old girl and a pregnant woman escaped injury in a loyalist bomb attack at their west Belfast home.

‘No more open inquiries’ - British govt

The British Secretary of State has told the Westminster Parliament in London that there should be no more open-ended investigations into the past conflict.

Solidarity as McGeough/McAnespie trial resumes

Republican activist and author Gerry McGeough has expressed his thanks to supporters as his juryless “trial” restarted in Belfast this week.

IMC to be scrapped

A propoganda agency operated by MI5 and PSNI Special Branch is to be disbanded, it was announced on Thursday.

Govt sets by-election date

In the wake of today’s High Court decision, the Dublin government has announced this evening that a by-election will be held between November 22nd and 29th in Donegal South-West alone.

Police attack student protest in Dublin

Riot police attacked students in Dublin today with baton charges, dogs, armored vehicles and horses after the students protesting against government cuts occupied the Department of Finance and threw eggs at the Dail.

SF wins by-election ruling

The High Court in Dublin has upheld a legal challenge by Sinn Fein aimed at forcing the coalition government to hold the long-awaited by-election in Donegal South West.

Former minister quits politics

Donegal North East TD Dr Jim McDaid has resigned his seat in the Dublin parliament.

The IMF man cometh

A bailout of the 26 County state by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is increasingly likely as confidence in the coalition government’s ability to manage the state’s economy ebbs away.

Shadowy forces behind Derry raids

The 32 County Sovereignty Movement has warned that undercover British military personnel have been witnessed operating on back roads around Derry city, heavily armed and dressed in black military fatigues.

Alerts in Armagh and Antrim

A beer keg packed with 40kg of home-made explosives was uncovered under a railway bridge in County Armagh on Friday, sparking a 36-hour security alert.

Harney ‘has blood on her hands’

eirigi councillor Louise Minihan was arrested this [Monday] afternoon after symbolically splashing red paint over 26-County Health Minister Mary Harney.

Doherty family meet with MI5 reviewer

The family of Derry murder victim Kieran Doherty say they are happy with the outcome of their meeting with the British government security advisor, which took place at the spot where Doherty was kille

AG presented with new Ballymurphy evidence

New eyewitness accounts of the shootings of 11 people by British soldiers in west Belfast were submitted to Six-County attorney general John Larkin at the weekend in an attempt to get fresh inquests opened.

UVF’s collusion riots

The UVF ‘ceasefire’ is increasingly being viewed as a sham after the unionist paramilitary groups organised two nights of heavy rioting in the Rathcoole area of Belfast in response to an ongoing collusion inquiry.

Brady report ‘a whitewash’

The sister of a Strabane republican who was found hanged while in PSNI police custody has branded a report into his death “a whitewash.”

Death of ‘Whitey’ Bradley

Former IRA Volunteer Gerry ‘Whitey’ Bradley has been found dead, just hours after the screening of a shocking documentary based on interviews with former IRA leader Brendan Hughes.

Charges brought in corruption cases

Five former politicians charged with taking bribes were sent forward for trial today as the 26 County state began to grapple with the legacy of institutional corruption.

‘Consensus for cuts’ points up political divide

The two main opposition parties in the 26 Counties are still supporting the coalition government’s plan to reduce the state’s budget deficit to 3% of GDP by 2014 -- despite learning that the plan involves cutbacks and taxes of 15 billion euro, exactly double what had been previously outlined.

Arthurs attacks SF leadership

One of the most senior ex-Provisional IRA figures in the North has said that the nationalist community should not pass on information or “collaborate in any way” with the PSNI.

British subvention slashed

Thirty thousand public service jobs in the Six Counties are to be eliminated after the British government slashed its promised contribution to maintaining society in the Six Counties.

IRA trial collapses

An IRA trial dramatically collapsed yesterday after top secret documents which reveal that an alleged MI5 agent orchestrated a bombing campaign were withheld from the defence.

Legal development delays Duffy ruling

A new submission by lawyers acting for Colin Duffy forced a judge to postpone a decision on whether he should stand trial for the Real IRA attack on Massereene British Army base in March of last year

Fermanagh/South Tyrone election result finally confirmed

A legal challenge against the re-election of Sinn Fein MP Michelle Gildernew in the Fermanagh/South Tyrone constituency has been rejected.

Family of loyalist victim call for fresh inquiry

The family of a taxi driver lured to his death by a loyalist murder squad have called for an independent inquiry as they prepare to mark the 20th anniversary of his killing.

Secrecy surrounds royal visit

A surprise visit by the 'Queen of England' Elizabeth Windsor to the Six Counties last week has been criticised by republicans.

26-County democracy in the dock

Five hundred days after the seat was vacated, the Dublin government has incredibly told the High Court that there has been no unreasonable delay in holding a by-election in Donegal South West.

Robinson opposes Catholic schools

DUP First Minister Peter Robinson has described Catholic education as a “benign form of apartheid”.

Budget black hole has doubled

Cross-party talks between the Dublin government and the two largest opposition parties are to go ahead despite the revelation that the 26 County budget deficit is heading for 15 billion euro -- double the previous worst estimate.

Real IRA issues warning

The ‘Real IRA’ in Derry says it had to abandon an attack in the city recently because of what it described as “civilian interference.”

Killer soldier’s lies exposed

A British soldier who served less than a year in jail over shooting a woman should have been charged with her murder, the Historical Enquiries Team has found.

New future for British base

A former British military base in south Armagh is to be transformed into a housing development, leisure centre and play park.

A national stitch-up?

The Dublin government is to hold talks with the leaders of two of the main opposition parties -- pointedly excluding Sinn Fein -- as it struggles to cope with the consequences of its own ineptitude and corruption.

Massareene files vanish

The PSNI investigation into the Real IRA attack on Massareene British army base has ‘lost’ documentation surrounding a vehicle which was the only evidence alleged to have connected two men to the killings of two British soldiers.

Campaign seeks answers on west Belfast killing

A West Belfast mother has broken a ten-year silence to plead with the Provisional IRA to admit that it killed her son.

More spies for ‘Spook City’

A fresh wave of British army intelligence officers have been deployed in Derry to combat the increasing activity of the Real IRA and Oglaigh na hEireann.

Large numbers take part in ‘illegal’ march

Over a thousand Irish Republicans Marched from Galbally Community centre to Galbally graveyard last weekend to remember IRA Volunteers Dessie Grew and Martin McCaughey who were killed by the SAS on IRA active service 20 years ago.

PSNI harass political activists

Republican activists were subjected to a humiliating and aggressive ordeal at the hands of the PSNI on Tuesday night, according to éirígí.

Catholic-only internment

Unionist paramilitaries who killed more than 100 people during the first 18 months of internment escaped detention because the British government believed there was “no serious Protestant threat” to the state, newly discovered papers reveal.

Duffy, strip-searched, refuses prison clothing

Lurgan republican Colin Duffy was forcibly strip-searched and assaulted both before and after a tense court appearance in Coleraine, County Derry on Monday.

Parts of Newry are no-go areas

The security forces in the North have accepted that parts of Newry are no-go areas, it has emerged.

Fresh calls for torture inquiry

Amnesty International and British Irish Rights Watch today urged British authorities not to forget victims of torture in Ireland, following the release of a new Guardian film by Ian Cobain.

Insult upon injury for Ballymurphy families

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams clashed with British Secretary of State Owen Paterson after he wore a wristband supporting the British Army’s notorious Royal Irish Regiment at a meeting with the families of victims of a British Army massacre.

Adams blasts Dail opposition

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams has accused Fine Gael and the Labour Party of being involved in a “cosy political consensus” with what was probably the most unpopular Government in the history of the state.

Shock at 'dissident' support

Public support for so-called ‘dissident’ republican groups has been significantly underestimated by the Irish political and media establishment, according to academic research published on Thursday.

Real IRA claims Derry bomb

The ‘Real IRA’ has claimed responsibility for detonating a bomb with more than 200 pounds of explosives outside an Ulster Bank in a commercial district of Derry in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Cameron defiant on union

British Prime Minister David Cameron has expressed his determination to sustain British rule in the Six Counties despite the Real IRA attack in Derry on Tuesday.

Orange tirade against ‘Roman Catholic IRA’

There have been calls for an investigation into whether anti-Catholic statements made by the head of the Orange Order broke hate laws.

Greens reach out as budget crunch looms

The Green Party has suggested the formation of a national unity government and is seeking to establish an all-party forum to discuss the economic crisis.

Government, union figures named in slush fund scandal

A blame game has erupted over a fund which was uncovered earlier this year involving the 26-County Department of Health, the Health Service Executive (HSE) and the powerful SIPTU trade union.

Bomb explodes in Derry

A car bomb exploded in Derry city tonight in a commercial riverside district near the junction of the Strand Road and Culmore Road.

Dublin's fight for survival

The Taoiseach Brian Cowen has denied the sovereignty of the 26-County state has been jeopardised by the banking and budget crises, even as European officials began dictating Irish economic policy.

‘Real IRA’ claims killings

The ‘Real IRA’ has admitted killing drug dealers on both sides of the border, according to a Belfast-based newspaper.

Judge prohibits Mass attendance

A man facing charges over the firing of shots over the coffin of a Strabane republican has been banned from attending his memorial Mass.

Asylum application used against McGeough

An application for political asylum in Sweden allegedly made almost 30 years ago by Gerry McGeough from Tyrone is due to be used as evidence against him in a Belfast court.

Israel deports Irish Nobel laureate

Irish Nobel Peace Prize winner Mairead Corrigan Maguire is to be deported from Israel following a ruling by Israel’s Supreme Court.

Shell pipeline blamed on weak government

The state’s unprecedented use of law and order forces against its own citizens while protecting private commercial interests augurs badly for a remote community in north Mayo and for the State as a whole, a planning hearing has been told.

The fifty billion Euro robbery

A massively increased price-tag for the bank bailout by the Fianna Fail/Green Party government has left the 26-County state braced for deeper cuts and rising taxes and blighted the state’s finances for a generation.

‘Shame’ campaign targets child

The family of a 14-year-old boy whose face was published in newspapers and leaflets as part of a PSNI police “naming and shaming” tactic have taken a legal challenge against his treatment.

New UVF supergrass emerges

One of the UVF’s most senior members has turned ‘supergrass’ and is ready to give evidence against other members of the loyalist murder gang, it has been revealed.

PSNI clash with eirigi over Newry alert

The PSNI were accused of using of repressive legislation to harass a nationalist community on Tuesday as the force launched a major “security operation” on the outskirts of the Derrybeg estate in Newry.

Shoot-to-kill inquest challenge thrown out

Relatives of those killed in Britain’s shoot-to-kill campaign of assassination seem set to finally see reports on the cases - albeit censored.

Questions mount as truth process stalls

The family of a Derry man say they will lobby outside Downing Street if police are not given clearance to question MI5 about his death.

Parades agreement collapses

The Protestant Orange Order has refused to back new laws to deal with sectarian marches in the North of Ireland, ensuring the controversial Parades Commission will remain in place for at least another marching season.

McGeough suffers heart attack

The trial of Gerry McGeough has been postponed after he became ill and required immediate heart surgery.

Cowen is international joke

The world’s most-famous chat show star has dubbed 26-County Taoiseach Brian Cowen a “drunken moron” following his infamous “hoarse” interview on morning radio in Ireland.

Grenade attack claimed

A booby-trap device left at a PSNI base in Crumlin village earlier this month has been claimed by the breakaway IRA group using the name Oglaigh na hEireann.

New leader for old Labour

The views on Ireland of the British Labour Party’s new leader, Ed Miliband, remain a mystery despite his election to the post at the weekend.

Republicans blamed as Lenihan flees unemployed

A Junior minister was allegedly told to leave the studios of Ireland’s state broadcaster, RTE, over fears that republicans were among a group of unemployed audience members of Pat Kenny’s Frontline programme.

Political transformation underway

A socialist is likely to become the next 26-County Taoiseach according to a new poll, which shows a further decline in support for the Fianna Fail-Green Party coalition.

Prisoner beaten for refusing strip-search

A “brutal assault and ritual humiliation” has been inflicted on republican prisoner Brendan Conway before a court appearance.

Direct action halts pipeline work

Shell Oil was forced to suspend work on the proposed new Corrib pipeline route in north Mayo yesterday when two Shell to Sea campaigners boarded one of the drilling rigs.

UUP elects hardliner as leader

Tom Elliott, a 46-year-old Assembly member for Fermanagh-South Tyrone, has been elected the new leader of the Ulster Unionist Party to succeed Reg Empey.

Loyalists target GAA flags

A controversy has erupted in the North after loyalists were filmed taking down County Down flags in south Belfast ahead of the All-Ireland senior football final last week.

Armstrong remains identified

The daughter of Charlie Armstrong, one of the conflict’s so-called ‘Disappeared’, has thanked those who provided the information that helped locate her father’s remains.

‘Dissidents underestimated’ - MI5

The chief of British military intelligence has accepted his organisation has underestimated the capacity of the breakaway IRA groups.

Cowen walks a tightrope

The 26-County Prime Minister Brian Cowen has insisted he retains the full support of his Fianna Fail parliamentary party despite calls by some members for a meeting to discuss his leadership.

UDA receiving ‘secret’ Stormont payouts

Claims last week that a secret fund has been set up to channel money to certain loyalist organisations have still not been denied by Six County officials

Murder bid on Antrim home

A sectarian murder attempt took place on the home of a vulnerable Catholic family in Rasharkin, County Antrim in the early hours of yesterday morning.

Bill of Rights ignored

The London and Dublin governments should sponsor a process between the parties in the Six Counties to bring forward a Bill of Rights for the North, the head of the North’s Human Rights Commission has said.

Sinn Fein ‘think in’ underway

The Dublin government is being brought “screaming before the courts” by Sinn Fein on the issue of the three outstanding by-elections, according to the party’s Dail leader Caoimhghin O Caolain.

Cowen shamed

The 26 County Taoiseach Brian Cowen has been forced to apologise for a Tuesday morning radio interview that embarrassed his Fianna Fail party and generated widespread negative international commentary.

UVF murder OK - IMC

British military intelligence has said no sanctions should be placed on the UVF despite the unionist paramilitary group murdering a man while supposedly on “ceasefire”.

No surprises in Wright collusion inquiry

Incompetence by prison warders and not state collusion created conditions which led to the killing of Billy Wright, the inquiry into his murder has found.

Intentions of armed groups in media focus

A number of hidden cameras found in trees overlooking the headquarters of British military intelligence in Ireland may have been planted by a republican armed group, according to reports.

More evidence of old cover-ups emerge

New evidence has emerged of attempts by the old Stormont regime and the British Army to prevent British soldiers who shot innocent Irish civilians in the early years of the conflict being tried for murder.

‘Bitter’ unionists get election court hearing

Ulster Unionists were accused of “sour grapes” at a court hearing in Tyrone over attempts by Unionist unity candidate Rodney Connor, who lost out by four votes, to declare void Sinn Fein’s victory in the Westminster election in May.

Billy Wright Inquiry finds no collusion

The Billy Wright Inquiry has found there was no collusion by the British state in the murder by the republican INLA (Irish National Liberation Army) of the unionist paramilitary leader in Long Kesh 13 years ago.

Dail fiddles as economy burns

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams has called for the Dublin parliament to be reconvened immediately to discuss the banking crisis and soaring unemployment.

Report due on death of Billy Wright

A 700-Page report into the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) execution of unionist paramilitary leader Billy ‘King Rat’ Wright is to be published later today.

Internees bring legal action against Britain

Hundreds of nationalists interned without trial almost 40 years ago are to launch a multi-million pound legal action against the British governmen

Landmark ruling for ‘Bik’ McFarlane

The 26-County state been ordered by the European Court of Human Rights to pay compensation to senior republican Brendan ‘Bik’ McFarlane for the extraordinary decade-long delay in bringing him to trial.

McGeough seeks to halt trial

A prominent republican charged with an IRA action almost 30 years ago has said a leading Sinn Fein politician told him he would not face prosecution.

Paisley to protest against Pope

Aging unionist firebrand Ian Paisley is to lead a 60-strong delegation to Scotland to protest over Pope Benedict’s visit to Britain.

Calling the PSNI to account

A Derry priest has said he is shocked by accusations of harassment against the PSNI police made by republican families in the city.

UDA blamed for school bomb

A UDA gang is believed to have planted the pipe bomb at a largely Catholic primary school in County Antrim on Monday which was found by an eight-year-old

Claudy controversy continues

The North’s Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness has said he was in the IRA in Derry city in 1972 but did not know who carried out the Claudy bomb attack, and still doesn’t know.

Stormont faces budget showdown

Sinn Fein’s Six-County Ministers have refused to comply with British and DUP requests to identify areas to target public spending cuts in their departments at Stormont.

Appeal to Ballymurphy soldier

Families of eleven people killed by the British army in Ballymurphy nearly 40 years ago have revealed that they have been contacted by one of the British soldiers involved in the shootings.

New setback for Dublin and Monaghan bomb victims

The High Court has dismissed a claim by survivors of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings that the handling of parts of a report complied by the Commission of Investigation into the atrocities amounted to a breach of the State’s human rights obligations.

Basque ceasefire rejected

The Spanish authorities today defied international peace appeals and said they will maintain their bloody conflict with Basque armed group ETA, which is fighting to win independence for a Basque state northeast of Spain.

Boy escapes injury as loyalists attack schools

A serious sectarian bombing campaign is targeting Catholics in the town of Antrim.

State is ‘facing ruin’ - poll

A large majority of the people of the 26 Counties believe the state is headed for bankruptcy, according to a new opinion poll.

Dublin protest derails Blair spin machine

Several hundred people took to the streets of Dublin on Saturday to demonstrate against the presence of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair in the capital.

Republican seriously ill in Lithuanian prison

Irish republican prisoner Michael Campbell, who has been held in Lukiskes prison in Lithuania since early 2008, has now contracted malaria at the jail.

Massacre gun was given by police, probe finds

A report into the 1992 murders of five Catholics in a south Belfast bookmakers has revealed one of the guns used by the UDA had been handed back to the gang by the RUC (now PSNI) police.

A view to a kill

British soldiers watched as a pro-British death squad murdered a Catholic teenager in west Belfast, a report by the police’s Historical Enquiries Team (HET) has found.

Blair recounts Good Friday triumph

In his memoirs, ‘A Journey’, published yesterday, the former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said he took “horrendous” chances and stretched the truth “past breaking point” as he dealt with unionists and republicans deadlocked over talks to restore devolved powers.

Protests planned as ‘war criminal’ visits

A number of progressive and republican organisations are to hold a protest in Dublin this weekend as former British Prime Minister Tony Blair signs copies of his autobiography.

Major disruption follows city alerts

British Army bomb experts have carried out a controlled explosion this afternoon [Thursday] on Craigavon Bridge in Derry following what the PSNI police said was the discovery of a “suspicious object” by a pedestrian.

UUP seeks new leader as party dumps Empey, Tories

Two candidates are to contest the Ulster Unionist Party leadership election next month.

Ireland’s middle class in crisis

A new survey shows middle income families in the 26 Counties are struggling like never before with escalating unemployment coupled with serious mortgage repayment difficulties.

Royal Black thugs

A Catholic woman in her late 50s was punched and thrown to the ground by three marchers as she tried to cross a sectarian parade by the Royal Black Institution in Ballymena on Saturday.

Pressure grows to slay the Anglo monster

Tension is increasing within the Dublin coalition government over its continuing attempts to maintain the nationalised Anglo Irish Bank as a going concern.

May 17, 2013