British Direct Ruler Paul Murphy is to meet representatives of
the UDA and other unionist paramilitary organisations next week.
![[Irish Republican News]](https://republican-news.org/graphics/title_gifs/rn.gif) | ![[Irish Republican News]](https://republican-news.org/graphics/title_gifs/harp.gif) |
October 29, 2004
Murphy to meet UDA, UVF
Omagh relative's anger at British silence
The father of one of the Omagh bomb victims has accused the
British government of misleading the victims' families about the
whereabouts of an informant who warned police in advance about
the 1998 attack.
Ludlow inquiry to get go-ahead
The Dublin government will recommend for a public inquiry into
the 1976 killing of a County Louth man murdered by British
soldiers in collusion with loyalist paramilitaries.
GOVTS MAY DRIVE TALKS AGENDA
The British and Irish governments may decide soon to present a
document to end the stalemate in talks about restoring
power-sharing political institutions in Belfast.
Irish immigrants threatened by US bill
A group of leading Irish Americans has issued a joint letter of
protest concerning the plight of Irish immigrants living in the
United States.
The letter -- a response to the ill-treatment of Irish immigrants following a change of security laws -- has been sent to representatives in both legislative houses, the Senate and Congress. It is published below.
Dissidents blamed for gun attack
Republican hardliners have been blamed for a gun attack on a
County Antrim PSNI police base.
Unionists falling into the minority
By Brian Feeney (for the Irish News)
The leaks about the reform of local administration here are coming thick and fast. Let's hope most of them are correct. Why do we need more than one Education and Library Board? Come to think of it, why do we need any Education and Library Boards when there are two departments of education up at Stormont, the Department of Education, DENI, and the Department of Employment & Learning, DELNI, with thousands of civil servants staffing them?
Ahern signs Euro constitution, launches referendum
The signing of the European Constitution in Rome today has
brought a mixed reaction in Ireland, where it will be put before
the people in a referendum within the next two years.
October 26, 2004
PSNI gas handcuffed man
Sinn Féin in Derry has called for the withdrawal of tear gas
devices following the suspension of a PSNI man who sprayed a
handcuffed man with the gas.
Protest at Spanish treatment of Belfast man
An alleged IRA Volunteer has criticised Spanish authorities for
denying his legal rights for ten days before handing him to
members of the PSNI police.
BRADLEY’S POLICING U-TURN
In a stunning reversal, Denis Bradley, the vice-chairman of the
Policing Board has warned that nationalists could reconsider
their involvement in policing if the long-standing political
deadlock is not broken.
US Deportees appeal
A hearing into the case of Ciaran Ferry, whose case has been
compared with that of Joe Doherty, is taking place in Denver on
Thursday, October 28th at 10 a.m. Supporters and members of the
media are urged to attend.
DUP demanding ‘humiliation’ of IRA
Ian Paisley’s DUP has been accused of seeking to humiliate the
Provisional IRA with a demand for the IRA to disarm publicly.
Bush slated on Ireland
A report published by a California-based human rights group has
criticised the Bush administrations’ record on Ireland and
called for the election of Senator John Kerry as United States
President.
Second incident at border checkpoints
A British soldier manning a border checkpoint was the target of
a second alleged ‘hit-and-run’ attack in South Armagh within a
week.
The Cigar Man
By Danny Morrison (for the Andersonstown News)
Of all the memories I have of arrests, and there are quite a few, probably the most abiding is of Pierre Salinger, the former press secretary of President John F. Kennedy, nonchalantly puffing a huge Cuban cigar as he was hoisted into a jeep in Springfield Road barracks before being sent to Castlereagh for interrogation!
October 22, 2004
Millionaires go tax-free
Several millionaires in the 26 Counties are paying no income tax,
according to figures released by the Dublin government.
Irishwoman abducted in Iraq
The abduction of Irish-born aid worker Margaret Hassan in Iraq
has brought a united appeal by Irish political parties for her
release.
Small constituencies a gerrymander - SF
Sinn Féin has warned that proportional representation is being
diluted by small constituencies in the 26 Counties.
WARNING ON BRITISH INTENTIONS
The nationalist SDLP has warned that there is no sign that the
British government will not cave into the hardline unionist DUP,
which is demanding major changes to the 1998 Good Friday peace
Agreement.
Ahern backs Finucane family on public inquiry
The Irish Prime Minister, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, has pledged to
support the family of murdered defence lawyer Pat Finucane
should they not back the limited inquiry which has been offered
into his killing.
Tribute to George
By Bernadette McAliskey (for the Blanket)
I met George the very first time I went to America, in 1969 ‘straight from the Bogside front-line.’ I met a lot of people then, and thereafter, but there remains a small core of stalwarts, who have been my friends, compatriots, and companeros ever since that momentous trip; foremost amongst these, were my two great mentors Paul O’Dywer and George Harrison, both gone from us now.
Star’s anger at British harassment
Renowned Irish musician Christy Moore has spoken out against
anti-Irish harassment after enduring victimisation at the hands
of British police.
The Waiting Game
By Gerry Adams MP (for the Irish Voice)
This week saw a little flurry of media speculation around the talks process. This attention was sparked by remarks from both the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dermot Ahern, and the British Secretary of State Paul Murphy. They separately indicated some optimism that the process could see a breakthrough in the short term.
October 19, 2004
Sectarian attacks in Belfast
A Catholic father-of-four came under brick and petrol bomb
attack in their home on Sunday.
Extreme poverty in west Dublin
A report published today paints a disturbing picture of poverty,
social exclusion and deprivation in west Dublin.
British Army chopper incursion
The British Army has admitted that a Puma helicopter crossed the
border into County Monaghan at the weekend.
PSNI, IMC admit “mistakes”
The PSNI police has apologised for providing false information
on the death of Michael O’Hare, which was described as sectarian
in the report of the International Monitoring Commission earlier
this year.
TALKS INTENSIFY
A breakthrough in the North’s political process may be just
“weeks away”, Britain’s Direct Ruler has said.
Coalition possible only for change
By Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams (for Village)
The question of Sinn Féin involvement in a future coalition government is one which appears to particularly exercise Fianna Fáil. For some years now that party’s leading lights have returned again and again to this issue. Depending on who is talking they either signal a willingness to form a coalition with Sinn Féin or they rule that out.
Coalition possible only for change
By Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams (for Village)
The question of Sinn Féin involvement in a future coalition government is one which appears to particularly exercise Fianna Fáil. For some years now that party’s leading lights have returned again and again to this issue. Depending on who is talking they either signal a willingness to form a coalition with Sinn Féin or they rule that out.
Ahern dampens coalition speculation
Fianna Fáil has appeared to row back on suggestions that Sinn
Féin could form part of a coalition government in Dublin
following the next 26 County general election.
5,000 troops -- a funny sort of normal
Keen to accentuate the positive, our politicians point to the
several thousand British troops going home and sing mum on the
thousands who will remain.
October 15, 2004
George Harrison
George Harrison was perhaps the most unrepentant Fenian of them
all.
Call for halt to Gaza attacks
Sinn Féin has called on the international community to urge
Israel to end its two-week military operation on the Gaza strip.
‘ORANGE LINE’ - TEN YEARS ON
Unionist paramilitaries have declared Protestant housing estates
to be no-go areas for Catholics.
Looking back in sadness
Ten years ago, on October 13th, 1994.the Combined Loyalist Military
Command, representing the UDA, UVF and Red Hand Commando,
declared a ceasefire.
Extradition in IRA bomb case
The arrest of a Belfast man on holiday in Tenerife has been
described as s “petty, vindictive and unnecessary”.
Furore over FF-SF coalition report
There has been a strong reaction to suggestions of a possible
Sinn Féin coalition with Fianna Fail following the next general
election.
British military blamed for inquiry delay
British soldiers involved in the killing of civilians on Bloody
Sunday in Derry in 1972 are threatening legal action which could
delay publication of the report of the public inquiry or lead to
a dilution of the findings.
Challenge facing the DUP
By Gerry Adams
Each negotiation within the peace process presents its own particular and peculiar set of difficulties. It also presents opportunities. The current negotiation is no different and in many ways it is probably the most challenging any of us have had to face so far.
October 12, 2004
Save Tara campaign launched
A high-profile environmental campaign has begun a bid to stop
the construction of a motorway close to the historic seat of the
High Kings of Ireland.
McGuinness sets Halloween deadline for talks
Sinn Féin has set a deadline of Halloween for a peace process
deal involving the hardline unionist DUP.
UDA, DUP blamed for intimidation
A former loyalist politician has described how he and his family
have been targeted over the past 18 months in a unionist
paramilitary campaign of intimidation.
SF FOR COALITION - AHERN
Ireland’s new foreign affairs minister Dermot Ahern tonight said
he looked forward to the day when Sinn Féin is in government in
both parts of Ireland.
The Anglo-Irish negotiations of 1921
Talks leading to a deal which saw the Six Counties partitioned
from the rest of Ireland began 83 years ago this week.
Ireland may lose gold medal in doping furore
Ireland’s Olympic gold medallist Cian O’Connor has denied his
horses were doped with sedatives to enhance their fence-jumping
in the Athens Games.
Charges dropped in bogus IRA case
Charges of gathering information “likely to be of use to
terrorists” have been dropped against a West Belfast man in the
latest such case to collapse or be downgraded.
Brighton – The Price they Paid
by Danny Morrison (for the Andersonstown News)
Twenty years ago, in the early hours of tomorrow morning, 12 October, a 100lbs bomb exploded inside the Grand Hotel in Brighton. It had been planted by the IRA some weeks earlier using a long-delay timing device and it was aimed at Margaret Thatcher and senior Tories who were staying at the hotel during the Conservative Party conference.
October 8, 2004
Belfast jobs go as airlines cut back
The future of Shorts in Belfast and its 5,500 employees is
threatened after parent company Bombardier Aerospace laid off
another 560 workers.
Sinn Féin support continues to rise
A poll has shown a rise in support for Sinn Féin, which could
hold the balance of power after the next 26-county general
election.
UVF, UDA threaten nationalists
Nationalists in Derry have been urged to review their safety
after a joint statement from unionist paramilitaries warned of
attacks on the nationalist community.
IRA confirms wrongful killing
The Provisional IRA has said it killed 15-year-old Bernard
Teggart in 1973.
EARLY DEAL UNLIKELY
Amid wrangling over what might constitute the fundamentals of
the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, Ian Paisley’s DUP has again
cast doubt that a new agreement may be reached in the short term.
George Harrison
George Harrison, patron of Republican Sinn Féin and celebrated
veteran Irish Republican, died on October 6th at his home in
New York.
The following article by Jimmy Breslin for Newsday recounts a life in struggle against British colonialism, oppression, racism and inequality.
Kenneth Bigley killed in Iraq
The beheading of Kenneth Bigley, who had been held hostage in
Iraq for 22 days, has dismayed those campaigning in Ireland for
his release.
Wounded pride may take yet another fall
By Brian Feeney (for the Irish News)
The thing about it is this. Sinn Féin and the DUP did not negotiate the Good Friday Agreement: it was the SDLP and the UUP. Furthermore, in 1998 it was presumed by all concerned, especially Dublin and London, that no arrangement in the north would work that did not enjoy the support of the SDLP and UUP.
October 1, 2004
Merry-go-round for Dublin ministers
Only three new faces appeared in the Dublin Cabinet yesterday as
Bertie Ahern carried out a long delayed reshuffle designed to
refresh his coalition government’s image before the next General
Election in the 26 Counties.
Orde says money needed to alter bases
The PSNI police in the North of Ireland need extra funds to
remove fortification from its bases as part of the planned
“normalisation” process, PSNI chief Hugh Orde claimed yesterday.
Mary McAleese declared President for second term
Mrs Mary McAleese has been returned to office unopposed for a
second seven-year term as President.
Arms finds follow feud murder
A man has died following a gun attack in Derry in what is
believed to be a feud among unionist paramilitaries in the city.
INSTITUTIONS ‘MUST ADAPT’ - BRITAIN
Nationalists have reacted angrily to a suggestion by the British
government that it could make significant departures from the
1998 Good Friday Agreement.
Dermot Ahern
A profile of Dublin’s new minister of foreign affairs, Dermot
Ahern.
Why do our politicians trust Blair?
By Brian Feeney (for the Irish News)
In 1973 Henry Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize despite policies in Vietnam, Chile and Cambodia which led, in the case of Cambodia, to the collapse of the state and the rise to power of the murderous Pol Pot whose crazy regime killed at least a million Cambodians.
Adams appeals for Bigley
Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams yesterday appealed for the
release of Iraq hostage Ken Bigley on Arabic TV.
