Irish Republican News: Archives

February 28, 2011

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.

February 27, 2011

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.

February 26, 2011

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.

February 25, 2011

‘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.

Dail election 2011 - a constituency guide

A look at the key constituencies for republicans in the general election.

Two ‘outsiders’

You don’t normally hear opponents come out and say “We don’t like you, Adams – you’re from the north”. It’s more often slipped in obliquely.

February 21, 2011

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’.

How Britain taught Arab police forces all they know

There is growing anger over the enmeshed relationship between authoritarian Gulf governments and the British military and police after weeks of democracy protests across the Arab world that met with violent state repression.

Poll could turn out to be electoral revolution

This election is like no other in living memory.

February 18, 2011

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

February 15, 2011

‘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.

Torture in Maghaberry

A letter written this week by a republican prisoner, Damian (D.D.) McLaughlin, forcibly strip searched during a court appearance.

It’s the enormous debt, stupid

Rather than understand that the canard of paying back all the banks’ debts is futile and changing their minds, the establishment is trying to find more proof that the policy of keeping the banks alive is the right one.

One small island

The last exodus prompted a campaign for emigrant voting rights in the 1990s. The same is happening again.

The fight-back is just beginning

The general election in the Twenty-Six Counties is being fought against the backdrop of two momentous events: the greatest economic crisis to face the statelet since its foundation, and the surrendering of what was left of economic sovereignty to the International Monetary Fund and the European Union.

February 11, 2011

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.

There is a better way

The introduction and executive summary of Sinn Fein’s election manifesto for the 26-County general election later this month.

Representative policing?

The phasing out of 50:50 recruitment provisions would reduce the number of Catholics joining the PSNI and impact badly on the need to ensure that the PSNI reflects the society it polices.

February 10, 2011

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.

February 7, 2011

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.

Imagine this tonight

A political candidate stands as an Independent on issues of principle during elections in Zimbabwe. Every political dirty trick and smear in the book is used against him during the campaign.

How the Markets fell in love with Prince Charles

Sometimes I feel ashamed to be a Catholic and one such occasion happened last week.

February 2, 2011

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.

We shall overcome

Sunday was about completing the journey begun in the Creggan in January 1972.

Bombers unite community

There are still individuals stuck in the trench in Belfast.