Irish Republican News: Archives

May 30, 2011

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.

Background to the hunger strikes

An account by the Bobby Sands Trust of how the famous 1981 hunger strike, 30 years ago this year, came into being.

The day eirigi saved Dublin

The ‘Dublin Lockdown of 2011’ didn’t go unnoticed by that city’s citizens, but was notable for how casually it was imposed.

May 24, 2011

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.

A bad week for Irish journalism

Now that the Windsor visit is over, what are the benefits and what exactly has changed as a result?

Building a better future

The visit by the Queen of England to this part of Ireland has to be seen as part of a journey.

May 23, 2011

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.

May 20, 2011

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.

Oration at Lynagh/McKearney commemoration

The text of an oration delivered by eirigi chairperson Breandan Mac Cionnaith at a commemoration for Jim Lynagh and Padraig McKearney on 15 May 2011 at Drumfurrer, County Monaghan.

Commentators strike a geyser

I'm not a man readily given to exclamation marks but WHAT A GUSHFEST!

May 18, 2011

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.

May 17, 2011

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.

Perspectives on the royal visit

Two contrasting republican approaches and views on the Windsor visit to the 26-County state.

IRA founder condemns Adams/McGuinness leadership

The first leader of the Provisional IRA, Billy McKee, has strongly criticised the current Sinn Fein leadership in an open letter.

May 16, 2011

Marian Price interned

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

May 13, 2011

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.

May 12, 2011

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.

Assembly and local election results

The results of Thursday's Assembly election in the Six Counties, as well as a list of the Sinn Fein and republican candidates elected to local district councils.

Statement by republican prisoners

The following statement was issued at the weekend by the prisoners engaged in protest at Maghaberry jail.

May 10, 2011

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.

May 9, 2011

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.

May 7, 2011

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.