Irish Republican News: Archives

March 28, 2015

Water protests continue amid corruption questions

Just under 90,000 people marched in Dublin on Saturday in the latest anti-austerity protest against the 26 County government’s new water charges as a scandal over the operation of Irish Water, the new national water board, has expanded.

Britain may expose royal pardon recipients

British Prime Minister David Cameron has threatened to identify leading republicans who received British royal pardons following a furore over the revelation that senior Sinn Fein politician Gerry Kelly received a pardon in the 1980s.

Loyalist attacks go unchecked in Antrim

A single gang of unionist paramilitaries is thought to be behind a murder and a spate of shooting and beatings across the North Antrim and Coleraine areas.

Constant harassment for ex-PoW with speech problem

A former republican prisoner who suffers from a severe speech impediment is afraid to leave his Belfast home because of constant harassment by the PSNI police.

Kenny visits site of Ballymurphy massacre

The families of 10 innocent civilians killed in the 1971 Ballymurphy massacre have described a meeting with Taoiseach Enda Kenny this week as a “positive move forward”.

Britain to send spies, royals for 1916 events

A secret British army undercover unit may be redeployed to Ireland in the run-up to the centenary of the 1916 Rising, according to reports.

Easter commemorations 2015

A round up of Easter commemorative events by republican organisations this year. Please check locally for more information. UPDATED April 3rd.

The background to the Rising

From the foundation of the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) to the fateful days of Easter 1916, when Irish Volunteers took to the streets to fight for our freedom. The first in a two-part historical feature.

March 21, 2015

Washington takes a back seat

Political activity in the north of Ireland was unexpectedly set back this week when the US State Department cancelled a meeting with Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams in Washington DC.

St Patrick’s Day parades pass without major trouble

There were only relatively minor incidents in Belfast on Tuesday after a loyalist flag protest outside Belfast City Hall was held as thousands gathered to celebrate the feast day of Ireland’s patron saint.

Arrests at Maghaberry ‘choreographed’

Republican prisoners in Maghaberry jail have condemned the arrest and interrogation of five of their number.

Helsinki Commission hears of Glenanne cover-up

There has been “dishonourable silence” from the British government on evidence of deep collusion between the British forces in Ireland and unionist paramilitaries during the conflict, an Irish human rights researcher author has told a US congressional panel.

‘We refuse to pay’ - Right2Water

Tens of thousands are preparing to march in Dublin today in the latest anti-austerity protest. Three separate marches, highlighting the impact of austerity and the new tax on tap water, are planned for Saturday afternoon.

Frazer calls off ‘Love Ulster 2’; Bryson convicted

A sectarian parade through Dublin has been cancelled after organisers claimed the Dublin government is preparing to hand over files to an inquest.

In memory of Gerry McKerr

A researcher at Amnesty International recalls Gerry McKerr, one of the Hooded Men, who passed away this week as his case against torture continues before the European Court of Human Rights.

Partition as perpetual crisis

Jim Slaven of the James Connolly Society gives his opinion on the political developments in the Six Counties and Sinn Fein’s change of heart on the Welfare Bill currently before Stormont. He argues that the solution to the ills currently afflicting Ireland are to be found in establishing a genuine democratic republic rather than pandering to power within the partitioned states.

March 14, 2015

Hope abides for ‘crucified’ Stormont

Almost a hundred thousand people took the streets in the North’s biggest protest against austerity cuts on Friday as Sinn Fein battled accusations that it has let down working class voters and the poor in the negotiation of the Stormont House Agreement.

New abuse case fuels anti-SF media campaign

The emergence of a second historical case in which a teenager was allegedly abused by an IRA member has reignited a controversy begun six months ago over Sinn Fein’s handling of such matters.

Death of ‘no-frills’ unionist patriarch

Former Ulster Unionist leader Jim Molyneaux died on Monday at the age of 94. A deeply conservative Orangeman, he led the party from 1979 until 1995.

Loyalists return to the streets

A plan by the Orange Order for orchestrated street disturbances in north Belfast has raised fears of a renewal of conflict in the area.

Collusion with Mount Vernon UVF admitted

The British Crown forces in the north of Ireland have for the first time admitted collusion with a notorious loyalist killer in the unionist paramilitary UVF.

Fears of ‘legacy’ cover-ups for British Army killers

The family of a man with special needs who was shot dead by the British Army in 1974 have said they have no faith in a re-opened police investigation by the PSNI’s ‘Legacy Investigation Branch’.

Dublin govt struggles with legal chaos

Laws stating that Queen Elizabeth is the king of Ireland and that anyone selling horses outside greater Dublin shall die are to be repealed, the Dublin government has announced.

Sinn Fein right to pull rug from under DUP

The dispute is simply a sign of what is to come with the other aspects of the agreement: flags, Orange marches and the past.

March 9, 2015

Anti water-charge protestors are released

The President of the High Court in Dublin has this afternoon directed the immediate release of four anti-water charges protesters over a technicality regarding the manner of their committal.

Stormont in new crisis after talks deal collapses

In a dramatic turnaround, Sinn Fein has said it will seek to block the welfare bill, a key element of the Stormont House Agreement, after accusing the DUP of acting in bad faith on the issue.

March 7, 2015

Leader’s speech by Gerry Adams at Sinn Fein Ard Fheis 2015

The Presidential address by Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams at his party's annual conference in Derry this weekend.

‘Taoiseach or bust’

Sinn Fein has categorically ruled out joining a coalition government in Dublin as junior partner after elections due early next year. The party is holding its Ard Fheis (annual conference) in Derry this weekend.

Catholics quitting the PSNI

Catholics are leaving the PSNI police in numbers and fewer are applying to join, new figures have shown.

Tensions rising at Portlaoise prison

A statement by republican prisoners at Portlaoise jail in the Irish midlands has warned of a deteriorating situation there.

Raymond McCreesh park issue ‘resolved’

A play park in Newry has been held up by unionists as a symbol of ‘Sinn Fein intransigence’ after the party blocked a new attempt to change its name.

Wealthy mount blockade against property repossession

A media circus in south county Dublin has highlighted the efforts of Ireland’s super-rich to defy legal moves to seize their assets.

‘Language strike’ and petition against EU treatment of Irish

A Sinn Fein member of the European Parliament is refusing to speak any language other than her native Gaelic, in protest at the European Union’s failure to fulfil its designation of Irish as a full official language of the EU.

Hannah Sheehy-Skeffington

Hanna Sheehy-Skeffington devoted most of her life to campaigning for the rights of women and Ireland’s independence.

Three peace processes are jostling for position

There are three political/peace processes jostling for primacy here. None of them are working.