Irish Republican News: Archives

March 27, 2021

London made to pay for brutality of Paras

A north Belfast man has received a five-figure compensation pay out from the British Ministry of Defence over serious assault and torture almost 50 years ago.

Legal action over loyalist ceasefire status

The continued indulgence of loyalist paramilitaries by the British government is being challenged with a legal action to force London to admit that their organisations are no longer maintaining “complete and unequivocal” ceasefires.

Uncertainty as ‘dysfunctional’ DUP lash out

A unionist threat to block recognition of the Irish language in the north of Ireland has been condemned.

Psy-ops suspicions after bogus bomb alert

The PSNI stands accused of exaggerating the significance of an object found in County Armagh for its own purposes.

Varadkar under pressure over criminal investigation

Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar remains mired in scandal after damning new revelations are to be added to a criminal investigation into his leaking of a valuable government document to a friend.

RTE cuts mic as DUP bigotry gets called out

Sports commentator and political analyst Joe Brolly was disconnected from an interview on a high profile television talk show, Claire Byrne Live, after he attempted to address the sectarianism and racism of the DUP.

Victims speak out over Creggan invasion

Disturbances have continued in Derry after intensely violent PSNI raids in the Ballymagowan area of Creggan last weekend. A press conference organised at Junior McDaid House on Thursday saw some of those affected issue statements give emotional accounts of their horrific experiences at the hands of the PSNI.

We must talk about referendums more, not less

There is almost an unwillingness to contemplate asking people to make a choice in a border poll, combined with a worry about the implications.

March 20, 2021

Operation Sledging

A policing operation in Derry in which two Creggan women were assaulted by the PSNI as part of a day of state violence has drawn intense criticism.

White House will defend peace process

US President Joe Biden has expressed his strong support for continuing efforts to prevent a reinforced border through Ireland as a result of Brexit.

‘Blackout’ imposed on media ahead of Bloody Sunday trial

A decision to ban media from reporting on court proceedings against the only ex-British army paratrooper to face murder charges arising from the 1972 Bloody Sunday massacre has been condemned by families of the victims and journalists alike.

Partition to be marked despite contrasting views

Sinn Féin has agreed to support a series of events to mark the centenary of partition in 1921.

CIRA claim attack on PSNI base

The Continuity IRA (CIRA) has claimed responsibility for an attack on Enniskillen PSNI base in Fermanagh on Monday, March 15.

PSNI fail to investigate attack on 15-year-old

The mother of a north Belfast teenager who was beaten in a sectarian attack which left him with a serious head injury has described how she has been let down by the PSNI investigation.

Crossbarry – a major victory for the IRA

The success of Tom Barry’s flying column plagued British forces and posed a serious and consistent threat to the authorities in West Cork. A historical account of the Crossbarry ambush, 100 years ago this week.

Ireland’s misfortune to have Micheál Martin in charge

A leader with vision would be acting now to promote a managed reworking of the constitutional arrangements in these islands.

March 17, 2021

Raising a glass to our readers for St Patrick’s Day

Our national day has always been a Spring festival and something to celebrate, especially on a sunny day. In some ways it is the beginning of the Irish New Year, and it will surely be a better one. So we make a toast to St Patrick, but also to you, our readers, who have sustained us this far.

March 13, 2021

Tories aim for maximum provocation

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson paid a galling visit to the north of Ireland on Friday as part of a Tory onslaught to preserve the union. Rubbing elbows with occupying British soldiers at a helicopter base, Johnson’s visit appeared designed to deliberately infuriate nationalists.

Loyalists throw fireworks at home of Gerry Kelly

The home of Sinn Féin’s Gerry Kelly has been attacked, just days after his constituency office was targeted with a bomb threat.

European move ignites new pressure for Finucane inquiry

The son of murdered defence lawyer Pat Finucane has welcomed a decision by the Council of Europe to reopen his father’s case at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

Blood-soaked history of MI5 collusion weapon

It has emerged that a single assault rifle was used by loyalists, likely including members of the British Army’s Ulster Defence Regiment, to kill up to 12 people between 1988 and 1994.

Irish-America calls for a free and united Ireland

A US advertising campaign supported by a number of Irish-American groups and sponsored by Sinn Féin is seeking to mobilise support for a border poll on Irish unity.

Varadkar forced to apologise for sectarian comment

The Tánaiste and Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar has been forced to apologise for a comment about the religious denomination of Sinn Féin TDs in the Dublin parliament.

The Limerick curfew murders

In the early hours of 7th March 1921, 100 years ago this week, the Mayor of Limerick, IRA officer George Clancy, former Mayor, Michael O’Callaghan of Sinn Féin and IRA volunteer Joseph O’Donoghue were all shot dead in their homes at night after curfew by the RIC.

Women in struggle

An article by Saoradh Newry activist Cliodhna McCool on what being involved in republicanism means to her and the contribution women have made to the cause of Irish freedom.

March 6, 2021

Loyalist threat to wreck peace deal

Loyalists paramilitaries are acting in concert with hardline Brexiteers to try to intimidate the European Union with the potential of violence in the north of Ireland.

British bad faith ‘time and time again’

The British government has been accused once again of displaying “extreme bad faith”, this time over its unilateral extension of grace periods in the Irish Protocol of Brexit.

Document points to collusion in Cappagh killings

On the anniversary of the murder of four men in County Tyrone 30 years ago this week, new information has emerged which appears to confirm long-held suspicions that British-trained soldiers were involved in the ambush.

Arrest of pregnant woman ‘reveals colonial mindset’

The PSNI has been condemned for ransacking the home of two political activists in the Bone area of North Belfast and arresting a heavily pregnant woman in front of her young children to take her to Musgrave Interrogation Centre.

Agenda of Garda Chief and Justice Minister exposed

The 26 County Garda police Commissioner Drew Harris has used an attack on his own men during a right-wing riot in Dublin to smear republicans and socialists.

Racism exposed at holiday firm

A list of Irish surnames used by a British holiday parks company to block “undesirable guests” has highlighted an increase in anti-Irish bigotry in everyday British life.

‘The Two Brendans’ — Moley And Burns

In South Armagh Republican folklore, the lives and tragic deaths of two young Irishmen will be forever intertwined, with the names of Brendan Moley and Brendan Burns — ‘The Two Brendans’ as they are popularly remembered — writ large into the story of the struggle for a sovereign and free Ireland.

Anti-Irish bigotry in Britain has not gone away

Where elements of the British press have gone out of their way to pay lip service to the historical wrongs committed against other minority groups, Ireland remains a peculiar blind spot.

March 1, 2021

Bobby Sands’ Hunger Strike Diary

Forty years ago today, Bobby Sands began his hunger strike. In order to fight Thatcher’s policy of criminalisation and secure their status as Irish political prisoners, he and his comrades were willing to fast until death. In doing so, they changed the course of Irish history.