Irish Republican News: Archives

March 29, 2024

Jeffrey Donaldson resigns amid sex charges scandal

Jeffrey Donaldson has stepped down as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party with immediate effect after he was charged with “historical” sexual offences.

March 28, 2024

A system of injustice exposed again

A ten-year, ten million pound effort to lock up three prominent republicans has ended in failure with Colin Duffy and Henry Fitzsimons both found not guilty.

Dirty protest ends after prisoner moved

A five-week dirty protest at Maghaberry Prison has ended after senior republican Dermot Burke was moved to Republican Roe House at the jail.

Funeral of Rose Dugdale

The funeral took place on Wednesday of renowned Provisional IRA Volunteer Rose Dugdale, which saw her remembered as “a true revolutionary and a true legend”.

Roll out of Brexit concessions for the DUP

The first meeting of a new East-West Council has taken place in London as part of a deal with the DUP on ‘safeguarding the Union’ in return for the party ending its boycott of the Six County institutions.

British secrecy effort knocked back

An attempt by the PSNI and British government to block the release of even a brief summary of information from Crown force intelligence about the sectarian murder of Paul ‘Topper’ Thompson in April 1994 has been branded a “total waste of resources”.

Signs damaged in anti-Irish hate attacks

There have been calls for action to combat a cycle of sectarian vandalism targeting bilingual street signs in Belfast.

Easter commemorations 2024

A round-up of events to honour Ireland’s fallen this Easter, with thanks to Republican Memorial Tributes, and apologies for errors or omissions. Please confirm times and dates with your local organisation.

Britain will never reveal its role in the ‘dirty war’

None of Jon Boutcher’s recommendations from Operation Kenova are likely to be actioned, writes Brian Feeney.

March 24, 2024

Simon Harris to be next Taoiseach

Simon Harris, a 37-year-old career politician, has replaced Leo Varadkar as Fine Gael leader and appears set to be elected Taoiseach when the Dáil returns on April 9th.

March 21, 2024

Resignation betrays crisis at heart of coalition

The Dublin government is reeling from the sudden announcement of Leo Varadkar’s departure as Taoiseach and is under immense pressure to allow the voters of the 26 Counties to choose his successor.

Tributes to a republican hero

The death has occurred of IRA legend Rose Dugdale, weeks before a movie covering her extraordinary life is due to be released.

US events overshadowed by Gaza protests

Protests over President Joe Biden’s support for the Israeli assault on Gaza have undermined the traditional St Patrick’s Day visits by Irish politicians to the US.

MI5’s deadly hierarchy of agents

Questions continue to mount about the findings of the police investigation ‘Operation Kenova’, particularly in regard to an apparent pattern of Crown Force double agents outing and executing each other, with the knowledge of their handlers.

Fragments of truth emerge at Dillon inquest

An inquest has heard that the Crown Forces were ‘aware’ of a planned massacre by a loyalist death squad, just three months before the Good Friday Agreement was signed.

Action to force prosecution decision before cut-off

Lawyers representing the family of Annette McGavigan have issued a pre-action protocol letter over a prosecutorial decision regarding the soldier who shot and killed their sister.

Rosemary Nelson’s last interview

This week marks the 25th anniversary of the assassination of prominent Irish human rights lawyer Rosemary Nelson. Her killing, amid Crown force harassment, led to the continuing belief that the state colluded with her loyalist killers.

Fire and rain: the burning of Long Kesh

An eyewitness account of the burning of the Long Kesh prison camp by Irish republican internees 45 years ago this week, by Irish author Ronan Bennett.

March 20, 2024

Varadkar resigns in political shock

Leo Varadkar has quit as Fine Gael leader and will also resign as 26 County Taoiseach within weeks, he announced today.

March 14, 2024

Kenova – a £40m whitewash for a dirty war

A seven-year police investigation into the role of the British state’s deadliest spy within the Provisional IRA has uncovered little new information, defended his handlers and failed to deliver a single prosecution against those who operated the serial-killing double-agent.

Extradition bid referred to Europe

Efforts by the British Crown Forces to extradite Cork republican Sean Walsh have been put on hold following the decision of the 26 County Supreme Court to refer the matter to the European Court of Justice (ECJ).

Attempt to censor protest mural over St Patrick’s day trip

A pro-Palestinian mural criticising Sinn Féin, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael for attending a St Patrick’s Day event in the White House has been vandalised in west Belfast in a sign of continuing tensions over Sinn Féin’s involvement.

Soldier has no answer to shoot-to-kill allegations

A former British soldier has been accused of shooting a County Derry man, even after he lay helpless on the ground, during an ambush by British Army special forces.

New secrecy and time-wasting as clock runs down

The brother of a west Belfast man whose inquest was dramatically halted after an intervention by the British government has asked, “What are they hiding?”

Vindication for the Coney family

An inquest jury has found that Hugh Gerard Coney was given no verbal warning before being shot in the back while trying to escape from Long Kesh almost 50 years ago.

Unveiling of statues is historic day for Belfast

The installation of two bronze statues in the grounds of Belfast City Hall to commemorate two radical Belfast women has been hailed as a “historic and symbolic day for the city”.

The lonely death of Michael Kearney

Volunteer Michael Kearney’s name was cleared in 2003 following an internal Provisional IRA investigation which confirmed he was not an informer. A statement by Seamus Kearney in relation to the Kenova Report and its revelations about the killing of his brother by an IRA unit which had been infiltrated by the British Crown Forces.