Irish Republican News: Archives

The Irish protocol has become a pretext for unravelling the international treaties Boris Johnson signed up to in 2019-20.

Homeowners demand govt take responsibility for standards neglect

Lisa Hone is one of thousands living with the failure of successive Dublin governments to regulate building materials, resulting in the failure of their new-build homes due to blocks containing mica and pyrite, and who are now seeking full redress.

When Frederick Douglass met Daniel O’Connell

On September 29th, 1845, a momentous meeting took place in Dublin between a 27-year-old American and a 70-year-old Irish man.

Hiding Britain’s misdeeds

A proposed sweeping amnesty that would stop all investigations into crimes committed during the conflict, including those by the British military, threatens to thwart the pursuit of truth and justice for victims’ families.

Protocol is fig leaf for DUP’s retreat to sectarianism

Unionism saw in Brexit an opportunity to wreck the Good Friday agreement and get a hard border back. Instead, it is any prospect of the survival of Northern Ireland that has been demolished.

Kevin Mulgrew

Family was the watchword for Kevin Mulgrew, who died peacefully at his home in Dundalk on September 5 after a long battle with cancer.

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Interview with Gerry Adams

As part of a wide-ranging interview, former Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams has said he believes the Dublin government should immediately kick-start planning for a united Ireland and that a border poll could happen within as little as three years.

Mickey Devine

Commemorations are taking place in Derry and in the US to mark the 40th anniversary of the death of Mickey Devine, the last of the H-Block prisoners to give his life after 60 days on hunger strike.

Unionists know the British will eventually withdraw

This place is the only part of the UK which has a legal and constitutional right to secede. Yet, despite in their hearts knowing these truths, most unionists refuse even to think about preparing for inevitable British withdrawal.

Unity debate can’t wait until unionists are ready

Those who seek change need to get on with constructing a robust and persuasive case for a united Ireland, writes QUB academic Colin Harvey.

Internment 1971

A report on the horrors committed by British forces in implementing internment without trial in the north of Ireland. ‘Operation Demetrius’ began fifty years ago this week.

Families will never give up on loved ones

Johnson and Lewis have ensured by their duplicity that the legacy issue will remain unresolved. It will continue to dominate much of the political discourse in the North.

Should the Invincibles be reburied in Glasnevin Cemetery?

The Irish National Invincibles were a splinter group of the IRB who had five members hanged and buried in Kilmainham Gaol in 1883 for an attack in which two senior British civil servants died. A campaign is underway for their reinterment.

Legacy plan will be unworkable but British don't care

Anyone reading yesterday’s British government command paper, ‘Addressing the Legacy of NI’s Past’, should be warned to keep a suitable receptacle nearby to contain the disgusting product of the nausea this exercise in hypocrisy, doublethink and colonial condescension will induce.

No healing for Bloody Sunday families

The announcement that Bloody Sunday prosecutions have been halted cast a shadow over Derry that contrasted with the bright skies of June 15, 2010, when it appeared that the victims would be treated properly.

Master plan for Moore Street unveiled

We have Irish governments with no sense of the history of their own land, no imagination, no sense of history and no vision for the future, as the historic Moore Street base of the 1916 Rising remains derelict and sealed off from the public.

Springhill – ‘the forgotten massacre’

Springhill is often regarded as the ‘forgotten massacre’, having received very little coverage in the mainstream media, but the people of West Belfast have never forgotten.

The Carrowkennedy Ambush

One of the most important battles during the Irish War of Independence took place 100 years ago this week. A look at a famous episode in Mayo history.

Time for Boris Johnson to stop playing the fool

It’s somewhat stating the obvious but Joe Biden is not some angry councillor who phones his local paper every week in order to boost his profile.

The end of the DUP

A couple of weeks ago you read here that electing Poots leader would hasten the demise of the DUP.

Ballymurphy - A conspiracy of cover-up

The reality is that the Coroner’s conclusions in the Ballymurphy case will not have surprised the security mandarins that run the British system. Every government, Conservative and Labour, has known the truth of these events since they first occurred.

The final days of Patsy O’Hara

INLA Volunteer, Patsy O’Hara was one of three INLA Volunteers who died whilst on Hunger Strike, along with the seven Volunteers from the IRA. Patsy survived 61 days on hunger strike from 21 March 1981 until 21 May 1981 when he died, 40 years ago this week.

The blanket men and a man from America

It was the desperate plight of prisoners In the North of Ireland and the death of Bobby Sands that took me 3000 miles across the Atlantic to meet the Elliott family, whose ancestors long ago had left Derry and settled in the USA.

Why can’t the EU say the word apartheid?

Human Rights Watch has issued a landmark report concluding that Israel commits the crimes of apartheid and persecution against the Palestinian people.

New DUP will bring down Stormont

The four letters circulating against DUP leader Arlene Foster are four different versions of the same suicide note.

Are British soldiers above the law for Irish murders?

Boris Johnson has told the British parliament final preparations were being made to a draft bill that would in effect provide protection from prosecution for British soldiers that served in the North of Ireland.

Unionists have failed to stop progress

There’s one aspect of the chronically defective unionist leadership through the decades that you have to admit: consistency.

A turning point in history

Bobby Sands’ victory in Fermanagh and South Tyrone 40 years ago this week gave the republican movement a “victory that not even countless IRA military operations could have achieved”, according to a former prisoner in the H-Blocks.

What I would have said on RTÉ

Commentator Joe Brolly has responded to RTE’s controversial effort to silence him during a TV debate on a united Ireland.

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.

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.

‘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.

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.

Unionists selling supporters a false prospectus

Who said this? Johnson’s Withdrawal Agreement which established an Irish Sea border is “a great step forward and is fully in accordance within the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement.” David Trimble. That was October 2019.

The Kilmainham jail escape

An article by Liz Gillis for Kilmainham Tales on one of the most dramatic episodes in the history of the prison, which took place 100 years ago this week.

Memories of childhood Belfast

Memories of the Lower Ormeau Road at a turning point in history.

A new plan for Moore Street

The Save 16 Moore Street Committee and the Families of the Signatories of the 1916 Proclamation have published the first images of a regeneration plan for the area.

Nothing reckless about affording people a democratic choice

If ever we needed a reminder of the stark flaws and practical problems associated with the partition of our island, then the coronavirus pandemic and Brexit have exposed them like never before.

Avoidance and denying rights is not sustainable

A total of 3,500 relatives of victims have signed an open letter calling on the London and Dublin governments to implement previously agreed proposals to deal with the legacy of the recent conflict in the north of Ireland. A commentary by Mark Thompson of Relatives for Justice on the background to the letter, included below.

Not preparing for a United Ireland is irresponsible

The young people of Ireland know that the key to a better, stronger and brighter future lies in their hands. The time is coming, very shortly, where they will seize the opportunity that is being presented to them.

DUP disparages constitutional change while denying it

One of the more enjoyable aspects of last week was watching the mental gymnastics of Arlene Foster and other representatives of the Democratic Unionist Party.

DUP betrayed again by a British government

British policy is dictated by British interests. It has always been so. The fact that Prime Minister Boris Johnson has again betrayed unionists over Brexit should have come as no surprise to anyone with even the most rudimentary understanding of how British policy works.

A tragedy that injustice inflames

The last time I saw Patrick, he was restating his father’s wish that there be a human rights-compliant investigation into his mother’s killing. At the age of 34 he, like so many others affected by conflict, has now died without seeing truth, justice or acknowledgment.

The Kilmichael Ambush

This week 100 years ago on a roadside in County Cork, a small group of young men in with hardly any military training lay in wait for their enemy. History was about to be made.

The British govt is still hiding the truth

On 12 February 1989, my father, the human rights lawyer Pat Finucane, was murdered by loyalist paramilitaries as we sat together at the dinner table in the kitchen of our home in Belfast. I was eight years old.

Why I want to see a united Ireland

Ireland international soccer star James McClean wrote this article on his reasons for supporting Irish Unity.

Cheating politicians cheat us all

Leo Varadkar is either a liar or a very unlucky man.

A new conversation about a united Ireland

A discussion on Irish Unity must be permitted to advance if those already sceptical about delivery of the promises of peace are not to lose faith entirely.

Fool me once

When Boris Johnson tells you that his government is determined to defend the Good Friday Agreement – don’t believe a word of it.

Seán Treacy

The dramatic death took place 100 years ago this week of a revolutionary who became synonymous with Ireland’s fight for independence.

The search for truth

Majella O’Hare was just 12 years of age when she was shot twice in the back by a British paratrooper on her way to Mass in Whitecross, County Armagh, on August 16, 1976.

Bloody Sunday: ‘They want us to shush’

Many people outside Derry say - and others may frequently feel like saying - that the city does go on a bit about its grievances. This week is no exception, with another eruption of rage over Bloody Sunday.

100 years since Rineen Ambush

Tuesday September 22nd, marked the 100th anniversary of the most significant event in the War of Independence in Clare.

The appointment of Drew Harris, revisited

Politicians on both sides of the Atlantic have this week called for the current Garda Commissioner, former RUC Assistant Chief Constable (ACC) Drew Harris, to resign from his post over his past connection to collusion in the north of Ireland.

Unquiet Graves and the continuing cover-up

‘Unquiet Graves’ was on RTÉ ONE last night and it made for hard viewing.

‘A choice between Brexit Britain and a New Ireland’

Ireland is entering a decade of opportunity, according to Sinn Féin’s Deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill.

Johnson’s behaviour is no surprise

The only surprise about the British government’s unilateral plans to legislate for its own version of the procedures for operating the Irish Protocol in the Withdrawal Agreement is that anyone is surprised.

The Drumnakilly Ambush

The killings near Drumnakilly, County Tyrone, of brothers Martin and Gerald Harte, and Brian Mullen, three local IRA Volunteers, took place on 30th August 1988, 32 years ago this week.

Partition sucks. It doesn’t merit celebration

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson intends to establish a Centenary Forum and a Centenary Historical Advisory Plan as part of his government’s plans to mark 100 years of the Northern state.

The Burnings

The shooting of a member of Britain’s Royal Irish Constabulary 100 years ago sparked weeks of anti-Catholic violence. An account of an infamous episode in the town’s history which became known as ‘The Burnings’.

Golfgate is a story of ruling class entitlement

Irish EU Commissioner Paul Hogan resigned on Thursday, the latest casualty of a golf outing that showed how the class system works in Ireland. A look at an ongoing story by Paulie Doyle, for Tribune magazine.

Gaza goes dark under new terror campaign

Gaza’s electricity supply has been cut to around three hours a day as Israeli bombing of the besieged Palestinian enclave has continued for ten consecutive days.

Questions the BME community ask about Noah Donohoe

The handling of the disappearance and death of Noah Donohoe has also raised concerns about systemic racism in the North of Ireland.

Mickey Devine: The last hunger striker to die

Mickey Devine, from the Creggan in Derry city, was the tenth and final hunger striker to die in the 1981 fight against the criminalisation of Irish republican prisoners.

We do not have clear and equal policing

Violence, arrests, prosecutions and incarcerations are all avoidable if we have clear and equal policing of both sides of the divide to include managing illegal bonfires.

Beirut emergency appeal

Belfast-based political activist Fra Hughes been asked by friends in Lebanon to highlight the following appeal.

Remembering John Hume

John’s contribution to Irish politics cannot be underestimated. When others talked endlessly about peace John grasped the challenge and helped make peace happen.

The Belfast Pogrom, 1920

In the middle of July 1920, thousands of “disloyal” workers in Belfast were driven out of their workplaces by unionist mobs. In the immediate aftermath, rioting between nationalists and unionists left nineteen people dead. This outbreak marked the start of a period of violence that left almost five hundred dead and which became known by nationalists as “the Belfast pogrom.”

Partition has to go

There is unanimity of approach among the establishment parties in the Oireachtas when it comes to a referendum on Irish Unity – they are against it.

Scotland is turning the corner

A group of Scottish nationalists created a controversy this week when they symbolically 'closed the border' with England in a protest aimed at the coronavirus crisis. It signifies a new exhaustion in Scotland with a visibly collapsing England. An analysis of the increasingly popular idea of Scottish independence by Paul Kavanagh (weegingerdug).

Bobby Storey led from the front

In Ireland’s centuries long struggle for independence, exceptional men and women, heroes, emerged, which set them apart and around whom people rallied, inspired and motivated by them.

Derry 1920 - A civil war of independence

A century ago this month, conflict erupted in Derry with British state forces openly colluding with UVF gangs to quell the nationalist surge for independence.

Olaudah Equiano’s Irish friends

Olaudah Equiano, a former slave and the author of an influential memoir, visited Dublin and Belfast in the 1790s, mingling among the most progressive voices of the day in Irish society.

Forty-seven years ago today

Even though 47 years have passed, the family of Michael Leonard is still determined to find out the full truth about his murder by the RUC on a lonely country road in Fermanagh near the border with Donegal.

Irish unification is still inevitable

Kevin Meaghar looks at the state of the debate on Irish Unity as the idea continues to go mainstream.

What is the name of this place anyways?

This week the name of this place we live in caused a bit of a political stir. The Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar called Belfast members of Fine Gael, “overseas members” and a former Tyrone football player referred to Tyrone as “Up here in the UK”. But the truth is the names used for Ireland do matter and have always been contentious.

Áine and Eibhlín Nic Giolla Easpaig

A review of the autobiographical book ‘Sisters in Cells’ by Bernadette Hyland.

The Executions of 1916

A historical account of this week in 1916, when the executions of the Easter Rising leaders took place.

Self evident that we need an all-island approach

Are we really going to have shops and hairdressers open and journey distances extended at different times north and south for political reasons?

The Scottish Brigade

An extract from of the contribution by historian Stephen Coyle at The Year of Revolution: 1920, seminar held by Sinn Féin Poblachtach in Wynn’s Hotel on February 15, 2020.

The Flying Column

A further extract from the Irish War of Independence and the IRA, 1916-1921, by Colm McInerney

The IRA becomes an army

An extract from the Irish War of Independence and the IRA, 1916-1921, by Colm McInerney.

North and South must harmonise pandemic response

In this coronavirus pandemic, Ireland’s geographical advantage is being squandered by the adoption of very different approaches to dealing with the disease.

Up the Rebels

The necessary cancellation of Easter Rising Commemorations does not mean we should not celebrate these events.

The centenary of an Irish martyr

A tribute to Tomás Mac Curtain, Cork Lord Mayor, who was born on 20 March 1884 and died on the same date in 1920, shot dead in his home.

Deliver a government of change

A comment on the recent efforts to form a coalition government in Dublin by John Bandon.

The Clare grain riots

A historical account of an incident in which the RIC opened fire on a crowd of hungry Ennis people as local food produce was being exported by landlords.

We’re in a sad state

A police chief interfering in a country’s electoral process is something we have come to expect – but usually in Third World dictatorships.

The window of my mind

An essay originally written by Bobby Sands in the H-Blocks of Long Kesh in 1979.

Sinn Féin’s day is coming

An analysis of the outcome of the general election and the current political dynamic in the 26 Counties by Ruairi Creaney.

Unionist jitters after Sinn Féin success

Regardless of when or whether Sinn Féin ends up in government, as Tony Blair’s former adviser Jonathan Powell says, the outcome of the election will make demands for movement on Irish unity stronger.

To remember or commemorate?

This state was founded by those who fought for Irish Independence between 1919 and 1921 and it would be bizzare if this state were to commemorate those who fought to suppress it’s establishment.

Government u-turn a victory for people power

The Government must go beyond deferral and scrap any plan now or in the future to commemorate the role of the RIC and the DMP. The shallowness and opportunism of their position on these events has been exposed. So has the posturing of the Fianna Fáil Leader.

Papers show need for inquiry into my father’s murder

Michael Finucane, the eldest son of Pat Finucane and a practising lawyer based in Dublin, on his response to revelations about the murder in declassified papers.

Unionists punished the DUP for extreme Brexit plan

A lot of emphasis on the fact that, after Thursday’s election, for the first time there are more nationalist MPs than unionist; Sinn Féin and the SDLP outnumber the DUP 9-8.

Polls on Irish unity are only heading in one direction

Unless you have been living under a rock, you can’t but have noticed that the prospect of Irish reunification has been gaining ground these past three years.

Address to Saoradh Ard Fheis

The following is the address by Saoradh chairperson Brian Kenna to the party’s annual conference in Newry last weekend.

When Stormont’s credibility went up in flames

A review by Rory Carroll of ‘Burned - The inside story of the ‘cash for ash’ scandal and Northern Ireland’s secretive new elite’, by Sam McBride.

The first shoot-to-kill victims

On the night of 11 November 1982, two young IRA volunteers, Eugene Toman and Sean Burns were sitting in another volunteer, Gervais McKerr’s house in Lurgan, County Armagh, drinking tea, and waiting for a lift to a safe house. The atmosphere was friendly and relaxed, according to a girl in the McKerr house that night, with the lads joking as usual and enjoying the company. Within a few hours, the three volunteers would be dead, the first victims of an horrific shoot-to-kill policy by the RUC.

Ireland’s unreal partition

A hundred years ago this week, as it was struggling to suppress Ireland’s fight for freedom, the British war cabinet first endorsed a unionist proposal for setting up two devolved parliaments - one in Dublin and one in Belfast. Historian Cormac Moore looks at the background to Britain’s partition of Ireland.

Economic boundaries and deep-seated fears

Are the DUP right when they say that a border in the Irish Sea is a serious threat to the union?

Key independence figure denied pension and medal

The editor of the Irish Bulletin, Kathleen Mary Napoli, was so involved in the War of Independence that she accompanied the treaty delegation to London. But she was informed she was not eligible for an IRA pension because she was not officially a member of the organisation.

Máire Drumm; leader and visionary

Máire was one of the most courageous and visionary leaders Irish Republicanism has ever had, Gerry Adams writes.

The harvest Britain has sown

This week marks the end of the 1981 hunger strike, in which ten republican prisoners laid down their lives against the criminalisation of their struggle for Irish freedom. The first hunger striker to die, Bobby Sands, described the conditions inside the H-Blocks of Long Kesh prison in September 1978.

Boris’s big deal for Ireland

What is the big sticking point on Boris’s Big Deal (BBD)? That’s easy – he’s for putting in place customs checks/posts/huts/whatever you’re having yourself.

Celebrating 100 years of partition?

Three months ago, during the July marches and rallies by the Orange Order, the DUP declared that the centenary of the northern state in 2021 should be a public holiday and a source of celebration.

Irish government should not be fooled by DUP talk of consent

When unionists talk about consent, read a veto. It’s useful to remind the Irish government of that.

Six times the Irish learned not to trust the British

Boris Johnson wants Ireland to abandon the backstop, the legal guarantee of maintaining an open border after Brexit, as his price for signing a deal with the European Union. But should Ireland give way and trust London? History suggests that could be a mistake. Here are some examples.

The ‘94 Cessation – how it happened

Gerry Adams looks back at the historic peace initiative of August 1994 when the Provisional IRA declared a ceasefire. (For Léargas).

Amazon fires put the planet at risk

Tierra Curry, a senior scientist at the US Center for Biological Diversity, on the race to save the Amazon (for The Hill).

August 1969 - when ‘the Troubles’ began

Fifty years ago this week in the space of five days, the north of Ireland changed for ever.

The Gaelic League and the 1916 Rising

This week 126 years ago – 31 July 1893 – the Gaelic League (Conradh na Gaeilge) was founded. A look at the role it formed in the Easter Rising.

Expecting Ireland to be servile is part of a British tradition

An analysis piece by Limerick academic Richard McMahon which was published in both the Irish and British media this week

Voting for the next President of Ireland

The right of citizens living outside the southern State to vote for the President of Ireland is now a significant issue of debate, especially here in Dublin. This is a campaign we should all get behind, writes Gerry Adams.

Francie McCloskey’s last hours

A series of events has taken place this week to mark the 50th anniversary of the murder of Francie McCloskey, considered by many to have been the first fatality of the current phase of the conflict.

UDR must be held to account for Patsy Kelly murder

Long before the deadly word ‘collusion’ entered into the public vocabulary of the conflict, Teresa Kelly and her family experienced ‘collusion’ in all its grotesque forms.

We need to talk about the Monarchy

On the occasion of the royal visit to Scotland to mark the 20th anniversary of the Edinburgh parliament, a Scottish republican examines the future role of the British Royal family.

Catalans protest outside the European Parliament

The Catalan independence movement has made a new show of strength in Europe with a protest against the exclusion of its three MEPs.

The Springhill Massacre

British Army snipers killed five civilians at the Springhill estate in west Belfast on 9 July 1972, eleven months after the Ballymurphy massacre, and 47 years ago this week.

Miriam Daly

Miriam Daly, an Irish republican socialist and university lecturer, was assassinated by the loyalist Ulster Defence Association (UDA) in a killing which continues to provoke questions. Her body, bound and shot, was found by her nine-year-old daughter after she returned from school in Andersonstown, 39 years ago this week. In this interview, Anthony Neeson spoke to Jim Daly, her widower

Voting rights extension is a no-brainer

An analysis by Brian Feeney of the move by the Dublin government to extend voting rights to northerners and emigrants in the case of Presidential elections.

Give us justice – arrest the Loughinisland killers

As the anniversary of Loughinisland is remembered, a look at an extraordinary campaign for justice which continues to battle cover-up and collusion.

Remains of Great Hunger victims emerge, 172 years on

A storm has exposed the bones of Irish children on a Canadian beach, recalling a holocaust of greed that devastated Ireland and changed the world.

The first rule of Fine Gael: don't get caught

Calls for Maria Bailey to be kicked out of Fine Gael for damaging the party are unfair when she represents everything they stand for... absolutely nothing but themselves.

45th anniversary of Michael Gaughan’s death

Michael Gaughan was killed by the prison and medical authorities of Parkhurst Prison on 3 June 1974, 45 years ago.

25th anniversary of Widow Scallans attack

This week marks the 25th anniversary of the death of IRA Volunteer Martin ‘Doco’ Doherty, who died defending a Sinn Fein function at the Widow Scallans pub in Dublin from a bomb attack by the UVF.

The troubling case of Julian Assange

Julian Assange continues to ripple and roam as a cipher through the political and media scape of the world. Detained in Belmarsh maximum security prison, the sort of stately abode only reserved for the most dangerous of criminals, many with indeterminate sentences, he electrifies and concerns.

The final days of Bobby Sands

A contemporaneous account of the last-ditch efforts to save the life of IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands, who died this week 38 years ago.

The Amritsar Massacre

An infamous event in Britain’s colonial occupation of India took place a hundred years ago this week. A historical account of the massacre at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar on Apri 13, 1919.

Amid the Brexit chaos, Scotland is a beacon of sense

An analysis piece from the Enniscorthy Guardian looks at how Scotland’s approach to Brexit resonates in Ireland.

A referendum on unity is coming

The fiasco that is Brexit, and the Tory and DUP shambles of a response to it, have together opened up a willingness for a real and meaningful conversation on Unity.

Who killed Rosemary Nelson?

North Armagh-based human rights lawyer Rosemary Nelson was assassinated 20 years ago this week in an attack in which high-level collusion is still suspected. A report by Beatrix Campbell on the smears and disinformation which continued long after her death.

Bloody Sunday - the top brass gets away with it

There may be only one thing that the Bloody Sunday families and the defenders of the Parachute Regiment are agreed on following the announcement that a former lance corporal is to be charged with two murders and four attempted murders: that it is perverse and unfair that one low-ranking soldier should be made to carry the can for what happened in Derry 47 years ago.

How the truth of Loughinisland is still suppressed

A background to the continuing police harassment of two journalists involved in making the film ‘No Stone Unturned’ by its director Alex Gibney.

Victory for the Chagos Islanders

The International Court of Justice in The Hague has handed down a momentous judgement that says Britain’s colonial authority over the Chagos Islands is no longer legal. John Pilger, whose 2004 film, Stealing a Nation, alerted much of the world to the plight of the islanders, tells their story.

25th Anniversary of the murder of Sean McParland

Sunday 24th February 2019 marks the 25th anniversary of the murder of Sean McParland.

The Good Friday Agreement is written in sand

An intrinsic part of the Good Friday Agreement - an agreement that brought peace and stability to the island of Ireland - is quickly disappearing.

Sir Reginald washes his hands

More than three and a half years - yes, three and a half years! - after the conclusion of all the evidence in the inquest into the murder of Roseanne Mallon, Sir Reginald Weir sat down in Nisi Prius court in Belfast city centre and declared he could find neither direct nor indirect evidence of collusion between the loyalist killers and any state agency in the case.

Pearse and the Pillar

The afterlife of the Nelson Pillar on O’Connell Street is every bit as interesting as its lifespan, and from the late 1960s onwards various committees and campaign groups lobbied with the aim of placing a monument in the location where Nelson had stood.

Hard Brexit must mean a Border Poll

The timing for making an argument for a Border Poll or as its now being called a Unity Referendum has become a bone of contention. The negativity about the timing of holding one is creating negativity at the very time we need to examine the issue positively.

The 1918 election, a turning point in history

The general election of 1918 provided Sinn Fein with a democratic endorsement both to establish Dail Eireann and proclaim a republic.

DUPed again

Excessive threatening language has long been part of political unionism’s response when faced with the prospect of change.

Bridget Dirrane

Bridget Dirrane is a remarkable person in the history of Ireland.

The GFA is under siege - and so is my right to be Irish

A community is, in the here and now, being marginalised, penalised and discriminated against, the effect of which is catastrophic. And the cause is their identity.

The last British soldier shot for mutiny

An account of the awakening of an Irish soldier who led a mutiny against the British Army over its atrocities in India and Ireland, and his subsequent execution, 98 years ago this week.

I am a political prisoner, held hostage by Spain

For a year now, I am held without bail and without even a trial date for having defended fundamental rights in any democracy, such as the freedom of speech and the freedom to meet and protest.

The IRA Hunger Strike of 1923

In the Ireland of 1922, a civil war tore through the land and in its path it ripped apart families and friendships. It also created a deeper wedge in an unstable society where the church grappled for top position in an emerging new state.

Liadh Ni Riada campaign launch

Liadh Ni Riada is the youngest daughter of the iconic composer and musician, Sean O’Riada. On Sunday she was confirmed as Sinn Fein’s candidate for the Presidency of Ireland in next month’s election. The following is the text of her campaign launch speech.

Ballymurphy story must be told

Before Bloody Sunday there was Ballymurphy. Its story must be told, according to Callum Macrae, the director of The Ballymurphy Precedent, a shorter version of which was broadcast on Channel 4.

The Ballymurphy Precedent

A new film looking at the events leading up to and including the Ballymurphy Massacre is having preview screenings across Ireland and Britain in advance of a wider release.

Meet the Rajapaksas

DUP MP Ian Paisley has been found to have improperly lobbied on behalf of Sri Lanka’s then Rajapaksa regime against accusations of war crimes which targeted the minority Tamil population. Meet the Rajapaksas, in this Channel 4 report from 2013.

The Rebel Countess

An introduction to the life of Constance Georgine Markievicz, an Irish politician, suffragette, socialist and republican rebel.

Ireland must act against Israel’s war crimes

Ireland is entitled to disassociate from what the EU itself condemns as clear breaches of international law.

The Falls Curfew - July 1970

Michael Shaw Mahoney captures the Falls Curfew of July 1970 through the eyes of the late Billy Curran (for the Pensive Quill).

Septic Ulster

Theresa May’s new list of working peers includes an ex-MP from the proppers-up of her government, the Democratic Unionist Party: the Rev William “Boxcar Willie” McCrea, veteran gospel-singing politician.

The DUP - deaf to the winds of change

We may sometimes not like what History delivers, but being on the wrong side of history can be painful.

The revival of Palestinian consciousness

Ghada Karmi is a Palestinian physician, academic and writer. Her latest book is entitled Return: A Palestinian Memoir. Despite the recent shocking events in Gaza, she sees hope for the Palestinian cause.

Disrupt and Deny - Britain’s dirty war in Ireland

Rory Cormac, a professor of international relations specialising in secret intelligence and covert action, has found archival evidence to prove Edward Heath’s government directed ‘black ops’ on the streets of Ireland.

The Cheshire Cat called Commonwealth

The British Empire is a bit like the Cheshire cat in Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland: over the years it has faded until all you’re left with is a bland smile.

Sean McNeela and Tony D’Arcy

Sean McNeela and Tony D’Arcy died on hunger strike against the criminalisation of republican prisoners at St Bricin’s Military Hospital in Dublin, 78 years ago this week.

The Proclamation and William Henry West

Another story of the many from the Easter Rising of 1916 -- the English protestant printer who supplied the type for the Irish Proclamation.

Martin McGuinness - Looking to the future

Martin McGuinness was a good friend and a great leader. He made compromises where he believed they could help peace and reconciliation. He never stopped taking risks for peace, writes Gerry Adams.

Memories of Mairead Farrell

On the 30th anniversary of IRA Volunteers Mairead Farrell, Sean Savage and Dan McCann, murdered by the SAS in a shoot to kill operation on 6th March 1988 in Gibraltar, Saoradh activist and former IRA POW Breige-Anne McCaughley shares her memories of Volunteer Mairead Farrell.

Tory boy’s mask slips

The real Leo Varadkar was the one who stood up in the Dail last Tuesday and the public would do well to remember that when his party comes looking for votes in the near future.

No-one admits to being a bigot

The collapse of talks to restore the power sharing arrangement in the North of Ireland has come as no surprise to many.

The Civil Rights Association

Contrasting views of the North’s Civil Rights Association and how it relates to where we are as we approach the 50th anniversary of its first campaign.

A new chapter

I’m sure that there is a little nervousness within Sinn Fein as Gerry Adams steps down as president of the party, having led it to great electoral success across Ireland, and having been, along with the late Martin McGuinness, at the forefront of the republican struggle for decades.

Inquiries, ‘collusion’ and seeking truth

If the NI Retired Police Officers’ Association wins on Loughinisland, it will have succeeded in closing down an important official source of information about alleged collusion and its scale, small or large. John Ware looks at a crucial upcoming ruling.

It’s time for a united Ireland

At last it’s becoming clear to the Brexiteers, and the right-wing British media, that the question of the Irish border will be the defining issue of the Brexit negotiations.

The Manchester Martyrs

150 years on from their execution, a historical look back at three Fenians whose bravery in giving their lives in struggle helped to sustain it.

The Rohingya

The Rohingya are often described as “the world’s most persecuted minority”.

No Stone Unturned - review

Oscar-winning documentarian Alex Gibney exposes the collusion which shielded the perpetrators of the 1994 Loughinisland massacre from justice. The shocking No Stone Unturned finally names the chief suspects while revealing the RUC’s deliberate mishandling of the multiple murder inquiry.

The funerals of Frank Stagg

Frank Stagg who died on hunger strike aged 33, had three funerals and two burials. One funeral had no body and one burial was done in darkness. His life is commemorated on three headstones in Leigue Cemetery, Ballina, County Mayo.

The racist worldview of Arthur Balfour

Arthur James Balfour will, no doubt, be praised effusively by supporters of Israel for a brief document he signed 100 years ago.

Why we need to support Catalonia

During the years of Franco’s dictatorship, Catalonia was one of Spain’s strongholds of resistance, and the Catalan people suffered enormously for it.

Sheena Campbell and a hurricane of pain

Twenty-five years ago, Sheena Campbell, then a 29-year-old law student at Queen’s University, was shot dead by a UVF gang.

Stop political extradition

An open letter to the Irish people from Portlaoise jail by republican political prisoner DD McLaughlin.

The United Irishmen

The Society of United Irishmen, founded in 1791, embraced Catholics, Protestants and Dissenters in its aim to remove English control from Irish affairs.

Votarem - We will vote

The response of the people of Catalonia to the violence of the Spanish state was astonishing and I want to commend their bravery.

The crisis of the Spanish state

Ahead of the October 1 referendum on self-determination, the Spanish government is engaged in a level of political repression in Catalonia not experienced since the days of the Franco dictatorship.

A prisoner’s final and most terrifying weapon

The oration delivered by Tommy McKearney, a former Hunger Striker, over the grave of Thomas Ashe at the national hunger strike commemoration of the 1916 Societies.

The sack of Balbriggan

A look at an infamous event in the Tan War in County Dublin, 97 years ago this week.

Republican politics must be relevant

The text of the oration delivered by Francis Mackey (pictured) of the 32 County Sovereignty Movement at the graveside of Alan Ryan earlier this month.

Britain out of Ireland

The Irish Republican Socialist Party (IRSP) has said it is supporting a ‘border poll’ on unity as part of a new campaign for a United Ireland outside of the EU. An extract from its new policy document, ‘Britain out of Ireland - Ireland out of the EU’.

Tom Williams

IRA Volunteer Tom Williams was hanged at age 19 by the British on 2 September 1942, 75 years ago today.

The most audacious Australian prison break

The most successful prison break in Australian history was an international rescue effort that took years to organise, and which finally freed six Irish republicans from a British jail in Fremantle.

India’s partition: The British game of ‘divide and rule’

Seventy years after the partition of India, it is hard to look back without horror at the savagery of the country’s vivisection.

The Battle of the Bogside

For years the nationalist majority of Derry had suffered a unionist gerrymander of the city which left many Catholics living in slum conditions.

‘Uniting Ireland and its People in Peace and Prosperity’

An abridged introduction to this week’s report of Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement and a summary of its recommendations.

The RUC and its deadly legacy in Sri Lanka

A Tamil widow who says 10 of her relatives were massacred by Sri Lanka’s police in 1986 has lodged a complaint with the Police Ombudsman in the North after links from the RUC (now PSNI) to the country’s security forces emerged.

Modernising internment

A look at the evolution of internment, from a speech delivered by National PRO of Republican Network for Unity, Nathan Stuart, at a picket organised by the Anti-Internment Group For Ireland (AIGI).

Michael Collins and the killing of a Field-Marshall

The IRA assassination of British Field-Marshall Henry Wilson, 95 years ago this week, was a turning point in Irish history, writes Rob Baker

Solidarity through the centuries

A simple act of kindness 170 years ago by an Oklahoma Indian tribe was celebrated in County Cork this week.

Advancing towards Irish Unity - in the United Irish tradition

Sinn Fein chairperson Declan Kearney delivered the keynote address to the party’s annual Wolfe Tone commemoration in Bodenstown last Sunday.

Grenfell will forever stand as a rebuke to the right

Grenfell Tower is a story of inequality, of the poor herded into a cramped building made unsafe because it was prettified to improve the view of the nearby rich.

Westminster election - results round-up

A look at the results of the Westminster election in each of the 18 constituencies in the Six Counties.

Westminster election - constituency profiles

A quick look at each of the 18 Westminster constituencies in the North of Ireland, and what to expect when the election results come rolling in next week.

The last hanging

The last public hanging in England took place in London, outside Newgate Prison (now the Old Bailey) on 26 May 1868, 149 years ago this week.

End the marginalisation of Irish

Thousands have been making their way to Belfast to support the increasing calls for legislative protection for the Irish language, in the form of an Irish language act.

Painful memories of the Loughgall massacre

In an interview published on the 30th anniversary of an infamous ambush, a former Volunteer has provided an inside account of the Provisional IRA’s single largest loss of life during the conflict.

The Proclamation Project

A five year strategy to put Irish republicanism ‘back into the driving seat of securing Irish unity’ was launched recently.

Mass Palestinian hunger strike

Some 1,500 Palestinian prisoners are currently engaged in a mass hunger strike over prison conditions and internment without charge.

‘The Bold McElwain’ remembered

Monaghan Republican and Ex-POW John Crawley delivered a graveside oration at a commemoration for Seamus McElwain in Scotstown recently.

Malice intended

Anne Cadwallader tells the story of the Hooded Men, internees subjected to fine-tuned methods of torture, that left little physical evidence, imported by Britain to Ireland in 1971.

Easter commemorations 2017

A round up of Easter commemorative events by various organisations this year. Please check locally for more information.

‘Why we oppose British murder march’

Saoradh Beal Feirste explain its opposition to the march of former British soldiers through Belfast city centre on Good Friday.

Dublin has a duty to ensure ‘special status’ for north

Now that Article 50 has been triggered a period of what is likely to be long and protracted negotiations will begin. The north will not be represented at those negotiations.

Martin McGuinness was a committed republican - Adams

The death of my friend and comrade Martin McGuinness has left a deep void. It is a huge blow to all of us who knew and loved him, especially his wife and family.

The Milltown massacre

An account of the attack on Milltown cemetery, 29 years ago this week, carried out by loyalist serial killer Michael Stone.

The Fenian Rebellion

A historical account of the abortive republican insurrection of 1867, 150 years ago this week.

An election about integrity

We are determined to rebuild the political process but it must be on the basis of genuinely progressive power-sharing where we work with one another in the best interests of everyone in society.

Injustice breeds injustice

A former British soldier backs calls for prosecutions for the Ballymurphy Massacre of 1971, when eleven unarmed civilians were killed by the British Army.

Large crowds recall mass shootings of 25 years ago

Hundreds of people have commemorated the 25th anniversary of the murder of five people by unionist paramilitaries at a betting shop in south Belfast as well as the murder of three at a Sinn Fein office in west Belfast.

The aftermath of Bloody Sunday - a diffusion of anger

A description of how the Bloody Sunday killings set off an unprecedented wave of protests in the 26 Counties - and prompted words but no action from Jack Lynch’s government

Bloody Sunday March for Justice 2017

Events to mark the annual commemoration of the Bloody Sunday massacre begin this week in Derry building to the march and rally on Sunday, January 29. A look at this year’s context and the programme of events, which are spread over two weeks.

Martin McGuinness’s resignation letter

The full text of Martin McGuinness’s resignation letter, which was addressed on Monday to Robert Newton, Speaker of the Stormont Assembly.

Reavey and O’Dowd families seek answers, 40 years on

In January 1976, the Reaveys and O’Dowds - two Catholic families living within 15 miles of each other in Co Armagh - each lost three loved ones at the hands of a notorious Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) gang reputed to contain dozens of members of the British Crown forces.

Why we have occupied Apollo House

Ultimately homelessness and its causes will only be resolved by a movement in policy towards housing that is based on citizenship as much as profit, that puts human decency above uncaring ideology.

William Shanahan and Michael McNamara

The story of two IRA men who were tortured and killed by British forces, 96 years ago this week.

Remember republican prisoners at Christmas

December is the month when thoughts are traditionally with Irish republican prisoners, and vigils have been taking place in their honour. The following is a recent list of those who are supported by the two largest Irish republican prisoner welfare organisations, underneath their addresses.

Death of a revolutionary hero

Fidel was a friend to those engaged in the struggle for justice across the world.

Presidential Address to RSF Ard Fheis

The full text of the address by RSF President Des Dalton to the 2016 Republican Sinn Fein Ard Fheis.

Fidel Castro

A look at the life and legacy of Cuban leader Fidel Castro, by French author and historian Salim Lamran

How the RUC protected the UDA

A big arms find in UDA’s Belfast HQ in 1981 proved embarrassing for a British government resisting calls to outlaw the group but trying to appear even-handed. An extract from ‘A State in Denial: The British Government and Loyalist Paramilitaries’ by Margaret Urwin.

The Black and Tan War - nine things to know

A few snippets about the Tan War, or Irish War of Independence, which ran from January 1919 to July 1921, when the IRA first took on the British constabulary and army forces.

1971-72: The breakout years

On the 45th anniversary of the escape from Crumlin Road Jail by the ‘Crumlin Kangaroos’, an extract from ‘Internment’ by the late John McGuffin on an extraordinary chapter in the republican struggle.

Maire Drumm remembered

The daughter of a prominent republican shot dead in her hospital bed by loyalists 40 years ago has said she wants to know who gave the order to have her killed.

Thomas Russell, United Irishman

Thomas Russell spent a year promoting the United Irish cause in Ulster among Presbyterians and Catholics, becoming legendary as “the man from God-knows-where”.

Standing Rock

The campaign against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) at Standing Rock Sioux reservation is a true symbol of unity and a defiance of corporate interests being put before the people and the planet.

‘We are the authors of this struggle’

The oration delivered by Francie Mackey, chairman of the Irish Republican Prisoners Welfare Association, at the Hunger Strike commemoration in Duleek organised by the Duleek Hunger Strike Monument Committee on Saturday, 17th September.

The murder of Volunteer Diarmuid O’Neill

On September 23 1996, IRA volunteer Diarmuid O’Neill was shot dead during an arrest operation by armed members of the Metropolitan Police in Hammersmith, London, England.

The history thieves

An extract fro a new book examining Britain’s record of covert government actions and cover-ups.

The women’s hunger strike, Armagh 1943

In 1943, the women interned by the northern government in Armagh Prison went on hunger strike over their status and conditions in the jail.

Jimmy Gralton, Leitrim’s feared radical

President Michael D Higgins has said that an apology is due to Jimmy Gralton, the only Irish person deported by an Irish government.

The Battle of Antrim and its relevance today

A look at the 1798 battle between British troops and Irish rebels led by Henry Joy McCracken, as delivered at his annual commemoration last weekend by RNU Vice-Chairperson Nathan Stuart

Thatcher’s offer

Former H3 blanketman Thomas Dixie Elliott gives his view of the exchanges that took place inside Long Kesh as negotiations were taking place to try to end the 1981 hunger strike.

Bittersweet ceremony unites tragic Ballymurphy family

A priest has spoken about God’s “perfect timing” after he officiated at the joint funeral mass of a man murdered by British soldiers and the wife who campaigned in his memory, despite them dying exactly 45 years apart.

Michael Devine

Michael Devine, known to his friends as Micky, died 35 years ago this week after 60 days on hunger strike in the H-Blocks of Long Kesh. A look back at a life of struggle and a heroic death.

Bilal Kayed

A look at the case of Palestinian hunger striker Bilal Kayed, now on hunger strike for more than 66 days, in a cause which has striking parallels with those of Irish republicans.

Murrough of the Burnings and the massacre at Cashel

The Sack of Cashel (also known as the Massacre of Cashel) was a notorious atrocity which occurred in County Tipperary in the year 1647.

Interview with Gerry McGeough

An abridged transcript of a ‘controversial’ interview with former republican PoW Gerry McGeough this week by Martin Galvin for Radio Free Eireann.

The execution of Roger Casement

Wednesday marked one hundred years since the execution in London of the Irish Patriot and international humanitarian, Roger Casement. A look at how he lived the final days of his life.

The financial impact of partition

An examination of the economics of a divided Ireland.

Bobby Sands - 66 Days

‘Bobby Sands: 66 Days’ is a new documentary based around extracts from the late republican’s prison diary by Brendan J Byrne. He spoke to David Roy about making the film.

Irish outside 26 Counties to get vote in Presidential elections

A referendum to give Irish people living abroad a vote in the presidential election is planned for 2017, diaspora minister Joe McHugh announced this week.

Address to independent Bodenstown commemoration

A republican commemoration for Wolfe Tone took place last Sunday, organised by the 2016 Wolfe Tone Commemoration Committee. The following is the speech delivered at the event in Bodenstown by Armagh republican Paul Duffy.

The funeral of Joe McDonnell

Joe McDonnell died at 5am on Wednesday July 8, the fifth man to die on hunger strike in the 1981 protest in the H-blocks. As republicans mark the 35th anniversary of his death, a look at how it took place in the context of a national and international outpouring of solidarity with the prisoners.

‘Self-government is our right’

The full text of 1916 rebel Roger Casement’s speech from the dock one hundred years ago during his trial for treason, following his attempt to land weapons in Kerry for the Easter Rising.

Brexit - The view in Ireland

Responses from the Irish nationalist and republican political parties to the Brexit referendum.

When Britain said goodbye to the EU

Pepe Escobar looks at why Britain voted to leave the European Union, and what the future holds for both.

Two sides of the Brexit debate

Two Irish republican viewpoints on this week’s referendum on British membership of the EU.

Ronan MacLochlainn commemoration

The oration delivered by 32 County Sovereignty Movement Chairperson, Francie Mackey at the graveside of IRA Vol. Ronan MacLochlainn.

Birmingham Six man fears cover-up as inquest reopened

A miscarriage of justice victim has spoken out following the announcement by Birmingham’s senior coroner that she is to reopen the inquest into the 1974 bombings in the city, in which 21 people died.

Fifty years since first victim of the conflict

There have been calls for a fresh investigation into the death of the first victim of the recent conflict, who was shot by the UVF 50 years ago.

Release Tony Taylor

Nationalists, republicans and socialists are coming together to support a campaign for the release from his internment of prominent Derry republican Tony Taylor.

Loughgall remembered

Republicans from Tyrone and its Monaghan and Armagh hinterland gathered at the Drumfurrer Monument to IRA Volunteers Jim Lynagh and Padraig McKearney for a family-led Independent Commemoration for the Loughgall martyrs.

The executed leaders of 1916

Short biographies of all of the executed leaders in the aftermath of the 1916 Rising, including nine who were not signatories of the Proclamation of the Republic.

‘We shall rise again’

In an excerpt from her memoirs, Nora Connolly O’Brien talks about her father’s final days and the courage and inspiration that James Connolly gave to her and continues to give to republicans today.

‘The Great Escape’ 1976

A reprint of an article from The Starry Plough, detailing a historic escape by Republican Socialists from Long Kesh prison 40 years ago this week.

My homeless family

An account by Dublin mother Erica Fleming of her attempts to cope after her family were suddenly left homeless as a result of the housing crisis.

Charlie Monahan’s fateful journey

Charles Monahan was the first Belfast casualty of 1916, dying in the aborted Irish Republican Brotherhood mission to seize key British wireless radio equipment in Caherciveen.

Seamus McElwain remembered

A graveside oration by Monaghan Republican and Ex-PoW John Crawley for ‘The Bold McElwain’ in Scotstown ahead of his 30th anniversary commemoration.

Eoin MacNeill and the Irish Volunteers

Eoin MacNeill contributed directly to the 1916 Easter Rising by establishing, arming and training the Irish Volunteers. His last-minute intervention to call off the Rising continues to fuel historical debate.

Glasnevin’s 1916 wall of shame

Incredibly the modern state of Ireland has now paid tribute to perpetrators of the North King Street Massacre, to the murderers of Irish men and boys, by adding their names to the newly erected Glasnevin 1916 Remembrance Wall.

Southern state is not the Republic declared in 1916

The full text of the keynote speech to mark the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising, delivered by Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams at Milltown cemetery in Belfast last weekend.

An Easter Rising timeline (2)

A reportage-style account of the combat that took place during the Easter Rising. The second in a two-part series.

An Easter Rising timeline

A reportage-style account of the combat that took place during the Easter Rising. The first in a two-part series.

The signatories of the Proclamation (2)

Short biographies of the seven rebels who signed Ireland’s historic declaration of independence in 1916. The second in a two-part series.

The signatories of the Proclamation

Short biographies of the seven rebels who signed Ireland’s historic declaration of independence in 1916. The first in a two-part series.

The demolition of Nelson’s Pillar

A monument to a British imperialist in the centre of Dublin, Nelson’s Pillar on O’Connell Street, was blown up by republicans fifty years ago this week.

Two brothers fighting two very different wars

The fascinating story of the two Ceannt brothers, Eamonn the Easter Irish Revolutionary, and, Bill the Great War British soldier, illustrates the diverse allegiances amongst families and the political complexity of Ireland in the early part of the 20th Century.

Right2Change - Policy principles for a progressive government

A summary of the policy principles of the progressive Right2Change alliance and a list of those candidates in this year’s general election who have signed up to those principles.

Leonard Peltier - My 40 years in prison

I believe that my incarceration, the constitutional violations in my case, and the government misconduct in prosecuting my case are issues far more important than just my life or freedom.

RTE’s ‘Rebellion’ series, and its propaganda value

Three valuable hours of my life has been wasted on what RTE describes as a ‘commemorative drama’ to herald the beginning of the Centenary year of the 1916 revolution.

The first 1916 commemoration

In the aftermath of the 1916 Rising and the releases from Frongoch internment camp that autumn, the Sinn Féin movement was re-organised in Belfast in early 1917, and the first Easter Commemoration Parade in the city was part of that process.

Paddy Joe Rice remembered

Former H Block blanketman Gerard Hodgins spoke this week at the Foresters Club in West Belfast in honour of the late IRA volunteer, Paddy Joe Rice. The event was hosted by the Anne Devlin Society, Belfast.

Bloody Sunday programme of events

The commemorative programme for 2016 reflects the diversity of those whose experiences are shared by the people of Derry, across the North, as well as across Ireland and Britain.

Support Derry’s March For Justice

Civil Rights Campaigner Vincent Coyle appeals for support for this year’s Bloody Sunday march.

New Year statements

A round-up of statements issued by republicans to mark the New Year.

The revolution of 1916 remains unfinished business

An official 1916 centenary calendar is a further example of the collaborative nature of the 26 County state, writes RSF National PRO Sean O Dubhlain.

Dark Rosaleen

Michael Nicholson is one of the world’s most decorated journalists, reporting from 18 different war zones over a 45-year career. While writing his new novel, he changed his mind about England's guilt over Ireland’s Great Hunger.

Molly O’Reilly and the Rising

We are on the eve of a momentous year -- this time a hundred years ago republican men and women were planning the overthrow of the British Empire in Ireland.

Remembering political prisoners this Christmas

December is the traditional month for republicans to think of our political prisoners. We publish list of IRPWA and Cogus prisoners behind bars this Christmas.

Frongoch, the first internment camp

People in Wales have called on the governments in Dublin and Cardiff to provide a permanent commemorative centre in Frongoch, where 1,800 Irishmen were interned after the 1916 Rising.

Time to lead on climate change, not to plead

A progressive campaign group has launched a petition to encourage the Dublin government to act responsibly to help prevent catastrophic climate change.

Covering up the past, from Batang Kali to Ballymurphy

In a ruling closely watched in the north of Ireland, relatives of innocent Malayans slain by British troops in 1948 have lost their fight for an inquiry, even though the British courts have admitted that mass murder occurred.

The ticking clock dilemma

McGurk’s Bar activist, Robert McClenaghan, writes on the reality of Britain’s inability to face up to its human rights abuses, and how this now becomes his own ticking clock dilemma.

Why India is not grateful for British colonialism

To suggest that Britain was a benevolent colonial power is an offensive myth that must be de-bunked.

Declan McGlinchey - an obituary

The McGlinchey family of Bellaghy suffered tragedy anew this week with the sudden death of Declan, a lifelong republican activist who died of a suspected heart attack on Sunday.

The re-birth of the IRA in Belfast

John O’Neill (‘the Treason Felony blog’) recounts an incident seen as a key event in the re-organisation of the IRA in Belfast shortly after the end of the Irish Civil War.

Fitzgerald, Murphy and MacSwiney

Michael Fitzgerald, Joseph Murphy and Terence MacSwiney died on hunger strike on 17 and 25 October 1920, respectively, 95 years ago this week.

The bigger Bloody Sunday cover-up

Relatives of those killed in the infamous Bloody Sunday massacre have denounced a police ‘investigation’ into the murders after it emerged that 55 British soldiers present that day are refusing to be questioned.

Catalan independence will benefit everyone involved

The result of recent elections have confirmed the perception that a majority of Catalans are ready to begin a democratic, peaceful, civil and negotiated process to achieve an independent state for Catalonia.

Death of Brian Friel

Brian Friel, who has died aged 86, was the best-known Irish playwright of his generation. Translations, about the low-level repression of Irish culture in the 19th century, remains his most celebrated, while Dancing at Lughnasa was his most successful, winning three Tony Awards in 1992.

Chairperson’s speech to RNU Ard Fheis 2015

The address delivered by the Chairperson of Republican Network for Unity Carl Reilly, at his party’s annual conference in Newry on Saturday, 26th September

Remembering Tomas Ceannt: soldier, patriot, revolutionary

Like many other men and women before and since Tomas Ceannt demonstrated incredible courage and selflessness in the struggle to free Ireland from British occupation.

The French Invasion of Ireland, 1798

Bill Peterson looks at the extraordinary military campaign of France’s General Humbert 217 years ago this week, which some historians say laid the groundwork for the Easter Rising over a century later.

Interview with Martin McGuinness

In a wide-ranging interview, Sinn Fein’s Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness insists that a united Ireland is inevitable.

Commemoration row breaks out amid rival re-enactments

A row has broken out over rival commemorations to mark the hundredth anniversary of the funeral of Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa, one of the most significant events in the lead up to the 1916 Easter Rising.

‘One Ireland, One Vote’ petition and campaign

The 1916 Societies recently launched a petition for an All-Ireland Referendum on Irish Unity. This address on the campaign is by Barry Monteith, an independent Councillor from Tyrone, with a link to the petition.

Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa, 100 years on

A number of events are planned to mark the centenary of the funeral of Irish patriot Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa of the Irish Republican Brotherhood. An account of his life, and the full text of the famous oration delivered by Patrick Pearse at his graveside, one hundred years ago this week.

Selling out the Greek people

The democratic opposition of the Greek people to austerity has been overthrown by the EU capitalist system with the collaboration of the Syriza leadership, according to the IRSP.

Bodenstown address by Francie Mackey

Before us lies an unprecedented opportunity to reintroduce that sense of comradeship that is desperately required, according to Francie Mackey of the 32 County Sovereignty Movement.

The Falls Road curfew

The Falls Road curfew of the summer of 1970 is regarded as a major turning point in the early history of the conflict.

The forgotten ‘disappeared’

Thirty years ago, Seamus Ruddy disappeared in France. Dominique Foulon, former editor of Irland Libre and Solidarite Irlande, calls for his body to be returned to his family.

Tear down the wall of silence

Collusion has never had a place in democratic values. It remains a grim monument to the failure of colonialism and tragedy of partition.

A call to action to save the Irish language

Few question the value to our country’s sense of itself of that language which is uniquely ours.

Film gives a glimpse of a jailhouse sisterhood

A new film ecords the stories primarily of republican women (activists in the IRA and Cumann na mBan) who were imprisoned in Armagh gaol and Maghaberry prison during the armed conflict.

The assassination of Eddie Fullerton

A Police Ombudsman investigation is reported to have uncovered serious concerns about collusion in the murder of Sinn Fein councillor Eddie Fullerton. A look back at an infamous assassination, 24 years ago this month.

We are Irish citizens who want to have our vote

Ireland’s emigrant voting legislation remains among the most restrictive in Europe, despite calls for reform dating back to the last mass exodus of the 1980s.

Margaret Perry - the forgotten victim of Mullaghmore

There is a forgotten victim of Mullaghmore - another life lost as a result of British interference in Ireland’s affairs - another victim of Britain’s dirty war in Ireland.

Sean McCaughey

A look at the life and death of prominent Belfast republican, Sean McCaughey, who died on hunger-strike in Portlaoise prison on May 11, 1946.

Westminster election round-up

A constituency-by-constituency look at the Westminster election results for each of the 18 seats in the North.

Westminster election 2015 - constituency profiles

A round-up of the 18 Irish constituencies being contested in the Westminster general election on Thursday.

The Armenian genocide

With many governments still failing to acknowledge it, including those in Dublin and London, we present a brief history of the Armenian genocide, one hundred years ago today.

Tens of thousands attend Easter commemorations

There was an extraordinary number and diversity of Easter commemorations this year as many organisations, republican and otherwise, held events with a view to the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising next year.

Commemorative speeches and orations

A selection of the speeches and orations delivered at the 2015 Easter commemorations.

The Rising and its aftermath

The second in a two-part historical feature on the 1916 Easter Rising.

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.

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.

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.

Hannah Sheehy-Skeffington

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

Thank you, Mr Tubridy

On open letter by blogger Ciaran Tierney on last weekend’s hostile live television interview of Paul Murphy TD by Ryan Tubridy, presenter of the Irish state broadcaster’s main light entertainment programme, the Late Late show.

Freedom for Seamus Daly

The family and friends of a South Armagh man have condemned his continued imprisonment pending a possible prosecution in regard to the 1998 Omagh bomb attack.

Concerns over new UDA mural

A new mural calling for people to join the UDA was recently painted in Carrickfergus, County Antrim, prompting fears that the unionist paramilitary group is again recruiting.

When genocide became “famine”

A campaign to change the way the tragic events of 1845-1850 are recounted.

‘Conditions never better to achieve United Ireland’

The address by Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness to his party’s Six-County AGM in Omagh last weekend.

Resist - Bloody Sunday commemoration 2015

The Bloody Sunday March for Justice programme will see a raft of civil rights events and speeches held in Derry. This year’s programme of events has been themed ‘Resist’.

Letter from the Craigavon Two

An open letter written by miscarriage of justice victims Brendan McConville and John-Paul Wootton, followed by a recent synopsis of the case.

A citizens’ initiative for 2016

A group of concerned individuals has established “Reclaim the Vision of 1916--A Citizens’ Initiative for 2016,” in order to reassert the political principles and objectives that animated the 1916 Rising and to show their continuing relevance for Ireland today.

The appalling vista of the Derry Four case

There was news this week that the prosecution of former RUC members over their abuses of nationalist youths in the original ‘Derry Four’ case has been inexplicably dropped, following communications between Crown prosecutors and the Police Ombudsman. In this article, Martin Galvin looks back at a notorious episode in policing in the North.

A second chance for the Irish language

Like many Irish people, I wonder how I could have studied a language for 13 years, and, in my head, find nothing but a few straggling nouns and the sense of dread that I carried into the classroom each day.

‘I was hooded and tortured by the British army’

Declassified British government documents relating to a secret ‘interrogation centre’ were released to the press in August 2013 and one of those hooded, beaten and subjected to brutal psychological ‘techniques’ then told his story.

List of republican prisoners

December is the traditional month for republicans to think of our political prisoners. A list of the IRPWA and Cogus supported prisoners behind bars this Christmas.

Water meter installation halted in North

The Stormont parties have been embarrassed by reports that 35,000 water meters have been secretly installed at homes across the Six Counties at a cost of more than 13 million pounds.

The burning of Long Kesh

This weekend marks the 40th anniversary of single largest battle between republicans and the British army of the conflict.

Will there be a United Ireland soon?

The text of a speech delivered by Republican Sinn Fein Vice-President Cait Trainor to a group of American Students on the theme, ‘Will there be a United Ireland?’

The good old IRA

Last Saturday was the anniversary of the execution by the British of 18 year old Kevin Barry. He was hanged on November 1st 1920.

Stopping the charge

All republican and left-wing groups have committed to support local demonstrations taking place today [Saturday, November 1] in every county across Ireland as part of the ‘Right2Water’ campaign. The protests are expected to be the largest Ireland has seen in decades.

Double tragedy

In an interview, west Belfast woman Flo O’Riordan recalled the night her two best friends were murdered, 43 years ago this week.

‘Satanic’ IRA claims revealed as psy-ops plot

British military intelligence agents in the north of Ireland used fears about demonic possessions, black masses and witchcraft as part of a psychological war against emerging armed groups in the conflict in the 1970s, they have admitted.

Emigrants, northerners ‘tuned out’

The Dublin government has been urged to do more to maintain contact with its emigrant population after a deceased Galway man was only saved from an unmarked grave in England by the efforts of a deaths registration official in London and a retired school teacher.

Water is a human right

An introduction to the Right2Water campaign and its petition.

Thomas Ashe

This week we recall the Irish Republican revolutionary and martyr, Thomas Ashe, who suffered a brutal death at the hands of his British oppressors at the age of thirty-two.

Letter from Edinburgh

Telling Scotland not to “go” is a bit like saying: “We don’t want you to run your own affairs. You must always have the governments we give you.”

Escape from Portlaoise prison

This week marks the 40th anniversary of the escape from Portlaoise prison of 19 republican prisoners of war.

The Irish of the US Civil War

Those who left behind poverty in Ireland only to die in America’s internal conflict should also be remembered.

Address at Kevin Lynch commemoration

The text of the speech delivered by the IRSPs Michael McLaughlin at the 33rd Kevin Lynch Commemoration in Dungiven earlier this month.

A prisoner’s salute to Bobby Sands

Last year 30,000 men in California’s prisons went on hunger strike against solitary confinement.

Revisionism protestors pepper-sprayed

Protestors at a British royal military ceremony were attacked by Gardai police off camera as an ongoing battle to rewrite the history of events one hundred years ago played out live on Irish television.

Bodenstown address by Francie Mackey

Francie Mackey, Chairperson of the 32 County Sovereignty Movement, delivered the main address at the organisation’s annual gathering at the grave of Wolfe Tone in Bodenstown recently.

Henry Joy McCracken

With no rising in sight in Ulster despite the signal coming from Dublin, one man seized the initiative and assembled the United Irish forces to assert Ireland’s right to independence. That man was Henry Joy McCracken, who died 216 years ago this month.

Israel’s rampage at close range

Two women are interviewed about conditions where they live since Israel began intensifying its war on Palestinians nearly four weeks ago.

The haunting of Iraq and Palestine

A look at the effect of British colonial betrayal a century ago on the Middle East of today.

A very British injustice

An account of the events leading to the Guildford 4 and Maguire 7 miscarriages of justice, adapted from Bob Woffinden’s 1987 book ‘Miscarriages of Justice’.

Michael Gaughan

The 40th Anniversary of the death of IRA Volunteer Michael Gaughan, who died while on Hunger Strike in Parkhurst Prison, took place earlier this month.

The Battle of Ballynahinch

An account of the battle which ended the United Irish Rebellion in Ulster, 216 years ago this week.

Complete 2014 election results

Facts and figures of a historic election for Sinn Fein, in which it won 21% of the national vote across all 32 counties and officially became the largest party in Ireland.

Massacres recalled as demands for truth grow

A number of events took place last weekend to remember those killed in the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, and wreathes were laid at the Talbot Street memorial in Dublin and in Monaghan town centre.

Noonan revisits failed Fianna Fail policies

The 26-County Minister for Finance Michael Noonan took part in a grovelling welcoming party for billionaire businessman Donald Trump at Shannon airport earlier this week.

European and local election candidates

The most recent compiled list of Sinn Fein and other republican candidates contesting this week’s elections, with short biographies of the Euro candidates.

What were my accusers’ motives?

His four days of interrogation was an assault on the peace process itself, writes Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams.

Petition to retain name of Raymond McCreesh park

A petition calling for a children’s play park to continue to be named after IRA hunger striker Raymond McCreesh has so far received more than 1,000 signatures of support.

Easter statements 2014

A round up of the statements and orations delivered this week to mark the anniversary of the Easter Rising in 1916.

Drawing on the memory of the heroes of 1916

Dave Kenny’s family is steeped in Easter Rising history. Here he recalls finding a letter from the Eamonn Ceannt’s son, revealing how he lived his life in his father’s shadow.

Calls for recognition of Travellers’ distinct identity

A committee of the Dublin parliament has recommended that Travellers be recognised as an ethnic minority to combat discrimination as the issue begins featuring in local election campaigns in the 26 Counties.

The Battle of Clontarf

A struggle to free Ireland of foreign domination resulted in a heroic victory -- but the death of a great Irish leader -- a thousand years ago this week.

Five things we know after last night in Windsor

Relations between Britain and Ireland have now entered the realm of the surreal.

The legacy of Cumann na mBan

The revolutionary women’s movement, Cumann na mBan, was set up 100 years ago this week. It maintained the struggle for independence following the Easter Rising and in 1921 became the first organisation to reject the treaty which partitioned Ireland. A look at their stand for equality and unity.

The Shannon One

79-year-old Irish peace activist Margaretta D’Arcy’s was this week released from prison, after serving a three month sentence for protesting the use of Shannon Airport by those engaged in war crimes.

Govts turning backs on innocent Irish people

Gerry Conlon and Paddy Hill, two men who suffered among the worst miscarriages of justice in British history have accused the Irish and British governments of turning their backs on innocent people sent to prison.

Derry’s great escape artist

Seventy-one years ago Derry republican Hugh McAteer pulled off a series of daring feats and in the process made headlines around the world. Michael McMonagle looks at his extraordinary life.

Tony Benn

Former British cabinet minister and lifelong radical Tony Benn died today [Friday] at the age of 88.

Indomitable spirit of hunger striker lives on

There are events in one’s life, big and small, which are life-defining and life-shaping, even though at the time you might not know it. Meeting Bobby Sands for the first time became for me life-defining.

Murney describes Maghaberry horror

Eirigi press officer Stephen Murney has given an account of the physical and mental torture he endured while interned at Maghaberry prison, outside Lisburn over the past 14 months.

“We broke Armagh, it never broke us”

The reflections of a group of republican women ex-prisoners and the trauma, emotional and physical, that many of these women suffered and overcame during their time in prison.

The death of Sam Marshall

As preliminary hearings into his inquest get underway, a look at the murder of Sam Marshall, a close friend of veteran Irish Republican Colin Duffy, which took place 24 years ago this week, and the efforts of assassinated human rights lawyer Rosemary Nelson to pursue justice in the case.

Basque group moves to disarm

The Basque armed group ETA has made a significant step towards decommissioning the weapons used in its campaign for independence and freedom -- but the Spanish government immediately rejected the move.

Geraldine Finucane ‘determined, not angry’

The widow of Pat Finucane has said she believes the full truth behind his murder has yet to be exposed - but when it is, it will affect other families.

Removing barriers to reconciliation

In an address to the Sinn Fein Ard Fheis this [Friday] evening, Declan Kearney examines the state of the political process in the north of Ireland.

Mapping out the future

Breandan Mac Cionnaith, general secretary of eirigi, sets out his party’s views on the conflict in the Six Counties and the challenge to republicanism.

Bloody Sunday revisited

Despite the report of the Saville Inquiry in 2010, Eamonn McCann doesn’t believe that the British have told the whole truth about Bloody Sunday.

Stories of ordinary volunteers in the Easter Rising

A new collection of personal stories contained in the Military Service Pensions Collection has now been published online.

Bloody Sunday March for Justice 2014

A look at the background and current context of this year’s Bloody Sunday March for Justice, which will mark the anniversary of a massacre in which 14 civil rights protestors were shot dead by the British Army.

An Gal Greine

As politicians examine the issue of flags and symbols, a look at the Gal Greine or Sunburst Flag (Banner), one of the few symbols that can claim to have authentic native Irish roots.

New Year statements

A round-up of the statements issued at the turn of the New Year by various republican groups.

The 1983 papers

A review of the other main stories which emerged from this year’s release of previously classified papers under the 30-year rule.

Remembering Irish political prisoners at Christmas

Christmas is the time when republicans traditionally think of those imprisoned for their beliefs by sending them a greeting card.

Remembering the Dunnes Stores strike

A group of brave Dubliners are currently in South Africa to attend the funeral and other events to commemorate the life of the former South African President, revolutionary and statesman Nelson Mandela. This is their story and their lesson.

Nelson Mandela - Comrade Madiba

I want to extend to the family of President Mandela, to President Zuma and to the people of South Africa, my sincere and heartfelt condolences at the death of Madiba on my own behalf and that of Sinn Fein.

The Irish Volunteers

The Irish Volunteers, the organisation which would later lead to the IRA, was publicly launched 100 years ago this week.

A blueprint for Scottish independence

The Scottish National Party has published a booklet of detailed proposals for Scottish independence, including the planned independence day -- Easter Thursday 2016, just days before the 100th anniversary of Ireland’s Easter Rising.

‘Britain’s Secret Terror Force’

An account by BBC investigative journalist John Ware on what he learned about “Britain’s secret terror force”, the Military Reaction Force

Address to 32 County Sovereignty Movement Ard Fheis

The address was delivered to the annual conference of the 32 County Sovereignty Movement last weekend by National Chairman Francis Mackey.

Unity makes economic sense

There is a need for a reasoned discussion on how greater co-operation can deliver for the people north and south.

Address to Republican Sinn Féin Ard-Fheis

The full text of the Presidential Address by Des Dalton at the annual conference of Republican Sinn Fein, which was held last weekend

Families of collusion victims deserve the truth

An agreed truth recovery process is needed, not only for all the North's bereaved families but for our communities to learn and move forward.

The Confederation of Kilkenny

Irish rebels against British rule established a government at Kilkenny on October 20 1642, 371 years ago this week. An account of how Ireland's first national Assembly came about.

Casement address revisited

The centenary of an address by nationalist Roger Casement to win the hearts and minds of Protestant Home Rulers at a rally in north Antrim will be marked next week.

Escape from the H-Blocks

An account of the 1983 Long Kesh prison breakout, which occurred 30 years ago this week.

Emmet’s Speech from the Dock

Robert Emmet, hero of the 1803 rising, was executed 210 years ago today. The following is the speech he made on the eve of his execution.

Action alert: Bring him home

Four Irish TDs recently visited the prison MI5 sting victim Michael Campbell is being held in in Lithuania, and were horrified by the conditions he endures. A campaign is underway to apply pressure on the 26 County Department of Justice Alan Shatter and the Dept of Foreign Affairs, as well as the Lithuanian authorities, for some resolution to this horror.

Pensioner of conscience

Jim McIlmurray writes on the continued internment of republican Martin Corey on the Lurgan internee’s 63rd birthday.

An attack on Syria will only spread the war and killing

The western powers are champing at the bit to increase their leverage in Syria’s grisly struggle for power

The fiery cross of Larkinism

The most militant traditions of Irish workers are expressed in one word: Larkinism.

Address to John Joe McGirl commemoration

The speech delivered by Martin McGuinness to the John Joe McGirl Commemoration, Ballinamore, County Leitrim, on Saturday 17th August.

The burning of Bombay Street

In 1969, a sectarian mob burned 1,500 residents from their homes on Bombay Street, Belfast, 44 years ago this week, helping to give rise to the Provisional IRA:

British torture base revealed

The location of a secret camp used to torture 14 victims of internment, long kept secret by the British government, has finally been exposed.

Building a new Republic

The address delivered by Sinn Fein’s Gerry Adams at the MacGill Summer School in County Donegal on the topic of ‘How stands the Republic’

The Howth Gun-Running

An account of one of the first revolutionary acts of the 1916 Rising, the Howth gun-running in Dublin, and the subsequent Bachelor’s Walk massacre, also in Dublin, 99 years ago this week.

A test case that must not succeed

eirigi have issued an urgent action alert for the release of interned political activist Stephen Murney.

Address to 32CM Bodenstown commemoration

The oration delivered at the grave of Wolfe Tone last weekend by Francie Mackey, National Chairman, 32 County Sovereignty Movement.

The smartest guys in Ireland

The most unsettling aspect of the Anglo Irish Bank tapes is not the executives' swearing, greed or arrogance, according to Fintan O'Toole. It's that we know they were right to assume they could get away with anything.

The Connaught Rangers Mutiny

Irish soldiers fighting for the British Army in India went on strike after hearing of British war crimes in Ireland on June 28 1920, 93 years ago this week.

Rossport Solidarity Camp

A week of action from 21st - 30th of June 2013 in Aughoose, Pullathomas, County Mayo. Make this the week you come to visit Rossport.

The Battle of Ballynahinch

An account of the battle which ended the United Irish Rebellion in Ulster, 215 years ago this week, by Marcas Mac Ruairi.

Injustice then is injustice now

After six months detention in Maghaberry jail as a result of his republican beliefs, prominent eirigi activist Stephen Murney calls for the end of internment.

The burning of the Custom House

A symbolic, if costly, attack by the IRA in Dublin during the War of Independence took place 92 years ago this week.

The North King Street massacre

Fifteen civilians were shot or bayoneted to death by soldiers from the South Staffordshire regiment towards the end of the Easter Rising.

In memory of Jim McAllister

The following oration was delivered by former councillor Pat McNamee at the graveside of former colleague Jim McAllister who died of cancer last month.

Sinn Fein ‘the worst form of conservatives’

Former republican hunger striker Gerard Hodgkins delivered the 2013 annual Brendan Hughes memorial lecture in Derry on the 1st of May.

Letter from the Craigavon Two

An open letter was issued on behalf of Brendan and John Paul by the 'Justice for the Craigavon Two' group ahead of the opening of their appeal this week

Frank Ryan remains an enigma

Why are Irish people still fascinated with Frank Ryan despite the fact that he has been dead since 1944, nearly 70 years ago?

The hunger for truth

The Great Hunger of 1845-52 raises questions that are still unanswered, and last weekend, historians, students, and members of the public gathered at Fordham University to discuss them.

Three years of internment

On Tuesday, April 16th, 2013, Lurgan man Martin Corey will have spent three years in Maghaberry Prison without any charges ever being placed against him.

Easter statements and orations 2013

A round-up of some of the key addresses and statements issued by republican groups to mark the anniverary of the Easter Rising.

Easter commemorations 2013

A list of this weekend’s republican commemorations by the different political organisations involved.

The revolutionary alternative?

Republican Network for Unity (RNU) has outlined its opposition to the Good Friday Agreement after announcing that it will field candidates in future local elections throughout Ireland.

The forgotten prisoner?

An article by Aine Fox highlighting the situation of republican prisoner Michael Campbell, currently held in a Lithuanian jail.

Mairéad Farrell

Mairead Farrell was 31 when she was assassinated by the SAS in Gibraltar Sunday March 6th 1988, 25 years ago this week.

Twisting the facts to suit British law

Stephen Murney's family, friends and party colleagues are determined to secure his release and to expose the corrupt and unjust nature of the Six County state.

What now for the prisoners?

Yesterday David Ford rejected the suitability of a new body scanner for use in the prison estate based on a highly dubious report.

Maghaberry - the reality of strip-searching

An article by imprisoned éirígí member Stephen Murney, currently held in Maghaberry prison, on his experiences.

Address to Bloody Sunday commemoration

Despite freezing conditions, over five thousand people attended the annual Bloody Sunday march this year to commemorate the massacre of 14 civil rights demonstrators in Derry in 1972 and demand an ‘end to impunity’ for those responsible.

Dolours Price

The homily delivered by Mgr. Raymond Murray, her prison chaplain at Armagh jail and a lifelong friend, at the funeral on Monday of Dolours Price.

McAliskey to address Bloody Sunday March for Justice

US radio talk show host Sandy Boyer (SB) interviewed Bernadette Devlin-McAliskey (BDM) about this weekend’s Bloody Sunday March in Derry. A transcript of that interview, which also ranges over other matters.

Demographics, attitudes crying out for a Border poll

Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams argues that the North of Ireland is in transition and is no longer ‘an orange state’.

‘We are to be shot in the morning’

Three teens were among 7 IRA ‘irregulars’ executed in the civil war 90 years ago in Kildare. A historical article by Robert Doyle.

The 1982 papers, part 2

A further look at the archives of government papers, mostly from the year 1982, which were released ahead of the New Year period in Dublin, London and Belfast.

New Year statements 2013

The New Year is traditionally a time for Sinn Fein and republican groups to issue statements to their supporters. We present a round-up of the statements issued this year.

The 1982 papers

A look at some of the other stories which emerged from initial reviews of the archived classified papers, partially declassified in Dublin, Belfast and London this week under the ‘30 years rule’.

Four martyrs commemorated in Belfast

A commemoration event in memory of Joe McKelvey, Liam Mellows, Richard Barrett and Rory O’Connor took place in Belfast’s Milltown Cemetery on December 8.

Letter from John Paul Wootton

An open letter from JP Wootton, who is attempting to highlight a major miscarriage of justice in his conviction for a fatal gun attack on a PSNI patrol in 2009.

List of political prisoners, December 2012

December is the traditional month to remember Irish political prisoners and to drop them a card or letter of support.

The diggers who fought in Irish Civil War

The previously unknown story of Australian diggers who fought in the Irish War of Independence and Civil War has recently been uncovered.

Making the right choices

A summary version of Sinn Fein’s budget plans for the year 2013 in the 26 Counties.

Republican parties hold Ard Fheiseanna

Both eirigi and RSF held their annual conferences over the past two weekends, and below we carry their statements.

Mainstream media fails to report on atrocities

An open letter by a group of academics and activists on the media response to the Israeli attacks on Gaza.

Terence MacSwiney

Terence MacSwiney, IRA Volunteer, Sinn Fein TD, and Mayor of Cork, died 92 years ago this week.

Justice for the Craigavon Two

Gerry Conlon, a victim of an infamous British miscarriage of justice, has launched a campaign to free two Craigavon men.

Providing realistic alternative policies

The full text of a wide-ranging address on Thursday October 25th by Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams in Trim, County Meath.

A day in Maghaberry

It fills me with great pride to play a small part in this phase of the prison struggle.

Letter writing campaign for Marian Price

Supporters of human rights across the world are urged to write an individual letter to British Direct Ruler Theresa Villiers and their local elected representatives to call for the release of Marian Price.

The Alternative Ulster Covenant

The ‘Alternative Ulster Covenant’, was signed in October 1913 by Protestants from County Antrim in support of Home Rule and against partition.

Hillsborough cover-up depressingly familiar

Rather than bring closure, the findings of the Hillsborough Independent Panel have left the families of the 96 victims of the 1989 tragedy demanding that justice be finally done.

‘BC Subpoenas caused by lies and PSNI failings’

A detailed statement issued today [Friday] by Ed Moloney, the former director of Boston College’s Belfast Project, in regard to the PSNI’s attempt to access the project’s confidential interviews.

RSF Annual Hunger Strike Commemoration

The oration given by Diarmuid MacDubhghlais at the annual hunger strike commemoration by Republican Sinn Féin in Bundoran, County Donegal on August 25.

Progress? Yes. Change? No.

Little has changed in the 40 years since Bernadette Devlin McAliskey took her seat in Westminster. There’s been progress, she says, the token gestures, the handshake. But change?

A reminder of the worst days of apartheid

At least 34 people were shot dead and 80 more were injured when police opened fire on striking workers at a platinum mine in Marikana, in the North West province of South Africa last Thursday, August 16.

Arthur Griffith

The Sinn Féin founder, Arthur Griffith, died 90 years ago this week.

Festival of the people marks quarter century

Plans are already being laid for the biggest and best West Belfast Féile for August 2013.

Operation Motorman - organised murder

July 31 2012 marked the 40th anniversary of Operation Motorman, the British army’s invasion of the “no-go” areas in Derry and Belfast.

Address to hungerstrike commemoration

The address delivered by Sinn Fein Assembly member Michelle O’Neill at the party’s annual hunger strike commemoration in Dungiven, County Derry, last weekend.

Shake hands with injustice

Martin Galvin writes a history of the Gerry McGeough case in the context of the current political sitution in the North (for the Pensive Quill)

The Howth gun-running

In response to the Larne gun-running in arming the Ulster Volunteers, the Howth gun running was intended to redress the balance by providing arms to the Irish Volunteers. It took place in Ireland on 26 July 1914, 98 years ago this week.

Remembering Martin Hurson

Martin Hurson became the sixth republican to die on hunger strike on this day in 1981. In this archive article, his fiancee Bernadette Donnelly recalls the place where the couple grew up.

Ardoyne parades - a personal analysis

Every July, young people from Ardoyne are criminalised and demonised by the mainstream media in the Six Counties and beyond because of violence associated with unwelcome sectarian marches that are forced through our small community.

Killer soldiers were ‘indemnified’

Some families of people shot dead by the British Army have found clear evidence that British soldiers were given a green light to shoot and kill civilians in the north of Ireland.

Bloody Sunday justice campaigns renewed on Saville anniversary

A campaign to overturn one of the most disputed rulings of the Bloody Sunday inquiry is to make its case to both the London and Dublin governments.

The aftermath of Loughinisland

For 12 years the Loughinisland families silently mourned the loss of their loved ones. They kept that silence, they say, because of police assurances that no stone would be left unturned in the hunt for the killers.

‘Fear won’

Both in Ireland and across Europe, the result of the Fiscal Austerity referendum -- which commits the insolvent 26-County state to years of EU-imposed austerity in return for greater access to bailout cash -- has come as a surprise.

The Loughgall Martyrs

This month marks the 25th Anniversary of the Loughgall Martyrs. It occurred on the 8th May 1987 in the Armagh village of Loughall.

Michael Mallin, ICA Chief of Staff

A look at the life and death of the leader of the Irish Citizen Army, Michael Mallin, who was executed by firing squad 96 years ago this week.

The Stonebreaker’s Yard

On the anniversary of the execution of the leaders of the Easter Rising, Conor Caffrey describes a visit to the jail where the executions took place.

After the release of colonial records - what about Ireland?

The British suppression of historical papers on the north of Ireland should also now be ended.

Hunger strike - from Sands to Shalabi

Aisling Gallagher looks at the hunger strike of Palestinian internee, Hana Shalabi, and recalls the 1981 Irish hunger strike.

Easter statements and speeches

The full text of the major speeches and statements released to commemorate the 1916 Rising by the main republican political parties and groups.

Oration at the grave of O’Donovan Rossa

Padraig Pearse’s oration at Glasnevin cemetery in Dublin at the funeral of Irish Fenian leader Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa was a significant event in the lead up to the Easter Rising of 1916.

How the bankers cashed in after Pearse’s death

Dublin bankers cashed in Pádraig Pearse’s life insurance policy just weeks after he was executed in 1916 and used the money to redeem a series of promissory notes.

Colm Keenan and Eugene McGillan

The Bogside and Brandywell Monument Committee held a commemoration in Derry this week for nineteen-year-old Colm Keenan and eighteen-year-old Eugene McGillan, who were shot dead by British soldiers in the Dove Gardens area of the Bogside on March 14, 1972.

George Clancy - Murdered Mayor

The two murdered mayors’, is still a familiar Limerick expression, particularly among older citizens. Both were killed by the Black and Tans in the small hours of Monday 7 March 1921.

The Fenian Rebellion

The Fenian Rising of 1867 took place on this week, 145 years ago.

Make a stand - together

The text of an address delivered by Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams as he launched the party’s ‘Love Rural Ireland’ campaign this [Friday] morning in Castlebar.

Marian Price needs you

It is encouraging to note the growing interest in Marian Price even if it has been slow to materialise.

The Clonmult ambush

The greatest loss of life incurred by the Cork IRA occurred at Clonmult, seven miles north of Midleton, 91 years ago this week.

Breaking with fear in Greece

The real news in Greece is not about riots, but of a growing number of people who have broken away from fear and decided to fight back against the austerity imposed by the 'Troika' of the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the IMF.

Interview with Martin McGuinness

Martin McGuinness on his campaign to become President, his IRA past, his efforts to end the conflict in the North of Ireland and his call for a vote on Irish unity.

Bloody Sunday commemoration 2012

The ‘Hooded Men’ were a group of internees who were systematically tortured by the British military in 1971. We carry a statement from several of the surviving ‘Hooded Men’ on the subject of the 40th anniversary Bloody Sunday march, to take place in Derry on Sunday 29th January, as well as a program of events for the weekend.

Kevin Barry

Kevin Barry, one of Ireland’s youngest martyrs, was born in Dublin on January 20, 1902, 110 years ago today.

Echoes of 1981

Tensions are deepening at Maghaberry as riot squads take the place of regular warders. A look at the current situation and the history of the current prisoners’ protest.

RSF President looks back

The Presidential Address delivered at the 107th Ard Fheis of Republican Sinn Féin last month in which Des Dalton reviews events of the past year and looks to the future.

A victim of an evil regime

In a rare interview, Marian Price has revealed the toll her time in isolation in Maghaberry prison has taken on her physical and mental health.

Remember Irish political prisoners this Christmas

December is the traditional month for remembering those still in jail in Ireland for their republican beliefs.

McGurk’s Bar, forty years on

Patrick McGurk lost his mother and sister in the bomb that ripped through his father’s bar in Belfast’s North Queen Street. On the 40th anniversary of the bombing he spoke about his memories of December 4 1971 and how victims’ families are still continuing to fight for the truth.

The Anglo-Irish Treaty

An introduction by Joseph Gannon to the history behind the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed 90 years ago this week and which sowed the seeds of a conflict which continues to this day.

A day in the life of a Maghaberry prisoner

An open letter by DD McLaughlin, an Irish republican prisoner on protest against strip-searching and other abuses at Maghberry.

The Ballymurphy campaign - a landmark judgement

The decision of the north’s Attorney General to reopen 10 of the 11 Ballymurphy cases is a landmark judgement which gives hope back to those families that their long journey toward truth and justice may now succeed.

The INLA hunger strikers

A profile of the three members of the Irish National Liberation Army who died alongside seven IRA Volunteers, on hunger strike for political status, thirty years ago this year.

Europe's economic ideology has failed

The bailouts are for only the banks and they are deepening the crisis of democracy at the heart of the European Union, writes Seamus Milne. For the Guardian.

Francis Hughes and Raymond McCreesh

A look at the lives and deaths of two of those who died on hunger strike in the struggle for Irish freedom on the anniversary of their deaths.

Seizing the moment in the Basque Country

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams spoke at the International Conference to promote the resolution of the conflict in the Basque Country, in San Sebastian on Monday.

Writing the next chapter

The text of the speech delivered by Presidential election candidate Martin McGuinness at the Mansion House event in Dublin on Thursday night.

The pensioner who stood up to the ESB

On Thursday Teresa Treacy was released from jail, still vowing to protect what is left of her carefully nurtured wooded estate from the pylon men and their diggers.

‘They will not break us’

An anti-internment/Free Marian Price march takes place this Saturday, 1st October at 2pm, Dublin, from the Garden of Remembrance to the GPO. Martin Rafferty, of the 32CSM, discusses the Marian Price campaign, internment, and the prospects for a united Ireland.

Palestine seeks recognition

An abridged version of the address by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the United Nations, in which he requested full membership and recognition for the State of Palestine.

Ugly scenes at Liam Lynch commemoration

A controversial newspaper columnist was shouted and spat at by angry Fianna Fail supporters after a commemoration organised by the party last week went disastrously wrong.

Holy Cross - Children on the front line

Ten years ago this week, schoolgirls and their families making their way to and from the Holy Cross school in north Belfast came under attack on a daily basis.

Defend Sean Garland

An account of the strange predicament facing the 76-year-old IRA Veteran and former Workers’ Party leader, Sean Garland.

Micky Devine - a typical Derry lad

INLA Volunteer Micky Devine was the last to die in the H-Block hunger strike of 1981, thirty years ago this week.

The rising of the moon

If they aren't able to destroy the desire for freedom, they won't break you.

The Ballymurphy Massacre

This Tuesday marked exactly 40 years since the beginning of one of the most horrifying periods in the history of West Belfast.

Thomas McElwee

IRA Volunteer Thomas McElwee died on hunger strike at Long Kesh prison, thirty years ago today. A brief biography of Thomas, who was known for being sincere, easy-going and full of fun.

Interview with Roisin Lynch

An interview by ‘Street Voice’ with Roisin Lynch, the partner of ailing prisoner Brendan Lillis and head of the campaign to release him before he dies in jail.

A dedicated republican and an outstanding soldier

A profile of republican hero Kieran Doherty who died on hunger strike at Long Kesh jail on August 2nd, 1981, thirty years ago this week.

Address to Kieran Doherty commemoration

The full text of an address by Sinn Fein TD Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin in Monaghan to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the death of hunger striker Kieran Doherty.

Norwegian killer praised Bloody Sunday

Right-wing mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik made a bizarre reference to Derry’s Bloody Sunday in his 1500 page manifesto, it has emerged.

Somalia - a failure of politics

Famine is a terrible word. It conjures up frightening images and for many in Ireland a folk memory of the Great Hunger of the 1840’s.

Why did the Nelson Inquiry not mention collusion?

It was set up specifically to definitively address the allegations of collusion but after a six-year probe costing £46.5 million, the Rosemary Nelson Inquiry made no reference to the “c” word in its final report.

Joe McDonnell and Martin Hurson

A look at the lives of two Volunteers who died on hunger strike 30 years ago this month.

Emigrant-turned-rebel was ‘enemy alien’

Diarmuid Lynch was said to have been the last man to leave the burning GPO during Easter week in 1916. A naturalised US citizen, he was eventually deported in 1918, but the British had long wanted rid of him before the Rising.

Victim of anti-Catholic bigotry pardoned

An Irish immigrant who was the last person to be hanged in Rhode Island in the US was this week pardoned more than 150 years after his death.

Charles Stuart Parnell

The man known as the ‘Uncrowned King of Ireland’ was born on June 27th, 1846, 165 years ago today.

Address to ‘Unite Ireland’ conference in Dublin

The full text of an address by Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams to a conference in Dublin at the weekend on the theme of Uniting Ireland.

Bloody Sunday, the ongoing cover-up

A year later, it should be possible to acknowledge that the Saville Report was far from flawless.

An independent international truth commission

The legacy of the past is one of the big issues which remains to be resolved in the outworking of the peace process.

Liam Kelly

Liam Kelly, a pivotal figure in republican politics who uniquely held seats simultaneously in Belfast and Dublin parliaments, died this week.

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.

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.

Perspectives on the royal visit

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

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.

Quotes by Bobby Sands

Today is the 30th anniversary of the heroic death of Irish patriot Bobby Sands on hunger-strike at Long Kesh prison. In his solemn memory, we publish a brief collection of quotes, some famous, some less well known.

Easter statements and speeches

A round-up of the messages delivered at various Easter commemorations across Ireland.

Sinn Fein Assembly election manifesto

Messages from Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness precede a list of the mnain points from Sinn Fein's manifesto for the 2011 Assembly election in the North.

The Garda ‘Rape Tape’

For almost a decade, simple acts of resistance by the community in Erris have met with bullying, threats, intimidation, vilification and casual violence at the hands of both Gardai and Shell’s private army IRMS.

Reflections on the H Block prison struggle

Sinn Fein’s electoral strategy began 30 years ago during the 1981 hunger strikes, beginning with Bobby Sands’s historic win in Fermanagh/South Tyrone, 30 years ago this week.

Leadership across Ireland

Last Wednesday, four years later, the Assembly at Parliament Buildings concluded its first ever complete four year term.

Loughinisland eyewitness speaks out

A witness to the Loughinisland massacre was not only never called on to identify the killers, but she alleges that her details were later passed on to a relative of the suspected getaway driver.

Another war for oil

Declarations from western powers that the military strike against Libya is motivated solely by a desire to protect the civilian population cannot be taken seriously

Action alert for Gerry McGeough

On February 18, 2011, after almost 4 years of a politically motivated arrest and trial, Gerry McGeough’s case ended with a “guilty” verdict handed down by a British diplock court

The Drumboe Martyrs

In March 1923, six weeks before the end of the civil war, the execution of republican prisoners by the Free State regime reached its height.

Position paper by Maghaberry prisoners

A document issued on the 25th February by a group of republican prisoners opposed to the criminalisation policy at Maghaberry jail in the North of Ireland.

Recalling the hunger strikes

On March 1 1981 Raymond McCartney was a republican prisoner in Long Kesh when the second hunger strike began.

List of TDs by constituency

Counting in the 26-County general election concluded this (Wednesday) morning following a second recount in Galway West. The following is a full and final list of members of the new Dublin parliament, in alphabetical order by constituency

Dail election 2011 - a constituency guide

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

We shall overcome

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

Egyptian people strike for freedom

So much has changed for the Arab nations in the few days since the flight of Ben Ali in Tunisia.

Two inspirations

Often in life we come across people who leave a lasting impression on oneself and who inspire and influence a person by their passion and beliefs.

Inauguration of the First Dail

Many republicans watching this week’s shambolic events at the Dublin parliament would have been bitterly aware that they came on the 92nd anniversary of the inauguration of the First Dail. A look back at that historic day.

Butler to step down from Assembly

Sinn Fein’s Paul Butler is to quit the Six-County assembly after what he said had been a difficult decision.

Tommy Gorman - Recalling the Maidstone

Tommy Gorman was one of the ‘Magnificent Seven’ who escaped from the prison Ship Maidstone in 1972, 39 years ago this week. An interview by Anthony Neeson for the Andersonstown News.

Basque process ‘should heed the Irish lesson’

Gerry Adams responds to the announcement by the Basque armed group Eta, confirming that organisations’ commitment to “a permanent and general ceasefire which will be verifiable by the international community”.

eirigi New Year Statement

A statement issued by eirigi to mark the New Year.

2010 - Year in review

A look back at the main stories from the year past.

Much ruin and many regrets

The year 2010 will be remembered principally for two profound and far reaching developments in Irish politics.

The 1918 general strike

With calls for a general strike and civil disobedience gaining ground in the face of the economic crisis, an example in Irish history when the tactic of the general strike was successfully employed by the Irish working class.

Minimum wage, maximum shame

With last Friday’s passage of legislation to cut the minimum wage by 1 euro to 7.65 euro [£6.50], another shameful threshold was crossed by the Fianna Fáil-Green Party coalition; driving yet another section of society into poverty.

Political prisoners Christmas 2010

A list of republican prisoners and the addresses of their prisons.

Address to Dail on 2011 Budget

The full text of the address by Sinn Fein Finance Spokesperson Pearse Doherty following Tuesday’s 26-County Budget for 2011

The International Monetary Fund

So what is the International Monetary Fund?

‘Stand up and be counted’

On Sunday, Sinn Fein’s Deputy First Minister addressed the Kilmichael Commemoration to mark the 90th anniversary of a famous battle during the War of Independence in County Cork on 28 November 1920.

Time to act

A statement by the 32 County Sovereignty Committee on the crisis in the 26-County state.

Austerity programme must be met with civil disobedience

Many commentators in Ireland and beyond have asked why the Irish people have not taken to the streets.

RSF Ard Fheis Presidential Address

Last weekend delegates and visitors assembled in Dublin for the Ard-Fheis of [Republican] Sinn Fein.

The economics of the madhouse

It seems now that the cheapest bailout in the world has not only cost the Twenty-Six County state over 50 billion euro and rising, but has driven tens of thousands of workers onto dole queues, exposed its citizens to the vagaries of international financial markets and has now resulted in the state surrendering its sovereignty to the IMF.

The execution of Kevin Barry

Kevin Barry was hanged by the British in Mountjoy Jail at the age of eighteen, ninety years ago this month.

Doherty making his mark

Not since the election of the late Bobby Sands to Westminster has a republican candidate been in such a fateful position to influence events

Seeking a consensus on the past

Dealing with the past and the issue of truth recovery arising from the conflict has become increasingly fraught.

God save their Queen

The image of the typical dissident republican protesting against the queen’s visit to Ireland next year is clearcut.

Interview with Oglaigh na hEireann

An interview with three representatives of Oglaigh na hEireann leadership -- one member of the organisation’s Army Council and two general headquarters staff -- conducted this week by Brian Rowan of the Belfast Telegraph.

There is a better way

A summary of Sinn Féin’s 26-County pre-budget submission and economic plan for recovery 2011, which was released in Dublin today.

Maire Drumm

A tribute to Maire Drumm, the vice president of Sinn Fein and a commander in Cumann na mBan, who was killed by loyalists while recovering in Belfast’s Mater Hospital. 34 years ago today.

Turf Lodge – a proud community

Through many difficult years the people of Turf Lodge demonstrated time and time again a commitment to their families and to each other.

Raiders of the lost archives

Declassified official documents shed an interesting light on British government attitudes towards loyalist infiltration of the security forces and loyalist violence in the 1970s.

Sinn Fein proposals for the economy

An edited version of Sinn Fein’s proposals for the Six-County economy which were published today.

Inside Castlereagh

Former RUC men who worked at Castlereagh torture centre in Belfast described for the Guardian newspaper what was expected of them.

‘Dissident revolt’ - the 2010 dirty protest

Gary Donnelly, a former prisoner in the North's high-security facility at Maghaberry, speaks about a shocking, largely unnoticed protest by republican dissidents that erupted inside the prison ealier this year.

Action alert for Gerry McGeough and Vincent McAnespie

What can we do to help support Gerry and Vincent at this time”?

See how the one percent live

Just 1% of the population are estimated to own 34% of the wealth of the Twenty-Six Counties. The &lsquo1% Network’ is to hold a political walking tour through the heartland of the golden circle in Dublin.

The Murder of Volunteer Diarmuid O’Neill - 14 Years On

On September 23 1996, IRA volunteer Diarmuid O’Neill was shot dead during an arrest operation by armed members of the Metropolitan Police in Hammersmith, London, England.

Tom Williams

IRA Volunteer Tom Williams was hanged at age 19 by the British in September 1942, 68 years ago this month, for his part in a gun battle with the RUC which left one RUC man dead.

Sinn Fein plans 26-County strategy

The opening address to Sinn Fein’s ‘think-in’ ahead of the resumption of the Dublin parliament next month, by the Sinn Fein Dail leader Caoimhghin O Caolain.

The Inside Story: the INLA execution of “King Rat”

An account of the Irish National Liberation Army operation to execute Loyalist Volunteer Force leader Wright on the morning of 27th of December 1997.

The speeches of the Manchester Martyrs

The rescue of Colonel Kelly and Captain Deasy while they were being conveyed to Salford gaol, near Manchester (September 18th, 1867), is one of the most stirring episodes of the Fenian movement.

Eta opens opportunity for armed struggle to end

It will not come as a surprise to the leadership of Eta or the political leaders of the banned Herri Batasuna - the party closest to Eta - that the Spanish government’s response to the ceasefire announcement was insulting and offensive.

Blair is a lifer in the prison of his dark past

Tony Blair's bloody legacy has made it impossible for him to go unguarded anywhere in the world.

Irish Republicans will not be purchased or intimidated

An address to the party’s Hunger Strike commemoration in Bundoran on Saturday August 28th by the President of Republican Sinn Fein, Des Dalton.

Ombudsman’s claims must be challenged

Bishop Edward Daly speaks out about a 'less challenging style of journalism at work now'.

Saville report a job well done for victims’ families

Many of the Bloody Sunday relatives have spoken publicly about their feelings since the publication of the Saville report for the first time at Belfast’s Feile an Phobal.

Interview with ‘Oglaigh na h-Eireann’

Extracts from the interview between the Irish News and a representative of ‘Oglaigh na h-Eireann’.

Michael Collins

An account of the life of Irish military leader Michael Collins, who died 88 years ago this week.

Hunger strike commemoration

Some 10,000 people gathered in Bellaghy, County Derry for Sinn Fein’s annual hunger strike commemoration.

GARC ‘setting the record straight’

GARC (the Greater Ardoyne Residents Collective) has issued what it says is an attempt to set the record straight on the July 12th protests against an Orange Order march in north Belfast.

The politics of internment, 1971

An extract from the book, Internment, by John McGuffin, on the thinking that went into the policy of internment without trial, implemented in the north of Ireland 39 years ago this week.

The Miami Showband massacre

The slaughter of three band members saw the unintentional exposure of the involvement of British military personnel in directing and assisting unionist death squads in their murder campaign.

Ghosts of a forgotten massacre

In August 1971, British soldiers went on a three-day killing rampage in Ballymurphy, murdering 11 innocent people. Now their families want justice for Belfast's Bloody Sunday.

Republican prisoners deserve support

The prepared text of the address by Paul Duffy, a former republican prisoner and brother of Colin Duffy, to the ‘Families, friends and ex-PoWs march’ for republican prisoners in Lurgan on Sunday.

In my son’s name

The message sent by Peggy O’Hara, mother of hunger-strike Patsy O’Hara, on the first Anniversary of the Hunger Strike deaths to Irish Solidarity activists in Scotland and England.

Reforming the Republic

The full text of the Hume Lecture delivered by Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness at the McGill Summer School over the weekend.

The Battle of the Boyne

No year in Irish history is better known than 1690. No Irish battle is more famous than William III’s victory over James II at the River Boyne, a few miles west of Drogheda

Anthony McDowell

At the time of his death, Anthony McDowell (13), lived with his family in Duneden Park, Ardoyne. He was shot dead on 19th April 1973, by the British Army’s Parachute Regiment.

The Falls Road curfew

The Falls Road curfew of the summer of 1970 is regarded as a major turning point in the early history of the conflict.

Connolly and the Irish Language

Imposing English as the first language of Ireland was a pre-meditated project of the English invaders to attempt to condition the people they wished to oppress.

Remembering day in June helps build a better future

The people of Belfast’s Ballymacarrett-Short Strand area have made a valuable contribution to the struggle for a united Ireland.

The battle of St Matthew’s

The geographical and symbolic position of St Matthew’s Church, facing on to the staunchly loyalist Newtownards Road, played a major factor in the events which were to unfold in June 1970.

New republic not possible without a united island

Both North and South have failed miserably as separate entities. The best way forward is to avoid the wastes and inequalities of partition, writes Gerry Adams.

Does the inquiry hide darker aspects of Bloody Sunday?

It would be a mistake to see Saville's report as supplying the definitive answers to what happened on January 30, 1972 in Derry.

How Saville reported the killings

How the Saville and Widgery reports differed in their findings for each of the Bloody Sunday victims.

Bloody Sunday - A personal reflection

The British public has the right to know what has been done in their name and the fact that ordinary working class families, as well as all those wounded on the day, were left to carry the burden of injustice for almost 40 years.

Bloody Sunday - A long walk to justice

They have fought so hard for so long, but in just a few days’ time, the families of those killed and injured on Bloody Sunday will gather in Derry’s Guildhall to see whether they’ve finally been given justice.

Did Israel deliberately kill civilians?

There is clear evidence present that the State of Israeli may have deliberately and with forethought intended to provoke a conflict in order to assassinate civilians sailing aboard the Freedom Flotilla, and therefore violently discourage any further attempts to deliver humanitarian aid to the Palestinians of besieged Gaza.

Action alert over Israeli attack

An action alert to hold Israel to account over the murder of international human rights activists and the hijacking of their aid flotilla.

The course towards convergence

The address by Sinn Fein Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness to a North South Consultative Conference in Farmleigh in Dublin on Wednesday.

Nora Connolly O’Brien

In an excerpt from her memoirs, Nora Connolly O’Brien talks about her father’s final days and the courage and inspiration that James Connolly gave to her and continues to give today.

An appalling abuse of rights

There are 32 republican prisoners in Roe House in Maghaberry Prison living in appalling conditions and one prisoner, Liam Hannaway, has been on hunger strike in another part of the prison for the past month.

Parades proposals threaten all public assembly

A long-term solution to the problem caused by sectarian parades can only be found in the implementation of a policy which includes a broad acceptance of the right of host communities not to have parades forced through against their will.

Slick operator: The BP I’ve known too well

Responding to an oil spill may be easy and simple, but not at all cheap. And BP is cheap. Deadly cheap.

Result could underpin the future of Stormont

In Britain, the outcome of the Westminster general election has brought uncertainty and instability, with the possibility of a second election within a year.

Election results round-up

The election results from all of the North's 18 Westminster constituencies.

Westminster 2010 constituency profiles

A guide to this week’s political showdown in the North and what to watch for when the newsflashes come rolling in.

A message from Gerry Adams

The foreward by Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams to the party’s manifesto for next week’s Westminster election.

Unionists face new scenario in hung parliament

Regardless of who won in the debate between the British party leaders last Thursday, the outcome points to one clear conclusion: there will be a hung parliament in Britain.

Vote for a better future

Sinn Fein are asking the electorate to endorse our role in leading the way in significant political developments since the last Westminster election.

1,700 take on the British Empire

The story of Padraig Pearse and the rebellion of Easter 1916, 94 years ago this week.

Sinn Fein launches election campaign

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams this morning launched the party’s election campaign for the Westminster election on May 6th.

Living record of proud republican resistance

The Felons’ Club on Belfast’s Falls Road in an exhibition of republican memorabilia organised by the National Graves Association.

Easter statements

A number of statements were issued by the main republican organisations at the weekend.

Prosecutions of Shell to Sea campaigners collapse

25 out of 27 people prosecuted for resisting Shell’s experimental gas pipeline have cases withdrawn or dismissed.

Action alert - Gerry McGeough

An action alert was issued by supporters of leading republican Gerry McGeough following a bizarre intervention in his trial by far-right Swedish operatives.

The Black and Tans

On the 90th anniversary of the arrival in Ireland of one of England’s most notorious of militias, we present a brief history of the infamous Black and Tans.

Omagh - The search for the truth

A reporter responds to the call by the ‘Northern Ireland Affairs Committee’ at the London parliament for a further investigation into the Omagh bomb.

The Irish Republican Brotherhood

On March 17, 1858, 152 years ago this week, James Stephens founded the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) in Dublin at the same time as John O’Mahoney was founding the American branch of the revolutionary group.

Women freedom fighters

To mark international women’s day, we carry the following article on the women hunger strikers of Armagh prison, by DM Daugherty.

Sam Marshall - A set up

Twenty years ago, Sam Marshall was walking home with two other men when they were confronted by masked gunmen who opened up with automatic fire.

Irish peace process has lessons for Basques

The impact of the peace process in Ireland is clearly evident in the language used in peace efforts in the Basque Country.

Roger Casement

Roger Casement had returned to Ireland in 1916 to share his comrades’ fate. In 1965, 49 years later and 45 years ago this week, he was finally able to rejoin them one last time.

Save Newgrange

The unique prehistoric site of Newgrange in County Meath, Ireland is threatened by a planned bypass of Slane village; to preserve the site, the village should be closed to lorries, or the bypass should take a western route.

Irish unity conference in London

A conference on the prospects for Irish unity organised by Sinn Fein in London on Saturday heard that unification “within a meaningful time-scale” is both “realistic and feasible”.

Ryan’s madness and folly in Corrib row

The Corrib saga has become so bitter and divisive, it can be hard to see the obvious.

Interview with Gerry Adams

A recent interview with Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams about sectarian parades, the policing and justice deal, and the controversy surrounding allegations against his brother Liam.

Mandela’s dark years

This week marks the 20th anniversary of the release from captivity of Nelson Mandela. We carry an extract from his memoirs on his time at Robben Island prison.

Action alert - Maghaberry visitors strip-searched

An action alert by families of republican prisoners being held at Maghaberry jail in county Antrim.

Bloody Sunday - the struggle continues

As many victims of miscarriages of justice will testify, admissions of guilt by Britain take a long time to come to pass.

Inquiry must look at role of politics

Before deciding what form an inquiry should take, we must define what exactly we need to know.

Response to Sunday Tribune

Gerry Adams replies to allegations published by Suzanne Breen and the Sunday Tribune newspaper.

The UDA and the pay-off

The basis of the UDA decommissioning settlement was set out back in 2007.

Liam Mellows’s escape

How Liam Mellows escaped from exile in England to return to Ireland in time for the 1916 Rising.

New Year statements

The annual New Year statements issued by the main nationalist and republican organisations

1979 papers

A review of the declassified documents released in Dublin, London and Belfast under the 30 years rule.

Marie Moore

Another old stalwart of the conflict to leave us this year was the veteran Sinn Fein activist Marie Moore who died in hospital after a long illness

Maud Gonne - Yeats’s Caitlin ni Houlihan

Born during an age when women were expected to be nothing more than handsome window-dressing for their husbands, when women were expected to leave the rough and tumble world of politics to men, Maud Gonne rose above that prejudice to leave her mark on Ireland’s history.

Action alert for republican prisoners

Prisoner support groups have urged those interested to send a card or letter this holiday season to those republican prisoners currently behind bars.

Expanding the McBride agenda

An appeal to Americans to continue the MacBride agenda of change in the north of Ireland by investing twice: once for jobs, once for justice.

War declared on workers and the poor

The Fianna Fail/Green Party budget represents a savage attack on the working class of the Twenty-Six Counties.

Nuclear threat from British reactors

The proposed designs for seven new British nuclear power stations, which will be built along the Irish Sea coast, have potentially lethal flaws.

Escape from Athlone barracks

An account of Volunteer Tom Maguire’s escape from Athlone Barracks in 1923.

Address to Hogan/Martin commemoration

The full text of the keynote address by Sinn Fein strategist Declan Kearney to the commemoration this weekend in village of Dunloy to mark the 20th anniversary of the deaths of Volunteers Declan Martin and Henry Hogan.

Help bring the Manchester Martyrs home

Help the campaign for the Manchester Martyrs to be returned home to Ireland.

Johnny Walker - A terrible injustice

Thirty five years ago, six Irishmen were jailed for crimes they did not commit, and spent 16 years in jail before their convictions were quashed.

Sinn Fein pre-budget submission

The executive summary of Sinn Fein’s pre-budget submission for the 2010 calendar year.

The return of securocrats?

A member of Sinn Fein in south Armagh has blamed unionists and British state security agencies for a major investigation into his finances.

Republican Sinn Fein elects new President

Des Dalton became the new president of Republican Sinn Fein at its Ard-Fheis [annual conference] on Sunday.

The political road

Prominent socialist republican Gerry Ruddy looks at the recent recent decision by the INLA to renounce armed struggle.

Address to annual SF Edentubber Commemoration

Sinn Fein’s Annual Edentubber Commemoration on Sunday was addressed by Conor Murphy, the Six County Minister for Regional Development.

Chairman’s Address to 32CSM AGM

The 32 County Sovereignty Movement held its Annual General Meeting in Derry on Saturday.

It’s time to act

As the Twenty-Six County budget looms ever nearer and Britain’s Stormont administration considers cut backs, there is much uncertainty and fear in working class communities throughout Ireland.

Colin Duffy - a victim of state persecution

For two decades Colin Duffy has been the target of an unrelenting campaign of persecution and victimisation by state forces within the Six Counties.

Daniel Hegarty

Relatives for Justice has campaigned on behalf of the Hegarty family in connection with the killing of their son, Daniel. The following is their profile on the case.

The Black Irish of Jamaica: ‘One Love’

The Irish are alive and well in Jamaica, writes Rob Mullally. The third and final part of a three-part series.

McCord addresses US Congressional hearing

The testimony of Raymond McCord Sr. before the US Congressional Committee on Foreign Affairs’ Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights and Oversight, on the subject of collusion.

Interview with Ruairi O Bradaigh

The President of Republican Sinn Fein, who recently announced he is stepping down from the position, is interviewed.

Red shanks, bogtrotters and pirates

The second part of a three-part series by Rob Mullally, from the Wild Geese, about the black Irish of Jamaica.

‘John didn’t kill himself’

Republican prisoner John Brady had a row with his brother-in-law while on weekend parole. He ended up hanging from his laces in a PSNI cell. His family don’t believe it was suicide. A report by Suzanne Breen for the Sunday Tribune.

Truth can’t be the final Bloody Sunday victim

One of the reasons for hostility to the Bloody Sunday Inquiry is to be found in a judgement delivered in the High Court in London last Friday in the case of Khunder al-Sweady.

The Black Irish of Jamaica

A three part series on the history of the Irish settlers in Jamaica.

Talking about a ‘Lost Revolution’

An interview with the authors of ‘The Lost Revolution’, Brian Hanley and Scott Millar. It also includes some analysis from the authors on key events covered in the book on the Official Republicans/The Workers’ Party.

The Lisbon Treaty is unchanged

On Friday you have an opportunity to shape the future of Europe. The question you have to ask yourself is whether the Lisbon Treaty is a good deal for Ireland and whether it takes the European Union in the direction you want it to go

Lisbon hides ticking time bomb of EU defence body

The Lisbon Treaty proposes to incorporate the European Defence Agency within the institutional structure of the European Union.

The surrender of our fishing waters: A continental coup

It is worth remembering when vested intersts remind you yet again of the structural funds we received from the European Union what we ourselves as a nation have given to the EU. Namely, our entire fishing waters, which was the admission price for entry.

The sorry saga of Shell

Maura Harrington is a spokesperson for the Shell to Sea campaign, from County Mayo, who has now been jailed four times for her opposition to the Shell Corrib gas project in north Mayo. Here she looks back at a decade of resistance by the local community and its supporters against an unwanted, dangerous and apparently corrupt exploitation of a sensitive environment.

Time for the transfer of powers

Policing has again reached a critical juncture but with a fresh opportunity to accelerate the process of change.

Stand together for our own good

Nationalists and republicans should have a united policy about one most important issue: Our right to make our own political, economic and cultural decisions.

The killing of Loughlin Maginn

The killing of Loughlin Maginn was to spark a chain reaction of events that would finally lift the lid on Crown force collusion.

Pro-Lisbon factions get desperate

With just five weeks to go to the referendum on Lisbon 2, the Yes side grows ever more desperate and its advocates more bizarre.

Bailing out the rich and powerful

In the course of the current crisis, the only state intervention into the market has been to secure the interests and profits of a tiny wealthy elite.

Nama a good deal only for the banks’ shareholders

UCD lecturer Karl Whelan on the implications of the Dublin government’s proposed bailout for Irish property speculators and their bankers through the National Asset Management Agency (Nama).

The Battle of the Bogside

The scene for the Battle of the Bogside was set long before August 1969.

The stone that broke the North’s dam of violence

Forty years ago this weekend, the dam broke and the generational political failure that had deepened since partition washed over all the Irish political institutions.

Secret go-between shines a light on history makers

Brendan Duddy is slowly emerging as another important name to add to that list of names most publicly associated with the Irish peace process

Making Sinn Fein’s message relevant

Sinn Fein is not in crisis and its continued role in and relevance to the future of political life in Ireland is not in doubt, according to Eoin O Broin.

Death of Frank McCourt

The death took place during the week of Frank McCourt, one of Ireland’s greatest and most popular writers and a major literary figure in his native New York. We publish an extract from his novel, ‘Angela’s Ashes’.

A united Ireland is possible

The single most important issue facing the people of Ireland and Britain is the achievement of Irish unity and the construction of a new relationship between Ireland and Britain based on equality.

Twenty-Six County’s week of shame in Mayo

In addition to the three hundred Gardai, the two Navy ships, the planes and the helicopters the Twenty-Six County government have also brought their ‘justice’ system out to bat for Shell.

Ireland agenda for Americans

A senior Irish-American suggests the areas where U.S. support might be most welcome and productive.

A victory to savour

Last week’s judgment in Belfast was a triumph for press freedom across Europe, according to Sunday Tribune Northern Editor Suzanne Breen.

‘Don’t Extradite the Basques’

The official launch of the Don’t Extradite the Basques Campaign took place last Wednesday [June 10] in Culturlann MacAdam-O Fiaich in Belfast.

Shell to Sea Action Alert

Mayo man Pat O’Donnell has had his boat, the ‘Iona Isle’ boarded last night by armed, masked men and sunk in the latest act of aggression by Shell OIl & Gas in their attempt to construct a controversial onshore gas refinery in Belmullet.

SAS slaughter at Coagh

Three IRA Volunteers were shot dead by undercover British forces fourteen years ago this week

‘The old ways are gone’

A keynote speech delivered by Sinn Féin’s Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness at the Kevin Lynch commemoration at Park, County Derry last weekend.

Sinn Féin launch local election manifesto

Sinn Féin launched the party’s campaign for the local government elections in the 26 Counties this week.

Elizabeth Windsor

She came, she saw, she left again and, in between, the usual crowd of hangers on and supposedly intelligent people reduced themselves to the babblings of fools and morons.

Hunger strike was ‘pivotal’

Sinn Féin MEP for the Six Counties, Bairbre de Brun this week delivered the annual Bobby Sands Memorial Lecture, the theme of which was ‘Countess Markievicz and the 100th anniversary of Na Fianna Eireann.

Long Kesh could be a ‘must see’ attraction

Belfast’s Crumlin Road Prison is not only an impressive, indeed, imposing, example of Victorian prison architecture it is also a museum, an artefact, in its own right.

Adams address to Easter commemoration

The full text of the address by Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams to his party’s Easter Rising commemoration in west Belfast.

Murdered priests remembered

Two Catholic priests shot dead by the British Army during the conflict were remembered this week at St Peter’s Cathedral in Belfast.

SF owes debt of gratitude to Marie Moore

To me, Marie Moore, who passed away a few weeks ago, belonged to a heroic generation.

A debt of gratitude owed to women activists

More work needs to be done to ensure that women are at the centre of decision making, especially in government and parliament

Eirigi condemns ‘trial by media’

eirigi chairperson Brian Leeson issued the following statement on Monday, clarifying that no member of the group has been arrested in connection with last week’s attacks.

The only way to go is forward

The political institutions, the peace process and Sinn Fein are as much a target of the perpetrators of Saturday night's attack as those they killed or injured.

Time for a Rising

We need a Rising! That thought came into my head as I listened to RTE radio’s report of last Saturday’s mass trade union rally in Dublin.

A Valentine’s Day tragedy

Four Derry men remember with pain and dread a Valentines Day thirty years ago when their lives and the lives of their families were turned upside down.

The Burnings 1920

Pearse Lawlor has penned the first published account of the events of July to September 1920 in which more than 1,000 Catholic families lost their homes in county Down.

Internment 1971 - 2009: A case of injustice

The following address was given by Tony Catney of the Republican Network for Unity at Derry’s Gasyard Centre as part of this year’s annual Bloody Sunday commemoration.

A defining point in Irish history

The keynote address by Sinn Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams at the Mansion House in Dublin to his party’s 90th anniversary commemoration of the First Dail.

Long Kesh - Scenes from the inside

Can an incident-packed and prolonged time span be adequately explored in the form of a play?

Address to First Dail Eireann commemoration

Caoimhghin O Caolain TD told the official commemoration this week that the work of the First Dail remains unfinished. We publish the full text of his address.

Setting the ‘free Derry’ record straight

The famous ‘Free Derry’ wall was painted forty years ago this month. Eamon McCann corrects the record of the day when the inspiring international landmark was born.

The Burntollet attack

The People’s Democracy march, forty years ago this week, is seen by historians as marking a significant turning point in the recent conflict.

New Year messages

The full text of the New Year statements issued by Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams and republican organisations in Ireland.

Time to write a new chapter in Pol Brennan’s life

Let Christmas 2008 be the last Pol Brennan ever spends behind bars.

The Sinn Féin election

A look at the electoral facts surrounding Sinn Féin’s historic victory at the 1918 General Election, ninety years ago this week.

De Menezes murder - the cover-up

A cousin recalls the murder of Jean Charles de Menezes and how the British system has struggled to admit London’s own shoot-to-kill policy.

Republican Sinn Féin Ard Fheis

The Presidential Address delivered by Republican Sinn Féin President Ruairi O Bradaigh in Dublin to RSF's annual conference earlier this month.

The father of Irish democracy

Wolfe Tone died on November 19, 1798 - 310 years ago this week - from a stab wound to his neck which he inflicted upon himself.

Women in Struggle

The theme of Sinn Fein's Edentubber Commemoration this year was the role of women in the struggle for Irish freedom.

Helicopter escape from Mountjoy

At Halloween 1973 in Dublin, one of the most audacious, cleverly planned jail escapes in Irish history occurred.

The first casualty

It is twenty years to the day, since the British Government imposed the media ban as part of another review of security in the North of Ireland.

Epic tale of human endurance

Hunger is a true-to-life film, not propaganda, as claimed by its unionist critics.

Nationalising the risks, not the assets

Brian Leeson, eirigi chairperson, presents his analysis of the crisis in the Irish financial system, of those who created it, and the choices facing Irish citizens for the future.

The day the RUC appeared on TV

Events in Derry’s Duke Street forty years ago were magnified by the arrival of a new witness to Irish history: the television news camera.

Memories of Duke Street

Recollections by civil rights activist Fionnbarra O Dochartaigh regarding the event which some historians characterise as the day the ‘Troubles’ began.

Breakout

On the 25th anniversary of the mass escape from the H-Blocks of Long Kesh, some of those who took part have revealed the dramatic events surrounding the escape for a new documentary.

Omagh - The bomb to end all bombs?

Did a British agent first flout Omagh as a potential target for a bomb attack? Was the carnage of August 15 the product of his labour?

Hunger strike by Shell to Sea activist

Shell to Sea campaigner Maura Harrington has begun a Hunger Strike to coincide with the arrival of the Solitaire, Shell’s pipe-laying vessel in Broadhaven Bay.

Modernisation of the Orange Order?

The final installment of a three-part series looking at the malign influence of the Orange Order in the north of Ireland, from its inception to the present day.

March to overcome injustice

Austin Currie reflects on the huge and peaceful Coalisland to Dungannon March of August 24th, 1968, which marked a turning point for the Irish civil rights movement.

Bloody Sunday paras linked to Belfast massacre

Truth campaigners now say that Bloody Sunday might never have happened had the British Army been brought to book for the Ballymurphy slaughter.

Was the Omagh bomb allowed to happen?

The families of the victims have called for a full cross-order public inquiry into the Omagh bomb, which took place ten years ago this week.

The dignity of mothers

Without them there would not have been an IRA, a Sinn Fein, war or peace or the new Ireland we have today.

Glory Days of the Orange Order

The second part in a multi-part series examining the history and current context of the Protestant marching orders, this week looking at the Orange Order during the first Stormont administration, 1921-1972.

The Famine - A shared tragedy

One hundred and sixty years after one of the most traumatic events in the history of this island, the Dublin Government are to officially commemorate An Gorta Mor, the Great Hunger, which claimed the lives of an estimated one million Irish people and reduced the population of the country by half.

‘For God and Ulster’

The Loyal Orders stress the cultural and religious aspects of their organisations. The reality of their involvement over the past 200 years tells a different story.

Bodenstown oration

The oration by Marion Price at the grave of Wolfe Tone in the Republican Unity Initiative’s Bodenstown commemoration.

Cypriot solidarity recalled

A bond of friendship and solidarity lasting over 50 years was celebrated in Dublin last month.

Towards a united Ireland

Sinn Féin is embarking on a more active engagement with those in Britain who support Irish unity and is seeking to produce “a renewed strategy able to advance republican goals”.

Europe’s Plan B

The people have spoken. The Lisbon Treaty is dead. Now it’s time for Plan B.

‘The Battle of Caledon’

Forty years ago a family’s decision to make a stand over housing set in motion a chain of events that would give rise to the civil rights movement.

Belfast’s consummate politician

Belfast City Council took an enlightened step forward in the politics of reconciliation on Monday night when it elected Sinn Féin councillor Tom Hartley as its mayor.

Oration for Brian Keenan

Thousands turned out for the funeral of IRA commander Brian Keenan in Belfast on Saturday.

Irish slaves in the Caribbean

If Queen Elizabeth I had lived in the 20th Century, she would have been viewed with the same horror as Hitler and Stalin.

An alternative guide to the Lisbon Treaty

The Lisbon Treaty is a bad deal for Ireland. It gives the EU too much power and reduces our ability to stop decisions that are not in Ireland's interests. Ireland deserves better.

US action alert - Free Pol Brennan

Irish political refugee Pol Brennan needs our help and support.

Bertie Ahern addresses US Congress

The outgoing 26-County Taoiseach Bertie Ahern made a landmark address to a joint session of the US Congress this week.

The unanswered questions

The text of an address by Ruairi O Bradaigh, President of Republican Sinn Féin at the Ireland Institute, Pearse Centre, Dublin on April 17.

The cause of Tibet

This is the most critical time for the Tibetan people.

Community must stand together

The following is the full text of remarks made by Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams to a local activist meeting in Belfast this week.

Agreement has delivered change

The Belfast Agreement marks an historic and defining point of change in the history and development of this island, writes Gerry Adams.

Good Friday Agreement - Ten years on

Over 250 republican prisoners were released as a result of a key element of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. A look at what happened to two of those prisoners, ten years on from the agreement.

US Presidential Campaign

Statements by the Clinton and Obama campaigns on Ireland.

Ian Paisley

Ian Paisley helped to radicalise my generation. But his lasting legacy will be helping secure peace, writes Gerry Adams.

The casualties of Gibraltar

On this date 20 years ago shortly after teatime an ashen-faced and clearly distressed Danny Morrison rushed into Tom Hartley’s living room where I was sitting.

Confidence for transfer of powers exists now

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams argues that failure by the DUP to agree the transfer of policing and justice powers risks eroding confidence in the political institutions.

Brendan Hughes

Brendan ‘Darkie’ reflects on a lifetime of struggle and the current political situation in Ireland.

What exactly are we reforming in this treaty?

An attempt to find out what the Lisbon Reform Treaty means.

Interview with the ‘Real IRA’

The first interview in five years with the ‘Real IRA’ was published this week. The following is an edited version of that interview.

The tide turns at Tara

Our country has barely known a taste of freedom yet already we are actively complicit in the destruction of the one central, world-renowned and undiluted symbol of our unity and strength.

The pain of the past

If the British government are sincere about addressing the legacy of the past they could start by publishing Stevens report.

Edmund Burke - The Conscience of a Nation

Edmund Burke was one of the most famous political thinkers of the 18th century.

What a difference a year makes

Ireland January 2008 is a much better place than Ireland January 2007. What a difference a year can make in the life of a nation.

2007 - Year in Review

A look back at the main news events of the year that was.

A blow against educational inequality

The education system is being opened up for the first time to ensure equality of access and equality of educational opportunity irrespective of class or creed.

Engaging Modern Ireland

Gerry Adams’s keynote address at the special Sinn Féin conference in Dublin last weekend.

Budget 2008

A look at the fourth Budget delivered today by the 26-County Minister for Finance Brian Cowen.

Remembering the Manchester Martyrs

On 23 November 1867, three Irishmen, Michael O’Brien, William Philip Allen and Michael Larkin, were hanged in public in Salford, England, for the murder of a police sergeant during the rescue of two Fenian leaders.

Making Shell feel the heat

A report by eirigi activists on the latest action against the development of a dangerous onshore gas refinery in County Mayo.

Presidential Address at RSF Ard Fheis

The full prepared text of the Presidential address delivered to the 103u Ard Fheis of Republican Sinn Fein on November 11 by Ruairi O Bradaigh.

Comrades will sorely miss faithful stalwart

In times of war he was a man of war. In times of peace he was a man of peace.

Exploring different routes to peace

The text of a keynote address by Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams delivered at a special event on Wednesday night organised in aid of the Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace.

Defend Ireland's Natural Resources

The people of Ballinaboy and Rossport and the surrounding areas are asking people to join them in a day of protest at the site of Shell's proposed refinery on November 9th.

Thomas Ashe

‘If I die, I die in a good cause’, the haunting words of Thomas Ashe, spoken just prior to his death on hunger strike in 1917, ninety years ago this month.

Oration at funeral of Dan Keating

Oration delivered by Ruairi O Bradaigh, President Republican Sinn Fein at the funeral of Republican Veteran Dan Keating in County Kerry on Friday October 5.

The Great Peace Process Swindle?

Should the Good Friday Agreement be a model for other conflicts?

US Urgent Action Appeal

An action alert issued on behalf of the McAllister family, which is facing deportation from the US.

The Flight of the Earls

This year marks the 400th anniversary of the ‘Flight of the Earls’. We conclude our series of historical articles on a major event in Irish history.

Nairac commanded Miami massacre

He was a guitar player in one of Ireland’s biggest bands but after their tour bus was stopped at a checkpoint on a lonely country road near Newry on July 31 1975, nothing would ever be the same for Stephen Travers.

German charade

Like a cruel joke, the German demand for Roisin McAliskey’s extradition was delivered 10 years to the day after she gave birth to Loinnir, under armed guard, in a London hospital.

The SSSS Experience

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams recalls his experiences over the years at the hands of US security officials (from the Guardian newspaper).

Feile a credit to its organisers

A vicious massacre of defenceless people, written out of history, is now being written back in by the relatives of those so cruelly cut down.

No turning back for truth campaign

The full text of the address by Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams at the ‘March for Truth’ rally at Belfast City Hall on Sunday.

Plans for Love Ulster Parade cancelled

The organisers of a highly controversial sectarian parade in Dublin, which had to be abandoned after heavy rioting last year, have said they have cancelled plans to hold another similar march through the capital later this year.

The wrong force in the wrong place for 38 years

The behaviour of British soldiers in the North was a recruiting sergeant for the IRA.

Consultation fails to meet needs of Irish speakers

Gerry Adams urges the DUP to copper- fasten the rights of citizens and to implement the agreement on the Irish language made at St Andrews.

The Siege of Kinsale

This year marks the 400th anniversary of the ‘Flight of the Earls’. We examine the background to that major event in Irish history with a series of historical articles.

Past will dictate plans to update Orange Order

For most of its more than 200-year history the Orange Order and the British government have been inextricably linked.

éirígí - Rise Up

éirígí [meaning ‘rise up’] is a new Irish, Socialist Republican, political organisation committed to ending the British occupation of the six counties and the establishment of a thirty-two county Democratic Socialist Republic.

Immigrants’ American Dream ends in tragedy

175 years ago this month, a group of Irish immigrants left for the New World to help build a pioneering railroad. Six weeks later all were dead. Now a search is underway to trace their history and find their bodies.

Orations at Bodenstown

Three orations were made collectively at the graveside of Theobald Wolfe Tone in Bodenstown on the 17th June, 2007, by three traditionalist republican groups.

We need to remember why Saville was set up

Hayes, Hutchinson and Patten are undermining the argument promoted by relatives’ organisations that the British Crown forces should be held to account for the killing of civilians during the conflict.

Action Alert for Roisin McAliskey

An action request from the Irish Freedom Committee in response to the British attempts to once again extradite Roisin McAliskey

Censorship complementing cover-up

Despite progress in the peace process, British forces in Ireland are still stifling freedom of information, writes Anthony McIntyre.

The anguish of Roisin McAliskey

An article by Nell McCafferty, originally published in December 1996, recalls the campaign to free Roisin McAliskey following British attempts to extradite her to Germany.

Key constituency profiles

A look at the constituencies where republican candidates could make gains in Thursday’s 26-County election.

Election 2007: Sinn Féin Election Manifesto

The Executive Summary of Sinn Fein's General Election Manifesto, preceded by a message from Gerry Adams.

Republican Unity?

Republican traditionalists met in Derry at the weekend to attempt to build a united opposition to the new political order in the North and the “continuing British occupation”.

The Wedding Cake

A look back at the history of Stormont -- the site of many failed Six-County political initiatives in the past -- but today the focus of renewed political hope.

The East Tyrone Brigade & the Loughgall Ambush

Next Tuesday, May 8th, marks the 20th anniversary of the Loughgall ambush, in which 8 IRA Volunteers and a civilian were killed in an SAS attack.

The Battle of Moyry Pass

This year marks the 400th anniversary of the ‘Flight of the Earls’. We examine the background to that major event in Irish history with a series of historical articles.

Women’s heroic work

It was women like Emma Groves and Annsie Wilkinson in many districts across the north who provided grass-roots leadership, who helped their besieged communities learn the skills they needed to survive.

Action Alert for Maghaberry prisoners

An action request from the US-based Irish Freedom Committee on behalf of republican prisoners at Maghaberry prison.

The Women of 1916

The “forgotten women” of Irish history who participated in the 1916 Rising were remembered at the weekend.

The arrest of Gerry McGeough

Prominent republican and election candidate Gerry McGeough has been released by the PSNI police on bail following a campaign to being attention to his controversial arrest and detention earlier this month. Martin Galvin looks at the case.

North needs a new political vocabulary

A sea change occurred on Monday when you watched Gerry Adams and Ian Paisley sitting nearly beside each other at Stormont.

A ‘yes’ from ‘Dr No’ could usher in a new era

In a few days time the people of this country will know the answer to one of the most pressing political questions which has dogged the peace process for the best part of the last 10 years

Minister strangles Irish act

The dream that new legislation would enshrine the rights of the thousands of Irish-speakers has been shattered.

Election round-up

A constituency-by-constituency look at the Assembly election result.

History: Election campaign fifty years ago

Four Sinn Féin candidates were elected in the general election which took place on March 5, 1957, fifty years ago this week.

SF Ard Fheis - Presidential Address 2007

The full text of the keynote Presidential address by Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams to the party’s annual conference, which is taking place this weeekend at the RDS in Dublin.

Good election for SF will spur party

A good election result for Sinn Féin in the north will spur party activists on in their efforts to achieve the long-worked-for breakthrough in the elections in the south in a few months time.

The first Bloody Sunday

A historical account of the background and context of the Bloody Sunday massacre at Croke Park in 1920.

Statement by US Senator Barack Obama

US Presidential candidate Barack Obama has issued a statement outlining his position the Irish peace process. We carry the full text of the statement, which has been welcomed by a number of Irish-American groups.

Assembly election candidates

The full list of candidates in the Belfast Assembly election on 7 March.

The first Long Kesh escape

The escape from Long Kesh of Francis McGuigan, 35 years ago this wee, was an important morale booster for the nationalist population throughout the Six Counties.

Policing - a Republican Socialist view

Leading IRSP member Liam O Ruairc takes a critical look at the historic decision by Sinn Féin to support the PSNI and the political context which led to it.

Who will pay for mass murder?

As a response to armed insurrection in the North, the British government down through the years initiated a campaign of mass murder and a wider supporting criminality.

PSNI agent’s catalog of murder

Ten murders which, according to the Police Ombudsman’s report, are so far confirmed to have involved PSNI/UVF agent Mark Haddock.

Operation Ballast

A public statement issued today by police Ombudsman Nuala O’Loan into collusion between the RUC/PSNI Special Branch and the north Belfast UVF.

Sinn Féin Ard Fheis motion on policing

The text of the key motion to go before the forthcoming special Sinn Fein conference.

Save Tara petition

Supporters of the 'Sava Tara' campaign are being asked to sign the online ‘National Monument of Ireland’ petition.

Telling moment at Toome

In Toome last week, the same pledge, principles and patriotism which had always inspired him, moved Laurence O’Neill to defy a new attempt to silence him.

IRA men’s deaths that caught whole country’s imagination

Sean South and Fergal O’Hanlon entered the realms of history and song when an IRA raid on a County Fermanagh RUC barracks went dramatically wrong 50 years ago this week.

Review of the Year 2006

A look back at the major events in Irish politics and the peace process over the past twelve months.

Christmas Eve - Escape from Long Kesh

Gerry Adams recounts a Christmas Eve plan to escape Long Kesh.

Families deserve judicial inquiry into collusion

There are many files in many filing cabinets in government offices in Dublin, Belfast and London, containing reports into collusion arising from enquiries.

US Action Alert

An action alert was issued by the IAUC on the issue of collusion following the publication of the report of the Cassel panel on the issue.

Forensic framework unravels

There is a great deal at stake in the dock of the Belfast Diplock courtroom.

Policing debate

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams and Willie Gallagher of the Irish Republican Socialist Party this week presented their differing views on the policing issue.

Adams address to transitional Assembly

The text of the address by Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams MP speaking at Friday’s meeting of the transitional Assembly, when he nominated Martin McGuinness for the position of Deputy First Minister.

Some republicans sowing seeds of confusion

The news at the start of this week that a tiny number of disaffected former IRA personnel, members of the INLA and other micro groups, are threatening the lives of Sinn Féin’s leadership is causing great anger among republicans, disbelief among nationalists and is a source of deep concern.

Address to RSF Ard Fheis

The full text of the President Address by Republican Sinn Féin leader Ruairi O Bradaigh to his party’s annual Ard-Fheis in Dublin at the weekend.

A question which won’t go away

A question haunts reports into collusion -- how high up the chain did knowledge of and complicity in these atrocities go?

The Burning of Long Kesh

The first in a series of articles looking back at the history of Long Kesh prison.

Negotiating war and peace

An extract from Lives Entangled, an essay by Bernadette McAliskey included in Britain & Ireland: Lives Entwined II.

Noel Maguire appeal

An action alert on behalf of the Irish Political Status Coalition.

History of Whitewash Continues

The British have a long history of setting-up what are variously named inquiries, commissions or tribunals as part of a blatant strategy of whitewash or cover-up.

Much work to be done - Adams

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams has said “bringing rejectionist unionism into the peace process would be an enormous achievement”.

A great loss to cause of Ireland’s freedom

Michael Ferguson's death is a great loss not only to his family but to Sinn Féin and to the cause of Ireland’s freedom.

Current prisoner list

A partial list of republican prisoners published earlier this month.

DNA and Diplock: A Recipe for Injustice

Fears are being voiced that “Birmingham Six” style justice is about to be meted out to South Armagh Republican Sean Hoey, with suspect DNA evidence being the lynchpin of the framework.

Hunger strike message echoes down the years

The prisoners died but a generation later as one contributor describes it, “....they shine a light that is purer than ever and that points a steady beam to our future”.

Equality - the rhetoric and the reality

A new report by the Belfast-based civil liberties group, the Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ), has criticised the British government's sectarian approach to targeting social need.

Healthcare is a right

A summary of Sinn Féin’s new all-Ireland policy document on healthcare.

Irish process is template for peace worldwide

Gerry Adams has brought a message of hope to the Israeli and Palestinian people.

Relatives of bomb victims need to know truth

Even if the involvement of British intelligence is proven in the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, it may still be kept secret.

US ‘Fax Blitz’

An urgent action alert is being distributed by a number of Irish-American organisations.

Border lines

Partition is alive and well in Ireland.

Mickey Devine

The tenth and final hunger striker to die in the 1981 hunger strike was Mickey Devine. He died 25 years ago on Sunday.

Famine tale uncovers common Irish ancestry

A little known shipping disaster which claimed the lives of almost 50 people from south Armagh during the Famine has inspired a new book.

Alert - US/UK Extradition Treaty

An action alert for US readers from the IAUC.

Thomas McElwee

The story of the ninth hunger strike to die in the 1981 hunger strike. He passed away on August 8th, 1981.

A dedicated republican and an outstanding soldier

The story of Kieran Doherty, the eighth hunger striker to die in 1981, who passed away 25 years ago on Wednesday.

Kevin Lynch

The story of INLA Volunteer Kevin Lynch, who died on hunger strike in Long Kesh prison 25 years ago on Tuesday.

Reconciling Orange and Green

The full text of a wide-ranging address delivered by Martin McGuinness to the MacGill Summer School at the weekend.

The original con trick

There is a historical precedent of “sexing up” a document, one that had major implications for subsequent relations between Ireland and England.

Founded on and fuelled by bigotry

There are at least three ways of looking at last week’s Twelfth celebrations.

Joe McDonnell and Martin Hurson

This week marks the 25th anniversary of the death of two IRA Volunteers on hunger strike in Long Kesh jail.

An experiment in human despair

Jonathan Cook on the real reasons for Israel’s invasion of Gaza.

Observe the true amnesiacs marching towards the Somme

The first 26-County commemoration of the Battle of the Somme was held in Dublin at the weekend, with representatives from all the major political parties in the North in attendance.

The Framing of Michael McKevitt

The Framing of Michael McKevitt, a booklet written by Marcella Sands, sister-in-law of Michael and sister of Bobby Sands, raises serious questions about the activities of MI5 in Ireland, collusion by senior Garda police and a judiciary swayed by political rather than legal argument.

SF Bodenstown address

The text of Sinn Fein’s annual address over the grave of Wolfe Tone at Bodenstown. County Kildare. It was delivered at the weekend by north belfast representative Gerry Kelly.

‘The Wind That Shakes The Barley’

There is a very simple yet powerful and time honoured message in Ken Loach’s new film about the Irish people’s struggle for independence.

Rural decline is a national crisis

The following is the full text of the Michael Davitt Centenary Lecture, given by Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams in Castlebar, County Mayo on Thursday.

Hunger strike deal didn’t exist

Richard O'Rawe's own words show clearly there was no deal during the 1981 hunger strike.

Memorial for an island at peace

Long Kesh is a place apart. Inside and outside its walls it generated great pain, loss and heroism.

Out of the H-blocks came determination

The hunger strike changed the nationalist community forever.

Raymond McCreesh and Patsy O’Hara

This week marked the anniversary of the deaths of the third and fourth of the 1981 hunger strikers to die, Raymond McCreesh and Patsy O'Hara.

Making politics work

Ian Paisley will be conscious of the irony involved in Sinn Fein going to Stormont to have him elected as First Minister.

Bombing victims’ relatives need answers now

Today is a day many people recall with feelings of sadness and anger as well as a strong desire for the truth.

Francis Hughes - a fearless soldier

Twenty five years ago on Friday, Francis Hughes, one of the most fearless and courageous IRA Volunteers to emerge out of the current phase in the Republican Struggle, lost his life after 59 days on Hunger Strike in Long Kesh.

US action alerts

Action alerts on behalf the mcAllister family and the Rossport Five

Bobby Sands - 1981-2006

Bobby Sands died 25 years ago today, the first of ten to die while on hunger strike against the British policy of criminalising the republican struggle. It is a day of mourning for all Irish republicans.

The Truth

The victims group An Fhirinne is appealing to the families of people who were victims of British state killings or collusion to help complete its database.

Michael Davitt

May 2006 marks the centenary of the death of Michael Davitt, nationalist, trade unionist, agrarian agitator and founder of the National Land League.

Remembering Tom Barry

Gerry Kelly spoke on Sunday at the annual Crossbarry commemoration, remembering the British Army operation of 1921 which set out to eliminate Tom Barry’s famous Third West Cork Flying column.

Siobhan O’Hanlon - a tribute

We shall benefit from the work Siobhan O'Hanlon did in her life - in the freedom struggle, in the peace process, in the bridges she built.

Proclamation at ‘heart and soul’ of republic

An edited version of the address by Sinn Féin’s Gerry Adams at the annual Easter commemoration in Belfast.

Easter 1916

Just before noon on Easter Monday, April 24th, a group of 150 men strode out of Liberty Hall in Dublin, then marched toward Sackville Street (now O’Connell Street) a few hundred yards away.

A possible end to the political impasse

For the first time this week the notion of a ‘Plan B’ emerged.

Uncanny parallel to Tan War

A review of the new book, 'The Origins and Organisation of British Propaganda in Ireland 1920', by Brian P Murphy.

A republican who could not be bought

A historian is aiming to rediscover the story of an Irishwoman whose courage saved the leaders of a rebellion in 1803.

October 16, 2021