Irish Republican News: Archives

There have been calls for sectarian parades to be banned from Derry after an inflammatory display by a loyalist flute band led to three nights of serious disorder this week.

Sinn Féin’s message of defiance to Johnson

At the annual hunger strike commemoration organised by Sinn Féin, party MEP Martina Anderson told the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson that his government’s “days in Ireland are numbered”.

Tory ‘War Cabinet’ sets scene for violence

A so-called War Cabinet has been formed by the new British prime minister, Boris Johnson to aggressively force Ireland to accept a hardening and reinforcement of Britain’s century-old border across the island.

New Direct Ruler arrives in Ireland

The new British Direct Ruler, Julian Smith, has received a mixed response from Sinn Féin ahead of his arrival in Belfast to take control of British government operations in the north of Ireland.

The face of ‘the Twelfth’

A savage sectarian attack in County Down has left a man fighting for his life.

UVF's gun law at hate bonfires

The UVF’s reign of terror in east Belfast appears intact after it forced a humiliating climbdown by Belfast City Council over an illegal bonfire which had forced the closure of a leisure centre.

Inquiry ordered into state collusion in murder campaign

Following a damning judgement at the Court of Appeal in Belfast earlier today [Friday], the PSNI has been forced into establishing an independent investigation into the British state’s role in a killing machine that left more than a hundred people dead.

SF pays tribute to PIRA ceasefire leader

Former Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams delivered the graveside oration at the funeral of the former chief of staff of the Provisional IRA, Kevin McKenna, who passed away earlier in the week at the age of 74. In his address, Mr Adams hailed the pivotal figure as “a republican soldier who had the politics to know when to fight, and the political vision to know when to talk”.

Unite Ireland so we can have Brexit, say Tory members

There has been a welcome in Ireland for the result of a survey of Britain’s ruling Conservative Party which revealed that most of its members would be willing to see Irish reunification if it meant that England could leave the European Union. The poll puts the Tories completely at odds with their DUP allies in the London government.

Final journey for IRA legend

Thousands lined the streets of west Belfast today as republicans from across Ireland gathered to pay tribute to Provisional IRA founder Billy McKee, a man who dedicated most of his life to the cause of freedom and lead the defence of the nationalist people at a time of their greatest need.

Malicious agenda beaten

Two investigative journalists have accused the PSNI of “malicious intent” after a bogus case against them in relation to a documentary on collusion in the north of Ireland was finally dropped.

British general derided at massacre inquest

A claim that the British Army “don’t do conspiracies” by one its most infamous liars, General Mike Jackson, drew derision and frustration in equal measure at the inquest into the Ballymurphy massacre this week.

INLA leader laid to rest

Several thousand people attended the west Belfast funeral of leading republican socialist ‘Marty Mac’ Martin McElkerney on Wednesday. A former PoW, Mr McElkerney was closely involved in the IRSP’s peace strategy after being released from Long Kesh prison in 2000 under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.

Euro election could make history

Sinn Féin’s European election candidate in the Six Counties, Martina Anderson, clashed with hardline unionist Jim Allister on live television as campaigning for the European elections to be held across Ireland reached a climax.

Optimism urged for new talks process

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has said she believes an agreement can be reached after round-table five-party talks began in Belfast this week for the first time in more than a year.

Unionist hardliners count the cost

A second day of counting in the local elections has confirmed that the traditional unionist vote is well down across the Six Counties, while the moderate Alliance Party are the main beneficiaries of the election.

‘New IRA’ accepts blame for riot death

The ‘New IRA’ has admitted it was behind the gun attack on the PSNI that led to the death of journalist Lyra McKee during a riot in Derry last week.

‘Senseless’

There have been appeals for calm following the tragic death of a journalist during heavy rioting in a republican area of Derry on Thursday night.

No restriction on armed PSNI crossing border

An extraordinary incident involving Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has forced the Dublin government to confirm that heavily armed members of the British Crown Forces are routinely making incursions into all areas of the 26 Counties without any checks or controls.

Irish are ‘second class citizens’ in new GFA breach

The British government has provoked anger after it said Irish citizens born in the north of Ireland cannot vote in a unity border poll or any other referendum under British law, and cannot have the same rights as other EU citizens.

Standing up to the Fascists

The people of the border communities in Ireland are today demonstrating against the demands of the unionist far right as Britain moves closer to a crash exit from the European Union and a remilitarisation of the border area across Ireland from April 12.

One million attend anti-Brexit march in London

A huge protest against Brexit in London today is thought to be one of the biggest in British history.

Soldier F - A Bloody Sunday scapegoat

The British government is seeking to maintain a cover-up of the Bloody Sunday massacre after it was announced that only one soldier will be prosecuted for the killings.

Obscenity

Widespread revulsion has greeted a statement by the British Direct Ruler Karen Bradley that killings by members of the Crown Forces in the north of Ireland are “not crimes”.

‘We won’

The Supreme Court in London has unanimously backed the appeal by the family of Pat Finucane against the refusal of the British government to carry out a proper inquiry into his 1989 murder by state agents.

MI5’s plan to foment civil war

A film which exposes a horrific plot to massacre Catholic children and nuns at a school has premiered in Belfast. It also reveals the rationale behind MI5’s most shocking target.

Hamilton - the face of collusion in 2019?

PSNI chief George Hamilton stands accused of subverting justice in regard to dozens of loyalist killings in the late 1980s and early 1990s after secret police documents relating to collusion unexpectedly came to light.

‘Dial moving’ for a border poll

There are signs of a growing acceptance in London that a referendum on unity in the Six Counties will be required in the circumstances of Britain’s departure from the EU.

Help sought from America as Tories bin peace deal

US Congressmen could once again be called on to act in support of peace in Ireland after the British government openly reneged on a deal to prevent a hard border after Brexit.

A century of armed struggle

A spectacular bomb attack at Derry courthouse last weekend followed by a series of hoaxes appears designed to deliver a message about the continuing ability of the ‘new IRA’ to carry on its armed campaign.

British military reinforcements for Brexit

Plans are in train to send British Army Reservists to the north of Ireland to deal with the consequences of a crash Brexit at the end of March.

Judge ‘protects his paymasters’

A coroner has somehow found no evidence of collusion in the notorious murder of a nationalist pensioner who was shot dead by loyalists as her home was being actively surveilled by the British Army.

MI5 ‘tampered with Enniskillen bomb’ - STATE PAPERS

British intelligence knew in advance about the Enniskillen bombing of 1987 and altered the timing to kill civilians and create a “massive backlash” against the IRA, according to an anonymous letter by an MI5 agent, written 30 years ago and declassified this week in Dublin.

The new Land War

A country farmhouse in County Roscommon became a battle zone last week after a brutal and illegal eviction of a farming family by hired loyalist mercenaries was dramatically overturned by a “flying column” of anti-eviction activists. The perpetrators were beaten or put to flight, and their vehicles torched.

‘The Irish should know their place’

Some British politicians have grown resentful of Ireland’s influence throughout Brexit talks, says the BBC, as fears mount that a deal that will prevent a remilitarisation of the border will not be agreed in time.

Fury as top Tory warns: ‘We can starve the Irish’

Anglo-Irish relations are at their worst in decades after a senior British Tory MP suggested using the possibility of food shortages in Ireland to coerce negotiators into dropping their opposition to the remilitarisation of the border area after Brexit.

Emotions run high as new group holds meetings

A debate on abortion legislation in the Dublin parliament has seen a bitter attack by Sinn Fein TDs against former comrades as a potentially damaging split in the party continues to grow.

The Border ‘will be maintained by the gun’

Amid a hostile reaction by unionist politicians to a draft Brexit deal, one TUV politician has warned that the border through Ireland will be “maintained by the gun”.

DUP MPs told to ‘get over yourselves’

The DUP leadership is completely at odds with civic unionism after a draft Brexit deal won praise across the north of Ireland, particularly from farmers and business interests who see significant advantages in proposed arrangements to facilitate trade with both Britain and the EU.

Save ‘Our Precious Union’ from Brexit - DUP

The paradox of the unstoppable force of Brexit and the DUP’s immovable intransigence may be resolved within days amid reports of a looming showdown between the British Prime Minister and the DUP.

‘Shitshows’ by Brexit Brits

British government ministers are treating the north of Ireland as a colonial outpost which must be visited, however briefly, in order to maintain the validity of their jurisdiction.

Higgins re-elected as President

Michael D Higgins will serve another seven year term as President of Ireland as tallies and early results in Friday’s Presidential election bore out the results of two exit polls which last night indicated he is set to be elected on the first count.

Brexit tensions ratchet higher

Concerns are growing that a failure to negotiate a solution to the issue of the border after Brexit could spark a return of serious violence in the north of Ireland.

Scotland marches for freedom

Over 120,000 people joined a march for Scottish independence through Edinburgh last Saturday in the largest ever march about the issue.

Foster’s blood and thunder

DUP leader Arlene Foster has described her party’s opposition to a deal in Brexit negotiations that would result in new checks on goods moving across the Irish Sea as a “red line” that is “blood red”.

No compensation for Bloody Sunday

A damages payment to a survivor of the British Army’s Bloody Sunday massacre is being seen as a step towards the goal of achieving real justice for the victims, rather than compensation.

May heads for the cliff

An aggressive and staunchly unionist speech has increased fears that British Prime Minister Theresa May is prepared to ignore warnings and crash Britain out of the European Union early next year.

Gangsters

Over a thousand people marched in Dublin on Wednesday after the new Garda Commissioner colluded with hired thugs in an attempt to suppress opposition to the government’s housing policy.

‘Ignorant’ Bradley blocks court-ordered election

After admitting to a parliamentary magazine that she hadn’t understood how the North of Ireland is divided politically, British Direct Ruler Karen Bradley has introduced legislation at Westminster to halt Six County Assembly elections until 2019.

Journalists seized in PSNI’s war on truth

The PSNI stand accused of once again actively colluding in a loyalist massacre by directing the arrest of two award-winning investigative journalists who worked to expose the truth behind the 1994 Loughinisland killings.

Oppression ‘backfiring’ on PSNI

With incidents of harassment by the PSNI rising significantly, a report for the Stormont administration has admitted that the abuse of stop and search powers is actually bolstering support for republican groups in Derry.

Omagh’s appalling vista

There has been an outcry after former Police Ombudsman Nuala O’Loan hinted at a police cover-up and said she was certain the PSNI (then RUC) ‘could have prevented’ the 1998 Omagh bomb attack, in which 29 civilians died.

Britain gears up for Brexit oppression

A new border zone is being set up by the British government in which military and customs officials would have additional powers to stop, search and interrogate members of the public within a mile-wide strip across Ireland.

Sinn Fein wavers on border poll

Sinn Fein has denied media claims of internal disagreements after a significant shift in the party’s attitude on Irish reunification was unveiled by party leader Mary Lou McDonald on Monday but largely recanted less than 24 hours later.

Protestants ‘must be protected’ in United Ireland

Former DUP leader Peter Robinson has said he believes reunification could happen because of Brexit and has called for a debate on “protections” for the unionist community.

UVF handed PSNI database

In a major incident of potential collusion, elements within the PSNI have passed on to loyalist paramilitaries the details and electronic data of hundreds of people who they have been spying on.

PSNI raids follow peace rally

The homes of republican youths in Derry are currently the focus of a PSNI crackdown following several nights of clashes around a major sectarian parade through the city centre.

Savagery of bonfire thugs

A Catholic man was dragged from his car and severely beaten in broad daylight in a rabid attack by loyalist thugs enraged by the failure of their bonfire nearby. It is believed the victim was attacked randomly and was only identified as Catholic by the football jersey he was wearing.

Collusion monster is Garda Commissioner

Widespread shock at the appointment of a sinister RUC figure as 26 County Garda police commissioner has been followed by a row after Sinn Fein vowed to “hold him to account”.

Sham prosecution falls apart

A judge in the non-jury trial of a prominent republican has admitted the prosecution was based entirely on allegations extracted by police threats and ordered him to be released, more than five and a half years after he was initially charged.

Royal visit denounced as one-sided, anti-republican

The latest visit by British royals to Ireland has once again sown division among nationalists and republicans.

Robinson backs ‘fixed’ border polls

Peter Robinson, the former leader of the hardline unionist DUP, has suggested agreement on a strategy for phased reunification could allow him to support a Six County referendum on unity.

‘The North is next’

The issue of women’s rights and access to abortion are now being placed alongside calls for same-sex marriage as part of an equality agenda being opposed by unionists.

‘New politics’ brings historic change

An overwhelming vote in favour of repealing the 8th amendment of the Irish constitution has opened the way for the liberalisation of Ireland’s abortion laws, with a final result of 66.4% to 33.6%.

May runs away from border poll

Theresa May has privately ruled out a vote on Irish unity within the north of Ireland because it could produce a majority in favour, according to leaked reports from a secret Tory briefing.

British soldiers gloat over massacre

Former members of the British Crown Forces have been sharing photographs of the assassinated IRA Volunteers of Loughgall and gloating about how they held “parties” in the van in which three of the martyrs were killed, it has emerged.

Lives of Irish women sold out by the state

A dodgy deal for cut-price cancer tests and a subsequent cover-up wrecked the health of hundreds of Irish women over the past decade, with 17 deaths attributed to the scandal.

Sinn Fein accused of ‘political oppression’

The PSNI have taken to using saws and battering rams in raids on the homes of republican activists in Derry following appeals by Sinn Fein for “tangible action” against armed groups in the city.

Britain launches ‘Border Force’

A new ‘Border Force’ recruitment drive is being seen as the latest sign that the British government is planning to impose a hard border across Ireland after Brexit, and the manner of its implementation is in line with the extreme right-wing policies of the British government’s Home Office.

IRSP HQ raided

The headquarters of the Irish Republican Socialist Party were raided by the PSNI police on Friday in the latest show of strength by the Crown forces against republicans in Belfast and Derry.

PSNI oppression fails to halt Rising commemorations

A 76-year-old woman injured during a Crown Force operation to disrupt an Easter 1916 commemoration in Lurgan has come to symbolise the defiance of republicans against a new effort to disrupt republican Easter parade colour parties.

Easter commemoration attacked by PSNI

The PSNI have this afternoon attacked an Easter commemoration in Lurgan, County Armagh, injuring a woman and dramatically raising tensions ahead of a weekend of commemorative events.

Hand over inquest funds, court orders

In an emphatic ruling, a High Court judge has issued a “mandatory order” to civil servants in Belfast and London to provide long-denied funds for legacy inquests in the North of Ireland.

Taoiseach plays the gombeen for Trump

The 26 County Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is facing calls to resign after he bragged about how he subverted the state’s planning process on behalf of Donald Trump’s business interests during the traditional St Patrick’s Day lunch in Washington DC.

DUP looks to London

Sinn Fein has warned that the DUP has “checked out” of any attempt to restore the powersharing institutions in Belfast as the Tory government in London introduced an effective Direct Rule budget for the North of Ireland.

‘Action needed’ from British as DUP dump process

Details of a draft talks agreement on the restoration of powersharing between Sinn Fein and the DUP have exposed the opposition of powerful unionist hardliners to even the most moderate accommodation with nationalism.

DUP can’t tolerate Irish

There is mounting concern that unionists in the north of Ireland are incapable of treating nationalists with respect after the DUP suddenly backed away from a deal which would have legislated for the rights for Irish language speakers.

Adams: ‘I did my best’

As he hands over the reins to Mary Lou McDonald, Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams has been giving interviews and facing a welter of last-minute criticism from his political opponents.

Haggarty to go free in brazen cover-up

There was widespread shock this week after it was confirmed that loyalist Special Branch double agent Gary Haggarty could be freed within weeks despite pleading guilty to five murders, five attempted murders and hundreds of other crimes.

ONH ceasefire welcomed

Oglaigh na hEireann (ONH) have confirmed no immediate plans to decommission their weapons following the breakaway IRA group’s announcement that it is to “suspend all armed actions against the British State”.

McDonald confirmed as next leader of Sinn Fein

Mary Lou McDonald will succeed Gerry Adams as Sinn Fein leader, the party has confirmed, and will formally ascend to the leadership at a special Ard Fheis [conference] next month.

‘Thanks for eternity’

Tributes have been paid to Rosaleen Sands, the mother of hunger striker and MP Bobby Sands, who passed away on Friday.

DUP ‘in denial’

The DUP has been accused of not facing reality after the hardline unionist party called for a return of full Direct Rule of the north of Ireland from London, and condemned comments by the 26 County Taoiseach that he supports a united Ireland.

Adams seen ready to end conflict in 1987

The Dublin government’s first intelligence on Sinn Fein’s peace initiative of 1987 claimed that Gerry Adams disapproved of some IRA actions and that the Sinn Fein leader saw the armed struggle as a “political liability”.

Britain’s Brexit lies

There was outrage in Ireland this week as British negotiators backed away from commitments on the Irish border reached in a deal with the European Union on the terms of its departure.

Smokescreen hides Brexit border chasm

A tsunami of spin in regards to the Irish border has scraped the British government into a second round of negotiations with the European Union over its departure, but at the expense of any confidence in the negotiations process.

Brexidiots

The failure of the British body politic to understand the implications of reinforcing the border through Ireland has dominated news coverage at a critical juncture in the negotiations over Britain’s departure from the EU.

Election likely as Varadkar defends disgraced Minister

The 26 County minority government could collapse on Tuesday after Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar refused to back down over a motion of no confidence in the deputy prime minister, Tanaiste Frances Fitzgerald.

45 years for the truth

Rulings that the murder of 11-year-old British Army victim Francis Rowntree was ‘not justified’ and that the rubber bullets fired at him were lethal have been widely welcomed, although 45 years late and following the recent death of his mother.

RSF figure ordered held without trial

A prominent Armagh republican, Gabriel Mackle, has been interned on the orders of the British Direct Ruler James Brokenshire.

An end to the Good Friday Agreement?

An attempt to inject urgency into the Stormont talks process this week failed to resolve a stand-off over the Democratic Unionist Party’s refusal to implement past agreements on equality and respect for nationalists, leading to speculation that the process has reached an endpoint.

Saoradh leaders held in raids

Saoradh has protested against the detention of its chairperson, national organiser and two Belfast activists, after they were seized in early morning raids on Thursday.

Britain ready for border conflict

The British government has said it is ready to send British soldiers into Irish border areas if Britain leaves the EU without a Brexit deal.

UVF case abandoned

Another loyalist ‘supergrass’ case has collapsed with the news that not one of the loyalists or Special Branch police named in court by informer Gary Haggarty will face prosecution.

‘Long live Catalonia’

Irish nationalists have united in solidarity with Catalonia and in condemnation of the attempted suppression of this week’s independence poll.

Catholics free ‘shared community’

Catholic families in a cross-community housing development in Belfast have been ordered to leave their homes in a sectarian threat from the unionist paramilitary UVF.

‘Freedom for Catalonia’

A sudden and violent attempt to suppress the Catalan independence movement by the Madrid government has shocked those struggling for self-determination across the world.

Injustice upon injustice in supergrass ‘trial’

There have been protests against the planned use of a paid informer in the non-jury trial of republican political activist Kevin Braney, the chairperson of Saoradh in Dublin.

Coalition closer as Adams to step back

Sinn Fein’s Gerry Adams has made the first step in his gradual withdrawal from front-line politics in a historic shift which he believes will help pave the way for a new generation of party leaders.

Glenanne plot ‘went to the top’

A former RUC police officer this week said he believed the British government was aware of the activities of the Glenanne Gang’s death squads at the very highest level.

Loyalist bid to ‘cleanse’ Derry’s Waterside

Five Catholic and mixed families have been forced out of their homes in Derry amid a pogrom by loyalist paramilitaries in the predominately Protestant Waterside area of the city.

Brexit blame game underway

Claims by the British government that they wish to impose no additional border reinforcements in Ireland following their departure from the European Union are being treated with scepticism.

Youths riot over bonfire raids

A one-sided approach by council authorities to bonfires has been blamed for a riotous conflagration in nationalist areas of Belfast city centre this week which threatened to reignite conflict at sectarian interfaces in the city.

Historic Dáil document on peaceful unification

An Irish parliamentary report on achieving Irish unity has placed the republican goal of a united Ireland in the context of 26 County constitutional parliamentary politics for the first time.

PSNI’s Glenanne cover-up fails

In a dramatic vindication for the grieving families, the High Court in Belfast has accepted that the PSNI wrecked an investigation into collusion by Britain in the notorious Glenanne Gang, which was responsible for killing 130 Catholics.

Orange Order not shamed by hate fiesta

The Orange Order has refused to apologise after photographs emerged of supporters in Scotland wearing bizarre and shocking costumes expressing racist and sectarian hate.

Sickening sectarianism

The Democratic Unionist Party has caused a furore by issuing conflicting statements about the burning of a coffin effigy of the late Sinn Fein leader Martin McGuinness on a loyalist bonfire in east Belfast on Tuesday.

Culture of hate

Stung by criticism that it has conspired in loyalist paramilitary crime, Belfast city councillors have now attempted to limit the size of four ‘Eleventh Night’ bonfires, despite having previously funded and supported the infamously sectarian displays.

DUP triumphant as peace deal is shredded

A deal between the Tories and the Democratic Unionist Party could allow the unionist hardliners to control British policy in the north of Ireland for the lifetime of the current Westminster parliament.

‘Brexit to them gently’

English royals Elizabeth and Charles Windsor have delivered the legislative agenda of the presumptive minority government in London for the next two years which revolves around its uncertain plans to withdraw from the European Union.

Peace warnings as May plays the Orange card

An attempt by British Prime Minister Theresa May to placate the North of Ireland parties over her plans to form a pact with hardline unionists saw Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams tell her that her government is “in clear breach of the Good Friday Agreement”.

The devil and the DUP

Sinn Fein has played down the impact of a deal between unionists and Conservatives as it emerged the Democratic Unionist Party will support a minority Tory government in London.

Brazen murder as UDA rewards DUP with election support

A brutal murder by the unionist paramilitary UDA of a feud rival and its subsequent election endorsement of the DUP has dramatically raised the issue of collusion between unionist politicians and loyalist murder gangs ahead of next week’s Westminster election.

Rogue statelet

The collapse of the trial of notorious Irish bankster Sean FitzPatrick has increased suspicions that the 26 County state is deliberately facilitating white collar crime.

Varadkar set to become next Taoiseach

The current Minister for Social Protection Leo Varadkar looks well placed to win the Fine Gael leadership contest and take over as head of the Dublin government.

Peace messages and protest amid royal tour

A visit by British royals to Ireland has again polarised republicans, with protests organised as leading Sinn Fein figures greeted Charles Windsor and his wife Camilla.

ONH denies ceasefire reports

The republican armed group known as Oglaigh na hEireann has denied reports that it is involved in talks with the British or 26 County governments or that it is on the verge of disbanding.

EU backs united Ireland plan

An official statement by the European Union that it will accept a future united Ireland into the EU has been cautiously welcomed by republicans as bringing international diplomatic recognition for impending Irish unification.

Talks abandoned until after Westminster election

Crisis talks in the north of Ireland have been suspended until June following the decision of the British Prime Minister to call a snap general election, an unexpected move which angered politicians in Belfast and cast new uncertainty over the future of Stormont and its powersharing institutions.

‘Clear names of Scap’s victims’

Sinn Fein has been urged to exonerate those republicans and others who were executed as ‘informers’ on the orders of a British double agent operating inside the Provisional IRA.

Kenny’s Brexit breakdown

The Dublin government’s failure to secure any kind of veto for Ireland in the negotiations following Brexit has been strongly criticised as a dereliction of its duties.

Hope for Ireland as Brexit gets real

Despite the Brexit process, the north of Ireland could remain in the European Union pending a unity referendum, according to papers published this week by a European Parliament committee.

‘Freedom fighter’

Grief turned to pride for Sinn Fein this week as tens of thousands paid their respects to a leader who came to symbolise peace in Ireland and the process through which the Provisional IRA gave birth to a political powerhouse.

National rights denied as Tories assert English rule

There has been an angry response in both Ireland and Scotland after British Prime Minister Theresa May said she would block referendums on Irish unity and Scottish independence following the Brexit vote to leave the European Union.

Growing consensus that time has come for unity

There have been vocal and widespread calls for Irish reunification in the face of the British government’s determination to leave the European Union and a historic election result last week which has delivered unprecedented political strength for nationalism and Sinn Fein.

Election transformation

Thursday’s election has significantly altered the make-up of politics in the north of Ireland as a more focussed and energised Sinn Fein enticed republican voters back to the polls and historically ended the unionist majority at Stormont.

DUP face day of reckoning

The north’s largest unionist party is increasingly fearful ahead of next month’s Stormont Assembly election amid predictions that it could fall below the thirty seats it needs to hold on to its veto over political change in the north of Ireland.

Kenny facing heave after ‘shambolic’ episode

The 26 County Taoiseach Enda Kenny is struggling to retain the leadership of his Fine Gael party after his ponderous and contradictory responses to allegations of a smear campaign against a Garda police whistleblower.

Westminster vote undermines 1998 peace deal

In a potentially historic development, the London parliament has voted to allow the British government renege on the 1998 Good Friday peace agreement as part of its negotiations to leave the European Union.

‘Frictionless’ border checks as Britain waives the rules

The British government appears to be planning a return of customs controls across the Six County border and may even be hoping to push all of Ireland out of the EU following hardline statements on its Brexit plans this week.

PSNI man shot as tensions mount in Belfast

The ‘New IRA’ has claimed responsibility for the ambush of a PSNI patrol in North Belfast on Sunday in which a member of the force was struck twice. The attack, which took place on the Crumlin Road close to a north Belfast interface left the victim with injuries to his arm.

McGuinness bows out

An emotional Martin McGuinness has said he wants to become an ambassador for peace after the former Sinn Fein deputy First Minister quit electoral politics this week due to ill-health.

Crisis talks fail, election due

The north of Ireland is inexorably heading for an election following the resignation of Sinn Fein’s Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness and the failure of last-minute talks efforts by the two governments.

Stormont in the balance as DUP defy corruption scandal

Sinn Fein has issued repeated warnings that the Six County institutions are now at a “defining point” after the unionist First Minister Arlene Foster again refused to step down over allegations that she and her Democratic Unionist Party orchestrated the enrichment of insiders, supporters and party donors through a bogus ‘green energy’ scheme.

Making hope and hunger rhyme

The centenary year of the 1916 Rising ends with new optimism over a campaign of direct action against inequality headed by a motley group of musicians, actors and writers. However, the sight of thousands of people braving the cold to receive food handouts in Dublin and Limerick has highlighted the scale of the challenge.

Sinn Fein could turn against corrupt DUP

Over a thousand people have attended protests in Belfast and Derry calling for DUP leader Arlene Foster to resign as Six County First Minister after a public display of DUP infighting over corruption allegations.

Process in crisis as Stormont rots

There are concerns over the political direction in the north of Ireland after a video emerged which appears to show a heavily armed breakaway IRA unit on patrol in north Belfast -- in the same week that the police confirmed that unionist paramilitary activities are being illegally funded from Stormont.

Adams hits back after e-mail ‘leak’

Sinn Fein’s Gerry Adams is facing another battery of accusations and condemnations after it emerged that earlier this year he emailed the names of four senior republicans allegedly involved in an unsanctioned 1983 IRA killing to the Garda police Commissioner.

PSNI ‘targeting our kids’

There was outrage in west Belfast this week after a ten year old girl was pictured being harassed by the PSNI.

Extradition ordered over 1996 PIRA attack

The High Court in Dublin has ordered the extradition of a man accused of being involved in a Provisional IRA mortar attack on a British army barracks in Germany 20 years ago.

Discretion trumps all

Despite consternation and disbelief in Ireland at the result of the US Presidential election, political leaders including 26 County Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams were among those to congratulate Donald Trump this week on his election as US President.

Sinn Fein ‘faces immense challenge’ on Brexit

There was a potentially significant development in the Brexit crisis this week when Sinn Fein’s Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness, refused to rule out his party taking up its four seats in Westminster ahead of a potentially critical vote on the issue in the London parliament.

Death of a traitor

The lonely death of an IRA informer has drawn attention to the contempt which British agencies hold for those who have betrayed their own communities to take the queen’s shilling.

Child’s political conviction over water protest

There have been international protests after a judge in Dublin convicted a 15-year-old boy of illegally “imprisoning” the Irish Tanaiste [Deputy Prime Minister] by peacefully demonstrating against water charges in front of her police-escorted car.

Shifting lines as Brexit tempo increases

The first shot in Britain’s departure from the EU has been fired across Irish bows after its governor in the north of Ireland, James Brokenshire, said Ireland should form part of Britain’s new immigration controls.

Tories lurch towards the extreme

British Prime Minister Theresa May has drawn comparisons to Margaret Thatcher after she outright rejected Irish and Scottish concerns over Brexit and moved to quash the right of Irish and other EU citizens to live and work in Britain and the north of Ireland.

Orange parade ‘returns’ after 3 years

An Orange Order parade was forced through the greater Ardoyne area in north Belfast on Saturday morning, October 1, amid a military-style policing operation and a bitter war of words among nationalists.

Soldiers reveals spying, shoot-to-kill bid

A former British army soldier has admitted he planted listening devices in the homes of senior politicians in the north of Ireland, years after the 1994 ceasefires and some still thought to be in use today.

Adams and McGuinness reveal timescale to quit

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams has announced that he will step down from his leadership role as part of the party’s ten year plan. Mr Adams indicated a time frame within ten years for his departure as party president, and confirmed that it was a matter of not ‘if, but when’.

PSNI accused after CS gas death

A man from a well-known republican family died at the hands of the PSNI on Thursday amid a new wave of police harassment and abuses in Belfast.

Fake economy exposed by Apple tax ‘windfall’

The Dublin government is the subject of anger and ridicule after it defended illegal tax dodges by multinational corporations and rejected a European ruling that it receive up to 13 billion euro in unpaid taxes from US corporation, Apple.

‘Don’t take them down’

The chairman of a County Antrim Gaelic sports club has resigned after it voted to remove entrance gates dedicated to the memory of two Irish War of Independence martyrs in order to secure a grant from a unionist-controlled council.

Sinister agenda sees McKay ousted

Senior Sinn Fein political figure Daithi McKay, who worked to expose wrongdoing in the murky world of Ireland’s NAMA property deals, could end up being the only direct casualty of the scandal following his forced resignation this week.

Feud fears as Stormont cosies up to killers

The Six County administration in Belfast has been accused of sustaining loyalist criminality following the murder of a former UDA leader by a rival loyalist gang.

Loyalist parade intimidation ends

Three years of nightly loyalist disturbances in north Belfast appear to be at an end after a group of Orangemen said they have suspended their attempts to march into the republican Ardoyne area.

Kenny ‘flip flops’ with push for border controls

Sinn Fein’s Gerry Adams has expressed his party’s dismay after a meeting on Brexit between the 26 County Taoiseach Enda Kenny and the new British Prime Minister Theresa May focused exclusively on the imposition of new customs and immigration controls along the Irish border.

Changed utterly? Party leaders accept reunification drive

In a potentially historic advance, the Irish Taoiseach and the leader of the largest opposition party in the Dublin parliament have both said they recognise the prospect of a referendum to bring about Irish reunification.

Councillor attacked at Ballycastle parade

Independent nationalist councillor Padraig McShane was attacked and left bleeding from his head in the most serious incident arising from the ‘Twelfth’ parades by the anti-Catholic Orange Order on Tuesday.

Unionists ‘veto’ Irish Brexit forum

Sinn Fein has called on the Taoiseach to press ahead with a plan to convene a national, all-Ireland forum on dealing with the fallout of the British vote to leave the EU.

Unionists fear unity, demand border troops

Unionists have expressed concern at a renewed support for Irish nationalism and republicanism following the result of the recent British referendum to leave the European Union.

Disunited Kingdom

Pressure for Irish reunification is at its highest in a generation after a shock ‘Leave’ result in the British referendum on the European Union is set to force the north of Ireland out of the EU and could bring a virtual iron curtain down across the island of Ireland.

MP killed for ‘British freedom’

The British political system has lurched into crisis following the murder of a progressive MP and embittered exchanges ahead of this weeks’s referendum on EU membership. Campaigning in the referendum, which could have profound significance for Ireland and Scotland, has been suspended.

Brexit: Ireland’s opportunity?

Loyalties are divided among Irish republicans over the ‘Brexit’ referendum as a new battle over Britain’s place in Europe brings the potential for a period of significant political change in Ireland and Britain.

The new heavy gangs

Masked gangs are now evicting people from their homes in the 26 Counties at the behest of international vulture funds, who have ordered a wave of repossessions to extract profit from their newly acquired loan books.

Gardaí in crisis

As ordinary Gardai police struggle to contain the escalating gangland war, Garda chiefs have been warned by a policing watchdog that public trust in the force is fading over repeated scandals and failures.

SDLP quits Stormont Executive

The SDLP has quit the devolved administration in the Six Counties in the latest development to hit the formation of a new Executive in the North.

Stormont resumes with UUP as ‘Official Opposition’

The leader of the unionist DUP, Arlene Foster, and Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness have been formally returned as the Six County First Minister and Deputy First Minister respectively ahead of formulating a ‘Programme for Government’ for the Stormont Executive.

Protest vote ‘cannot be ignored’

The final results of the Stormont election show a small drop in support for Sinn Fein and the rival nationalist SDLP, and no change at all for the unionists, with the Green Party and socialist People before Profit making small gains.

First steps to ‘Fianna Gael’ coalition deal

Two months after the general election, the two largest parties in the 26 Counties have reached a potentially historic agreement to form a minority government.

Ard Fheis targets coalition talks

The Sinn Fein annual conference is taking place this weekend with the party facing an election to the Belfast Assembly early next month and a potential second general election to the Leinster House parliament in Dublin. Over 2,500 delegates are attending the annual conference in the Convention Centre in Dublin.

Family walks out of inquest over delays, secrecy

The family of the Sinn Fein official turned informer, Denis Donaldson, have walked out of the inquest process after police stalling tactics led to his inquest being adjourned for the 19th time.

The uncivil war

After weeks of shadow-boxing and pretence, a blistering row between the Fianna Fail and Fine Gael leaderships suggests that it is unlikely that any pact will be agreed soon to form a new government in Dublin.

Spirit of 1916 reclaimed?

In a remarkable weekend of events to mark the centenary of the Easter Rising, Irish president Michael D Higgins called for Irish people to take responsibility for building ‘a true Republic’. However, republican commemorations heard condemnations of the 26 County state for continuing to ‘turn its back’ on the people of the Six Counties.

Symbolic shift in west Belfast

There has been an outcry over the destruction of a republican mural of IRA Volunteer Kieran Nugent who started the blanket protest in the H-Blocks of Long Kesh. It was replaced with a mural depicting unionist leader Edward Carson.

Triumph as 1916 battle site is saved

In a landmark victory for republican heritage campaigners, a High Court judge has granted that a number of buildings on and around Dublin’s Moore Street are a battlefield site worthy of the designation of national monument.

Government on hold

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny has formally taken on the role of Acting Taoiseach until a new government is formed in Dublin or, as appears increasingly likely, a second general election takes place.

Parties wary after ‘fundamental realignment’

Following an election count which lasted six days, the new Dublin parliament will meet next Thursday to elect a new Taoiseach, although no new government is expected to be formed for several weeks.

Sinn Fein ‘has broken the duopoly’

Prominent figures in the Dublin government are set to lose their seats as early estimates from the count centres have borne out exit poll predictions that revealed a last-minute swing back to the opposition parties and independents, with Sinn Fein now in a pivotal position.

Smears and set-ups by government and media

The coalition government has been accused of resorting to a campaign of scare tactics and media manipulation as it faces being ousted when votes are counted next weekend.

Drugs gangs run amok

Serious questions have been raised about the handling of policing by Fine Gael’s Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald following two shocking gang-related killings in Dublin..

Inquiry demanded as alleged informer flees

A former commander of the Provisional IRA in Ardoyne has said he has been forced to flee his home after receiving death threats over allegations he was a state agent, which he denies.

British war crime on the Shankill

There has been a shocked reaction to evidence that the 1993 Shankill Road bomb, in which nine civilians and one IRA Volunteer died in a premature explosion, was planned by a double-agent working in concert with the British Crown forces.

It’s 1984, not 2016, in the Irish Police State

The staggering amount of surveillance being undertaken by the authorities in the 26 Counties has been revealed with more than one thousand new spy requests on citizens initiated every month.

Kenny angered by DUP’s centenary snub

In an unusual development in the peace process, Taoiseach Enda Kenny has criticised the new DUP leader Arlene Foster after she denounced commemorations of the 1916 Easter Rising.

A carnival of self-deception

New Year’s Day brought the first official efforts of the year to revise and sanitise the centenary of the 1916 Rising, with the rebels’ goal of an Ireland free from British rule getting airbrushed from the official narrative.

‘End the Kangaroo courts’

Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams has said the use of non-jury trial in the case of a prominent republican accused of tax evasion is “just plain wrong”.

Branch’s dirty war continues

There are fears of continuing ‘dirty tricks’ by the PSNI police after it emerged that four members of its intelligence division concealed information about an attack in which a Catholic member of the force was injured almost six years ago.

‘We will not go away’ - victims

Victims of the conflict in the north of Ireland have directly accused the British government of a “shameful failure” to address the need for truth and justice.

Recriminations continue over talks deal

The PSNI police chief George Hamilton has said his force can’t be blamed for the failures of the ‘Fresh Start’ talks agreement amid angry exchanges over the deal within the nationalist community.

Wave of armed actions

A gun attack on a PSNI patrol in west Belfast has been claimed for the ‘new IRA’ amid a series of alerts and incidents attributed to the breakaway IRA groups.

Fury at ‘Thatcherite’ talks deal

There are fears that this week’s talks agreement represents such a victory for unionist and British negotiators that it could wreck the North’s political process, rather than sustain it.

Humiliation once again

Sinn Fein has accused unionists of embarrassing Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness by making him stand for a rendition of ‘God Save the Queen’ at a Poppy Day event at Stormont.

Robinson under pressure to quit as talks wind down

DUP leader Peter Robinson is likely to resign ‘within weeks’, according to reports, as it emerged that he is to be investigated by the PSNI over comments he made in regard to a property deal nine years ago.

Progressive alliance stumbles

A weak and largely negative response by socialists and social democrats to a vote transfer pact with other progressive election candidates could have opened the door to a further five years of right-wing government in Dublin.

Contradictions multiply at Stormont talks

DUP Ministers suddenly returned to work and multi-party talks have resumed following the publication on Tuesday of a British intelligence report that claims the Provisional IRA, INLA, UVF, UDA and Red Hand Commando all still exist and control arms, but are ‘committed to peace’.

The Loyalist Blackmail Council

A statement issued in the name of the main unionist paramilitary organisations vowing to “eschew all violence and criminality” has been greeted with profound scepticism across the political divide.

UDA ignored as bombers strike again

There has been a deafening silence from unionist leaders in response to a statement attributed to the unionist paramilitary UDA in which it declares it will never “go away”.

PSNI defiant as Adams cleared over 1972 killing

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams has warned there are elements within the PSNI police in the North who are working against his party after it was confirmed he will not be prosecuted in connection with the IRA execution of an alleged informer 43 years ago.

SDLP spells it out

Amid the latest bout of crisis talks in Belfast, SDLP leader Alasdair McDonnell has warned that the Democratic Unionist Party simply don’t want to work with Catholics.

Talks back on track

Sinn Fein has said it is willing to help find a way to deal with armed groups, including former Provisional IRA elements, as it was confirmed that multi-party crisis talks are to go ahead at Stormont next week.

Return to the brink

The cycle of crisis in the north of Ireland lurched towards the farcical this week as the Democratic Unionist Party blustered and threatened but, in the end, fudged an ultimatum to pull down the political institutions over allegations that the Provisional IRA still exists.

Stormont back from the brink

The DUP leader Peter Robinson has offered to take part in a fresh round of multi-party talks as a deep crisis over allegations that the Provisional IRA still exists appears set to extend over a period of weeks or months.

Unionists head for the exit

The devolved administration in the north of Ireland is moving towards collapse as both of the main unionist parties have said they are ready to withdraw from the power-sharing coalition with nationalists.

‘IRA has left the stage’ - Adams

In response to a growing media furore, Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams has insisted that the Provisional IRA were not involved in the killing of Kevin McGuigan in east Belfast earlier this month.

Bomb attack hits MI5 base

The political crisis in the North deepened this week when a bomb attack struck the British Army’s Palace Barracks, the headquarters of MI5 in Ireland.

Anti-internment message ‘must be heard’

Loyalists say they will attempt to block a nationalist civil rights march through Belfast on Sunday. The UDA’s political wing, the UPRG, has threatened to “stop republican scum from marching on the streets of Belfast”.

British Army carry out Derry raids

There has been an angry response after British soldiers mounted raids in Derry’s Galliagh area this week, with Sinn Fein describing them as “unacceptable”.

INLA presence felt at funeral

The attendance of a large colour party at the funeral procession of republican socialist matriarch Peggy O’Hara last weekend has outraged politicians and encouraged the PSNI to make a number of provocative raids, including at the home of the dead woman’s grief-stricken family.

Loyalist gunmen issue threat after riots

Loyalist disturbances have continued in north Belfast since an anti-Catholic Orange Order parade was rerouted from the nationalist Ardoyne area on Monday.

Hatefest

Loyalist intimidation has reached shocking new levels after sectarian graffiti appeared in south Belfast that threatens to ‘crucify’ Catholics, while Nazi flags were erected near a loyalist bonfire site in County Antrim.

Stormont link to secret millions

A senior politician in the north of Ireland has been identified as the recipient of a giant payoff as part of a billion euro property deal which could threaten the continued functioning of the Stormont administration.

Solidarity of the people

The Dublin government has been accused of lining up with the IMF and the EU institutions to inflict further suffering on the Greek people even as it continues to impose further austerity cuts here.

Bigotry after tragedy

Evidence of anti-Irish attitudes in the upper echelons of the US media has shocked the Irish public as it struggles with a disaster in Berkeley, California, that this week claimed the lives of six students and injured a further seven.

‘Open the vaults’

The head of the PSNI police in the north of Ireland, George Hamilton, has said the force has a “vault” of secret information on the conflict in the North but is concerned its release would create a “one sided focus” on the force’s actions.

Bell prosecuted as SF pair acquitted; Fennell bailed

The case against two high-profile Sinn Fein activists accused of IRA membership collapsed this week after key witnesses withdrew their evidence in a dramatic week for republicans in the court.

A secret army of assassins

A new BBC documentary has raised awareness and prompted new questions about the scale and extent of Britain’s use of state agents to kill innocent civilians in Ireland.

Historic step for equality

Ireland has become the first country to legalise same-sex marriage through a popular vote, with indications from all count centres across the country showing ‘Yes’ votes outnumbering ‘No’ votes by about two-to-one.

Finucane sham exposed

Documents presented to a judicial review this week have confirmed that the British government staged a fake ‘review’ three years ago before announcing its predetermined decision to rule out a public inquiry into the killing of Belfast defence lawyer Pat Finucane.

Election nightmare as Tories triumph

The result of the British general election is a setback for Irish republicans with the loss of a key seat to unionists in the North while the Tories under David Cameron secured a slim overall majority in London.

A parliament in denial

With just days to go before a potentially historic Westminster general election, a further rise in support for the Scottish National Party is already creating a crisis in British politics which will likely have implications for Ireland.

Internment fears for residents’ spokesperson

A republican activist who has campaigned against sectarian parades in north Belfast has been arrested and charged in connection with a speech he made at Easter.

Loyalists escalate race violence

There has been a new spate of racist attacks across Belfast, with the Polish community being particularly targeted by loyalists.

Adams shifts stance on ‘border poll’

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams made a call for a “referendum on Irish unity” on Easter Sunday as he spoke at a 1916 commemoration in Roslea, County Fermanagh. He did not specify if the referendum should be a national one or the ‘border poll’ within the Six Counties, as Sinn Fein has previously argued for.

‘Ireland’s Alamo’ saved

There has been a broad welcome for news that the site of the last stand of the 1916 rebels during the Easter Rising is to be bought by the 26 County State for 4 million euro.

Water protests continue amid corruption questions

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

Washington takes a back seat

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

Hope abides for ‘crucified’ Stormont

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

‘Taoiseach or bust’

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

‘Criminals’ and ‘touts’ in south Armagh

Sinn Fein has warned that a lack of confidence in the PSNI police is encouraging illegal activity in border areas.

Kincora victim’s first step

An abuse victim is hopeful after winning the first stage in a battle to have a Westminster parliamentary inquiry look into allegations that senior unionist politicians, businessmen and high-level British state agents connived in a paedophile ring at the notorious Kincora care home in Belfast.

Attack on democracy

A number of children have been arrested in Dublin after being caught up in a shocking crackdown by the 26 County state against anti-austerity protests in the capital.

Prison a ‘pressure cooker’

A republican political prisoner was badly beaten by warders at Maghaberry jail last week following confrontations over new changes to the prison regime.

Turmoil in north Belfast

In a night of drama for north Belfast, Martin Og Meehan, a prominent republican spokesperson in the area, has been dramatically expelled by two organisations for allegedly ‘collaborating with loyalists’.

Britain’s chopper propaganda

A newly-released British military file has finally admitted that a British Army helicopter, said to have crashed in a 1978 air accident, came down trying to avoid IRA gunfire.

Billions written off

The coalition government has indicated it has abandoned efforts to recover 30 billion euro pumped into Ireland’s banking system following its collapse in 2008.

A state of denial

The Dublin government issued a number of statements to claim the successes of its economic policy this week, even as thousands of recent emigrants bade tearful farewell to their loved ones following a Christmas break in Ireland.

FitzGerald fuelled Thatcher’s intransigence

Declassified papers have revealed Margaret Thatcher’s infamous “out, out, out” speech on nationalist aspirations in Ireland may have been motivated by a summit in which the Dublin government admitted it was working towards a “lowering of expectations” rather than Irish reunification.

Talks to go on

The North’s five main parties have asked British prime minister David Cameron for 2 billion pounds (€2.55 billion or $3.15 billion) financial package over ten years as talks continue on issues such as parades, flags and the past.

Cameron storms out

The shambolic nature of the talks process at Stormont was exposed this week when British Prime Minister David Cameron suddenly abandoned the negotiations with no plans to return.

Beyond death’s door

The death of Kilkenny native Jonathan Corrie, a 43-year-old who had suffered mental ill-health and addiction problems, on a freezing night within feet of the seat of power, has shocked the public may have killed off the Dublin government’s chances of re-election.

Election campaign ‘underway’

Fine Gael has drawn the opening lines of attack for the next election, targeting Sinn Fein on economic policy and setting the scene for a new left/right alignment in Irish politics.

Tactical retreat for PSNI

The PSNI have withdrawn from an area in republican north Belfast following a grenade attack by the ‘new IRA’.

1916 redacted

The Dublin government has been accused of attempting to erase the 1916 Easter Rising from the history books following a disastrous and deeply conflicted launch of commemorative events for the anniversary.

PSNI retaliate after IRA attack

There were clashes in the Creggan area of Derry this week following an attack by the ‘new IRA’ in which an armoured police patrol was struck by a mortar rocket.

Terror in the Short Strand

The nationalist residents of the Short Strand endured five nights of loyalist violence this week in east Belfast as loyalist mobs attacked with petrol bombs, fireworks and other missiles.

The abuse of power

A mud-slinging campaign by the Irish political establishment has effectively halted Sinn Fein’s rise to become the largest party in the 26 Counties.

Stormont crisis over unionist bad faith

The North’s political process has ground to a halt after the DUP dramatically reneged on a deal to appoint a Sinn Fein Speaker of the Stormont Assembly and then entirely boycotted the opening of a new round of talks in Belfast.

Sinn Fein surge continues

With two by-elections to the Dublin parliament taking place this week, a poll has shown that Sinn Fein’s support has risen to become the joint largest political party in the 26 Counties.

‘No funds’ for war crimes investigations

Plans to abandon or scale down a number of investigations into past British atrocities in the north of Ireland are being blamed by Stormont ministers on a cut in the British exchequer’s annual block grant for the Six Counties.

Files destroyed as RUC team vet shoot-to-kill reports

Top secret files relating to the killing of nine men in County Armagh more than 30 years ago were destroyed just weeks before an inquest into the deaths was due to begin, it has emerged. Other files are still being edited for ‘sensitive’ information by former members of the murderous RUC Special Branch.

Upheaval for the union

Loyalists have engaged in a violent ‘show of strength’ in the centre of Glasgow as Britain faces unprecedented constitutional change following a narrow defeat for Scottish independence in Thursday’s referendum.

Robinson demands new peace deal

Sinn Fein has accepted that the North’s political process is in serious trouble following a call by the DUP for the St Andrew’s Agreement to be renegotiated.

Envy and anticipation ahead of Scottish vote

On September 18, between the hours of 7am and 10pm, full sovereign power will lie in the hands of the Scottish people, who must decide whether to keep it or give it away.

UDA groups target Catholics, seize arms

A 22-year-old Catholic man is recovering in hospital after being beaten by a gang armed with iron bars and a hatchet in front of his partner and new baby.

Gary Hart in new US peace effort

Former US Democrat presidential candidate Gary Hart is set to begin discussions next week with the Dublin and London governments in what is being seen as an attempt to again kick start peace talks in the Six Counties.

Fitting tribute for republican veteran

A furore has arisen over the funeral of well-known republican and former IRA PoW Tony Catney, who died on Saturday after a long battle of cancer. The funeral featured a military-style honour guard.

Warning over Stormont impasse

A massive security operation is being put in place ahead of an anti-internment parade through Belfast city centre on Sunday, amid warnings that the 1998 Good Friday Agreement is facing its “greatest challenge”.

Expel the ambassador

A petition for the Israeli Ambassador to Ireland to be expelled has received almost 30,000 signatures.

‘Shameful’ abstention on Gaza

A decision by the Dublin government on Wednesday to abstain in a key vote on an emergency debate at the United Nations Human Rights Council on the conflict in Gaza has provoked a crisis over Ireland’s managing of its foreign affairs.

Stop the slaughter

The Dublin government has failed to condemn the latest massacre in Gaza despite Israel intensifying operations against the sealed-off Palestinian enclave, and has declined to even call in the Israeli ambassador.

Adams hung in effigy

A figure of Gerry Adams was hung from a makeshift gallows on a loyalist bonfire in County Antrim before being set alight last night, Friday, 11th July.

Pan-unionism raises the stakes

The main unionist parties may be planning for serious disturbances in north Belfast next weekend after the Parades Commission rerouted a hugely contentious anti-Catholic march away from nationalist estates in north Belfast.

Drumcree tensions renewed

The Drumcree marching dispute in Portadown could be reignited after the Parades Commission this week stunned nationalist residents by initially permitting an Orange march on the lower end of the Garvaghy Road, the scene of some of the North’s most intense parades violence, before changing its mind.

‘Two sides of truth’

Efforts by British and unionist politicians to to overturn a side-deal concession given to Sinn Fein during peace negotiations could backfire after it was revealed that controversial ‘letters of comfort’ given to Sinn Fein supporters may also have been given to members of the British Crown forces.

Children used for coercion

A local election candidate has suffered a heart attack after a PSNI raid in which his 11-year-old daughter was subjected to psychological terror.

Demands for inquiry into mass graves

The international media descended this week on a town in the west of Ireland following shocking claims that an order of nuns may have buried hundreds of infant children in an unmarked mass grave between the 1920s and the 1960s.

Public outrage at racist remarks

The DUP leader and First Minister Peter Robinson sparked widespread public outrage this week when he made derogatory comments about Muslims. He was speaking in defence of a north Belfast Pastor, who described Islam as “heathen” and “satanic”.

‘Change is coming’ - Sinn Féin

Local and European elections are taking place today and tomorrow [Thursday and Friday] in the Six and 26 Counties respectively. The elections are likely to confirm that Sinn Fein is the dominant political force on the island of Ireland and for the first time, is now equally strong in both the 26 Counties and the Six Counties.

Sectarian killing unpunished

The trial of a loyalist gang involved in the death of Catholic community worker Kevin McDaid has ended with all of the charges against them being dropped or reduced to minor ones.

Jubilation and recrimination as Adams is freed

A high stakes game in the North’s unfinished peace process played out before the world’s media last week. But almost twenty years after the Provisional IRA’s ceasefire, the shock detention of Gerry Adams on allegations of past IRA activity ended in a dramatic triumph for the Sinn Fein leader.

Political chaos as Adams is arrested, interrogated

Sinn Fein’s Gerry Adams is facing a fourth night in jail at a notorious British Crown force interrogation centre in Antrim as a crisis over the failure to deal with the past conflict in the north of Ireland begins to threaten delicate policing agreements.

A Rising challenge

In its Easter statement, the ‘new IRA’ has declared that it has built a “sustainable military campaign”, but that responsibility for further conflict “rests with the British government”.

Anglo boss goes free

The disgraced chairman of Anglo Irish Bank has been cleared this week of hatching a highly illegal loans-for-shares plot months before the bank’s collapse. Two of his colleagues were found guilty.

Banquet gesture draws Tory hate

Efforts to boost reconciliation between the 26 County state and Britain during the formal visit to London by 26-County President Michael D Higgins were undermined by a leading Tory’s call this week for the murder of Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness.

No charges over UDA mob terror

Between 100 and 200 armed loyalist paramilitaries ransacked houses and assaulted residents in Larne in a mob attack carried out with apparent impunity by the south Antrim UDA.

Humiliated Minister clings to post

After ricocheting from one scandal to the next since his appointment, disgraced 26-County Minister Alan Shatter is to finally face a parliamentary motion of no confidence.

‘Vindictive’ policing as 77-year-old is charged

Veteran republican Ivor Bell has been charged this Friday night with IRA membership and “aiding and abetting” the execution of informer Jean McConville in 1972.

New York sends PSNI home

In a sudden turnaround, an ad-hoc campaign by Irish Americans has succeeded in preventing the inclusion of a delegation of PSNI police (formerly RUC) in this year’s St Patrick’s Day parade in New York.

Devices intercepted amid prison tensions

Two letter bombs addressed to Maghaberry Prison were intercepted this week following a violent confrontation inside the jail.

Stormont off the rails over OTRs

The past has once again come back to haunt the north of Ireland when it emerged in an Old Bailey trial this week that some republicans ‘on the run’ (OTR) from conflict-related prosecutions have privately received assurances that no prosecutions are due.

Minister for misconduct

The 26-County Taoiseach Enda Kenny is resisting intense pressure to sack his Minister for Justice Alan Shatter amid a tsunamic scandal over his handling of police corruption and misconduct.

Bugged and bullied

The Dublin government has been rocked by shocking revelations of a ‘black ops’ spy operation at the headquarters of the police ombudsman’s office, the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission (GSOC).

‘Nothing normal’ about Stormont - McGuinness

Speaking on the eve of the Sinn Fein annual conference, the Six-County Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness has urged the DUP to turn away from loyalist extremism and bring an end to the “embarrassing” political stalemate at Stormont.

A hero’s return

Stephen Murney has been released on bail at the culmination of a farcical trial in which the prosecution openly sought to criminalise him on the basis of his republican political beliefs and his activism as an éirígí press officer.

Baggott heads for the door

PSNI Chief Matt Baggott has announced he is to resign as head of the British police in Ireland after almost five years in the post, and will not seek a renewal of his contract when it ends in September.

Gagged, bound and released

After almost four years in jail without charge, Irish prisoner of conscience Martin Corey was released from custody on Wednesday -- but only on condition that he stay away from the media and his home town or face being returned to jail.

Talks must go on - DUP

Unionists have sought to play down comments by US talks chair Richard Haass in which he blamed them for the failure to reach an agreement on his draft proposals dealing with the issues of flags and emblems, parades, and the past.

Haass of history?

Talks on a range of contentious issues involving the North’s main political parties collapsed for a second time within a week on New Year’s Eve, with mediators Richard Haass and his colleague, Meghan O’Sullivan, again returning swiftly to the US.

Stopping Sinn Fein

The Dublin government was deeply concerned at the British government’s failure to counter growing support for Sinn Fein in 1983, historical papers have revealed. Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald even believed a British policy was in place to support the party and protect its leaders from arrest.

Haass talks falter after unionist ‘histrionics’

US mediator Richard Haass has been forced to remove a reference to the Irish tricolour flag as unionists ratcheted up their demands in ongoing talks on flags, parades and the past in the north of Ireland.

Second ONH bomb explodes

A small bomb exploded Friday night in the centre of Belfast, causing no injuries but raising fresh fears of a return to a more serious level of conflict in the north of Ireland.

Tribunal of spin

Eight years after it was established, the report of the Smithwick Tribunal was finally published on Tuesday evening, but its contradictory conclusions immediately sparked a storm of spin and recrimination.

Troops raid homes over IRA ‘surge’

British soldiers have taken part in raids on homes in north Belfast this week after the chief of the PSNI police warned of a sharp increase in the activity of breakaway IRA groups.

The murder and repression force

A BBC Panorama documentary in which former plain-clothes British soldiers admitted carrying out undercover gun attacks in nationalist west Belfast has led to a public outcry and demands for an inquiry.

British police to patrol Irish streets

Police from England, Scotland and Wales could become a permanent feature of the PSNI’s patrols in the north of Ireland as an alternative to the return of the British Army, it has emerged.

All-Ireland soccer team proposed

The prospect of an all-Ireland soccer team was dramatically raised by the 26-County Taoiseach Enda Kenny at a sports reconciliation conference in Armagh City this [Friday] morning.

Special Branch link to death of prisoner

A hearing before the North’s senior coroner has heard an admission that PSNI Special Branch visited an interrogation suite where a Strabane republican was found dead four years ago.

The assassination agenda

Members of the British Crown forces were central to the orchestrated murder of prominent Catholics, according to new research based on official state investigations and military files.

A one-way ticket for Irish youth

A shocking Famine-era ‘solution’ to the problem of youth unemployment has dominated this year’s announcement of Budget plans by the coalition government in Dublin.

Mayhem as militants fill political vacuum

The organisation describing itself as the ‘new’ IRA said this week it had executed a major drug dealer in north Belfast amid escalating violence on the streets of the Six Counties.

Senators facing the axe

Turnout in today's 26-County referenda could be close to a record low as voters appear to be staying away from a potentially historic ballot on the abolition of the Seanad, the upper chamber of the 26-County parliament.

Peter Robinson, First Bigot

A sectarian outburst by the DUP leader Peter Robinson has disgusted nationalists and escalated the sense of crisis in the North’s political process.

Pushing back

Garda police resorted to pepper spray and brute force on Wednesday in one of the most violent days of protest yet seen on the streets of Dublin against the austerity program of the 26 County state.

Tense exchanges ahead of talks

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams has accused the British Direct Ruler Theresa Villiers of an “unacceptable intervention” ahead of talks about dealing with the past as well as the issues of parades and flags.

Strip-search ‘had impact of sexual assault’

Details have emerged this week about the brutal strip-searching of a female republican prisoner at Hydebank Wood Prison.

UVF arms threat

There are fears that loyalist paramilitaries may be rearming after one of the largest weapons caches found in the North in two decades was uncovered entirely by accident this week.

Price’s torment continues

A conviction against former internee Marian Price has been rescinded by a court the day after it was imposed in the latest twist to the saga of harassment and oppression of the former republican prisoner.

Historic H-Blocks in jeopardy

The Stormont administration has suffered another blow to its credibility after the DUP ended its support for a plan to develop a peace centre at the site of the former Long Kesh H-Blocks.

Breaking through

Up to ten thousand republicans, socialists and concerned citizens took part in a civil rights march against internment through Belfast this evening despite heavy rioting by loyalists and a political campaign to demonise those taking part.

Castlederg massacre ‘would be a great service’

A unionist councillor was charged by the PSNI this evening over her public support for the idea of a loyalist massacre at next week’s republican commemoration in Castlederg.

Twelfth riots ‘a taster’

After warning that the July 12 conflict was “only a wee taster” of future protests, the anti-Catholic Orange Order and its loyalist supporters have said they will make weekly bids to march through the nationalist Ardoyne community in north Belfast.

Ardoyne under siege

After a week of the most intense loyalist violence, a decision by the Parades Commission to reroute another planned march by the anti-Catholic Orange Order has been welcomed as good news.

Loyalists ‘planning new Drumcree’

A total of eighteen mass sectarian rallies are being held today across the Six Counties, marking the height of the Protestant marching season and the most difficult and dangerous period of the year for Catholics.

G8 security used against Short Strand

A giant steel wall was erected around the Short Strand enclave in east Belfast this week in an unprecedented military operation to seal off the nationalist enclave ahead of one of a number of sectarian Orange Order parades.

Anglo fraudsters exposed

Telephone conversations recorded five years ago between top bankers at Anglo Irish Bank at the heart of the bank’s collapse have enraged the Irish public and confirmed that a culture of delinquency and deception lay behind its failure and nationalisation by the 26-County state.

G8 shame - and pride

The sycophantic feting of the world’s most powerful leaders in the British-occupied north of Ireland this week has disgraced politicians in both parts of the island.

Oppressive G8 policing underway

A member of eirigi has become the first person to be arrested ahead of a giant security clampdown on political protests in advance of the G8 summit in the Irish border county of Fermanagh gets under way within the next few days.

Death of a Republican legend

Ruairi O Bradaigh was “a towering figure” of Irish republicanism who came to embody the “very essence” of the Republican tradition, his successor as leader of Republican Sinn Fein, Des Dalton, has said.

Marian is home

The release of Irish prisoner of conscience Marian Price is being celebrated as a significant victory for justice campaigners and a key step in securing the freedom of other prisoners currently interned in the north of Ireland.

‘Bad faith’ highlighted by new arrest

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams has accused the British government of breaching commitments given during peace talks over a decade ago following the arrest of leading Donegal Sinn Fein member John Downey.

‘High level’ collusion admitted

Senior British government officials permitted a campaign of state-backed killings by unionist paramilitaries and the RUC (now PSNI) police to be conducted at the height of the conflict, a senior security adviser for the British government has finally admitted.

Mini-Twelfth ‘madness’

A decision to allow the anti-Catholic Orange Order to gather in a public park surrounded by Catholic homes in Portadown has been described as ‘an act of unionist political madness’ by the Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition (GRRC).

Craigavon Two appeal ‘sabotaged’

An appeal by two men convicted of a Continuity IRA attack in 2009 was dramatically derailed this week after the PSNI arrested and interrogated a key witness in an apparent attempt to pressure him into withdrawing his evidence.

Holy Cross tensions renewed

Loyalists have returned to intimidate the Holy Cross Catholic girls’ school in north Belfast, almost 12 years after a previous campaign of violence and terror made international headlines.

PSNI back UVF flag display

Masked loyalist paramilitaries erected more than 600 UVF flags in east Belfast last weekend along key arterial routes, without consultation or notification in an operation that involved cherry pickers operating in broad daylight.

Celebrations follow Thatcher’s death

There were street parties in Derry and Belfast following news of the death of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher this week.

Commemorations in contrast

Thousands of republicans gathered at scores of events across Ireland last weekend to mark the 97th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising.

Old order reasserts?

Ireland’s two largest conservative parties battled it out yesterday in a by-election count which saw the left-wing vote decimated and Fine Gael ultimately hold onto a seat thanks to a wave of sympathy for a grieving daughter.

Apology but no answers

The family of a man with special needs shot dead by British soldiers in County Armagh almost 40 years ago have said an apology from the British government is not enough.

Civil rights denied in Derry

The 32 County Sovereignty Movement (32CSM) has reacted angrily after three of its members in Derry were arrested Wednesday and charged with “terrorist offenses” for having participated in a peaceful ceremony last year to commemorate the 1916 Easter Rising.

‘Infiltrated’ claims follow mortar bid

An attack apparently planned by the ‘new IRA’ against the PSNI’s Strand Road base in Derry bore the hallmarks of a similar attack in 1991 by the Provisional IRA on Downing Street, according to security experts in the North.

PSNI finally acts

Two prominent loyalists and a British right-wing extremist have been arrested and charged in the first action so far against the alleged ringleaders of the recent disturbances in Belfast and across the North.

Orangemen ‘can march at will’

The Protestant marching orders have said they can simply bypass the Parades Commission in the future after loyalist flags protestors held scores of parades last month without any approval.

UUP in meltdown

Two senior figures have quit the Ulster Unionist Party and are set to form a rival political organisation after a row with party leader and former television presenter Mike Nesbitt suddenly erupted into a full party split.

A legacy of debt

Public demonstrations are to be held around the 26 Counties tomorrow (Saturday) to demand a fairer deal on the state’s banking crisis, which will now leave taxpayers paying €60 billion for one bank alone.

‘A moment in history’

The funeral of Dolours Price on Monday was a seminal event for Irish republicans as they paid their last respects to an IRA heroine.

A tragic loss

The passing of Dolours Price, a republican legend, has come as a deep shock to the entire community, regardless of politics or allegiance.

Short Strand stands unbroken

The Short Strand, a small working class nationalist and republican enclave of less than 3,000 men, women and children, has come under a renewed siege in the past week by violent loyalists.

Garda pact with loyalist ‘idiot’

A deal between the 26 County Garda police and arch-loyalist Willie Frazer for a secret protest in Dublin has been revealed -- just hours after Frazer said he would not condemn an assassination attempt on the life of Six County Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness.

Unionist aggression

Unionists and loyalists angered by the removal of the British Union Jack flag above Belfast City Hall are increasingly turning to violence and threats as their protests fail to deliver any progress.

British sought hunger strike 'capitulation'

Official records have revealed that the British government had a plan to ‘brainwash’ Long Kesh hunger strikers to end their protest individually.

Loughinisland report quashed

The report of the former police ombudsman into the murder of six men in the Loughinisland massacre has been scrapped after a court hearing on their judicial review.

Spin and shadows

Most of the 500-page review of the 1989 murder of Belfast defence lawyer Pat Finucane released this week has been heavily censored “in the interests of state security”, the Finucane family has been told.

Bigots turn against Alliance

A wave of unionist violence and intimidation has followed a vote in the Belfast City Council on Monday to sharply reduce the number of days the British Union Jack flag flies over the City Hall.

éirígí under attack

Republican socialist group éirigí is being subjected to a concerted smear campaign following the arrest of one of its members this week.

A prisoner initiative

A decision by a group of 22 prisoners on Maghaberry’s Roe 4 landing to call off their ‘dirty’ [no-wash] protest to facilitate talks on a solution to the prison crisis has been welcomed by politicians in the North.

The liquidation of Gaza?

Israel is feared to be planning a scorched-earth invasion of the besieged Palestinian enclave of Gaza after days of heavy bombardment reduced large areas of the territory to rubble and killed dozens of men, women and children.

Politics and policing collide

Padraic Wilson, a former leader of IRA prisoners at Long Kesh jail and now a senior Sinn Féin figure, was released on bail on Tuesday after the party strongly protested a court decision to remand him on IRA membership charges.

Maghaberry crisis turns fatal

The shooting of a senior British prison official has drawn attention to the conflict in the north of Ireland and the increasingly bitter dispute over the treatment of republican prisoners at Maghaberry jail.

Internment by deception

A County Tyrone republican has lashed out at the justice system in the North of Ireland after charges against him and four others were quietly dropped by Crown prosecutors this week -- after more than 14 months held without bail at Maghaberry prison.

Kenny says ‘No’

The 26-County Taoiseach Enda Kenny has ruled out any political moves towards a united Ireland by 2016, the centenary of the Easter Rising, despite a historic step towards Scottish independence this week.

The Burnings 2012

A Catholic mother and her three children narrowly escaped being burned to death today following a loyalist attack.

Austerity protests multiply

A number of protests took place in Dublin this week as the 26-County government faced a mounting corruption scandal and a wave of anger over policies which favour the wealthy over the poor.

Anger at Covenant ruling

Nationalist residents of north Belfast have said they are “bewildered” by a decision of the Parades Commission to permit a giant unionist parade to march past St Patrick’s Church in Belfast and the Carrick Hill interface on Saturday, with only the lightest of restrictions.

‘The IRA is gone’ - Adams

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams has condemned so-called ‘dissidents’ in Dublin despite a rally in the city last weekend which saw hundreds of republicans of all hues unite to march in support of interned political activist Marian Price.

Reprisal raids follow Ryan funeral

The 26 County police have carried out a wave of raids and arrests following a large IRA funeral in Dublin for Alan Ryan.

A first step

The most senior of the Protestant marching organisations has taken the unprecedented step of apologising to the clergy and parishioners of the Catholic St Patrick’s Church after three nights of march-related violence in north Belfast.

Churchmen lead the way

A row has developed between Protestant church leaders and the anti-Catholic loyal orders following Saturday’s Royal Black Institution march in Belfast.

The Price of oppression

The family of interned political dissident Marian Price have hit out at the North’s prison authorities after warders refused to leave the room while the veteran republican underwent an invasive medical procedure.

Nationalists told: 'Stay indoors'

A Catholic pub was attacked by loyalists during a ‘feeder’ Apprentice Boys parade in County Down last week -- but the DUP has said there would have been no violence if nationalists had stayed indoors.

Serious clashes over internment bonfires

A 13-year-old girl was among those arrested after the PSNI attacked nationalist anti-internment bonfires this week.

Price in intensive care

Interned political dissident Marian Price has contracted pneumonia, it has emerged.

Historic IRA realignment

A regrouping of previously distinct breakaway IRA groups is being described as the most significant development within physical-force republicanism since the Provisional IRA split in 1997.

Sectarianism on show

A member of Sinn Fein has described how he was set upon as he videoed a loyalist ‘kick the Pope’ band deliberately circling and playing sectarian tunes outside a Catholic church during the Orange Order’s main Belfast ‘Twelfth’ parade.

Parade chaos in Belfast

The sound of gunfire echoed across north Belfast on Thursday night following disturbances over an incendiary and bitterly opposed sectarian parade.

Marching into the past

A provocative sectarian parade by the anti-Catholic Orange Order has again been given permission to march past the nationalist Ardoyne shops area of north Belfast.

An ending or a beginning?

Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness put clear blue water between himself and mainstream Irish republicanism when he shook the hand of English queen Elizabeth Windsor on Wednesday in a historic but hugely divisive act of political theatre.

Ballymurphy inquiry ‘not in public interest’

The families of 11 people murdered by British paratroopers in west Belfast 40 years ago have said they are “deeply disappointed” by the decision to refuse an independent investigation into their deaths.

Royal rally hits handshake plan

Sinn Fein has said it was caught off guard by the announcement last Friday that the visit of British royal Elizabeth Windsor to Stormont later this month will involve a giant celebration by tens of thousands of unionists.

Derry tensions escalate

Vigilante group RAAD have claimed responsibility for a grenade-style attack on a PSNI patrol in Derry during aggressive Crown force raids in the nationalist Creggan area last weekend.

No to inequality

At this time, the people of the 26 County state have already begun voting in the EU fiscal treaty referendum. They are facing another crucial decision on the future governance of their state, and rarely have they been so misinformed or deceived.

Morning raids terrorise communities

The PSNI police have been accused of the outright repression of republicans following a wave of dramatic heavy-handed raids across the North.

The Fine ‘Gaffe’ party

Taoiseach Enda Kenny told an unemployed man protesting against budget cuts to get a job, while his Employment Minister Richard Bruton revealed that a referendum re-run has already been considered, in a series of embarrassing campaign gaffes by Fine Gael's leadership this week.

Marian Price case collapses

The campaign for the release of Marian Price has taken a dramatic turn after a judge dismissed charges against her and three other republicans. Despite the decision, British officials have said the interned former spokesperson for the 32 County Sovereignty Committee will remain behind bars.

Border bomb warning

A large bomb left on the border last week appears to have signalled an escalation of the armed campaign by the breakaway IRA groups.

The spies in our midst

British intelligence agents operate across the 32 counties of Ireland and have received information from politicians, members of An Garda police, Revenue tax officials and the 26-County Army, the Smithwick Tribunal has heard.

Bleeding us dry

The coalition government’s plans for the introduction of new water taxes has generated a new wave of resentment at the financial pressures being imposed on people in the 26 Counties.

“There is only one IRA”

A member of the breakaway ‘Real IRA’ has told a public Easter commemoration in Derry that the group will continue its armed struggle against British rule in the north of Ireland.

Unionists see a golden era

The former news anchorman of ‘Ulster Television’, Mike Nesbitt, who was elected new leader of the Ulster Unionist Party last weekend, has said “there has never been a better time” for unionism and said he wants to address Sinn Fein’s Ard Fheis.

Can’t pay, won’t pay

Over a million households have boycotted the 100 euro household charge in an extraordinary act of public defiance against an austerity flat tax imposed by the Dublin government.

Decades of lies

Corruption affected every level of government from cabinet ministers to local councillors during two decades of political dominance by Fianna Fáil, according to the final report of the Mahon planning tribunal.

Adams rejects British statements

A referendum within the Six Counties on the future of the border in Ireland is “inevitable”, Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams has said.

A managed murder

The family of Sam Marshall are to seek a full inquest into his death after it was revealed this week that he was under observation by at least nine British soldiers when he was killed in 1990.

Kenny signs treaty

Fine Gael leader and 26-County Taoiseach Enda Kenny provoked the wrath of a large swathe of Irish public opinion this morning when he signed the EU’s Fiscal Compact Treaty, without waiting for a referendum of the people of the State.

UVF show trial shame

The end of a loyalist ‘supergrass’ trial, which saw twelve alleged unionist paramilitaries cleared of the murder of UDA leader Tommy English in 2000, has again raised fresh question marks over the credibility of the so-called ‘justice system’ in the North of Ireland.

The Clonoe 514

More than 500 bullets were fired at four IRA Volunteers who were killed in an undercover British army ambush 20 years ago this week, it has emerged.

‘Inform or we’ll have you executed’

A well-known County Derry pub-owner has had a gun held to his head by a member ofthe British Crown forces who threatened to have him killed if he did not become an informer.

EU-surpers

Amid outrage over the government’s intensive efforts to avoid a referendum, the leader of the main opposition groups in the 26 Counties have issued separate calls for the people to have a say on Europe’s draconian new finance plan.

Kenny’s blame game

Taoiseach Enda Kenny is the focus of mounting anger in the 26 Counties after criticising the Irish people for their “greed” and “mad” borrowing-- just days after he paid one and a quarter billion euros of public funds to international bond speculators.

RUC killers rehired by PSNI

Former RUC Special Branch police who were forced to retire as part of the policing reform process have been rehired as civilian contractors for the PSNI, it has emerged.

PSNI silence over film set nightmare

A vicious attempt to murder Catholic teenagers last Friday was covered up by the North’s police for over three days before details finally emerged.

Betrayal and bloody-mindedness

Participants in Boston College’s ‘Troubles Archive’ project have demanded the return or destruction of all of its taped interviews after parts of the archive were delivered to the British Crown forces.

Provocative ‘history’

The publication of declassified papers from thirty years ago has brought new controversy over the British view of the 1981 hunger strike, in which ten men, including Bobby Sands, died.

A liberty shredded by Britain

Pressure is growing for the immediate release form jail of former republican spokeswoman Marian Price after it was admitted that a royal pardon central to her case has been shredded by the British government.

An appeal for the truth

There have been new calls for a truth commission in the north of Ireland following confirmation that one of the North’s deadliest terrorists was a police agent.

‘Neither King nor Kanzler’

A historic Franco-German drive for a new superstate has seen the Eurocrats of Brussels demand political and fiscal powers to rival those of the US federal government in Washington.

Police killings shelved

A total of 49 cases in which members of the RUC/PSNI police were responsible for extra-judicial killings have been consigned to a “legal limbo”, according to reports.

The DNA of a frame-up

There is growing concern that the trial of two men for the Real IRA attack on Massareene British Army base two years ago, currently underway, could result in a major miscarriage of justice.

No to Berlin’s budget

It was revealed today that members of the German parliament have already discussed details of the forthcoming 26-County Budget, including a planned 2% hike in VAT (sales tax).

Ireland's kleptocrats

Over a hundred former government ministers are sharing an annual cash pot of almost nine million euro, it has been revealed. The figures were supplied in response to a Sinn Fein parliamentary question.

The billion dollar giveaway

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams led a walk-out from the Dublin parliament this week in protest over the coalition government’s decision to hand over more than 700 million euro (more than 1 billion dollars) to an unknown private investor in the failed Anglo Irish Bank.

The fixer, unmasked

The 26-County presidential election campaign erupted in a major controversy in its final days as so-called independent candidate Sean Gallagher admitted he secured substantial Fianna Fail ‘donations’ in exchange for dinner in the company of then Taoiseach Brian Cowen.

The search for a new Judas

British Intelligence agencies sent the wife of a former IRA prisoner an envelope stuffed with cash in an extraordinary attempt to recruit her as an informer.

Cheated

The peace process was rocked this week by the sudden British declaration that a public inquiry will not now be held into the assassination of Pat Finucane.

The uncivil war

A hysterical attempt by Fine Gael and their media allies to attack Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness has seen a surge in support for Mr McGuinness’s campaign and propelled Sinn Fein into second place in the polls.

Historic campaign underway

A large crowd turned out in Derry on Thursday as Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness launched his Presidential election campaign.

Carnival of reaction

The nomination of Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness for next month’s election to the President of Ireland has provoked a chaotic and bitter response from the 26-County ‘elite’.

A Presidential opportunity

On the centenary of the Easter Rising in 2016, it could be Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness taking the salute outside the GPO in Dublin, following a dramatic and imaginative proposal by the party this weekend for his nomination in next month’s Presidential election.

‘A new Republic for 2016’

The Sinn Fein annual conference has heard calls for a national conversation on the future of Ireland, between now and the centenary of the Easter Rising in 2016.

Showdown for Mount Vernon gang

A trial involving 14 unionist paramilitaries which begins this week could see new revelations of conspiracy, collusion and hidden agendas by the PSNI police.

Omagh agent targeted

An informer who helped the Garda and RUC police forces to plan, track and co-ordinate the 1998 Omagh propaganda atrocity has escaped serious injury following a targeted ‘Real IRA’ attack.

End selective internment

Pressure is growing for other internees at Maghaberry jail to be released following the decision to free critically ill Brendan Lillis last week.

A freedom won

There was shock, disbelief and tears of joy for the friends, family and supporters of critically ill prisoner Brendan Lillis on Thursday when news emerged that their campaign had succeeded in securing his freedom -- and a rare victory against state brutality in the North of Ireland.

The truth about Billy McKavanagh

An unarmed Catholic man shot dead by the British army 40 years ago was innocent of any wrongdoing, an inquiry has found.

Save Brendan Lillis

Following last week’s refusal by the Stormont authorities to release him, the partner of Brendan Lillis has said their campaign is no longer working to free the ailing prisoner, but to save his life.

British Army protected UVF ‘Butcher’

The British Army withheld evidence for more than three decades which confirms that some of its locally recruited units were used to finance and support UVF paramilitary death squads.

Policing in ‘cloud-cuckoo-land’

A heavy-handed series of arrest operations against families of prominent republicans backfired significantly on the PSNI this week as public opinion turned against them.

Reject Stormont brutality

The Six-County administration is still resisting intense pressure to release dying prisoner Brendan Lillis, who remains critically ill at Maghaberry prison despite having the charges which put him there withdrawn.

Blanketman on the threshold

Supporters of critically ill Maghaberry prisoner Brendan Lillis are to stage a hunger protest in a last-ditch attempt to convince the Stormont and British authorities to release him from prison before he dies.

The Battle of Ardoyne

The PSNI attacked a peaceful protest in the republican Ardoyne area of north Belfast to facilitate a sectarian march, triggering hours of rioting on Tuesday evening.

Austerity protests grow

More than a thousand people have protested outside the Dublin parliament as the coalition government begins to wield the axe against frontline health services around the country in order to serve European/IMF demands for spending cuts.

Nationalist nightmare

The homes of nationalists in the Short Strand were again attacked by loyalists on Friday night as both unionist paramilitaries and the Protestant Orange Order combined to create a living hell for the beleaguered community.

Police Ombudsman must go

Nationalists have united behind calls for the Police Ombudsman to quit amid outrage over a report in which he denied that the PSNI (then RUC) police had not colluded in the Loughinisland massacre.

A heroic defence

A sudden, unilateral and large-scale loyalist terror attack on the tiny nationalist community of the Short Strand was bravely fended off this week in an act of courage reminiscent of previous generations of the nationalist struggle.

100 days of dithering

Faced with intense criticism over their failure to deal with the deep economic crisis in their first 100 days of office, the 26-County coalition leaders this week renewed promises to ‘burn the bondholders’ of two of the state’s nationalised banks, while vowing to maintain social welfare and income tax at current levels.

Drugs gang kill top RSF man

A founder member of a Sinn Fein breakaway group was assassinated on Thursday in an attack which has shocked the broader republican community in Dublin.

Stormont faces appointment test

Sinn Fein is under heavy pressure to sack one of their Stormont advisors as a controversy continued over her appointment this week.

Prison protest ‘could spill over’

Prison authorities at Maghaberry prison have confirmed that a lockdown is being imposed on the republican wings amid a mounting crisis at the jail.

The collusion spin

The British government have been condemned for attempting to protect the PSNI from the fallout of the Rosemary Nelson inquiry.

Queen of propaganda

The state visit of Elizabeth Windsor to the 26-County state came to an absurd anti-climax on Wednesday night when the British monarch admitted England’s relations with Ireland have “not been entirely benign”.

Royal stupidity

An unprecedented security lockdown has been put in place in several locations across Dublin, in Cork and in other sites across Ireland in preparation for the first visit to the 26-County state by the 'Queen of England', Elizabeth Windsor.

Prisoners confront criminalisation

Republican prisoners were attacked at Maghaberry prison and dragged from their cells at the weekend after a protest action against the failure of the British government and prison authorities to implement an agreement on prisoners’ rights.

Turnout or turnoff?

Elections are underway in the North today [Thursday], where Sinn Féin is hoping to become the biggest party in the Belfast Assembly.

Real IRA responds

In a dramatic public address on Easter Monday, the ‘Real IRA’ affirmed its determination to pursue its armed struggle against British rule.

A new IRA?

A group of former Provisional IRA members have declared that they will continue the armed struggle until a united Ireland is achieved.

A stand against the securocrats

Policing in the North is once again in crisis after the chief executive at the Police Ombudsman's office suddenly quit, blaming senior government officials for interfering in the office's investigations.

Adams calls for talks

Sinn Fein has offered to meet with “the militarist factions” to outline the party’s strategy for advancing republican objectives and in its belief in “the futility of armed actions”.

A record of hate

A recording of Gardai police laughingly planning to rape two environmental protestors, including a US citizen, has renewed attention on the policing operation to secure the construction of a hugely controversial onshore gas refinery in County Mayo.

Dublin tugs the forelock

The coalition government parties have reneged on promises made during the general election by refusing to share the losses of Ireland’s banks with those who sought to profit from their reckless lending.

An apology for murder

The British government has apologised for killing a south Armagh girl, who was shot dead by a paratrooper almost 35 years ago.

‘Job-sharing’ offer rejected

A suggestion by Sinn Fein’s Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness that he is prepared to consider sharing the role of First Minister if Sinn Fein tops the polls in the North’s Assembly election has drawn a hostile, if predictable, reaction from unionists.

Circuses

One of the largest military operations in the history of the 26-County State is being prepared in advance of the back-to-back state visits of British monarch Elizabeth Windsor and US President Barack Obama.

A week to betrayal

The new Fine Gael-Labour coalition has already backed away from pre-election promises to give the people a say on the EU-IMF bailout deal.

A fresh start

A new government has started work following a day in which a significant change in the political order in the 26 Counties finally became tangible at Leinster House.

A coalition for cuts

Fine Gael and Labour have reached an agreement on entering a new coalition government in the 26 Counties.

All change?

Predictions of a political transformation in Ireland came to fruition on Friday, when in the space of fifteen hours of polling, angry voters eviscerated the Fianna Fail and Green parties.

‘Make a stand’ - SF

In the last pre-election rally, Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams vowed his party would stand up for Irish citizens against bad government and bad government decisions.

The return of Tweedledee?

Fine Gael is likely to be in a position to form a new Dublin government next week as opinion polls show Sinn Fein, Labour and Fianna Fail now in the race for second place in Friday’s 26-County general election.

‘Down here’, backs are up

Political campaigning ahead of the general election has heated up significantly following Monday night’s televised leaders’ debate, which saw sharp clashes between Sinn Fein’s Gerry Adams and Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin.

Ousting the corrupt elite

Sinn Fein opened its election campaign on Sunday with a strong attack by party president Gerry Adams on corruption in the political system in the 26 Counties.

A discredited regime evicted

Following over two years of intense political struggle, a general election in the 26 Counties will take place on February 25th following the dissolution of the 30th Dail by President McAleese, on the advice of Taoiseach Brian Cowen.

ONH calls off attack

The breakaway IRA group known as ‘Oglaigh na hEireann’ said this week it had to abandon an attack against the PSNI in north Belfast after a civilian became endangered.

The establishment closes ranks

The two largest opposition parties in the Dublin parliament, Fine Gael and Labour, have stunned the Irish people after they backed a plan to ensure the passage of Fianna Fail’s financial programme through the Dublin parliament.

Coalition in meltdown

The wheels finally started coming off Brian Cowen’s premiership this week when he was forced to announce a date for the general election following a devastating bust-up with his coalition partners.

Cowen’s last stand

The 26-County Taoiseach Brian Cowen may narrowly win a confidence vote among his Fianna Fail party TDs tonight [Tuesday], but his leadership of a withering political organisation is likely to be short-lived.

‘Golden circle’ meetings exposed

Political condemnation of the coalition government in Dublin has increased after it emerged the 26-County Taoiseach Brian Cowen held previously undisclosed meetings with the former principal of the fraudulent Anglo Irish Bank in 2008 prior to the public emergence of the banking crisis.

Ceasefire call dismissed

A senior Derry republican has challenged a call from local politicians for armed groups to end their campaign, urging politicians instead to “address the causes of conflict rather than vilifying those who are engaged in it”.

H-Block smashed the phony diplomacy

The emergence of the hunger strike protest in 1980 and the degree to which all sides were unprepared to deal with it are the dominant features of the historical papers which were released over the New Year.

Behind closed doors

The 26-County Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan has drawn a veil of secrecy around the state’s banking system and the Dublin government’s efforts to reinvent the sector.

White Christmas chaos

People returning home for the festive season in Ireland continue to endure hellish travel conditions as an ice storm has severely disrupted road and air transport.

Betrayed public demands change

A poll has confirmed the demand of the people of the 26 Counties for a political renewal following Wednesday’s humiliating vote by the Dublin parliament to cede control of economic decision-making to the European Union and the International Monetary Fund.

WikiLeaked: Politics over peace

Classified cables from the US Embassy in Dublin released by the Wikileaks organisation have revealed that the 26-County government acted contrary to nationalist interests and consistently briefed against Sinn Fein during the peace process in the North.

Bankers celebrate as kids starve

Irish children are now scavenging in bins for food, such is the dire level of poverty among some families, even as the Dublin government transferred billions from the poor to the rich.

Shame on them

A casino in Tipperary and a new road in Kerry are part of two late, shabby back-room deals which have given the green light to a disgraceful political crime.

SF overtakes Dublin govt in poll

Sinn Fein’s support in the 26 counties has surged according to a new opinion poll, which also predicts Fianna Fail is facing a virtual wipeout in the forthcoming general election.

Sold out

The Dublin government triggered a torrent of national anger on Sunday night when it handed over economic sovereignty to European and International Monetary Fund administrators for an 85 billion euro loan.

Sinn Fein on the march

Sinn Fein’s Pearse Doherty has weakened the Fianna Fail/Green Party coalition’s slender hold on power with a stunning and historic election victory in Donegal.

Greens ‘cut and run’

Independent TDs have joined with the opposition parties to pile pressure on the crumbling Dublin government to pull the plug after the Green Party finally succumbed to public outrage and said it is set to pull out.

Decline and Fianna Fáil

Pressure is weighing on the 26-County government to leave the stage this week as a team of economists from the International Monetary Fund arrived in Dublin to begin planning massive cutbacks in government spending.

Adams steps up

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams has called for others to join with him in providing leadership to help bring Ireland out of the current crisis.

Sovereignty slipping away

The 26-County government has been almost completely sidelined in the battle over Ireland’s economic destiny as the larger European Union governments and ‘bond vigilante’ investment funds fought over plans to deal with Dublin’s soaraway budget deficit.

Grenade attack stuns PSNI

The use of a military fragmentation grenade in an attack on a PSNI patrol in west Belfast marks a new departure for the armed campaign of Oglaigh na hEireann (ONH) and the breakaway IRA groups.

Blood on the streets

A brutal Garda attack on a student protest in Dublin which injured and traumatised protesters as young as 16 and 17 years of age has been strongly condemned.

The IMF man cometh

A bailout of the 26 County state by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is increasingly likely as confidence in the coalition government’s ability to manage the state’s economy ebbs away.

UVF’s collusion riots

The UVF ‘ceasefire’ is increasingly being viewed as a sham after the unionist paramilitary groups organised two nights of heavy rioting in the Rathcoole area of Belfast in response to an ongoing collusion inquiry.

British subvention slashed

Thirty thousand public service jobs in the Six Counties are to be eliminated after the British government slashed its promised contribution to maintaining society in the Six Counties.

26-County democracy in the dock

Five hundred days after the seat was vacated, the Dublin government has incredibly told the High Court that there has been no unreasonable delay in holding a by-election in Donegal South West.

A national stitch-up?

The Dublin government is to hold talks with the leaders of two of the main opposition parties -- pointedly excluding Sinn Fein -- as it struggles to cope with the consequences of its own ineptitude and corruption.

Catholic-only internment

Unionist paramilitaries who killed more than 100 people during the first 18 months of internment escaped detention because the British government believed there was “no serious Protestant threat” to the state, newly discovered papers reveal.

Shock at 'dissident' support

Public support for so-called ‘dissident’ republican groups has been significantly underestimated by the Irish political and media establishment, according to academic research published on Thursday.

Dublin's fight for survival

The Taoiseach Brian Cowen has denied the sovereignty of the 26-County state has been jeopardised by the banking and budget crises, even as European officials began dictating Irish economic policy.

The fifty billion Euro robbery

A massively increased price-tag for the bank bailout by the Fianna Fail/Green Party government has left the 26-County state braced for deeper cuts and rising taxes and blighted the state’s finances for a generation.

Parades agreement collapses

The Protestant Orange Order has refused to back new laws to deal with sectarian marches in the North of Ireland, ensuring the controversial Parades Commission will remain in place for at least another marching season.

Political transformation underway

A socialist is likely to become the next 26-County Taoiseach according to a new poll, which shows a further decline in support for the Fianna Fail-Green Party coalition.

‘Dissidents underestimated’ - MI5

The chief of British military intelligence has accepted his organisation has underestimated the capacity of the breakaway IRA groups.

Cowen shamed

The 26 County Taoiseach Brian Cowen has been forced to apologise for a Tuesday morning radio interview that embarrassed his Fianna Fail party and generated widespread negative international commentary.

Dail fiddles as economy burns

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams has called for the Dublin parliament to be reconvened immediately to discuss the banking crisis and soaring unemployment.

Calling the PSNI to account

A Derry priest has said he is shocked by accusations of harassment against the PSNI police made by republican families in the city.

Basque ceasefire rejected

The Spanish authorities today defied international peace appeals and said they will maintain their bloody conflict with Basque armed group ETA, which is fighting to win independence for a Basque state northeast of Spain.

A view to a kill

British soldiers watched as a pro-British death squad murdered a Catholic teenager in west Belfast, a report by the police’s Historical Enquiries Team (HET) has found.

Royal Black thugs

A Catholic woman in her late 50s was punched and thrown to the ground by three marchers as she tried to cross a sectarian parade by the Royal Black Institution in Ballymena on Saturday.

A protected species?

The British government has apologised for protecting a ‘suspect’ in the 1972 Claudy bombing, but is still refusing to reveal to the public the full details of what it knows about the attack.

‘Oglaigh na h-Eireann’ speaks out

One of the breakaway IRA groups heavily involved in the recent upsurge of armed actions has confirmed that it is growing in strength and that most of its members are former members of the Provisional IRA.

Talks ruled out as Donnelly ‘interned’

There has been a protest at Derry courthouse this [Friday] morning following the arrest and detention of prominent local republican Gary Donnelly.

Lies upon lies

A small explosion inside a rubbish bin in Lurgan, County Armagh on Saturday was the focus of an absurd British propaganda campaign at the weekend.

Maghaberry protest ends

The protest by republican prisoners at Maghaberry prison has ended after three weeks of talks.

Furore over talks proposal

A challenge by Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams to rival republican organisations to meet him for discussions about the way ahead has met with a suspicious reaction by the parties involved and condemned by the British government.

Normalisation under attack

A bomb attack on a PSNI base and the attempted assassination of a senior British Army officer have rocked the political system in the North of Ireland.

H-Block plan agreed

Agreement has been reached on the development of the site of the former Long Kesh prison as a peace-building and conflict resolution facility.

Protest march dodges PSNI

Hundreds of republicans were prevented from marching through a nationalist area of Lurgan in north Armagh on Sunday by the PSNI but finally got around them in a game of ‘cat and mouse’.

Fine Gael takes the soup

A decision by Ireland’s main opposition party, Fine Gael, to take corporate donations from some of Ireland’s most notorious developers has threatened to re-open splits within the party.

Facing up to change

A brief verbal exchange between a former IRA leader and a masked youth has dramatised a potential power shift in republican Belfast and across the North, at least at street level.

Ardoyne - the new Drumcree?

Some of the worst rioting in years has left scores injured in Belfast after a sectarian parade by the Protestant Orange Order was forced through three nationalist areas in the north of the city on Monday.

Eleventh mayhem

Heavy rioting took place in north and west Belfast overnight arising from loyalist bonfires ahead of today’s climax of the marching season.

McGurk report whitewash

Families of those killed in the loyalist bombing of McGurk’s Bar in north Belfast have branded an independent report into the atrocity, which found no evidence of Crown force collusion, a “whitewash”.

Teen battles bullet injury

A Catholic teenager is in a serious condition in hospital after being hit by a plastic bullet fired by the PSNI in west Belfast at the weekend.

Riot follows Craigavon arrests

Heavy rioting has broken out in Craigavon tonight following PSNI operations in north Armagh.

Clashes as key battle recalled

Hand-to-hand fighting briefly broke out in the nationalist Short Strand enclave on Friday night on the eve of a commemoration in the area of the Battle of St Matthew’s.

‘Normal’ visit by Queen planned

The Dublin and London governments have formally begun the process of arranging a state visit to the 26 Counties by the ‘Queen of England’ Elizabeth Windsor, it was announced yesterday.

Dirty protest at Maghaberry

Protesting republican prisoners in Maghaberry jail in County Antrim have begun a dirty protest after prison authorities refused to implement an agreement made with the prisoners to address their concerns at the conditions.

The truth breaks free

Suppressed for 38 years by the mendacity of the British Army and its soldiers, the facts of the bloody massacre of innocent Irish nationalists in Derry in January, 1972 have been affirmed by a British tribunal of inquiry and publicly accepted by a British Prime Minister.

Anger at Sunday spin

The people of Derry and campaigners for the victims of Bloody Sunday across the world are eagerly awaiting the findings of the Saville Inquiry this Tuesday afternoon.

Fianna fraud

The 26-County Taoiseach Brian Cowen is facing a motion of no confidence in the Dublin parliament after his government was harshly criticised by two preliminary reports into the banking crisis and linked to an attempt to falsify the financial position of Anglo Irish Bank.

UVF threats multiply

PUP leader Dawn Purvis has resigned after a campaign of intimidation by the unionist paramilitary UVF has seen it issue death threats against its critics and a message of terror against the people of the Shankill Road.

Israel attacks aid convoy

Up to twenty human rights activists are believed to have been killed and scores injured after Israeli commandos attacked a humanitarian aid flotilla of ships this morning in international waters.

Welcome for Sunday report publication date

Twelve years after the inquiry began, the Saville report into the Bloody Sunday massacre in Derry will finally be published on June 15.

End Hannaway’s hunger strike

There have been calls for urgent efforts to be made to save the life of a republican prisoner on hunger strike at Maghaberry prison.

Paisley’s lies exposed

A Historical Enquiries Team report into the British/loyalist multiple killing of three south Armagh brothers in 1976 has finally confirmed that the murders were purely sectarian.

Crisis at Maghaberry

A Sinn Fein Stormont delegation visited Maghaberry on Friday as anger mounts at the conditions inside the jail.

Nightmare on Downing St?

Newly elected British prime minister, Conservative party leader David Cameron has vowed to “alter the shape of British politics forever” as he took office at Downing Street this week alongside his deputy prime minister Nick Clegg, the leader of the Liberal Democrats.

Brown steps aside, calls for talks

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced on Monday evening he was quitting as Labour leader as it was confirmed that he is to hold formal talks with the Liberal Democrats over a “progressive coalition” British government.

Sinn Fein in pole position

A dramatic election in the North has strongly boosted the nationalist parties but appears set to ‘decapitate’ the leadership of unionism.

Election push comes to shove

Sinn Fein has attacked the “blanket denial” of postal and proxy vote applications by the Electoral Office in some areas of the North.

Boy agent reveals frame-up plot

A vulnerable teenager in west Belfast was recruited by the PSNI as an informer and then put under pressure to plant explosives and weapons on his neighbours, it has emerged.

PSNI under pressure

The PSNI police is to intensify its campaign in south Armagh after coming in for strong criticism over its response to Thursday night’s bomb attack on its empty base in Newtownhamilton.

SF sacrifice to save seats

A shock announcement that Sinn Fein’s Alex Maskey has withdrawn from the Westminster election in south Belfast was greeted with only hostility by the main beneficiaries of the move, the rival nationalist SDLP.

Paralysis

The Dublin government has been criticised for its response to the volcanic ash cloud from Iceland, which has cut off air transport to and from the island of Ireland for several days.

Minister for demolition

The Dublin government is to flatten housing developments across the 26 Counties in a desperate bid to reinflate Ireland’s property bubble.

Baptism of fire

At one minute past midnight on Monday, policing and justice powers became the responsibility of a Six County Assembly for the first time in almost forty years. Just twenty minutes later, a huge blast echoed across Belfast and into neighbouring counties from across Belfast Lough.

Tinderbox

Tensions continue to escalate inside Maghaberry Prison today after republicans were ‘disciplined’ last night for taking part in a 48-hour protest at prison conditions.

Patriots and traitors

Republicans are being urged to turn out in large numbers at Easter commemorations across the country this weekend to reassert “the right of the people of Ireland to the ownership of Ireland” following shocking revelations of corruption and fraud in the Dublin parliament this week.

Adams linked to IRA actions

A new book published this week reveals details of controversial interviews given by legendary IRA figure Brendan ‘The Dark’ Hughes to Boston College in 2001 and 2002.

Deck-chairs on the Titanic

26-County Taoiseach Brian Cowen is facing a potential rebellion among his own backbenchers after a reshuffle of his cabinet of Ministers was widely criticised as inadequate in the face of Ireland’s economic crisis.

MI5 blocks Bloody Sunday report

The long-awaited report into the British Army Bloody Sunday massacre will not be released by the current British government, it has emerge

Cardinal accused of cover-up

The head of the Catholic church in Ireland, Sean Brady, is resisting intense calls for his resignation following revelations about his involvement in an 1975 church inquiry into child sex abuser Fr Brendan Smyth, in which two children were forced to take a vow of secrecy.

Unionism divides as key vote passes

A historic vote in the Belfast Assembly has bolstered last month’s agreement at Hillsborough on policing and parades but led to renewed divisions between the two main unionist parties in the North.

UUP rejects ‘dysfunctional’ Stormont

Senior Ulster Unionists have said that they will not be supporting the deal to devolve policing powers from London to Belfast at a crucial vote in the Six-County Assembly at Stormont tomorrow.

Massacre inquiry ‘pointless’ - Ford

Victims of Bloody Sunday have expressed outrage at comments by the proposed future Six County Justice Minister David Ford in which he said the Saville inquiry into the killings was “pointless”.

Dirty war in Derry

The family of Ciaran Doherty said he had been under “continuous harassment” from the British secret service (MI5) in the months before he was shot last week.

Real IRA bomb

The dissident ‘Real IRA’ has been linked to the massive car bomb that exploded outside the courthouse in Newry, County Armagh on Monday night.

Cold war in Armagh

A marathon Crown force operation has followed the abandonment of a mortar rocket inside a van near the PSNI barracks in Keady in south Armagh on Friday.

A smear too far

The 26-County Minister for Defence Willie O’Dea has resigned in a scandal arising from his attempts to smear a Sinn Fein election rival.

Sword of Damocles

DUP leader Peter Robinson signed a post-dated letter of resignation as First Minister to secure his party’s support for local policing and justice in the north of Ireland, it has emerged.

Crucial weeks for parades

Both the DUP and Sinn Fein have drawn a line in the sand on the issue of sectarian marches as a working group set up under last week’s agreement at Hillsborough held its first discussions on the issue.

INLA’s leap of faith

The announcement by the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) that it has decommissioned its weapons has been strongly welcomed by the main political parties in Ireland but greeted with condemnation by hardline republican groups and mixed reactions from its own supporters.

DUP seeks side deal

Negotiations have ended between Sinn Fein and the DUP but unionists are understood to be continuing to hold private talks with the British government in a bid to ensure sectarian Orange Order parades are forced through nationalist communities.

Talks enter second week

Both Sinn Fein and the DUP have said progress has been made in their labyrinthine negotiations over the implementation of the 2006 St Andrews Agreement, and confirmed that the talks will conclude shortly.

‘It’s not over yet’ - Adams

Transferring policing and justice powers from the London government to the Belfast administration cannot be held hostage to unionist demands on contentious sectarian parades, Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams warned today.

Now or never

Martin McGuinness has said Sinn Fein has fulfilled its obligations in government and is now insisting unionists and the two government do the same to avoid a political crisis.

Pan-unionist front

Secret talks have been taking place between the DUP, Ulster Unionist Party and the British Conservatives which could bolster unionist domination in the north of Ireland for generations to come, it has emerged.

Historic handshake

The DUP leader Peter Robinson has revealed that he has shaken hands with Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness and suggested that he could be reinstated as First Minister within two weeks.

Process fights back

26-County Taoiseach Brian Cowen and British prime minister Gordon Brown declared “early completion” of the devolution of policing and justice powers to the North is achievable despite the turmoil within unionism over the Iris Robinson affair.

Scandal overwhelms Stormont

The Belfast Assembly at Stormont was in disarray today as the DUP leader Peter Robinson stepped down temporarily as First Minister following revelations of an affair between his wife Iris, and a 19-year-old youth.

Strange family Robinson

An unprecendented scandal has embroiled the DUP leader Peter Robinson, and his wife, Iris, who has admitted having an extra-marital affair with a teenage youth.

British fury over IRA attacks

British diplomats complained bitterly in secret about the lack of security provided by the 26-County authorities for British admiral, ‘Lord’ Mountbatten, following his assassination by the IRA, historical papers have revealed.

Abuse questions mount

There have been calls for an inquiry into the police handling of abuse allegations against Gerry Adams’s brother Liam, while the Sinn Fein President has also come under pressure.

Turmoil for Adams

Gerry Adams has spoken of how his late father abused family members when they were children following an explosive family fall-out which has deeply embarrassed the Sinn Fein President.

Catholic church in crisis

The Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has admitted the Catholic church in Ireland is facing a “deep crisis” despite the resignation of the scandalised Bishop of Limerick, Donal Murray.

Stormont pantomine plays out

The North’s leaders Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness clashed in public today as the problems at the heart of the power-sharing government were air

A bankrupt budget

There has been a furious response to the Dublin government’s decision to reduce social welfare payments and cut the pay of the lowest-paid public service workers in its annual statement of economic policy.

Social partnership collapses

The Garda police in the 26 Counties are to hold an illegal ballot to join state-wide strike actions following the collapse in pay talks between the Dublin government and Ireland’s main public sector trade unions.

Confusion and anger as budget looms

The Dublin government has been accused of dithering and weakness after it backed away from a potential deal with the public service trade unions to avert strike action.

Stormont doubts grow

The British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the 26-County Taoiseach, Brian Cowen, met again in London today [Monday] for talks on the deadlock over the devolution of policing and justice powers to Belfast.

Govt apologises over abuse, blames church

The Dublin government this afternoon apologised for “failures” by the State in dealing with clerical child abuse and said the “deference” shown to the church in this regard had been “misplaced”.

Road to conflict?

There have been warnings that armed struggle could once again begin to fill the political vacuum following two incidents in Fermanagh and Belfast involving the breakaway IRA groups.

Police statelet

The PSNI has ramped up a campaign of political arrests with the detention of Marian Price, the National Secretary of the 32 County Sovereignty Movement.

Maghaberry tense after ‘lock down’

A number of republican prisoners were denied food for more than 48 hours as a ‘lock down’ and search took place at Maghaberry Prison late last week and over the weekend.

Informer claim denied

A one-time leading member of the Irish Republican Socialist Party has denied he was a top-level informer.

Govts put on notice

Tens of thousands of workers took to the streets across Ireland on Friday in a mass display of discontent with the policies of the Six and Twenty-Six County administrations.

Attack on Britain planned - IMC

An official state propoganda agency has claimed that Irish republicans are committed to launching an attack in Britain “if the opportunity emerges”.

Handouts for RUC criminals

The British government has been accused of conceding to unionist blackmail after it emerged that a twenty million pound “gratuity payment” is to be paid to former part-time members of the RUC.

‘Deal has been done ’ - Adams

The Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams has branded as “totally and absolutely unacceptable” attempts by the DUP to attach the parades issue as a new condition to an agreed deal on policing.

Clarification urged in hunger strike debate

The controversy over the 1981 hunger strike has continued with conflicting messages from the current and former Sinn Fein leaders, and from former prisoners who were inside Long Kesh prison at the time.

Workers plan mass protests

The 26-County state appears to be heading for strikes and industrial unrest on a scale not seen for many years after Ireland’s major trade unions announced protest actions ahead of the December budget.

Softening up process

The people of the 26 Counties are being prepared for an unprecedented series of wage cuts and devastating cutbacks by the corrupt coalition government in Dublin.

PSNI stretched by attack, alerts

Claims that a republican group abandoned a massive van bomb in a border village this week proved unfounded after a dramatic controlled explosion by the British Army revealed the van to be empty.

Confusion over INLA statement

A decision by the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) to formally draw its armed campaign to a close has been welcomed by the political parties in the North but has caused considerable surprise to its own supporters.

Brady family appeals for justice

A volley of shots have been fired over the coffin of senior republican John Brady who died in “mysterious” circumstances while being questioned at a PSNI police station.

John Brady dies in PSNI custody

A well-known republican died in suspicious circumstances at a PSNI base in Derry on Saturday night.

The last chance to say No

Voters in the 26 Counties have the potential to draw a line in the sand tomorrow against a greedy European superstate in Brussels and the corrupt Fianna Fail government in Dublin.

O Bradaigh steps down

The President of Republican Sinn Fein, Ruairi O Bradaigh has stepped down from the post “for reasons of age and health”. He will continue as a member of the party’s leadership and is expected to move to the position of patron of the party.

Freedom: one week left?

The Lisbon Treaty referendum campaign continues to expose a gulf of opinion between the people of Ireland and the wealthy elites.

Armagh mayhem follows sentencing

Three days of serious disorder erupted in north county Armagh at the weekend after three members of the Continuity IRA received heavy sentences for possession of a homemade rocket launcher.

NAMA: The big lie

The 26 County Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan has confirmed a bailout measuring in tens of billions of Euro for Irish developers, property speculators and their bankers.

Bomb warning ignored

Civilians in Forkhill, south Armagh have expressed their anger after an abandoned bomb was left in a culvert on the border for over a week.

Victims caught in oil game

The issue of compensation for victims of the conflict in Ireland has become enmeshed in a political row over Anglo-Libyan relations and oil deals believed to be worth billions.

RIRA roadblock furore

The PSNI were forced to pull back after encountering a ‘Real IRA’ checkpoint in south Armagh this week, it has been confirmed.

‘IRRESPONSIBLE AND DANGEROUS’

Tensions have risen in the North ahead of a highly contentious Orange Order parade due to take place in the County Antrim village of Rasharkin on Friday.

PSNI BRUTALITY ON SHOW

The annual Apprentice Boys’ parade in Derry at the weekend saw a number of acts of deliberate aggression and random violence by the PSNI against nationalist residents.

IRA PROSECUTIONS DROPPED

The British authorities have dropped plans to extradite four Provisional IRA Volunteers, including two who famously escaped from London’s Brixton prison 18 years ago, it has been revealed.

‘CRIME OF THE CENTURY’

The Dublin government has published draft legislation on its plans to spend almost a hundred billion Euro to purchase property assets at inflated prices from banks, builders and developers.

REPUBLICANS CREATING ‘NO-GO’ AREAS

Breakaway IRA groups have established an effective ‘no go’ area for the PSNI in County Fermanagh, it has been confirmed.

ORANGE ORDER
MUST CHANGE

The leadership of the Orange Order has rejected a call from Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams for talks between the two organisations following three days of parade-fuelled riots in Belfast.

SECTARIAN SPECTACLE

With the Twelfth of July -- the height of the marching season -- falling this year on a Sunday, annual marches by the Protestant Orange Order will take place instead this Monday.

‘LARRY THE CHEF’ CLEARED

The case against a former chef sought in connection with a break-in at a top British Crown force base in the North of Ireland collapsed today after seven years when prosecutors said he could not receive a fair trial.

UDA BEHIND MURDER - PSNI

The PSNI police believes that the unionist paramilitary UDA was involved in the murder of Catholic community worker Kevin McDaid in Coleraine last month, it has been revealed.

BIGOTS TARGET IMMIGRANTS

More than 100 immigrants were forced to take shelter in a church near Queen’s University this week after four days of racist attacks by loyalist thugs from the Village area of south Belfast.

UNIONISM FRACTURES

Sinn Féin headed the poll for the first time in the European elections in Six Counties while the DUP, poll-topper at every other European election, had to be content with taking the third seat.

SF AT HEART OF
ELECTION DEBATE

A relatively lacklustre election campaign in the 26 Counties erupted into farce in its final days with claims and counter claims among the establishment parties about ‘what to do with Sinn Féin’.

MOB RULE IN COLERAINE

The family of Kevin McDaid have accused the PSNI of being culpable in his murder by a loyalist mob.

ABUSED BY
CHURCH AND STATE

There has been a wave of outrage after an official report for the Dublin government admitted that thousands of children suffered physical and sexual abuse over several decades in residential institutions run by religious congregations.

COALITION FACING ELECTION MELTDOWN

With local and European elections less than three weeks away, the latest poll shows satisfaction with the Dublin government has slumped to an extraordinary record low of just ten per cent.

CENSORSHIP POLICE
MOVE IN

The PSNI police have brought an Irish journalist to court under special anti-terrorist legislation in a move seen as further evidence of a return to traditional repressive state policies against republicanism.

IRELAND ‘FACING THE ABYSS’

The 26-County state is set to experience a depression surpassing that of any other industrialised nation for over 70 years, according to official predictions.

‘ONLY ONE IRA’ - ADAMS

The Sinn Féin leadership has begun a fight-back against rival republican groups who are seeking to maintain an armed struggle against British rule.

WAR OF WORDS

There are concerns that tensions between Sinn Féin and republican dissidents could escalate further.

CRONY BAIL-OUT

The Dublin government stands accused of targeting children and other vulnerable groups in the Budget, rather than the banks and property developers responsible for causing the current crisis.

STATEMENT OF INTENT

Days of disturbances in the North this week amounted to a show of strength by so-called “dissidents” following a recent PSNI crackdown.

‘WITCH-HUNT’

Following intense controversy over his continued detention without charge, Colin Duffy was brought to court this [Friday] morning and formally charged in connection with the ‘Real IRA’ attack on Massereene British Army base earlier this month.

DIALOGUE RULED OUT

The British government has rejected any idea of engagement with militant republican groups.

THE LINES ARE DRAWN

Different IRA factions may have come together to co-ordinate their actions in two deadly attacks this week.

RE-MILITARISATION REVEALED

British Army special forces soldiers are back in the north of Ireland, according to PSNI Chief Hugh Orde.

JUSTICE FOR MICKEY BO

Four loyalists were convicted on Wednesday of the savage sectarian killing of 15-year-old Catholic schoolboy Michael McIlveen in Ballymena, County Antrim in May 2006.

SMASH THE GOLDEN CHAINS

The 26-County coalition government of Brian Cowen is in crisis over a ‘golden circle’ of wealthy Irish developers who received almost half a billion Euro to purchase shares in a potentially fraudulent transaction at the scandal-plagued Anglo-Irish Bank.

DUP SEEKING ‘DEMISE’ OF GFA

A DUP bid to abolish the main cross-border political institution of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement -- part of an admitted larger plan to collapse the Agreement itself -- failed in the Belfast Assembly this week.

JOBS SHOCK AS ECONOMY UNRAVELS

One of Ireland’s leading unions has warned of “catastrophic” consequences following the collapse of economic recovery talks in Dublin at the weekend.

LEGACY: MONEY AND LIES

The relatives of those killed by British forces in the north of Ireland have criticised the emphasis placed on so-called “recognition payments” to be paid by the British government to their families as a way of dealing with the past conflict.

IRELAND HAILS OBAMA PRESIDENCY

On a visit to Washington DC to attend the US Presidential inauguration ceremenonies, Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams has said he believes that President Obama can assist the Irish peace process.

‘CONDEMN CRIMES’ - ADAMS

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams has accused republican hardliners of demanding protection money from drug dealers and other criminals in the North.

MASSACRE IN GAZA

The Israeli bombing of two UN-run schools filled with children taking shelter from the continuing bloodshed in Gaza has provoked protests and increasingly desperate appeals for a halt to the killing.

1978: DIRTY WAR, DIRTY PROTEST

Previously confidential files released this week in Dublin, Belfast and London under the 30 year ruled provide evidence of the increasing role of the ‘Dirty War’ -- the use of covert intelligence and the SAS shoot-to-kill strategy by the British government.

IRELAND UNITED IN CRISIS

Concern in mounting in Ireland this Christmas that a set of rapidly deteriorating market conditions and government mis-steps are threatening to pitch the entire island into an unprecedented economic crisis.

LISBON II: ‘SMOKE AND MIRRORS’

A second referendum to ratify the Lisbon Treaty will be held in the 26 Counties before October 31st of next year, according to the conclusions of a European Union summit this week.

NO GUNS, NO PROBLEM

The British government has extended a deadline for unionist paramilitary groups to decommission their weapons by another twelve months.

OVERDOSE FOR UDA’S ‘BLINGADIER’

The funeral has taken place of UDA ‘brigadier’ Ihab Shoukri, who died this week after taking a fit brought on by a night of heavy drug use in Newtonabbey, outside Belfast.

BACK ON TRACK?

The Stormont Executive met on Thursday for the first time in over five months.

UDA ‘READY FOR BATTLE’

The UDA has warned of being ready to “do battle” in a statement read to several thousand loyalist supporters at a number of venues in the north of Ireland.

IRELAND’S HOPES
ON OBAMA

Hopes are high that the election of a transformative President in the US could herald an era of progressive change in Ireland.

CALL IT OFF

A coat-trailing and incendiary march by British troops is set to take place in the centre of Ireland’s second city on Sunday despite widespread fears over the potential for serious violence.

A KIND OF REVOLUTION

The Dublin government is under further pressure over the October Budget, days after thirty thousand pensioners and students besieged parliament over cutbacks.

RIP-OFF REPUBLIC

Hundreds of thousands of Irish taxpayers were the subject of a sweeping and savage range of cuts and taxes this week in order to pay for the gross mismanagement of the 26-County economy by the Dublin government.

SYSTEM OF INJUSTICE

There have been calls for a completely new system of policing and justice in the north of Ireland following the dramatic collapse of the trial of bank official Chris Ward, the only individual accused of the 2004 Northern Bank robbery.

INSTITUTIONS START TO UNRAVEL

The North-South Ministerial Council (NSMC) meeting scheduled for today [Friday] was cancelled in the escalating dispute within the North’s power-sharing administration.

US BATTLE
FOR IRISH VOTE

Irish-American voters have become the focus of intense campaigning in the US Presidential election as the race for the White House hots up.

STORMONT FARCE

The North’s strained stalemate exploded in rancour on Thursday when the Stormont’s cabinet-style administration visibly broke into rival factions.

SDLP CALL FOR
MAJORITY RULE

SDLP leader Mark Durkan has stunned the political parties in the north by calling for power-sharing between nationalists and unionists, a key safeguard of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, to be scrapped.

NO ARMY COUNCIL
STATEMENT - ADAMS

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams has stated “categorically and definitively” that the Provisional IRA has left the stage as the DUP continued to demand a statement by the organisation’s Army Council on its status.

‘POLICING ISSUE
BEHIND RIOTS’

Serious rioting broke out this week in Belfast and in County Armagh, where clashes between republican youths and the PSNI police saw a blast bomb thrown and shots fired.

RETURN OF THE RPG?

The use of a rocket-propelled grenade by the Continuity IRA against a PSNI patrol marks a further escalation in their ongoing armed campaign.

PSNI COLLUDE IN MOB ATTACK

Two men were treated in hospital for serious head injuries after a loyalist mob, including armed paramilitaries, attacked a republican commemoration in Coleraine last weekend - with the assistance of the police.

DEVOLUTION LINKED TO IRA COUNCIL

The British government is ready to declare that the Provisional IRA’s Army Council has disbanded to speed the transfer of policing and justice powers from London to the Stormont Executive in Belfast.

UDA HOLDS ON TO ARMS

The British government has confirmed that its Direct Rule Minister Paul Goggins and PSNI Chief Hugh Orde held talks with leaders of the UDA murder gangs on Monday night.

The UDA rejected an appeal to begin weapons decommissioning.

BORDER CHECKS TO RETURN

The first formal border checks between Ireland and Britain for more than 80 years are set to begin following an announcement by the Dublin and London governments on Thursday.

SARKOZY STORM

A declaration by French and current European Union President Nicolas Sarkozy that Ireland will have to hold a second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty has generated a furious reaction in Ireland ahead of his planned visit to Dublin on Monday.

HATE ON PARADE

As the height of the Protestant marching season approaches, nationalists are facing a weekend of sectarian intimidation, paramilitary displays, provocative marches and drunken, uncontrolled violence at ‘Eleventh Night’ bonfires.

MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE

Sinn Féin’s former publicity director Danny Morrison is set to have his conviction for false imprisonment overturned amid secretive legal moves to conceal the truth in the case.

‘BIK’ CLEARED
AS TRIAL COLLAPSES

The trial of former IRA chief Brendan ‘Bik’ McFarlane was brought to a sudden climax on Thursday afternoon, when the non-jury Special Criminal Court in Dublin dismissed all charges against him.

‘NO MEANS NO’

The European Union is generating its own crisis as the Eurocrat ‘elite’ refuses to accept Ireland’s NO vote in last week’s referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.

IRELAND SPEAKS
FOR EUROPE

Irish voters are being urged to go to the polls today to say ‘No’ to runaway plans by the European bureaucracy to create a superstate at the expense of Irish sovereignty and neutrality.

‘HONEYMOON IS OVER’

The new First Minister, Peter Robinson, and Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness, today start talks with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to try to resolve key issues troubling the peace process.

BARROSO PUTS
THE BOOT IN

Thinly disguised threats are emanating from both the European bureaucracy and the Dublin government ahead of the Lisbon Treaty referendum on June 12.

FINAL JOURNEY
FOR IRA HERO

South Armagh bade farewell to former IRA commander Brian Keenan yesterday [Thursday] before he began his final journey back to his native Belfast.

TYRONE BOMB SHOCK

A breakaway republican armed group known as Oglaigh na hEireann has been linked to a surprise car bomb attack which injured a member of the PSNI police on Monday night.

DEVOLUTION DEAL ‘BROKEN’

Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness has accused the DUP of reneging on a deal for the devolution of policing and justice powers from London to Belfast this month.

PARADE TENSIONS SPILL OVER

Missiles were thrown when rival nationalist and unionist groups clashed on Sunday morning following a sectarian parade by the Protestant Orange Order in east Belfast.

FINUCANE INQUIRY SCANDAL

The public inquiry into the 1989 murder of Belfast defence lawyer Pat Finucane has been secretly blocked for nearly two years, it has emerged.

BRITISH CONSPIRING TO PUSH TREATY

A leaked memo by a senior British diplomat has revealed secret cross-channel plans to convince Irish voters to support the upcoming referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.

REPRESSION AT MAGHABERRY

Five republican prisoners have been moved to solitary confinement in Maghaberry jail after protesting a court ruling on a ban on the wearing of Easter lily.

BERTIE BOWS OUT

Fianna Fail is expected to elect Minister for Finance Brian Cowen as leader next week following this week’s announcement by Bertie Ahern that he intends to step down as Taoiseach and leader of Fianna Fail on May 6th.

EASTER RISING ‘LIP SERVICE’

Sinn Féin has welcomed the Dublin government’s commemoration of the 1916 Easter Rising but has accused the coalition government of merely paying “lip service” to the Proclamation of the Irish Republic.

‘QUEEN OF PROPOGANDA’

The English queen Elizabeth Windsor conducted a three-day visit to the north of Ireland this week amid a storm of controversy but without violent incident.

BATTLE FOR TARA

There was a dramatic escalation of tension this week at the Tara heritage site in County Meath where hundreds of construction workers and Garda police attacked a growing protest determined to save a national monument from destruction.

END OF AN ERA

Peter Robinson is the clear favourite to succeed Ian Paisley following the historic announcement that he will quit as First Minister and leader of the DUP.

HAUGHEY AIDED SAS - ADAMS

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams has accused the Dublin government under Charles Haughey of providing the information that led to the SAS ambush of three IRA Volunteers in Gibraltar 20 years ago.

PAISLEY JNR RESIGNS

Ian Paisley Jnr dramatically quit from the northern power-sharing executive on Tuesday, and questions are now being raised over how long his father can remain as First Minister.

‘STEAK-KNIFE’ SPY FLEES

A former Sinn Féin bodyguard and driver for Gerry Adams has been exposed as a British agent and informer.

PSNI INTIMIDATION

The PSNI police have again set up a number of road checkpoints across the North amid a general increase in tension between the British Crown forces and republican hardliners.

DUBLIN ANGER AT COLLUSION COVER-UP

The Dublin parliament is to debate an all-party motion condemning collusion by British forces in atrocities in the North of Ireland.

AGENTS PROVOCATEUR

A ‘Real IRA’ bomb trial was terminated abruptly on Monday following unchallenged accusations that an informer lies at the heart of the case.

TELL THE TRUTH, SAY VICTIMS

Victims’ groups have called for an international independent truth commission to deal with the legacy of the last 30 years of war in the North of Ireland.

BRITISH ‘TRUTH PANEL’ OPPOSED

A panel unilaterally set up by the British government to deal with the desire for truth and reconciliation following the peace process has begun public consultations, provoking anger and controversy over its role.

OMAGH BLAME GAME

The PSNI police chief Hugh Orde has said it is “highly unlikely” that anyone will be jailed for the 1998 Omagh bomb, following the freeing of Armagh man Sean Hoey and the trial judge’s stinging indictment of the PSNI.

HOEY FREED

Armagh man Sean Hoey has been cleared of any involvement in the 1998 Omagh bomb attack after a judge today [Thursday] rubbished the case presented by the PSNI/RUC police.

NEW ARMED GROUP ‘BOGUS’

There is no republican involvement in a campaign of threats and hoaxes against Sinn Féin figures, including the widow of a recently deceased IRA veteran, it has been claimed.

SPY CLAIMS HIT PEACE PROCESS

A British soldier has caused a scandal by revealing that the British Crown forces are continuing to deploy high-technology spying equipment to monitor the homes and activities of republicans north and south of the border.

EUROPE BACKS COLLUSION FAMILIES

The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg ruled on Tuesday that evidence of British Crown force collusion in the murder of eight men in South Armagh in the 1970s had not properly been investigated.

MOLLOY REJECTS DUP ‘STUNT’

Sinn Fein assembly member Francie Molloy has rejected as “rubbish” a claim that he has been working as a Special Branch informer for almost 30 years.

‘REAL IRA’ MOUNT GUN, BOMB ATTACKS

The breakaway republican group known as the ‘Real IRA’ has said it shot two members of the PSNI in Derry and Dungannon, County Tyrone last week, and also detonated a coffee-jar bomb in Newry, County Armagh.

UDA IN DISARRAY

The UDA decommissioning saga has descended into farce after a breakaway faction of the group denied that it had destroyed a small quantity of guns.

UDA GANG MAKES ARMS MOVE

A breakaway faction of the UDA has said the British and 26-County governments now recognise it as an independent organisation after it began disarming.

BORDER CONTROLS TO RETURN

British military checkpoints are to return to the border area between the North and South of Ireland following a British decision to abandon the 'Common Travel Area' which has covered both islands since before partition.

UDA FUNDING WITHDRAWN

To DUP outrage, a decision to withdraw £1.2 million (Euro 1.7 million) funding for a group connected to the unionist paramilitary UDA has been confirmed after the UDA’s killer gangs refused to disarm.

CORONER CHALLENGES ORDE ON SHOOT-TO-KILL

The North’s most senior coroner has warned he will consider taking legal action against PSNI Chief Hugh Orde if he refuses to hand over police files relating to the killing of six unarmed people.

PSNI RAMPAGE IN DERRY

PSNI police clubbed scores of nationalist pub-goers in Derry city centre on Saturday night in some of the worst street conflict seen in the city in years.

UDA FEUD SPREADS

There are fears other areas are being drawn into a unionist paramilitary feud between rival gangs of the UDA in County Antrim.

Hundreds of campaigners created a giant human harp in County Meath to mark Tara Heritage Day on Sunday. The protest is the latest in a string of high profile moves to pressurise the government into rerouting the M3 motorway away from the historic site.

The sites under threat are inextricably linked with the harping and bardic traditions for more than 2,500 years. Protests were also held in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Dublin.

PSNI USING CS GAS DAILY

The PSNI have been using CS gas nearly every day on average since a hand-held spray form was introduced three years ago, it has been revealed.

ASSEMBLY HANDCUFFED

An attempt to secure tax-varying powers for the Belfast Assembly was defeated on Monday. Unionists blocked the Sinn Féin motion after DUP Finance Minister Peter Robinson expressed reservations.

BRITISH LIE RETRACTED

A retraction of the 35-year-old British Army claim that a teenager shot dead by a soldier in Derry was a “terrorist” has been welcomed by nationalists.

GANGS BATTLE AT MAGHABERRY

Tensions are high inside Maghaberry prison after clashes between feuding prisoners within the unionist paramilitary UDA.

DUP MAN ‘TO NAME DOUBLE-AGENT’

A DUP MP is planning to name a senior Sinn Féin figure in parliament who he alleges has secretly been working for the British Crown forces.

UDA FACE WEAPONS DEADLINE

The North’s Executive has been accused of seeking to avoid a decision over highly controversial government funding of the unionist paramilitary UDA.

DESTRUCTION OF TARA UNDERWAY

The controversial excavation and demolition of a newly-uncovered national monument at Lismullin in the Tara Valley began yesterday after conservationists were threatened with a potentially violent Garda police arrest operation.

BRITISH TROOPS CALLED IN

The British Army will cease to provide military support to Crown force policing operations in the Six Counties from midnight.

PSNI MAN SHOT IN UDA FEUD

A feud between rival factions of the unionist paramilitary UDA erupted in intense clashes at the weekend during which a PSNI policeman was shot in the back.

INSTITUTIONS MARK RENEWAL

DUP leader and Six-County First Minister Ian Paisley has declared that the conflict in Ireland is at an end.

BRITISH ARMY LEARN NOTHING

A bizarre British Army document has come to light which purports to summarise the lessons taken by the force from its engagement in conflict in the North of Ireland.

VICTIMS GETTING SIDELINED

A multi-pronged British strategy to protect their own while downplaying collusion and the rights of nationalist victims could provoke a crisis in the peace process later this year.

COLLUSION KILLERS GO FREE

A decision taken by the Crown Public Prosecution Service that no members of the British Crown forces are to be charged over collusion investigations has been condemned in the strongest terms by human rights groups and families of the victims.

GREENS ACCUSED OF SELL OUT

The Irish Green Party has abandoned a number of core political beliefs in order to enter into a coalition government in Dublin, securing the return of Fianna Fail’s Bertie Ahern as 26-County Taoiseach.

PAISLEY ANSWERS QUESTIONS

The North’s new First Minister Ian Paisley has delivered his first question-and-answer session in the Belfast Assembly in his inimitable manner but without generating fresh controversy.

INQUIRY OPENS WITHOUT FILES

Files on infamous unionist paramilitary leader Billy ‘King Rat’ Wright have been deliberately destroyed or ‘lost’, an inquiry into his murder has been told.

CARRY ON, BERTIE?

Talks between Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and potential coalition government partners have been hit by fresh controversy over suspect payments received by him when he was Minister for Finance.

SF READY TO NEGOTIATE NEW GOVT

Bertie Ahern could be returned as 26-County Taoiseach for a further five years, according to the latest polls, but only if he finds a new coalition partner.

ELECTION CAMPAIGN SHIFTS GEAR

The election campaign in the 26 Counties is heating up with just over a week left to polling day.

HISTORY, HYPE AND HOPE

The Six Counties have a new power-sharing Executive in another historic day at Stormont.

CONTROVERSY MARKS CAMPAIGN START

Intense election campaigning has begun in the 26 Counties after the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern’s early morning visit to the Presidential residence, Aras an Uachtarain, to finally dissolve the Dublin parliament on Sunday.

SF BIDS FOR GOVERNMENT

Sinn Féin’s 26-County TDs today said that they are preparing for the election of a significant number of colleagues in the forthcoming General Election - with the aim of the party being in government north and south of the border.

COLLUSION 2007

Two members of the British Crown forces are involved in the latest intelligence gathering operation to obtain the personal data of over 150 nationalists from the PSNI police computer system and deliver it to a unionist paramilitary death-squad.

REPUBLICANS ON NEW UVF HIT LIST

Sinn Féin has challenged unionist paramilitaries in the North to come clean following the discovery of a new hit list of republican murder targets.

‘REUNIFICATION COMING’

The countdown to a united Ireland is underway, according to Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness.

HISTORIC HANDSHAKE

Extraordinary scenes continued in the peace process this week with a public handshake at Farmleigh House in Dublin between DUP leader Ian Paisley and the 26-County Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern.

SIGN OF PROGRESS

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams has said a breakthrough deal on power-sharing following the first-ever direct talks with DUP leader Ian Paisley means that “a new and unprecedented opportunity for progress now exists”.

UDA KILLERS GET PAY-OFF

Victims of UDA death-squads expressed outrage at the British government’s plans to give the paramilitary group 1.2 million pounds sterling.

CROSSING THE RUBICON

Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams has said a political deal to secure power-sharing by March 26 is close and that the British government can “smell” a breakthrough.

IT’S ‘DEVOLUTION OR BUST’

There is mounting optimism that the peace process can make a historic breakthrough this month after the Dublin and London governments appeared willing to hold to their stated March 26th deadline for the return of local power-sharing in the North of Ireland.

VOTING UNDERWAY

Voting to the election for the new Belfast Assembly got underway across the Six Counties this Wednesday morning.

ELECTION CAMPAIGN BUILDS

Unionists in Belfast would benefit from an all-Ireland economy, Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams said as he launched his party’s platform for the election to the Belfast Assembly.

ABNORMALITY AT CROKE PARK

Republican Sinn Féin president Ruairi O Bradaigh delivered a letter of protest to the headquarters of the GAA as part of an extremely high-profile demonstration at Saturday’s rugby international at Croke Park in Dublin.

DUP PUSHES ‘PLAN C’

The Democratic Unionist Party is to push for an alternative ‘Plan C’ -- which would see Sinn Féin excluded from political institutions in Belfast -- should the party fail to satisfy its demands in a future power sharing government.

CROKE PARK FURORE

The British government may be forced to make a gesture to mark the killing of 14 civilians by British Crown forces at Croke Park in 1920 when British Direct Ruler Peter Hain attends the Ireland v England rugby match there next week.

REPUBLICANS FACE ELECTION CHOICE

Republican Sinn Féin has confirmed that it will stand at least eleven abstentionist candidates in the Belfast assembly elections, while independent republicans have already declared in five constituencies.

COLLUSION ‘UNACCEPTABLE’ - BLAIR

British Prime Minister Tony Blair has told Sinn Féin’s Gerry Adams it is “unacceptable” that members of the PSNI police colluded in sectarian and other paramilitary murders and that it “must never happen again”.

HISTORY IS MADE AS SF BACKS PSNI

Sunday’s extraordinary Sinn Fein Ard Fheis saw overwhelming party support for a seismic shift on policing and a clear endorsement for the Adams/McGuinness leadership.

MURDER CAMPAIGN ‘WENT TO THE TOP’

Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness has said collusion in the PSNI/RUC police went “to the very top” following this week’s report which implicated the Special Branch in a decade-long campaign of sectarian murder in north Belfast.

PSNI KILLERS STILL WORKING

A report by the Police Ombudsman concludes that RUC/PSNI Special Branch police officers colluded in at least 18 murders in the North of Ireland between 1990 and 2003 has been described as ‘the tip of the iceberg’.

BIG STAKES FOR SINN FEIN

A debate on the acceptability of the PSNI police and British Crown courts in the North of Ireland is currently underway within republicanism.

DUP HAS RENEGED - SF

Ian Paisley’s DUP have gone back on a deal to agree the devolution of policing, Sinn Féin has said.

PAISLEY DENIES CHRISTMAS DEAL

A crisis is mounting as a result of the continuing failure of the DUP to respond positively to the decision by the Sinn Féin leadership to recognise the courts and support the police force in the North of Ireland.

PAISLEY UPS DEMANDS

Sinn Féin has said it is still awaiting a positive response from Ian Paisley’s DUP following its decision to hold a special party conference on supporting the police and recognising the courts in the North of Ireland.

SINN FÉIN DEBATES POLICING CHANGE

DUP leader Ian Paisley has welcomed moves by Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams which could lead the party to a once unthinkable position -- supporting a police force in Ireland while it remains under the authority of the British Crown.

TALKS GO ON DESPITE DOUBTS

A week of intense talks involving Sinn Féin, Ian Paisley’s DUP and the Dublin and London governments to find a way through the impasse over policing before the Christmas break continues unabated.

AGREEMENT ON THE EDGE

Key meetings of Assembly committees are taking place in Belfast this week which will seek to bridge significant differences on the issue of the transfer of justice and policing powers from London to Belfast.

ADAMS MURDER BID ‘THWARTED’

An assassination plot against Gerry Adams by republican hardliners was defeated by security arrangements taken by the Sinn Féin president and his security advisers, Mr Adams has said.

ADAMS-PAISLEY CONTACT

DUP leader Ian Paisley responded to and made comments directed at Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams across the Belfast Assembly chamber this week in what is being seen as a possible shift in his party’s refusal to talk directly to Sinn Féin.

PROCESS RESUMES AFTER STORMONT MAYHEM

Crazed killer Michael Stone outlined his plan to mount a Colombine-style assault against the Sinn Féin leadership in a letter to a local newspaper.

CONFUSION AND TERROR AT STORMONT

The peace process has survived one of its most dramatic days in recent years despite a major political crisis and an almost simultaneous gun and bomb attack at the Belfast Assembly.

PARTIES UPBEAT AHEAD OF TALKS

The first meeting of the programme for government committee takes place in Belfast tomorrow despite a continuing boycott by DUP leader Ian Paisley.

SF LEADERS ‘UNDER THREAT’

The lives of Sinn Féin’s Gerry Adams, Martin McGuinness and Gerry Kelly are under threat from hardline republicans, the party has confirmed.

THE GLENNANE GANG - BRITAIN’S DEATH BRIGADE

A major international report has called for an independent inquiry into what senior British government figures knew about Crown force collusion with unionist death-squads in 74 murders.

PARTIES FACING TALKS DEADLINE

Ian Paisley’s DUP is likely to give only “a conditional response” to the St Andrews document next week in tactically stating they will only go along with a political deal on power-sharing government if certain demands are met.

ADAMS WARNING OVER DUP DEMANDS

The British and Irish governments could put progress in the North at risk if they divert from what was agreed at the St Andrews talks and make fresh concessions to the DUP, Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams has said.

WILL PAISLEY DELIVER?

There are growing concerns that the hardline unionist DUP will remain as negative within the peace process as the party was outside amid ongoing tension over the details of a potential new deal.

CHALLENGES SURMOUNTABLE - ADAMS

Disagreement over the wording and timing of a pledge of office has emerged as a key stumbling block as negotiations continue over a potentially historic deal between Sinn Féin and Ian Paisley’s DUP.

DEAL OR NO DEAL?

DUP leader Ian Paisley and Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams could hold face-to-face talks as early as tomorrow as the St Andrews proposals are worked through by the two party leaderships.

HOPES RISING FOR TALKS DEAL

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams has said his party is determined to do everything it can to get the political institutions of the Good Friday Agreement up and running in Belfast before the November 24th deadline.

IRA'S WAR IS OVER - BLAIR

The British government has formally acknowledged that the Provisional IRA’s military campaign is over.

McDOWELL SITS IN JUDGEMENT

The Dublin government is divided by the deep facing 26-County Prime Minister, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, over cash payments he accepted when Minister for Finance in the 1990s.

NO ANSWERS TO AHERN QUESTIONS

The Dublin government is enveloped in a new and potentially critical corruption scandal over revelations of payments made to the 26-County Prime Minister, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, in 1993.

DUP CAN END DEADLOCK - SF

Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on policing, Gerry Kelly, has said the parties could be “very, very close” to an agreement on policing if Ian Paisley’s DUP were to be engage with Sinn Féin in a positive manner.

PSNI’S FILEGATE

Up to 1,000 murder files held by the Crown police in the North of Ireland have simply “gone missing”, the PSNI have admitted.

CHANGING OF THE GUARD

Tony Blair's promise to step down as British Prime Minister within 12 months threatens to derail the Irish peace process.

TALKS HEADED FOR SCOTLAND

A fresh attempt to end the political deadlock in the North of Ireland is to be made next month with intensive talks in Scotland.

PSNI QUIET ON UDA ARMS FINDS

The PSNI police has been covering up a series of unionist paramilitary arms discoveries -- according to the UDA themselves.

DUP ‘WON’T LOOK AT US’

Sinn Fein has revealed that Ian Paisley’s DUP are refusing to even look directly at the party’s representatives across the table at meetings intended to prepare the way for the two parties to share power in the Six Counties.

LOYALIST INTIMIDATION, PSNI VIOLENCE

The Police Ombudsman has been asked to investigate the assault of a Sinn Féin politician by the PSNI police at a weekend loyalist parade.

COMPROMISE FOR CHANGE - ADAMS

Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams has called for greater compromise and confidence in dealing with unionists during a significant mass rally in west Belfast.

CRIMINALISATION ‘WILL BE RESISTED’

Republican prisoners held in Maghaberry jail have concluded a 48-hour fast as part of an escalating protest for the restoration of political status and the implementation of five demands.

FIREBOMB BLITZ

The Continuity IRA are considered most likely to be responsible for a spate of fire-bomb attacks and bomb alerts in the town of Newry, close to the border, that damaged or destroyed at least four large British retail chain stores.

SHOUKRI GANG FORCED OUT

The UDA has forcibly ousted its former north Belfast leadership from the city with the tacit support of the PSNI police.

AHERN’S MASSACRE SHAME

The Dublin government has been forced to end the transport of munitions for the Israeli Army through Shannon Airport following outrage over the massacre of scores of women and children in Lebanon.

FIVE ATTACKS A DAY

Sectarian attacks are now averaging at least five attacks every day despite efforts of nationalist groups to placate unionists with concessions over contentious anti-Catholic parades through interface areas.

PENAL POLICING

The arrest of an Irish language school teacher in Belfast for speaking Irish “brings us back to the days of the penal laws”, said Sinn Féin’s Bairbre de Brun.

NATIONALISTS UNDER ATTACK

A Derry man is fighting for his life following a spate of sectarian attacks surrounding the annual July 12th parades by the Protestant Orange Order.

SECTARIAN SPECTACLE

Hundreds of ‘11th night’ bonfires were set alight by loyalists across the North last night as tensions mounted ahead of ‘the Twelfth’, a day when over 600 marches are staged by the Protestant Orange Order to mark a 17th century battle victory over Catholics.

TIME TO GO

26-County Taoiseach Bertie Ahern this week faced calls for an early election amid a public outcry over mounting evidence of serious incompetence within his cabinet and senior civil service.

IRA MUST REPENT - PAISLEY

DUP leader Ian Paisley has said that there will be no power-sharing with nationalists unless the Provisional IRA “repents of its evil deeds”

PRISON PROTEST ESCALATES

Republican prisoners at Maghaberry Prison are now refusing meals in an increasing protest for the recognition of political status.

RIOTERS REWARDED

The Parades Commission stands accused of rewarding loyalist violence after it ruled that a sectarian, coat-trailing march can pass along the nationalist Springfield Road in west Belfast this weekend.

MARCH AWAY FROM CONFLICT

Relatively little violence at the ‘Tour of the North’ parade in north Belfast on Friday night is being cited as evidence that this year’s marching season could be the quietest for several years.

END THE DUP VETO

Frustration is growing in the North of Ireland over the ongoing attempts by hardline unionists to obstruct and undermine the peace process.

HIDDEN AGENDA

Martin McGuinness has accused his enemies of trying to have him killed by claiming he was a British spy.

UVF SHOOT ‘DOUBLE-AGENT’

A man named in the Dublin parliament earlier this year as a PSNI Special Branch agent linked to a series of murders was shot near North Belfast today.

ASSEMBLY DISSEMBLING

British Direct Ruler Peter Hain is to press ahead with the formation of an all-party committee at the new shadow assembly to discuss the return of powers from London to Belfast.

‘CERTAINLY NOT’

There were no surprises as the DUP leader Ian Paisley flatly rejected a bid to form a power sharing executive at the shadow Belfast Assembly on Monday.

OVERSHADOWED ASSEMBLY

The mood at the first days of a new 'transitional' northern assembly were low key and overshadowed by the sectarian murder of Catholic schoolboy Michael McIlveen in Ballymena.

BALLYMENA CHALLENGED

Preparations are currently underway for the funeral of fifteen-year-old Michael McIlveen who died on Monday after he was fatally wounded in a sectarian gang attack in Ballymena, County Antrim last weekend.

LAUGHTER OF OUR CHILDREN?

A schoolboy savagely beaten in a sectarian attack in Ballymena on Saturday died in hospital on Monday night.

SUBVERSIVES

Successive British governments failed to act despite having full knowledge of the extensive and murderous collaboration between the UDR and unionist paramilitaries.

O’HARE RELEASED

Dessie O'Hare, former leader of the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA), has finally been freed from prison, but not under the terms of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.

KILLERS ON THE LOOSE

Members of the PSNI police who shot and killed a motorist in County Down last weekend are still armed and on duty, it has emerged.

RIOTS FOLLOW ARRESTS

Rioting has continued in Lurgan, County Armagh for two days after PSNI police staged a raid on Wednesday on what they claimed was a dissident republican bomb factory.

EASTER KILLING

A man shot dead by the PSNI at a checkpoint in County Down was unarmed at the time, it has been revealed.

RISING REBORN?

This weekend Ireland will witness one of the biggest official commemorations of any historic event since partition.

SF TO ATTEND STORMONT

Sinn Féin has said it will attend the reconvened Belfast Assembly on May 15th with the purpose of forming a power sharing government.

DEATH OF A DOUBLE-AGENT

The murder of top republican informer Denis Donaldson has caused political shockwaves amid intense speculation about his killing.

DUBLIN COLLUSION ALLEGED

Evidence has emerged that suggests the Dublin government ordered Garda police not to pursue British military and unionist paramilitary killers of Irish citizens in the 1970s.

Finucane 'shot 22 times'

A loyalist accused of murdering Belfast defence lawyer Pat Finucane in 1989 admitted that he was 'massacred' in a taped confession, a court was told today.

August 17, 2019