IRISH REPUBLICAN NEWS: Archives

Thousands marched through heavy rain showers in Derry on Sunday to mark the 40th anniversary of the Bloody Sunday massacre and to appeal for justice for the victims.

Deception around the Ormeau Road massacre

The families of five men killed in a unionist paramilitary gun attack 20 years ago have uncovered new evidence which shows that the killers had been pre-armed by the RUC police -- and there was no genuine attempt to bring those responsible to justice afterwards.

Criminalisation policy hasn’t changed - Duffy

State harassment victim Colin Duffy says current conditions on Maghaberry prisons Roe House wing “could be equated to the harshness of what took place in the late 70s and early 80s” in the notorious H-Blocks.

PSNI ‘picking man’s life apart’

A Derry man has said the PSNI attempted to recruit him as an informer against dissident republicans or “ruin his life” if he refused.

Indo stirs race-hate controversy

A Polish woman who was the subject of a ‘mistranslated’ article suggesting she was a ‘welfare tourist’ has said she was shocked to learn of it and that the allegation was “completely not true”.

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.

Duffy ‘will not change’ despite ordeal

Colin Duffy has spoken out after he was dramatically cleared last week of involvement in the 2009 Real IRA attack on the Massareene British Army base.

North’s politicians at odds over Scotland vote

The Scottish government has this week unveiled the question that could lead to the end of the union between Scotland and England.

March showdown over Boston College subpoenas

Researchers employed by Boston College to conduct interviews with former IRA members -- the subject of a British government subpoena -- have said they are not surprised at the latest court ruling against their efforts to prevent the interview transcripts falling into the hands of the PSNI.

Sinn Fein hold talks on Maghaberry

A Sinn Fein delegation of Stormont Assembly members -- Raymond McCartney, Sean Lynch and Jennifer McCann -- met with the Six-County Justice Minister David Ford on Wednesday to discuss the ongoing crisis at Maghaberry prison.

Compensation award over ‘appalling’ harassment

An award-winning social worker has won “significant” damages following a campaign of sectarian harassment by her ‘colleagues’ at a care centre.

Duffy freed but Shivers jailed over Massereene attack

Prominent republican Colin Duffy has today been found not guilty of the Real IRA attack on Massereene British Army base in 2009, although there was disbelief at the court when his co-accused, Brian Shivers from Magherafelt, was found guilty.

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.

Emigration is ‘lifestyle choice’, says Noonan

The 26-County Finance Minister Michael Noonan infuriated the Irish public on Thursday when he described emigration as “a choice of lifestyle”.

Warnings over UVF attacks

No arrests have been made and no searches carried out, two weeks after the brutal sectarian attack on Catholic teenager James Turley.

Derry explosions raise tensions

Two explosions in Derry last night [Thursday night] appeared to target government offices and have again ratcheted up concerns for the political process in the North.

Politicians clash as poverty deepens

Over 80,000 children in the Six Counties are living in poverty, according to a new report published this week, with nationalist areas such as west Belfast experiencing the highest figures.

Appeal for republican prisoner

The wife of a Derry republican prisoner has appealed to the city’s political leaders to do something about the crisis at Maghaberry prison before someone dies.

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.

Cameron may pre-empt Scottish independence move

British prime minister David Cameron has dramatically attempted to hijack moves towards a referendum on Scottish independence. The move has accelerated a British constitutional crisis which could have profound implications for London’s rule in the north of Ireland.

SF ‘not interested’ in all-Ireland efforts

Both the Dublin government and the Six-County executive have been accused of turning their back on cross-border co-operation, one of the cornerstones of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.

McGeough case could set precedent

Lawyers for prominent republican Gerry McGeough argued for his entitlement to release under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement for more than four hours this week.

A step forward for the Finucane family

The family of murdered Belfast defence lawayer Pat Finucane has been granted a judicial review of the decision by the British government not to hold a public inquiry into his death.

‘No public interest’ to PSNI’s use of rally footage

The PSNI police have failed in a legal bid to force the handover of unseen TV news footage from a rally by the 32 County Sovereignty Committee.

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.

‘Lucky escape’ for British soldier

Breakaway IRA group Óglaigh na hÉireann says it was behind an attack on a British soldier in north Belfast on Thursday.

Rebel Cork versus the NAMA republic

Two protests in Cork have demonstrated the city’s fighting spirit in the face of social injustice.

Released prisoner recounts Maghaberry nightmare

A republican prisoner on dirty protest in Maghaberry jail has warned the North’s highest security prison is fast deteriorating into a cesspit of disease.

1981 archive papers

A round-up of the revelations from the historical papers, mostly pertaining to 1981, which were released over the New Year period.

New Year’s statements

Messages issued by three republican political organisations on the occasion of the New Year 2012.

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.

Demand abides for Bloody Sunday justice

The annual march commemorating the 1972 Bloody Sunday massacre will take place under the theme ‘March for Justice’, despite calls by some relatives of the victims that the campaign should come to an end.

University to give up confidential IRA files

Boston College has agreed to turn over research interviews recorded in confidence by a former IRA member to the PSNI police.

Gaelic sports club burned out

Loyalist paramilitaries are being blamed for an arson attack which badly damaged a GAA clubhouse in Derry on Wednesday.

No right to protest for nationalists

A residents’ group whose members were convicted this week for protesting against a sectarian parade said the case highlighted the one-sided nature of the justice system in the North of Ireland.

Dublin government confirms water tax

Every drop of clean water in the 26 County state is to be metered and taxed as part of a new government fundraising drive which emerged over the Christmas break.

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.

Duffy-Shivers trial ends in further controversy

A lawyer told Belfast Crown Court this week that the trial of Colin Duffy and Brian Shivers for the March 2009 Real IRA attack on a British Army base in Antrim has “miscarriage of justice all over it”.

Corey wins internment review

Armagh man Martin Corey has won High Court permission to mount a challenge to his re-imprisonment.

History made as coroner recommends prosecution

A prosecution in the case of a Derry teenager killed in 1972 could pave the way for cases to be brought against those responsible for Bloody Sunday and other British military atrocities in the North of Ireland.

Sinn Fein issues PSNI warning

In an unusually frank statement, Sinn Fein strategist Declan Kearney has said his party’s support for the PSNI is “not unconditional”.

Adams is South’s most popular political leader

The latest opinion poll in the 26 Counties places Gerry Adams as the most popular political leader, and Sinn Fein as the second most popular party in the state.

Sean Garland wins extradition case

The extradition of veteran republican socialist Sean Garland to the United States has been rejected by an Irish court this afternoon.

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.

Family’s relief as inquest finally held

British soldiers involved in shooting a 15-year-old boy nearly 40 years ago should face prosecution, a lawyer for the teenager’s family has said, following the long-sought inquest into his death last week.

SF condemns euro deal “madness”

Sinn Fein has described the deal done by European leaders last week as “madness” which could condemn the 26-County state to a draconian austerity program from which it can never escape.

PSNI base targeted in south Armagh

A bomb was defused on Sunday night close to the PSNI station in Keady, south Armagh.

Prisoner’s wife sexually assaulted by MI5 man

An MI5 attempt to recruit the wife of a dissident republican prisoner as an agent ended with the mother-of-three being groped and intimidated by an intelligence officer.

‘Boycott the charge’ campaign launched

A campaign by members of the Dublin parliament to boycott the 100 euro household charge is “a very dangerous road for our democracy”, according to the coalition government.

RUC/UDR gang carried out showband massacre - report

Both the RUC police and the British Army’s Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) were directly involved in the Miami Showband massacre, according to a report by the North’s Historical Enquiries Team.

‘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.

Austerity budget sparks further coalition tension

A 26-County Government backbencher, Patrick Nulty has formally left the Labour parliamentary party amid a public outcry over the Fine Gael/Labour coalition’s austerity budget, announced this week.

PSNI target Sinn Fein’s policing trailblazer

The former head of Sinn Fein on Belfast city council has criticised the PSNI police who confiscated his taxi, falsely claiming it had been used in relation to ‘dissident’ activity.

Finucane decision faces judicial review

The British government is to face a legal challenge over its failure to launch a public inquiry into Crown force collusion in the murder of defence lawyer Pat Finucane.

McGurk’s families take up legal challenge

The families of victims of the 1971 McGurk’s bar bombing have lodged papers at the High Court in Belfast challenging both the PSNI and the police ombudsman over failings in the recent handling of the case.

History comes knocking

A massive unionist rally is being organised to mark the centenary of the signing of the Ulster Covenant.

Budget taxes unveiled

An announcement of new taxes in the Dublin parliament has brought confirmation that those living on low and middle incomes will be the main victims of the 26-County government’s austerity program.

Families, elderly, students hit by budget cuts

Sinn Fein has accused the Fine Gael/Labour overnment of targeting the vulnerable and low and middle income families with the same failed austerity budgetary measures as pursued by Fianna Fail.

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.

Coalition frays ahead of budget

Tommy Broughan, who represented Dublin North-East in the Dail, has been expelled from the Labour Party after he refused to support an extension of the bank guarantee.

Deaths of three Newry nationalists ‘a tragedy’

The family of a teenager shot dead by the British Army 40 years ago said they hope a report into the killing will help them finally come to terms with the atrocity.

Dismay as Diplock judge endorses computer DNA test

There was disappointment but little surprise for justice campaigners this week when a judge declared in Antrim Crown Court that controversial DNA evidence, never before allowed in a British of Irish court, was “reliable and acceptable”.

Convoy for the prisoners

A ‘car convoy’ protest is planned for the weekend to draw attention to the crisis over the treatment of Irish political prisoners at Maghaberry jail in County Armagh.

O Donnghaile issues apology over royal award ceremony

The mayor of Belfast, Sinn Fein’s Niall O Donnghaile, has been condemned by unionists for not presenting a Duke of Edinburgh award to a British Army cadet at a ceremony in Belfast.

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.

Public urged to support prison camp-out

A 24-hour rally and fast is to take place overnight this Friday night, November 25th, at the gates of Maghaberry prison.

Protests over PSNI visits to Croke Park, schools

A football match later today [Friday] involving the PSNI police at the Croke Park headquarters of the GAA is to be protested by Republican Sinn Fein.

Coalition seen using leaks to plan cuts, taxes

Dublin cabinet ministers have engaged in widespread leaks this week in an attempt to ‘soften the blow’ of the worst austerity measures and to see how palatable other budget measures were.

Christmas is recruitment season for British spooks

British military intelligence have attempted to lure a man across the border with the promise of cut-price Christmas toys in order to effect his arrest.

Long memories at Leinster House

A civil-war era spat broke out in the Dail this week when Kerry North-Limerick West Sinn Fein TD Martin Ferris sought to remove restrictions on prisoners released under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.

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).

Ballymurphy delight at inquest news

The families of 11 people killed during a 36-hour rampage by British paratroopers 40 years ago have described a decision to reopen inquests into ten of the deaths as “a very important step on our journey for truth”.

Price’s pardon document is ‘lost’, Britain claims

A document which could free the North’s most famous female republican from jail has been lost by the British government, its Northern Ireland Office has said.

Pensioner battered by UDA gang

A pensioner who was attacked while trying to defend her son and grandson has described being held over a railing and punched in the face by a unionist paramilitary.

Kelly wins compensation over Martha Pope smear

Senior Sinn Féin politician Gerry Kelly is to be paid a five-figure sum by a Sunday newspaper which accused him of being involved in an affair with a US diplomat in a story published 15 years ago.

Stormont fuss over nothing

The Six-County First Minister, DUP leader Peter Robinson has been accused of contriving a “stunt” when he threatened to resign over changes to the North’s prison regime.

Ireland qualifies for Euro 2012

The Irish national soccer team has qualified tonight for the 2012 European Football Championship, the first major soccer tournament it will contest since the 2002 World Cup in Japan and Korea.

Sinn Fein's pre-budget submission 2012 - summary

The Executive Summary, including an itemised list of proposed financial measures, savings and stimulus packages from Sinn Féin's pre-budget submission for the year 2012, published today.

Michael D. Higgins is inaugurated as President

Michael D Higgins was inaugurated as the ninth President of Ireland at a ceremony in Dublin Castle this afternoon. He was sworn in by the Chief Justice in front of the Taoiseach, other dignatories and invited guests. His first address as President Higgins received huge applause and a standing ovation from the assembled guests. Here is the full text of that address.

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.

Gaza campaigners subjected to Israeli abuse, imprisonment

Irish human rights activists remain imprisoned by Israeli authorities after they attempted last week to deliver aid to Palestinians trapped behind an Israeli military blockade.

PSNI threat to arrest lawyer ‘oppression of the worst kind’

A top human rights lawyer was threatened with arrest on the eve of the opening of the trial this week of republican Colin Duffy, one of his highest profile clients.

Cash bonanza for UDA relatives, prison warders

The son of a notorious unionist paramilitary leader has received a record payment of 400,000 pounds sterling ($640,000) from the British government in a move which has angered the families of those he killed.

Provocative march set for New Lodge interface

A sectarian parade is to be held at a troubled north Belfast ‘peaceline’ tomorrow in memory of a loyalist youth who blew himself up with a bomb he was about to throw over the wall at Catholics.

EU/IMF ‘orders’ termination of cross-border peace project

The 26-County government has been accused of reneging on a deal struck during the North’s peace talks after it pulled the plug on funding for a major cross-border road link.

McDonnell is new SDLP leader

Members of the SDLP today selected Alasdair McDonnell to be their new leader.

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.

Real IRA issue statement

The ‘Real IRA’ has claimed responsibility for three bomb attacks over the past few months, and has warned that it will continue to target economic interests which reinforce British rule in the North.

Mixed feelings for Sinn Fein over election result

Sinn Fein plans to build on its 26-County presidential campaign by targeting the local elections in 2014, party officials have said.

Ardoyne protestors on trial

The trial of 22 people charged with holding a sit-down protest against a sectarian march in north Belfast this summer was quickly enveloped in controversy after the PSNI police admitted they had no evidence to present against at least two of those charged, and suggested that much of their knowledge had come from informers.

Family welcomes British statement on murder, beatings

The British government has expressed its “deep regret” over the British army killing of a Catholic man in the Markets area of Belfast.

New mission to Gaza

The Irish ship MV Saoirse is en route to the Gaza strip as part of its latest relief mission and has already reached international waters in the Mediterranean Sea.

Inquiries amendment rejected

The 30th Amendment to the Irish constitution, to give more powers of investigation to the Dublin parliament [Oireachtas], has been defeated in a shock reverse for the coalition government.

Final election results declared

Michael D Higgins has finally been declared elected as President of Ireland following the fourth and final count in Dublin Castle this afternoon.

Higgins is President-elect as rivals concede

Labour Party candidate Michael D Higgins is now certain to be inaugurated the ninth 26-County President and will be declared elected later tonight, when the results of the final election count are revealed in Dublin Castle.

Michael D Higgins set to claim Presidency

Labour veteran Michael D Higgins is likely to win the 26-County Presidential election over independent Sean Gallagher with the help of transfers from a strongly placed Martin McGuinness of Sinn Fein, according to early tallies of votes coming in from constituencies across the State.

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.

Report confirms rampant sectarianism within North’s prisons

Catholics prisoners in the Six Counties are far more likely to be subjected to violence (or prison ‘discipline’) than their Protestant counterparts, a new report has revealed.

Concerns over broad new powers for politicians

Two referendums to be put to the voters of the 26 Counties on Thursday, the same date as the Presidential election, are facing increasing criticism over the lack of public debate as well as the content of the constitutional changes proposed.

MI5 targeting young people in Fermanagh

The 32 County Sovereignty Movement has said it has been made aware of more approaches by MI5/Special branch who have been actively targeting “vulnerable” members of society in an attempt to recruit them as informers.

Campbell ‘has strong grounds’ to appeal conviction

An appeal is to be launched after Louth man Michael Campbell was sentenced to 12 years in a Lithuanian prison following an MI5 sting operation.

Voting for change in Dublin West

As well as voting in two referendums and the presidential election on Thursday, the constituents of Dublin West will be voting in a by-election to fill the seat vacated by the death of Brian Lenihan earlier this year.

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.

Finucanes expose Cameron’s deception

The family of Pat Finucane have released documents which confirm the British Prime Minister deliberately reneged on a promise to hold a public inquiry into the murder of their loved one.

Hutchinson cover-up revelations continue

The highly controversial Police Ombudsman in the North, Al Hutchinson, refused a request by former police chief Hugh Orde to investigate allegations that IRA informer Freddie Scappaticci was ordered by his handlers to kill other IRA Volunteers.

Tragic incident was ‘major success’ for British Army

A confidential British government document has been unearthed that describes one of the most painful incidents of the conflict, resulting in the deaths of three children, as a “carefully planned operation” and “a major success”.

IRA families reject McGuinness comments

Families of some IRA men executed by the British Army have accused Martin McGuinness of betrayal as he attempts to woo voters in the South’s Presidential campaign.

Father wins rights to abandoned NAMA property

He was on the housing list for five years and, out of desperation to find somewhere to call home, eventually resorted to squatting in one of the thousands of empty houses in ghost estates littering Ireland.

Basque peace development welcomed

The Basque armed group ETA has issued a statement tonight saying it is ending its 43-year armed campaign for independence, and calling on Spain and France to open talks.

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.

Bomb strikes Derry’s ‘UK culture’ headquarters

The ‘UK City of Culture’ offices in the centre of Derry was badly damaged on Wednesday night by a small but powerful ‘Real IRA’ bomb.

RTE launches anti-McGuinness campaign

Presidential candidate Martin McGuinness has said that an election debate on state-run RTE television on Wednesday night amounted to a “trial by television”.

Loyalists attack Catholic, Polish families

A couple have fled their east Belfast home after a sectarian attack by a loyalist mob left their young daughter injured.

Protest grows outside Central Bank in Dublin

An internet-based campaign of peaceful resistance to the political and economic corruption of the 26-County state has taken to the streets.

No murder charge for loyalist killers

The family of Kevin McDaid has described a decision to drop murder charges against seven men accused of killing him as “an insult” .

Finucanes quit Downing St meeting over QC review plan

The widow of murdered Belfast defence lawyer Pat Finucane said today she felt “angry” and “insulted” after David Cameron told her he was proposing a review of her husband’s case by a QC (British government lawyer).

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.

Govt cash bonanza for developers, advisers, bankers

The coalition government in Dublin has defended their decision to give further bonuses, deferred payments and inflated salaries to bank executives, property developers and political insiders.

eirigi man attacked after Newry raids

A prominent member of eirigi was detained for seven hours and charged with a string of offences after he intervened to check on the welfare of a neighbour who was having his car searched by the PSNI.

Truth commission ‘ruled out’ ahead of Finucane decision

Britain’s Direct Ruler in the North, Owen Paterson, has dismissed Sinn Fein’s long-standing call for a truth commission to deal with the North’s past.

Demand for equality in the right to vote

There have been increasing calls for a referendum to allow northerners and emigrants the right to vote in the Irish presidential election.

Liam Adams appeals extradition

The brother of Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams is to appeal against his extradition to the North following a High Court decision that he should stand trial in Belfast on allegations that he sexually abused his daughter.

Historic campaign underway

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

McGuinness candidacy highlights partitionist attitudes

Despite coming under intense criticism from the 26-County establishment in Dublin, Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness has received support from the former British Direct Ruler in Ireland, Shaun Woodward.

Teachers blast pension ‘larceny’

The two largest teacher unions in Ireland, the INTO and ASTI, have condemned changes to pensions proposed by the 26-County Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin as “larcenous” and “probably illegal”.

Paper still targeted, ten years after O’Hagan death

A decade after the murder of crime journalist Martin O’Hagan by loyalist paramilitaries, his colleagues at the newspaper he worked for are still receiving loyalist death threats.

Loyalists head for US talks

A number of loyalist paramilitary figures are to visit US political and business leaders in a visit being organised by the Dublin government, it has emerged.

Rhianna encounter stranger than fiction

International pop sensation Rhianna was this week confronted in a County Down cornfield by a DUP councillor who told her to “cover up” while she was on his farm.

Final nominations for Irish Presidential election

The line-up for the Irish Presidential election next month has been decided tonight after controversial Senator David Norris and former pop/gospel singer ‘Dana’ Rosemary Scallon both secured the necessary support of local councillors for their nomination as candidates.

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’.

Presidential candidate McGuinness tackles IRA past

Sinn Fein nominee Martin McGuinness was repeatedly questioned about his past involvement with the IRA this week, with the issue dominating the early days of the presidential campaign.

Justice comes first for Bloody Sunday relatives

Britain’s Ministry of Defence has confirmed that the British government intends to make a cash payment to the families and wounded of the Bloody Sunday massacre.

Ongoing harassment of republicans and families

Runai ginearalta eirigi [the general secretary of eirigi] Breandan Mac Cionnaith has condemned the continuing harassment of Lurgan republicans after three homes were raided on Wednesday morning by the PSNI.

Ombudsman forces mother to relive her grief

The mother of a Catholic murdered by the unionist paramilitary UDA has added to calls for Police Ombudsman Al Hutchinson to resign after she was again fobbed off over a report on her son’s murder.

Coalition selling state assets to pay private debts

There were rowdy scenes in the Dublin parliament this week between the 26-County government and Sinn Fein over the planned sell-off of part of the ESB (Electricity Supply Board), the semi-state body which until recently held a monopoly on Ireland’s energy market.

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.

Renewed IRA attacks on PSNI

Breakaway IRA groups carried out four separate attacks against the PSNI this past week, including an attack in County Antrim in which members of the police force are reported to have received minor injuries.

British apology after 40 years

The head of the British Army has written a letter of apology to the family of a Derryman who was shot dead in 1971.

Orangemen reprimanded over Kerr funeral

The leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, Tom Elliott, and UUP Assembly member Danny Kennedy are to face disciplinary proceedings from the Orange Order for attending the funeral mass of PSNI member Ronan Kerr in April.

Germany’s humiliation agenda

Germany’s European Union [EU] commissioner Guenther Oettinger caused an outrage this week after he called for the Irish tricolour to be flown at half-mast in Brussels to embarrass the country over its economic problems.

Boundary changes pose electoral questions

Proposals to radically change the Westminster constituencies in the North are expected to see the main unionist DUP party, as well as the nationalist SDLP, both lose a valuable seat in the Westminster parliament in London.

Martin McGuinness set to contest Presidency of Ireland

Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams has confirmed reports that the party’s Ard Chomhairle [high council] is to meet on Sunday morning to discuss a proposal from the party’s leadership to nominate Martin McGuinness to stand in the 26-County 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.

Warning as supergrass trial goes ahead

British Special Branch double-agent Mark Haddock ordered the murder of a paramilitary rival and smirked as he told the gunmen, “try not to shoot the kids”, a high-profile trial in Belfast was told this week.

As cuts deepen, NAMA keeps developers in style

Bankrupted Irish property speculators are being paid ‘salaries’ of up to 200,000 euro (US$280,000) a year by the Dublin government, it was revealed this week.

Waterford facing employment meltdown

A surprise announcement of the loss of almost 600 jobs from a call centre operation in Waterford has shocked staff and left government officials struggling to frame a response.

The case for Gerry McGeough

Pressure is growing on the authorities at Maghaberry prison to release internee Gerry McGeough, who suffers from a serious heart condition, into hospital care.

The brutality is not ‘systematic’, it’s the lying

The death of Baha Mousa reminded Robert Fisk of his days working as a journalist in the North of Ireland.

Address by Gerry Adams at 2011 Sinn Fein Ard Fheis

The Presidential address to this year's Sinn Fein annual conference this [Saturday] evening.

Flash: ‘Love unionists’, McGuinness tells party conference

Sinn Fein’s Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness has told his party’s Ard Fheis [annual conference] today that unionists are “brothers and sisters” who are to be “loved and cherished”.

Margaret Ritchie to quit as SDLP leader

The leader of the smaller of the two nationalist parties in the North of Ireland is to stand down, it was announced this afternoon.

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.

Ombudsman mulls resignation

The man charged with handling complaints against the police in the North of Ireland has said he may consider his position following the public release of the latest damning report into his handling of historic cases.

Corey imprisoned for his beliefs, say family

The family of jailed Lurgan republican Martin Corey have called for his immediate release.

Scottish anger as Lennon’s attacker beats charge

There has been disbelief in Scotland after a man who assaulted the manager of Glasgow Celtic Football Club escaped punishment -- despite the attack taking place during a live televised football match.

Shamed PSNI ‘punish’ freed man

A young man arrested by the PSNI but released unconditionally has been vindictively prevented from getting an Australian visa, Sinn Fein has said.

MEP takes action after Shell protest assault

Dublin’s representative in the European Parliament has lodged a formal complaint over an assault on him by 26-County police at a peaceful environmental protest in County Mayo.

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.

Prison brutality continues

Two republican prisoners at Maghaberry were assaulted by a prison riot squad in full body armour after they refused to submit to a strip search this week.

PSNI harassment in focus after arrest of society couple

The false arrest by the PSNI of a retired Dutch naval officer and his former magistrate wife in raids targeting republicans has made international headlines.

‘Blackmen’ hold provocative march

Sectarian tensions were again elevated last weekend as the Royal Black Preceptory, a shadowy masonic organisation comprising of senior members of the Orange Order, held parades across the North.

Adams subjected to PSNI ‘fishing’ subpoenas

British authorities have broadened their demands for the contents of oral history testimonies dealing with the conflict in Ireland and given to Boston College on the basis of confidentiality.

Republican mural displaced by advertisement hoarding

A controversy erupted in west Belfast this week after a mural honouring republican women killed in the conflict was replaced by an ad promoting landlordism.

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.

Warning over media threat as PSNI raids go on

Concern is growing at the level of harassment by the PSNI police and their increasing use of the pro-unionist media to set up members of the nationalist community for attack.

Colin Duffy refused bail ‘as a message’

Prominent republican Colin Duffy continues to be held without trial after a judge astonishingly declared that his release might encourage breakaway IRA groups.

Sectarian parade forced through nationalist village

A provocative loyalist band parade in the County Antrim village of Rasharkin passed off peacefully at the weekend.

McGuinness condemns hardliners

Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness has hit out at ‘dissident’ republicans, labelling them ‘imposters’ for carrying on the name of the IRA.

Hunger strike march in Belfast

A march to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the deaths of ten republican hunger strikers took place in Belfast at the weekend.

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.

Fears over ‘United States of Eurozone’

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have presented proposals for a Eurozone government to carry out centralised European decision making on economic matters and extract a new tax on all financial transactions within the Eurozone.

Police Ombudsman scandal grows

A new report into the Police Ombudsman’s office in the North has revealed that it is routinely engaging in the cover-up of key intelligence details and censoring its own reports in order to bolster the reputation of the PSNI police and its predecessor, the RUC.

Blame game follows Derry violence

Recriminations have followed an outbreak of trouble which followed Saturday’s parade through the heart of nationalist Derry by the loyalist Apprentice Boys organisation.

Adams sees further gains for Sinn Fein

The Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams has predicted further growth for his party in an address at a south Armagh rally to mark the 30th anniversary of the prison hunger strikes of 1981.

Hopes for justice at Strabane commemoration

The brother of a disabled County Tyrone man killed forty years ago by the British Army says he is hopeful a new investigation will clear his brother’s name.

Brendan Lillis released, says partner

Critically ill internee Brendan Lillis, currently receiving medical care at City Hospital in south Belfast, has been freed, according to his partner.

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.

Lillis held incommunicado in ‘a pantomime of callousness’

The Life Sentence Review Commissioners sat yesterday [Friday] to consider the case of critically ill internee Brendan Lillis, who remains under the watch of prison warders at a hospital in Belfast following his transfer from notorious Maghaberry jail earlier this week.

No relief from marching season

Clashes erupted in Derry today [Saturday] following a sectarian parade by the loyalist Apprentice Boys’ organisation, one of the largest of the Protestant marching season.

‘Lock-on’ protest at Alliance Party HQ

A number of members of the Republican Network for Unity (RNU) group dramatically stormed the Alliance Party’s headquarters in south Belfast on Thursday morning in protest at party leader David Ford’s handling of the situation at Maghaberry jail.

Internment trauma recalled

Forty years after the introduction of internment, a group of ex-internees have said they will take legal action against the British government over the policy of internment.

Gaybo backs away from Presidential ‘coronation’

The 26-County Presidential campaign bordered on absurdity this week when television personality Gay Byrne briefly became favourite to win the election, before confirming he would not be a candidate.

Lillis under heavy guard at City Hospital

Brendan Lillis is receiving urgent treatment at City Hospital in the south of Belfast where he remains under the close watch of British prison authorities.

Lillis, nearing death, is removed to hospital

Interned former political prisoner Brendan Lillis has been taken from Maghaberry jail today to an unknown destination after a prison doctor admitted his condition was “critical”.

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.

Hunger strike families appeal for action

The families of most of the 1981 Hunger Strikers have called for an end to the abuses taking place at Maghaberry prison in County Antrim.

New protest at Maghaberry

A group of republican prisoners at Maghaberry have begun a 48 hour fast to protest the failure of the British/Stormont authorities to implement an agreement last August on conditions within the jail.

PSNI launches media crackdown

News organisations must submit to the PSNI any footage or photographs of rioting or other public disorder in the north of Ireland, a judge has ruled.

Schoolboy fights for life after attack

A 17-year-old schoolboy is critically ill in hospital after being beaten in a sectarian attack in Antrim.

Fortieth anniversary of Ballymurphy and Internment

An event to mark the 40th anniversary of the 1971 Ballymurphy massacre has heard renewed calls for an independent international inquiry.

Ford refuses release of Brendan Lillis

There have been demands for the resignation of Six-County Justice Minister David Ford after he rejected an appeal by the broad nationalist community for the release of a dying prisoner today.

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.

McGuinness backs Lillis release

Members of the two main nationalist parties in the North are to join the partner of critically ill prisoner Brendan Lillis in a meeting with the Six-County Justice Minister later today [Wednesday] to plead for his release from Maghaberry jail on compassionate grounds.

Shell ‘goons’ battle protestors as pipe construction begins

A day of action by environmental protestors was greeted with violence as full construction work on a gas pipeline by Shell and contractors in north County Mayo began at the weekend.

Housing project spiked by new DUP minister

A project to build 200 houses at a former north Belfast British Army barracks has been blocked by unionists for naked territorial and sectarian reasons.

Child abuse scandal hits Presidential campaign

Senator David Norris yesterday withdrew his candidacy from the 26-County presidential election in the autumn after a scandal erupted over his intervention on behalf of an Israeli man, a former lover, who was convicted of the statutory rape of a 15-year-old boy in 1992.

SDLP’s Ritchie facing leadership threat

The deputy leader of the SDLP has said he will stand against current leader Margaret Ritchie for the post at the party’s annual conference in November.

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.

No compassion for dying prisoner

The Life Sentence Review Commission has refused release of critically ill republican prisoner Brendan Lillis on compassionate grounds as a growing human rights campaign continues to demand his release.

PSNI ignoring loyalist violence - SF

Sinn Fein has accused the PSNI of an “obvious disparity” between how riots in loyalist and nationalist areas are policed.

Orangemen attempt Garvaghy march

The Orange Order yesterday [Wednesday] attempted to stage a march along part of the nationalist Garvaghy Road in Portadown.

New tax inspires public boycott

Householders in the 26-County state face hundreds of euro in new charges, starting with a flat-rate charge in January and separate water and property charges by 2014.

Presidential election date named

The coalition government in Dublin has named Thursday, October 27th, as the date for the presidential election and two constitutional referenda.

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.

Marian Price charged over 2009 attack

Veteran republican Marian Price has been charged by the PSNI in a move widely seen as a political response to the growing controversy over selective internment and the plight of Brendan Lillis.

‘Twelfth’ fallout continues

A Ballycastle man assaulted on the Twelfth of July has said he was set upon only because he had walked across the road during a contentious parade by the anti-Catholic Orange Order.

No justice for abuse victims as Kenny blasts Vatican

The Taoiseach Enda Kenny has mounted a strong verbal attack on the Catholic church as pressure again grows in Ireland for action to be taken in the wake of the latest child abuse scandal.

EU forced to cut Irish interest rate

A lowering of the interest rate being charged by the European Union for its share of the current 85 billion euro bailout loan will not deflect the Dublin government from implementing further cuts to services as well as new stealth taxes, the government has said.

PSNI invade wedding, arrest couple, question guests

The PSNI in Derry have been accused of mixing sectarianism with racism as they interrupted a wedding ceremony between a local man and a woman who had moved to Ireland from China, and arrested the couple.

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.

Mid-Ulster UVF blamed for Portadown attack

Over 100 loyalists were involved in a serious mob assault at a ‘peaceline’ in Portadown on Friday night, throwing bricks, bottles, paint-bombs, fireworks and at least one blast bomb.

Stormont buries its head after riots

The Six-County administration at Stormont has been criticised for adopting a ‘securocrat’ response to the marching season.

Soccer team attacked in north Belfast

Members of a north Belfast soccer team have been left with injuries including stab wounds and a broken leg after being attacked by a loyalist mob.

CIRA dismisses talks offer

A member of the Continuity IRA has dismissed offers from senior Sinn Fein figures to enter into talks, according to the Guardian newspaper.

Minister in ‘Thatcherite’ attack on welfare recipients

‘Minister for Social Protection’, Labour’s Joan Burton, has been widely condemned after she suggested that social welfare is becoming a “lifestyle choice”.

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.

Interfaces attacked amid surge in UVF activity

A series of sectarian and racist attacks were carried out by loyalists in the nights leading up to the ‘Eleventh Night’ bonfires and the ‘Twelfth’ marches.

Kenny and Gilmore caught as false promises are exposed

The Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore both misled voters in pre-election assurances about the future of hospital services in Roscommon, it has emerged.

Call for prosecutions after new abuse report

There has been another shocking report on the failure of the Catholic Church to protect child abuse victims in the 26 Counties.

McGeough’s legal challenge to conviction gets go ahead

Jailed former Provisional IRA commander Gerry McGeough has passed the first stage of a legal battle to be given an amnesty, in line with those accorded to some other combatants in the North’s conflict.

Inverted priorities at the Dail

The Dublin government postponed Ireland’s National Famine Commemoration Day due to the visit of ‘Queen of England’ Elizabeth Windsor -- and is still refusing to name a date for the event.

Nationalists riot as parade forced through

Intense rioting has engulfed north Belfast after a parade by the Orange Order was forced through the republican Ardoyne area.

Eleventh Night mayhem in Belfast

Serious disturbances broke out across Belfast and elsewhere last night as loyalist bonfires spilled over into sectarian attacks and quickly evolved into general rioting.

UVF riots in Ballyclare, Newtownabbey, Carrickfergus

Riots orchestrated by the unionist paramilitary UVF erupted in a number of towns in county Antrim overnight, ostensibly over the removal of UVF flags erected for the marching season.

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.

RSF arrests linked to Drumcree protest

A controversial plan by the Orange Order to hold a parade in Portadown in County Armagh without the usual notification was apparently averted when the organisation was informed of pending arrests of the Republican Sinn Fein leadership, it has emerged.

Children terrorised by PSNI

Anger at police intimidation in the North is mounting after children returning from a bus trip to Dublin last week were terrorised by heavily armed PSNI members for up two hours

Robinson rejects strip-search compromise

A report which could end the protest by republican prisoners at Maghaberry jail has been shelved, it has emerged.

Weapons and security bodies are decommissioned

No inventory of the arms decommissioned by the Provisional IRA and loyalist paramilitaries is to be made public, the arms body which oversaw the process has announced in its final report.

Irish questions over Tory tabloid hacks

A journalist who worked for the ‘News of the World’ has admitted the phone hacking practices used in the newspaper’s British operations were also used in researching some of the stories for its Irish edition.

Republican Sinn Fein leaders seized by PSNI

The President and Vice President of Republican Sinn Fein were arrested in Lurgan, County Armagh last night on the way to a protest rally in support of republican prisoners.

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.

Israel accused of ‘lethal’ attack on Irish aid ship

The Irish ship, the MV Saoirse, has been covertly attacked in a Turkish port as it prepared to sail to Gaza as part of an international aid mission.

Prisoners protest at Maghaberry amid talks reports

A new protest is underway at Maghaberry jail to bring pressure for a resolution to a long-running standoff over conditions at the notorious County Antrim prison.

New revelation points to Loughinisland cover-up

The gun used in the Loughinisland atrocity was used in the mass murder attempt of eight workmen just months earlier, it has been revealed.

Acrimony around Smithwick Tribunal deadline

The 26-County Minister for Justice Alan Shatter has been strongly criticised by all those involved in the Smithwick Tribunal after he imposed a deadline on the tribunal’s efforts to investigate allegations about a deadly IRA attack in March 1989.

MI5 ‘offered to care for son’

A West Belfast man has said that after years of harassment by the PSNI police, he is now being harassed by British military intelligence.

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.

Talks due on sectarian marches

The body that rules on contentious marches in the Six Counties is to meet the North’s First Minister and Deputy First Minister at Stormont tomorrow [Tuesday] in advance of the climax of the Protestant sectarian marching season.

Ireland’s rich grow richer on bailout money

Cash from the EU/IMF bailout loans are being used to fund the extravagant lifestyles of the 26-County state’s wealthy elite, according to reports from a number of quarters.

Pressure mounts for release of Brendan Lillis

A meeting next month of the Parole Commission (formerly the Life Sentence Review Commission) has raised hopes for the family and supporters of former political prisoner Brendan Lillis, who is gravely ill at Maghaberry Prison.

Irish ship joins Gaza mission

The Dublin government has been urged to ask the Israeli authorities to allow an Irish ship joining an international flotilla to be allowed access to the port of Gaza.

Derry bridge ‘is peace symbol’

A new bridge in Derry is being described as a symbol of the city’s journey out of conflict to a brighter future.

Families angered by new Loughinisland cover-up

The families of the men murdered by the unionist paramilitary UVF in a 1994 massacre in Loughinisland, County Down have vehemently rejected an investigation by the PSNI Police Ombudsman into the killings.

Short Strand quiet amid talks with UVF ‘Beast of the East’

Despite crowds of over a thousand gathering in east Belfast, the Short Strand experienced a tense but relatively trouble-free night last night.

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.

Clashes follow ‘Tour of the North’

Members of the Protestant Orange Order and loyalist bandsmen clashed with the PSNI after a controversial sectarian parade was rerouted from the republican Ardoyne area of north Belfast on Friday.

Colin Duffy to stand trial

An attempt to have the case against Colin Duffy and Brian Shivers dropped has been refused by a judge.

US college battles to preserve history project

An American university is fighting a British bid to get hold of interviews with members of the Provisional IRA, gathered as part of an oral history project.

Kingsmills victims may bring civil case

Relatives of those who died in a gun attack at Kingsmills in south Armagh in 1976 may take a civil action against those they believe to be responsible.

Republican hardliners urged to unite

The former head of Irish Northern Aid, Martin Galvin, has urged republicans of all factions to unite to draw up a new strategy to defeat the British, in opposition to Sinn Fein.

Short Strand attacked again

There was serious rioting for a second night in east Belfast tonight as masked unionist paramilitaries renewed their attempts to attack the nationalist Short Strand enclave.

Shots fired at St Matthew’s

Shots have been fired by loyalists tonight towards St Matthew’s chapel amid a serious assault by unionist paramilitaries on the nationalist Short Strand.

Loyalist mob attacks Short Strand

Catholic homes in east Belfast’s Short Strand area and elsewhere have been attacked by over a hundred masked loyalists tonight, and several injuries have already been reported.

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.

Cancer victim tortured at Maghaberry

A republican prisoner who is undergoing cancer treatment has been brutally strip-searched en route to the hospital.

Unprecedented harassment of republicans

The brother of a man shot dead by British soldiers in County Armagh is to take legal action after he was followed by British intelligence officers on holiday all the way to Dubai.

Police Ombudsman damned in new report

The Police Ombudsman’s Office is heavily criticised in a new report into its work.

Sectarian tension linked to marching season

The controversial Whiterock parade by the Protestant Orange Order in Belfast later this month will go ahead, despite the opposition of local nationalist residents.

Bloody Sunday prosecutions still awaited one year on

A decision on the prosecution of British paratroopers over the Bloody Sunday killings is expected before the end of the summer.

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.

IRA members meet tribunal team

A meeting between former Provisional IRA Volunteers and the Smithwick Tribunal into the deaths of two senior RUC policemen in 1989 was facilitated by Sinn Fein, party President Gerry Adams has confirmed.

Cameron seeks end to ‘shared-out Stormont’

British Prime Minister David Cameron has outlined his vision for the future of the Six Counties, urging the North’s politicians to “move beyond” the question of British rule in Ireland, and instead focus on “the economic and social issues that affect people in their daily lives”.

‘Tour of the North’ rerouted from Ardoyne

A triumphalist parade by the Protestant Orange Order has again been banned from passing a republican community in north Belfast.

New inquest ordered into UDA murder

The Six-County Attorney General has ordered a new inquest into the murder of a Catholic man shot dead by a loyalist death squad in west Belfast in 1988.

UN demands investigation into Magdalene torture

The UN Committee Against Torture has recommended the 26-County State investigate “all allegations of torture, and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment that were allegedly committed in the Magdalene Laundries”.

Death of Brian Lenihan

Condolences have been expressed to the family of Brian Lenihan after he passed away this morning.

Paul Maskey elected MP for West Belfast

Sinn Fein Assembly member Paul Maskey has been elected as the new MP for West Belfast, replacing party president, Gerry Adams.

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.

RUC killed U.S. citizen in 1997, inquest finds

A coroner is to prepare a file for the Public Prosecution Service after an inquest found that an American father-of-one died from injuries inflicted by the PSNI police (then the RUC) in 1997.

Support grows for Maghaberry campaign

Up to 500 people gathered outside the gates of the notorious Maghaberry prison in Lisburn on Sunday afternoon in protest at the treatment of republican prisoners at the jail.

Dublin cabinet lurches towards flat taxes

The coalition government in Dublin appears set to move ahead with controversial plans for new water and family home taxes from next year despite mixed signals about the plans at cabinet level.

‘Uniting Ireland’ conferences scheduled

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams TD has released details of two major conferences the party is holding in Dublin and Cork to promote the objective of uniting Ireland.

The Mavi Marmara massacre, one year on

As peaceful demonstrators continue to die at Israel’s border, a look back at a notorious massacre of international human rights activists.

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.

Coalition chaos over new bailout, wage cuts

Dublin officials have been issuing contradictory statements over how they might fund the operations of the 26-County state next year, while threatening the wages of the state’s lowest paid workers.

Stormont Justice is ‘direct rule in drag’ - SDLP

Members of the police and government officials who contributed to the murder of human rights lawyer Rosemary Nelson are still working in the Six-County establishment, it has been claimed.

Sinn Fein secures post of Belfast Mayor

Sinn Fein’s Niall O Donnghaile became the youngest ever mayor of Belfast on Thursday night.

‘War criminal’ interviewed on RTE

The Pat Finucane Centre, a Derry-based human rights group, has protested against recent television interviews with the man most held responsible for the Bloody Sunday massacre.

Neil Lennon hung in effigy

A sectarian lynch mob, with some wearing Rangers tops, have hanged an effigy of Celtic soccer club manager Neil Lennon from a lamp-post in Antrim.

The collusion spin

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

Politicians succumb to state visit mania

The Sinn Fein mayor of Cashel created controversy on Friday when he became the first member of his party to shake the hand of a British monarch.

Conforming prisoners attacked in Maghaberry clampdown

The introduction of a change to the regime for conforming republican prisoners at Maghaberry jail has led to a series of violent assaults on the prisoners by warders, according to reports from inside the jail.

Attacks and alerts prompt questions, criticism

Mystery surrounds an attack in Derry city centre on Saturday, in which a small device exploded inside a bank.

RUC let loyalist murder suspects go - HET

Those thought to have been involved in the murder of a Catholic cafe owner in 1987 were never questioned by RUC (now PSNI) police, despite being identified by a witness, it has emerged.

IRSP mark hunger strike anniversary

Around 400 people took part in a commemoration march on Saturday to mark the 30th anniversary of the death of Derry hunger striker Patsy O’Hara.

Obama wows Dubliners, seeks ‘missing apostrophe’

US president Barack Obama is addressing huge crowds of people at College Green in Dublin this evening.

Rosemary Nelson Inquiry finds PSNI ‘failures’

The report of a public inquiry has claimed that British state agencies did not directly collude with loyalists who assassinated high-profile human rights lawyer Rosemary Nelson in Lurgan 1999.

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”.

Pre-emptive arrests of royal protestors

The 32 County Sovereignty committee has said “close on twenty” of its members were arrested last [Thursday] night as they assembled in Dublin to protest against the British royal visit.

Death of Garret Fitzgerald

The death has taken place of former Taoiseach, Garret FitzGerald. The former Fine Gael leader died on Thursday morning in Dublin, aged 85, following a short illness.

More progress in shoot-to-kill inquests

A coroner investigating the killings of two IRA men shot dead by soldiers more than 20 years ago must examine the “planning and control of the operation” that led to the deaths, senior judges have ruled.

Maskey may face Price in west Belfast election

Sinn Fein’s Paul Maskey is to stand in the Westminster by-election next month for the West Belfast seat left vacant by Gerry Adams.

Ireland braces for whirlwind Obama visit

This coming Monday, May 23, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will arrive in Ireland for an official state visit, the highlight of which is likely to be a stop in the tiny village of Moneygall.

Dubliners riot over provocative state visit

Hundreds of rioters clashed with gardai police for almost three hours following the visit of the British queen to the Garden of Rememberance in Dublin city centre yesterday, throwing fireworks, glass bottles and bricks.

Cold Irish welcome for British Commander-in-Chief

A convoy of armoured vehicles today shepherded British monarch Elizabeth Windsor through the empty streets of Dublin city centre in the first and most controversial day of a hugely expensive and oppressive ‘royal visit’.

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.

Detention of Marian Price criticised

The British government and the Stormont establishment have been accused of using totalitarian tactics following the effective internment yesterday [Monday] of veteran republican Marian Price.

Calls to ‘open the files’ on bombings

Bereaved families and survivors of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings have written an open letter to Elizabeth Windsor to mark her arrival in Ireland on the 37th anniversary of the atrocities.

Finucanes expect inquiry announcement; Nelson report due

After decades of campaigning by the family of Belfast defence lawyer Pat Finucane, they are to be told within weeks that a full inquiry into his murder will go ahead, according to reports at the weekend.

Mystery checkpoint as harassment, psy-ops mount

The North’s police ombudsman is to investigate after republicans were challenged by men wielding machine guns in a terror operation involving more than 80 police and 10 armoured vehicles last week.

New Sinn Fein Ministers in Six-County Executive

The political parties at Stormont appointed a new Six-County Executive today [Monday], with Sinn Fein surprisingly dropping its entire Executive team, with the exception of its Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness.

Marian Price interned

Prominent dissident republican Marian Price has been summarily jailed by the British government following her rearrest at a Derry courtroom today.

Marian Price arrested

Veteran republican Marian Price has been arrested by the PSNI. She was arrested in west Belfast today and taken to Antrim interrogation centre.

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.

Six-County Assembly begins new term

Sinn Féin has struck a deal with the DUP to share the post of Stormont Assembly speaker following last Thursday’s elections.

Coalition’s inaction saps confidence, claims lives

26-County Taoiseach Enda Kenny has been accused of not standing up for Irish interests following secretive emergency meetings of the European Union.

Britain to pay for injustices

A number of miscarriage of justice victims in the north of Ireland are to receive compensation following a landmark Supreme Court ruling in the case of two men whose convictions were overturned.

Driver saves life of man in loyalist mob attack

A young Catholic man was knocked unconscious in a random sectarian attack on Monday as a gang of twenty loyalists kicked and punched him.

Donnelly calls for national sovereignty vote

A leading dissident republican movement has said a vote on an all-Ireland basis on the question of Irish unity and national sovereignty could help bring an end to the conflict in Ireland.

SF gains 12 council seats, becomes largest party in Belfast

The balance of power at Belfast City Council has shifted, with Sinn Fein leapfrogging the DUP to become the largest party.

IRSP falls short by half a vote; SF’s Kelly injured in crash

Almost two-thirds of council posts in the Six Counties have been declared so far this evening.

Local election setbacks for UUP; others poll well

Electoral woes have continued for the Ulster Unionist Party in the local elections in the North.

SF wins seat in east Antrim as counts conclude

Final results in the Assembly election has confirmed power flowing from the smaller parties to the larger parties at Stormont, with both Sinn Fein and the DUP consolidating their positions at the expense of their nationalist and unionist rivals, the SDLP and UUP respectively.

UUP leader Tom Elliott lashes out at ‘Sinn Fein scum’

The embattled leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, Tom Elliott, described Sinn Fein as “scum” after the party won three seats in the Fermanagh/South Tyrone constituency.

Anger over election chaos

The electoral system in the North has been branded a “laughing stock” by a leading academic, while the last speaker of the Stormont assembly has branded it a “disgrace”.

DUP and SF tighten grip on Stormont

Sinn Fein and the DUP are still polling strongly as counting draws to a close on the first day of the election results in the north of Ireland.

First counts indicate Sinn Fein gains

n the first results in the Assembly election, Sinn Fein are making gains or holding their own as the long delayed numbers start to come in.

Huge leap forward for Scottish independence

Scotland is on course to secure independence by 2016 after a near-revolutionary transformation in British politics today.

UUP vote collapses amid drop in turnout

The dominant feature of the Six-County Assembly election, which is being counted today, is the sharp drop in turnout, although Sinn Fein are upbeat that they can increase their representation at Stormont.

Election triumph for Scottish nationalists

The Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP) could be on course for a historic victory in the Scottish parliament in Edinburgh, wiping the board in constituencies across that country.

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.

Palestinian peace breakthrough

Palestinians said they had turned the page on division at a ceremony in Egypt to heal a four-year rift between the Fatah movement and the more militant group Hamas.

Call for action over suicides

Concerns over the high level of teenage suicide in west and north Belfast have reached a new level following a series of deaths in the past few months.

Republican groups clash outside church gates

Members of Sinn Fein clashed with members of the National Graves Association outside a county Tyrone church on Easter Sunday weekend.

Tory media bashes referendum; Breakthrough hopes for Scotland

The coalition government in London of David Cameron’s Tories and Nick Clegg’s Liberal Democrats is under strain following a Tory ‘black propoganda’ campaign to discredit the Alternative Vote system prior to today’s referendum in Britain.

Assembly Elections 2011 - Constituency Profiles

Six Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) will be elected in each of the 18 constituencies in the Six Counties. A brief summary of the constituencies and candidates for this year’s Assembly election.

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.

Three Senate seats for Sinn Fein

Sinn Fein has secured three seats in what may be the last ever 26-County Seanad [Senate].

Sectarian attacks and bomb alerts

A series of bomb hoaxes and alerts also intensified in the past week and fuelled a sense of rising tension in the North.

Gerry Kelly rejects call to repudiate IRA

With elections to local councils and the Stormont Assembly due to take place within a week, Sinn Fein is coming under pressure from the unionist parties and the mainstream media to turn its back on the IRA.

Union Jack raised over Sinn Fein offices

The first contentious loyalist parades of the year have passed off peacefully.

Uncertainty shrouds health services after HSE board quits

The new 26-County Health Minister Dr James Reilly has cleared out the board of the Health Service Executive (HSE), claiming the dramatic shake-up will improve services and accountability.

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.

Golden circles continue to rob 26-County state

A number of elite public servants continue to be paid up to one million euro ($1.46m) in annual salary and associated benefits, despite the economic demise of the 26 Counties and the arrival of the IMF.

UVF boss, Celtic manager targeted for assassination

A senior UVF unionist paramilitary was left in critical condition after being stabbed outside a busy north Belfast supermarket, apparently by a feuding rival.

Child clubbed by PSNI in stop-and-search

A County Armagh schoolboy was assaulted by a member of the PSNI who batoned the 12-year-old just over a week ago, it has emerged.

Unity referendum subject to GFA - Sinn Fein

With all of the mainstream political parties unanimous on three key issues -- the need to defeat dissident republicanism, safeguard the Six-County political institutions and oppose cuts to the British subvention -- only the call for an all-island referendum has caused a stir in the Assembly election campaign.

‘Fun’ menu for Irish treaty signatories sold at auction

A “humorous” menu prepared for an Irish delegation dinner during the Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiations in London in 1921 has been sold in Dublin for a four-figure sum.

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.

Concerns over new human rights violations

Sinn Fein has criticised the PSNI's continued detention and interrogation of a number of people in connection with dissident republican activity.

HET draws a blank

The mother of a six-year-old boy shot in the head during the conflict has expressed her frustration after the police Historical Enquiries Team (HET) dismissed evidence of loyalist involvement in the death.

IMF, EU join in Dublin fudge exercise

The Fine Gael/Labour government in Dublin declared last week it had "passed" a review of its economic progress by its International Monetary Fund and European Union creditors without any penalty.

Kenny meets Cameron

The 26-County Taoiseach Enda Kenny held his first bilateral meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron in London this afternoon.

McGuinness to represent SF in leaders debates

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams will almost certainly not be representing the party in televised leaders' battles ahead of the North's election.

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”.

Assembly election candidates named

There are 218 candidates in total for the 108 Six-County Assembly seats up for grabs in the election on May 5, spread over the traditional 18 six-seater constituencies.

Govt seeks gullible property investors

The state-operated bank NAMA is to provide mortgages for home-buyers in the 26 Counties -- despite acknowledging that house prices are likely to fall further.

PSNI in bomb alert controversy

A furore has arisen after the PSNI allowed motorists to drive past a van containing what was described as a 500 pound bomb on Thursday evening last week.

Sinn Fein rules out royal visit demo

Any activity that Sinn Fein organises to mark the British royal visit next month will not involve picketing of events and no “confrontation for the sake of it”, the party’s deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald has said.

Double-agent’s ex-wife can sue Scappaticci

A woman who became embroiled in Britain’s ‘Dirty War’ has received High Court permission to bring anunprecedented legal actionagainst Freddie Scappaticci, the reputed British double-agent known in the media as ‘Stakeknife’.

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.

Windsor to visit Croke Park, republican memorial

The planned itinerary for a visit next month by the professed ‘Queen of England’ has provoked anger and disbelief.

Conflict is ‘useless’ - McGuinness

British forces in Ireland are said to be increasingly concerned at the technical capacity of breakaway IRA groups following Saturday’s killing of a PSNI man in a limpet-mine attack in County Tyrone.

Donaldson family say PSNI, MI5 central to killing

The family of high-ranking Sinn Fein official Denis Donaldson who was murdered for being a spy believe his PSNI Special Branch handler has secret information that could help the Garda murder investigation.

‘Treasonous’ to oppose bondholders - Lenihan

Former Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan has said proposals to share the cost of Ireland’s collapsed banking system with those European banks who had funded their lending practices as “a form of economic treason.”

Concern over new military parade plan

Belfast City Council has voted to approve a parade for British soldiers through the city.

Gerry McGeough sentenced to 20 years

Prominent republican Gerry McGeough has been sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for an IRA attack on an off-duty British soldier 30 years ago.

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.

Shock as PSNI man dies in clinical attack

Waves of political and official condemnation have followed the killing of a member of the PSNI in a targeted ‘dissident’ bomb attack in County Tyrone on Saturday.

Questions continue for MI5 in Derry killing

The family of Derry man Kieran Doherty have called on the PSNI to reveal any information they have on MI5’s involvement with him prior to his death in February last year.

Relief for Armagh man in Nairac ‘show trial’

South Armagh man Kevin Crilly has been cleared of any involvement in the execution of British soldier and spy Robert Nairac in May 1977.

Duffy detention for Supreme Court

Colin Duffy is to go before Britain’s highest court to challenge his period of pre-charge detention.

Assembly, local election campaigning underway

Sinn Fein’s newly elected TDs are to take part in a series of pre-election events as the party presents itself as an effective all-Ireland party, in contrast to the SDLP.

PSNI man killed in bomb attack

A member of the PSNI police has been killed in an undercar booby-trap type attack in County Tyrone.

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.

Maghaberry stitch-up exposed

The personal details of a former Maghaberry governor were planted by a prison warder in a prominent republican’s cell at the County Antrim prison, it has been admitted.

Bomb defused at Derry courthouse

The armed group known as Oglaigh na hEireann has said it planted a device near Derry’s courthouse which caused a major bomb alert on Sunday evening and Monday morning.

Kenny denies corruption in Tribunal brush-off

The governing Fine Gael party has been accused of corruption over its links with businessman Denis O’Brien in a heated Dail debate.

Irish census contractor ‘linked to war crimes’

Anti-war organisation ‘Shannonwatch’ has said that the 2011 census, taking place across the 26 Counties on April 10th, is being managed by a company accused of committing torture, war crimes and civil conspiracy in Iraq.

De Valera’s secret betrayal

Dublin governments were conspiring with Britain to smear prominent republicans and defeat the IRA as long ago as the 1930’s, according to a new radio documentary.

‘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.

McGeough sentencing deferred after strip-search drama

Prominent republican Gerry McGeough developed chest pains while refusing to be strip-searched before his court appearance in Belfast on Monday.

Low standards in public office confirmed

The Dublin government has been accused of seeking to cover up the findings of the Moriarty report, which found former Fine Gael minister Michael Lowry had acted in “profoundly corrupt” manner.

Britain ends equality in PSNI hiring

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams TD has attacked a decision by the British Secretary to scrap the 50-50 recruitment procedure to the PSNI police, under which equal numbers of Catholics and Protestants were employed by the force.

Coalition cop-out in Brussels

Despite his previous prediction two weeks ago, Taoiseach Enda Kenny has failed to secure reduction in the interest rate on the EU bailout for the 26-County State at a summit of European leaders today.

Orwellian Ministry strikes again

The DUP’s Six-County ‘Minister for Culture’ Nelson McCausland has insisted an annual arts festival held in south central Belfast include pro-Israeli views and Christian music in its line-up, according to a BBC report.

Tribunal finds former Minister guilty of corruption

In its final report, the Moriarty Tribunal in Dublin has accused former Fine Gael minister Michael Lowry of “profoundly corrupt” dealings and a “venal abuse of office”.

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.

High spirits at White House bash

US President Barack Obama has described an “incredible bond” between the US and Ireland at the annual St Patrick’s Day party at the White House.

Fine Gael faces backbone test

Speculation is growing that the new Dublin government will this week be forced to require that at least some bond-holders ‘share the burden’ of losses in the Irish banking system as tensions mount within the European Union over the cost and scale of the international bailout loan plan for the 26-County State.

Spy data was destroyed, court hears

The British Army had secretly bugged a car belonging to a County Armagh teenager on the night he is accused of involvement in a Continuity IRA attack on a member of the PSNI in 2009, it has been revealed.

Sinn Fein displays cross-border unity

Sinn Fein brings its strengthened team of southern representatives to Stormont today [Monday] for the first time since the party’s General Election gains in the 26 Counties.

Heritage plan sought for Dublin city centre

Dublin Sinn Fein TD Aengus O Snodaigh has called for the establishment of a 1916 Quarter encompassing the GPO and the historic buildings on Moore Street and for a Ceathru Gaelteachta [Irish speaking quarter] to develop the Irish language in the city.

Obama to visit Ireland

US President Barack Obama has said he intends to visit Ireland in May.

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.

Nelson report suppressed until after election

The British government has said it is carrying out “checks” the findings of a public inquiry into the murder of human rights lawyer Rosemary Nelson, which it is now feared will be withheld until after the May 5 election.

St Patrick’s Day controversy

A row has erupted over the flying of the tricolour at a St Patrick’s Day parade in Downpatrick, County Down.

Nuclear concerns follows Japanese calamity

Taoiseach Enda Kenny is to raise the issue of the Sellafield nuclear plant on the west coast of England following fresh anxiety in Ireland in the wake of the partial meltdown of a number of reactors in the northeast of Japan.

Ballymurphy families join in USA visit

Sinn Fein’s Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness will join DUP leader Peter Robinson and 26-County Taoiseach Enda Kenny among a smaller coterie of Irish politicians than usual to visit Washington DC for the annual St Patrick’s day bash at the White House this wee

Deaths of Sean Cronin, Brian Moore

Leading republicans have expressed their sadness at the death of well-known IRA veteran, author and journalist Sean Cronin.

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.

Repression of republicans intensifies

A number of British Army Landrovers rolling through the streets of Derry have been linked to a new wave of repressive Crown force raids across the North.

Sinn Fein warns over royal protests

Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness has warned against protests turning violent when Elizabeth Windsor, the professed ‘Queen of England’, is brought to the 26 Counties later this year.

Stormont in disarray as budget vote passed

A pre-election row has erupted over the ‘Six-County budget’ in the Stormont Executive, with the Ulster Unionist Party and the SDLP both vehemently opposing financial plans agreed by Sinn Fein and the DUP.

St Matthews attacked again

There were clashes in east Belfast on Wednesday night after a Catholic church was defaced by loyalists for a second time in a week.

Address by Gerry Adams to the Dublin parliament

The following is the full text of the address by Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams on the first meeting of the new parliament at Leinster House.

Enda Kenny becomes Taoiseach

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny has received his seal of office from President Mary McAleese at Aras An Uachtarain this afternoon following his election as Taoiseach of the 26-County state. He received 117 votes to 27 at the first sitting of the new Dublin parliament.

A coalition for cuts

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

PSNI attack mourners, make arrests

Riot police used CS gas to attack dissident republicans following the funeral of veteran IRA man and former H-Block escaper Peter ‘Skeet’ Hamilton.

RIRA claim gun attack

The Real IRA in Derry has said it was behind a gun attack on a PSNI patrol in the Glen Road area of the city and warned that more attacks will follow

Baggott urged to resign

There is pressure on the PSNI police chief Matt Baggott to resign following his abject failure to apologise for the force’s lies about those killed in the McGurk’s Bar massacre.

Closure for Fusco family

A loyalist was jailed for life last week after being convicted of the sectarian murder in Belfast of cafe owner Alfredo Fusco in 1973.

Sectarian, racial tensions on the rise

Graffiti threatening the life of Glasgow Celtic soccer boss Neil Lennon has been daubed on a chapel in east Belfast.

Windsor visit confirmed

British monarch Elizabeth Windsor will make an official visit to the 26-County State later this year, it has been confirmed.

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.

The greening of Ireland

Sinn Fein is set to be a major player in 26 County politics after it more than tripled its seats in the Dublin parliament.

Anniversary of start of hunger strike marked

A new exhibition was launched in Belfast on Tuesday, 30 years to the day from the beginning of the second hunger strike for political status by republican PoW Bobby Sands.

Britain to be sued for Omagh damages

A High Court judge has reversed a previous decision to throw out a damages claim brought by the husband of one of the Omagh bomb victims.

Departing Minister signs off on Corrib pipeline

A decision by the outgoing Minister for Energy Pat Carey to sign permissions for the last section of the hugely controversial Corrib gas pipeline on the day of the general election has drawn a furious reaction.

Councillor defiant at protest trial

Dublin City Councillor Louise Minihan has refused to pay a fine of 1,500 euro she received in court last Friday, for dripping red paint on the former Health Minister Mary Harney.

Brian Stanley elected TD for Laois/Offaly

Brian Stanley has clinched a seat for Sinn Fein in Laois/Offaly, the first in 78 years.

Counting continues; coalition talks underway

Fine Gael and Labour have commenced talks on the formation of a new coalition government following a historic collapse in the vote of the outgoing coalition partners, Fianna Fail and the Green Party.

Seats pile in for Sinn Fein

A series of stunning upsets has seen Sinn Fein dominate news coverage of the election by winning 13 seats so far.

Further gains for SF; Crowe, O Caolain, Mac Lochlainn elected

Sinn Fein’s Sean Crowe has returned to the Dail, reversing his painful loss in 2007. Mr Crowe took the third of four seats in Dublin South-West on the sixth count, with the help of transfers from the Socialist Party.

Gerry Adams elected TD for Louth; Pearse Doherty re-elected

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams has topped the poll and secured election on the first count amid jubilant scenes at the constituency count centre in Louth.

Results begin to be announced in General Election

First count declarations are currrently coming in from Friday’s 26-County General Election.

Adams set to win seat in Dail

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams is on course to win a seat for the party in Louth as his party looks set to achieve a historic breakthrough in Friday's general election in the 26 Counties.

Exit poll released as election count begins

Counting begins this morning in the 26-County General Election in which Fine Gael is expected to take power following a collapse in the Fianna Fail vote.

‘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.

Historic election is underway

Polling stations will remain open until 10pm on Friday in what is sure to be one of the most significant Irish elections in recent times. Voting has already begun on Ireland’s offshore islands.

Final insult for McGurk’s massacre families

The memories of the 15 McGurk’s bar victims have been vindicated by a new report on the atrocity, but relatives of the dead and injured are still angry over a shocking response to the report by the current PSNI police chief Matt Baggott.

Stormont parties squabble over coalition carve-up

Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness has accused two parties within the struggling Stormont Executive of trying to cut his party out of the Six-County administration.

Date set for Pearse Jordan inquest

An inquest into the death of unarmed IRA man Pearse Jordan, shot by police in west Belfast almost 20 years ago, may be held in October.

Libyan rescue bid ends in fiasco

An attempt to evacuate desperate Irish citizens fleeing from the chaos of Libya’s descent into civil war failed on Wednesday night.

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.

Gerry McGeough ‘jailed for his beliefs’

A former member of the Sinn Fein leadership has been put behind bars in Maghaberry Prison after being convicted for an IRA action 30 years ago.

Sinn Fein in campaign overdrive

With less than a week to go, Sinn Féin has sharply escalated its 26-County general election campaign by outlining key policies in a number of high-profile media events.

Breakaway groups struggle to assert role

A Republican Sinn Fein breakaway group elected a leadership for itself at a gathering of the organisation at the weekend.

Monument to Brendan Hughes destroyed

A granite monument in honour of former IRA hunger striker Brendan ‘The Dark’ Hughes has been vandalised within days of being unveiled.

Coins marked as ‘RIRA’ currency

Dissident republicans in Belfast are engraving pound coins with the initials of the breakaway ‘Real IRA’.

Gerry McGeough convicted by Diplock court

Promiment Tyrone republican and former Sinn Fein Ard Chomhairle member Gerry McGeough has been found guilty of taking part in an IRA attack on a British soldier in August 1981

‘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.

Fine Gael attacks Irish language education

A shock Fine Gael proposal to abolish the compulsory teaching of Irish if put into power in this month’s 26-County general election has provoked spontaneous protests in Dublin.

EU to insist on punitive interest rate

The European Union has demanded “continuity” in government economic and fiscal policy following the 26-County general election on February 25th.

Inequality at Bombardier

One of the British government’s high-profile beneficiaries remains an overwhelmingly Protestant-staffed company, it has emerged.

McGuinness escapes air disaster

Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness escaped death in a plane crash on Thursday, thanks to a last minute change of plan.

‘Censorship’ over television debate plan

The first major television debate of the 26-County election campaign - between Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin and Labour leader Eamon Gilmore - saw sharp and energetic exchanges on budgetary policy, the EU/IMF bailout and the introduction of the bank guarantee.

Lenihan leaves a ten billion euro question

A decision by the Dublin government to defer the recapitalisation of the banks until after the 26-County general election has been condemned as ‘a stroke’ by the opposition parties.

Royal visit points up political divide

Enda Kenny, leader of the largest opposition party in the 26 Counties, has said a visit to Ireland by an English monarch is “overdue”.

European Court rejects prisoner’s challenge

A republican prisoner has lost his European Court challenge over the right to wear an Easter lily in memory of the 1916 Irish Rising.

Appeal for chronically ill prisoner

The partner of a chronically ill prisoner being held in Maghaberry has said he could die in jail unless an urgent decision is made on his release date.

Plane crashes at Cork airport

Six people were killed today when a Manx2 regularly scheduled airline flight from Belfast to Cork overturned and caught fire while making a second attempt to land in dense fog.

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.

Charles paves way for Queen’s visit

The first visit to the 26-County state by a reigning British monarch will take place over three days in May, according to reports.

Kenny refuses to join TV debate

The first televised leaders’ debate of the 26-County election will take place on Tuesday night with only two taking part, Fianna Fail’s new leader Micheal Martin and Labour’s Eamon Gilmore.

McGuinness as First Minister would be ‘endorsement’

Unionist politicians have called on the British Secretary Owen Paterson to resign after comments he made on BBC’s ‘Hearts and Minds’ programme.

Lisburn’s memorial to murder

Sinn Fein has protested after it emerged a huge memorial to the British Army’s murderous Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) is due to be erected in Lisburn, County Antrim later this year.

Progress in Loughinisland campaign

The long-awaited report into the 1994 Loughinisland massacre will be published by the Police Ombudsman’s office at the end of March.

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.

Justice still the goal after ‘final’ Bloody Sunday march

Over ten thousand people took part in what some have argued should be the final Bloody Sunday march in Derry.

Bloody Sunday march participants attacked

Some of those returning from the Bloody Sunday commemoration in Derry on Sunday were taken from a train near Coleraine and brutally attacked by the PSNI police.

Game on as parties set out election stalls

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams has appealed for an alliance of left wing parties and candidates as the 26-County parties brace for a general election which could bring dramatic change to Ireland’s political landscape.

Hamill report to be published in 2012

The report into the 1997 sectarian murder of Robert Hamill will be completed at the end of this month but will not be published until next year at the earliest, British officials have said.

eirigi names local election candidates

West Belfast will see a battle for the republican vote after eirigi named two candidates who will stand against Sinn Fein in the Belfast City Council elections in both wards along the Falls Road.

Brian Cowen quits politics

The 26-County Taoiseach Brian Cowen has announced he will not contest the upcoming general election.

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.

Cowen to bring down the shutters

Taoiseach Brian Cowen has said he will finally dissolve the Dublin parliament next Tuesday.

Dail ‘a failed parliament’ - Martin

Newly elected Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin has called for major political reform just weeks before the 26-County general election.

Sectarianism in riot investigations exposed

Figures have shown a significant disparity between the arrest and charges rate for riots in loyalist and republican areas in Belfast.

Campaign against refinery steps up

Opposition to Shell’s inland refinery and high-pressure onshore pipeline in County Mayo will continue and escalate, environmental activists have said.

‘Baron’ Adams bristles over Crown appointment

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams, who tendered his resignation as a member of the Westminster parliament last week, was subsequently appointed without his agreement to a paid Crown position in order to satisfy a 400-year old statute, according to British officials.

Martin replaces Cowen as FF leader; Finance Bill passes

Former minister for foreign affairs Micheal Martin has been elected as the new leader of Fianna Fail to replace Brian Cowen.

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.

Four candidates vie for Fianna Fail leadership

Four contenders - Ministers Brian Lenihan, Mary Hanafin and Eamon O’Cuiv as well former Minister Micheal Martin - have said they will contest the race to succeed the Taoiseach Brian Cowen as leader of the crumbling Fianna Fail party.

eirigi to contest local elections

The socialist republican party eirigi will contest the forthcoming local elections in the Six Counties after voting in favour of the move at their annual Ard-Fheis in Belfast on Sunday.

Heavy gang treatment for Belfast republican

Prominent north Belfast republican Mairtin Og Meehan has said he had to receive medical treatment following an assault by the PSNI police last Friday.

Bomb defused at British Army building

Dissident republicans are thought to have planted a bomb at a British army officer training corps building in south Belfast.

Bizarre law puts Adams’s Westminster seat in limbo

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams remains as a member of the Westminster parliament for West Belfast even though he has lodged a letter of resignation, the Speaker of the House of Commons insisted last night.

Green Party quits government

The Green Party are to pull out of the coalition government in Dublin, party leader John Gormley has announced. The party’s two Ministers have submitted their resignations from Brian Cowen’s rapidly diminishing Cabinet.

Cowen quits as leader of Fianna Fail

Brian Cowen has stepped down as leader of Fianna Fail just five days after he won a vote of confidence from his parliamentary party. He will remain on as Taoiseach.

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.

Sinn Fein gears up for historic election

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams has formally resigned from his Westminster seat in West Belfast following news that an election date has been set for a 26 County general election.

Leading 32CSM man targeted by MI5

The 32 County Sovereignty Movement have urged republicans to be vigilant following the arrest and subsequent approach by British forces to one of its members from South Armagh.

Most of PSNI served in RUC, statistic shows

More than half the current PSNI force at work across the North once wore the uniform of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, it has emerged.

Shell wins permission for new Corrib Gas plan

Environmental campaigners have said that their opposition will escalate following a planning ruling that approved revised plans by Shell E&P for a hugely contentious inland refinery and high-pressure onshore pipeline in County Mayo

Bloody Sunday committee members quit

Three members of the ‘Bloody Sunday Weekend Committee’ are to step down from their roles after twenty years, citing “political differences” in how forthcoming commemorations are to be held.

Election called amid political chaos

Following a morning of chaos and farce in the Dublin parliament, 26-County Taoiseach Brian Cowen has finally announced the General Election for Friday, March 11.

Mary Harney resigns from government

Mary Harney has quit as Minister for Health in the latest departure from the ailing Fianna Fail/Green Party coalition government.

Cowen retains control of Fianna Fail

Taoiseach Brian Cowen tonight retained control in Dublin of the ruling Fianna Fail party after winning a motion of confidence in his leadership.

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.

British spy operated in 26 Counties

Calls are growing in Britain for a wide-ranging inquiry to establish the full extent of undercover British operations within Irish protest movements, following the unmasking of a undercover spy who had spent time with several campaigns in Ireland, including the Corrib Gas protest.

‘UK City of Culture’ office attacked

A small bomb exploded at the office in Derry of the ‘UK City of Culture’ program early on Monday.

Bloody Sunday families issue statement on commemoration

The majority of Bloody Sunday families have signed up to an agreement that this month’s commemoration march should be the last.

Don’t come back, emigrants told

The Dublin government has been accused of telling the unemployed to ‘get out and stay out’ amid further evidence of a crackdown on claims for social welfare by returning emigrants.

National grief at bride’s murder

Huge crowds have attended the funeral in Tyrone of Michaela McAreavey, the daughter of GAA sports star Mickey Harte and the honeymoon bride of John McAreavey.

Cowen calls for confidence vote

26-County Taoiseach Brian Cowen is to precipitate a vote of confidence in his leadership at Tuesday’s meeting of the Fianna Fail parliamentary party.

‘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.

Negotiations over Finucane inquiry

The British government has said it will take another two months to decide if there should be a public inquiry into the murder of Pat Finucane -- one of the most controversial killings of the conflict.

Upsurge in sectarian attacks

A Catholic primary school and a Gaelic sports club have been targeted in an orchestrated series of sectarian attacks at the weekend.

Euro challenge to strip searches

A republican prisoner has won the right to challenge prison strip search policies in a case which could have wider implications.

Omagh civil judgement appealed

An appeal is underway againt the civil court decision to find Michael McKevitt and three other dissident republicans liable for the 1998 Omagh bomb.

Sugar industry recriminations

The Sinn Fein Spokesperson on Agriculture Martin Ferris TD has claimed that the Irish sugar factory at Mallow in county Cork was closed unnecessarily in order to facilitate property speculation.

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”.

Loan payment is ‘final nail’ in sovereignty

Sinn Fein Finance Spokesperson Pearse Doherty has hit out after it was revealed that the first tranche of the EU/IMF bailout loan will be paid out to Ireland on Wednesday.

Adams sets sights on government

Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams has said the party is open to forming a coalition with Labour if it secures enough votes in the forthcoming election.

Nairac trial begins

The trial has begun of a south Armagh man accused of killing an undercover British Army officer over three decades ago.

Stone’s conviction upheld

Loyalist killer Michael Stone has failed in his attempt to overturn convictions for trying to assassinate Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness.

Sheehan interview ‘an insult’

During a recent interview, Pat Sheehan said the North had not suffered from the mass sectarian attacks of other conflicts, and described the conflict in the North as “probably quite civilised”.

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.

Teflon Bertie steps down

Former Taoiseach and Fianna Fail leader Bertie Ahern has announced he will not run for the Dublin parliament at the next general election.

Lithuanian detention violates Euro law

A republican prisoner in Lithuania is being held in inhuman and degrading conditions that are in clear breach of the European Convention on Human Rights, his lawyer has said.

Bloody Sunday commemoration’s future in doubt

A difference of opinion has emerged among Derry’s Bloody Sunday families over the future of the annual commemorative march.

New Year statements by republican groups

A New Year statement attributed to the Real IRA has vowed to expand its ‘theatre of operations’ and claimed that the British state forces are failing to deal with the threat that it poses.

Thaw brings water crisis

Tens of thousands of people across Ireland were left without water over the New Year because of burst water mains and dry and depleted reservoirs.

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.

Prisoners’ Christmas visits cancelled

Republican prisoners’ families were turned away from Maghaberry jail on Christmas Eve in an apparent reprisal by warders for a new agreement on oral searches.

Grenade incident prompts questions, criticism

A grenade found outside the County Fermanagh home of a PSNI policeman has been strongly condemned by the North’s political parties.

Independence ‘almost lost’ under de Valera

One of the most respected civil servants to work for the Dublin government, TK Whitaker, has said that an almost bankrupt Ireland was in danger of losing its independence in the late 1950s.

New Year message from Gerry Adams

A statement was issued by Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams on Christmas Eve.

Escape from Europe’s Alcatraz

On the 50th anniversary of the successful breakout from Crumlin Road jail in 1960, we publish a review of his book published earlier this year, ‘Prisoner 1082, Escape From Crumlin Road - Europe’s Alcatraz’. Review by Gerry O’Hara, for the Bobby Sands Trust.

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.

PSNI actions provoke Newry riot

The Derrybeg estate in Newry saw heavy clashes between the PSNI and nationalist youths after armoured jeeps descended on the republican estate, sealing off the entrance to the area.

Hamill prosecutions to go ahead

Three people are to be charged in connection with the sectarian murder of Portadown Catholic Robert Hamill, Crown prosecutors in the North have said.

New Parades Commission named

The British Secretary Owen Paterson has appointed a totally new seven-member Parades Commission.

Abortion ruling raises fresh controversy

There have been calls for a new referendum to legislate for limited abortion in the 26 Counties following a European court ruling that a woman with cancer had her human rights violated when she was refused an abortion.

Television stand-off ‘to end in 2012’

Television channels from the South will be beamed for free across the Six Counties by the end of 2012, it was confirmed this week.

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.

Stormont agrees draft budget

After weeks of delays, the DUP and Sinn Féin have signed up to the draft budget to meet 4 billion pounds (4.7 billion euro) in savings demanded by British exchequer chancellor George Osborne.

Ahern feared for career over renditions - WikiLeaks

A leaked cable published by WikiLeaks has described how former 26-County Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern knew that at least three illegal ‘extraordinary rendition’ flights had used Shannon airport when he held a meeting with the US ambassador in December 2007.

Finucane protest planned as inquiries stalled

The publication of two inquiries into collusion killings has been hit by further delays.

Fusco murder trial underway

A man accused of murdering Belfast chip shop owner Alfredo Fusco has refused to give evidence in his own defence.

Belfast attacks ‘ridiculous’ - SF

Two pipe bomb attacks took place in south and north Belfast over the past 24 hours-

Dail surrenders economic sovereignty

The Fianna Fail/Green Party coalition has won a vote in the Dublin parliament which will cede control over the day-to-day running of the 26-County economy to the International Monetary Fund and the European Union.

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.

Cables point to MI5’s collusion files

Calls for an independent international inquiry into the murder of Belfast defence lawyer Pat Finucane have been renewed after documents revealed British military intelligence offered to hand over secret files on the killing.

Bankers’ bonuses an injustice too far

The 26-County government has been forced into a sharp policy reversal over the payment of bonuses to senior bankers.

26-County public services in disarray

A series of reports in the past week has pointed to increasing levels of incompetence, negligence and dysfunction in the provision of state services in the 26 Counties.

Two arrested over murder of Catholic teen

Two men have been arrested in connection with the loyalist murder of 19-year-old Eileen Doherty, whose taxi was hijacked by gunmen in south Belfast over 37 years ago.

Sinn Fein in Dáil pact ahead of IMF debate

The five Sinn Fein TDs and two Independents, Finian McGrath and Maureen O’Sullivan, have agreed to form a technical group in the Dublin parliament.

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.

Shamed government backs away from election

The likely date of a 26-County general election has been pushed back to March or even later as Fianna Fail and Green Party Ministers attempt to cling to power.

Duffy trial to go ahead

High-profile republican Colin Duffy suffered two beatings en route to and from a court hearing on Thursday at which he was told he would have to attend a trial in the New Year.

Tories shy away from Ballymurphy inquiry

A British minister has indicated that an investigation into the killing of eleven people in west Belfast by the British Army in 1971 is to be refused.

Adams quits Stormont

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams has ended his Stormont career by praising what he said was the “remarkable” achievement of power-sharing.

Paterson linked to new Tory/UUP deal

Sinn Fein MP Pat Doherty has called on the British Secretary of State Owen Paterson to come clean on any involvement he had in brokering the latest political deal between the Tories and the UUP.

Royal convoy attacked as English students revolt

A vehicle carrying ‘Prince of Wales’ Charles Windsor and his wife, ‘Duchess of Cornwall’ Camilla Parker-Bowles, was attacked by student protesters in London amid heavy rioting in the city.

Lenihan unveils ‘slash and burn’ budget

Ordinary workers, families and social welfare recipients have borne the brunt of 6 billion euro in cuts and taxes in the 26-County Budget today by Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan.

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.

Bomb cover-up reached highest level

A classified document that details a meeting between former Six-County prime minister Brian Faulkner and British Home Secretary Reginald Maudling shows that a cover-up around the McGurk’s bar bombing went right to the top of the government.

UUP disintegration continues

The new leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, Tom Elliott has insisted he is not a “political dinosaur” after another prominent party figure quit.

SF seeks two seats in Cavan-Monaghan

Sinn Fein is to run two general election candidates in Cavan-Monaghan in a sign of confidence that the party will increase its support at the polls.

Unionists oppose Ballymurphy exhibition

Unionists have sought to prevent the families of those who died in the Ballymurphy massacre from displaying photographs in Belfast City Hall next August on the 40th anniversary of their deaths.

Adams holds talks on marches

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams met senior loyalists at Stormont on Monday to discuss the ongoing impasse over sectarian parades.

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.

Doherty enters Dail as IMF/EU rules are revealed

Newly elected TD Pearse Doherty has taken his seat in the Dublin parliament, where he will be Sinn Fein’s new Finance spokesperson.

Dissident goals ‘not achievable’ - McGuinness

Sinn Fein’s Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness has said republicans still engaged in armed struggle face prison “for an aim that is simply not achievable”.

Murdered man was innocent - HET

A former British soldier who said he had shot dead a young Catholic man in north Belfast could not have carried out the killing, according to the North’s Historical Enquiries Team (HET).

US govt annoyed by Shannon policy, judgement - WikiLeaks

A former US ambassador to Ireland said the Dublin government imposed new conditions on the use of Shannon airport by US troops in 2006 in a bid to secure extra votes ahead of a general election the following year, according to a leaked diplomatic cable.

Concerns over Lundy parade

The Apprentice Boys’ Lundy Day parade takes place in Derry tomorrow [Saturday] once again raising fears of sectarian clashes in the second largest city in the North.

Scottish parliament gets taxation powers

Scotland is to get limited powers to set its own income tax rates and borrow money in a new phase of devolution from London to the Scottish parliament in Edinburgh.

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.

100,000 march in Dublin against austerity measures

Up to 100,000 people took part in Saturday’s march and rally organised by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions in protest at the government’s planned programme of austerity.

Sinn Fein seeks to build on by-election win

The result of the Donegal South West by-election has changed the balance of power in the Dublin parliament, with Sinn Fein poised to create a ‘technical group’ over the last weeks and months of the current Dail.

Trigger-happy PSNI open fire in Portadown

The family of a 79-year-old grandfather say he is lucky to be alive after a shot fired by the PSNI police went through his living room window.

‘Unite Ireland’ - Adams

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams tonight [Monday] launched a new cross-border initiative at a United Ireland Rally in Monaghan.

Cowen govt receives 85bn euro bailout

The International Monetary Fund and the European Union have approved an 85 billion euro rescue package for the 26 County state at an average interest rate of 5.83 per cent.

Pearse Doherty elected TD for Donegal South West

Sinn Fein Senator Pearse Doherty has been elected to the Dail for Donegal South West, without reaching the quota after securing a massive 40% of the first preference vote and the lion’s share of the second preference transfers in Thursday’s by-election.

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.

National fury at bailout austerity plan

A major demonstration is to go ahead on the streets of Dublin tomorrow against the savage cuts being imposed by an illegitimate government at the behest of greedy bankers, European bureaucrats and the International Monetary Fund.

Cover-up feared over Loughinisland massacre

Nationalists have expressed disbelief at news that ‘no prosecution’ is be taken against an RUC policeman over the 1994 Loughinisland Pub Massacre.

McGeough speaks out over injustice

Gerry McGeough was at the Six-County Assembly this week to challenge British injustice in selectively pursuing historical cases in the conflict.

Dissident protest forces abandonment of DPP meeting

Republicans in Derry forced the abandonment of a local meeting on policing which was to take place in the Guildhall on Wednesday night.

Commemorations held for fallen heroes

Around 150 people gathered in Belfast’s Milltown Cemetery on Saturday afternoon, November 20, to mark the 19th anniversary of the deaths of IRA volunteers Patricia Black and Frank Ryan on active service.

Sinn Fein set for by-election triumph

Counting is underway in the by-election in Donegal South West, with Pearse Doherty on course to win a historic victory for Sinn Fein.

Austerity plan to hit poor, students, pensioners, services

The Dublin government today unveiled a raft of budget measures it claimed would restore the 26-County State’s finances by 2014, but fudged key facts and figures on how it would affect the public.

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.

Dublin govt submits to international bailout pressure

The public finances of the 26-County state will, for the next three years at least, be subject to “regular reviews” by external monitors working on behalf of the International Monetary Fund, the European Union, and the British and Swedish governments.

Sinn Fein TD, protestors attacked

A group of 100 protestors clashed with Gardai as they made their way the gates of the Dublin parliament earlier this [Monday] afternoon, following a protest against the government’s handling of the economy.

Donegal election breakthrough predicted

Residents of Donegal’s outlying islands are casting their by-election votes today [Monday].

‘Mouth search’ increases Maghaberry tension

A number of republican prisoners have been refused their visits in Maghaberry prison after they refused to open their mouths and wiggle their tongues before entering the visiting area.

Republican rivals to hold debate

Sinn Fein and new republican political party eirigi will share a platform this week, for the first time, during a debate to discuss Ireland’s economic crisis.

Green Party calls for general election

The Green Party has called for a date for a 26-County general election to be set for the second half of January.

Coalition to get IMF/EU bailout

The Dublin government tonight confirmed that the European Union and the International Monetary Fund have agreed to its request for a financial aid package.

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.

Britain seeks to strengthen union

British Secretary Owen Paterson has reasserted the British government’s claim on the Six Counties.

Shoot-to-kill families without representation

Families of shoot-to-kill victims could be denied representation at a long-delayed inquest because of a hold-up over fees, a pre-hearing heard today [Friday].

No bailout for homeowners

A bailout for thousands of homeowners in mortgage arrears has been ruled out by 26-County Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan and Financial Regulator Matthew Elderfield.

Adams confident as Assembly successor named

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams has said Sinn Fein is strong enough in west Belfast to retain its Westminster and assembly seats without him.

Ballymurphy families at Westminster

Families of those massacred by British soldiers in the Ballymurphy area of west Belfast over 30 years ago have taken their campaign for an independent international investigation to Lon

IMF, EU teams arrive in Dublin

Representatives of the International Monetary Fund have arrived in Dublin to begin work on a financial aid package for the insolvent 26 County state.

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.

EU bailout talks confirmed

The European Union, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank are working on a solution for the Irish banking sector, EU economic and monetary affairs commissioner Olli Rehn confirmed today.

Miscarriage of justice overturned for Newry man

A man who was serving a 14-year jail term for attacking a PSNI station with a mortar rocket was acquitted of the attack on Friday.

UVF parade bid renews Ardoyne tensions

The family of a loyalist murder victim have raised concerns that the UVF may attempt to exploit his death to divert attention away from calls for it to disband.

Dissidents ‘97%’ of Provo strength

An Ulster Unionist member of the Policing Board has claimed that ‘dissident’ republicans have almost reached the same level of terrorist capability as the Provisional IRA.

Suu Kyi invited to Ireland

Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is to be invited to Dublin by Mayor Gerry Breen to accept in person the freedom of the city conferred on her 10 years ago.

Adams to seek Louth nomination for General Election

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams has today announced his decision to put his name forward for the Sinn Fein nomination for the Louth constituency at the next 26-County General Election.

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.

Spence calls for disbandment of UVF

The man behind the emergence of the unionist paramilitary UVF in the 1960s has called for the organisation to stand down

Equal PSNI recruitment to end

The equal recruitment of Catholics and Protestants to the North’s police is to end next year, the British government said today.

Doherty clashes with Cowen on election trail

The 26-County Taoiseach Brian Cowen has attacked Sinn Fein’s Pearse Doherty as election campaigning heated up in Donegal.

Govt swindling pensioners of care - report

The Dublin government has deprived thousands of older people of their legal entitlement to nursing home care, according to a report by the Ombudsman and Information Commissioner Emily O’Reilly.

Arthur Morgan not to contest seat

Sinn Fein’s Arthur Morgan, the party’s spokesman on finance, will not contest the next general election. The Louth deputy confirmed this week he wanted to return to his family business, after serving two terms.

Arthur Morgan to step down

Sinn Fein’s finance spokesman Arthur Morgan said tonight he will not stand in the next general election.

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.

‘Germans’ running 26-County finances

On the day it emerged European bureaucrats have taken up offices in the 26-County Department of Finance, EU economic commissioner Ollie Rehn flew into Ireland to inspect the Dublin government’s economic plans.

PSNI aggression in Armagh

Sinn Fein Six-County Minister Conor Murphy has lambasted the PSNI police after they used loudhailers, spotlights and marksmen to arrest a man who was later cleared of any involvement in a suspected robbery.

Hunger strike dispute goes on

Former IRA prison leader Brendan ‘Bik’ McFarlane has declared that a document from the 1981 hunger strike proved that republicans did not reject a British government deal to end the 1981 Hunger Strike.

Protest at Garda brutality

Student groups have organised an anti-Garda brutality march following last week’s scenes of state violence against students protesting at planned fee increases in the 26 Count

Heritage ‘on sale now’

Memorabilia spanning a thousand years of Irish history is set to go under the hammer in the latest controversial sell-off of historical treasures by Whyte’s auction house in Dublin.

February 3, 2012