The hurt of being de-selected by the UUP had not totally dissipated when I met the late David McClarty MLA shortly after his election success as…
Browsing: Northern Ireland
George Bernard Shaw portended Northern Ireland as “an autonomous political lunatic asylum”. How right he was. I’m not sure that was the creator’s intention, however. The…
A twelve year old Dublin boy has asked Queen Elizabeth to return Northern Ireland to the Republic of Ireland. This is the kind of blunt thinking,…
How can unionists condemn a rebellion when they threatened rebellion? During a recent discussion on BBC Spotlight on the Easter Rising, Jim Allister of the TUV…
Nora Connolly, writer and activist, is the daughter of James Connolly. On Easter Sunday a century ago, the republican movement (the IRB and Irish Volunteers) was…
This time a couple of years ago, the loyalist Winston Irvine described the rebuilding of the PUP political project as more a marathon run than a…
Brian Rowan’s book ‘Unfinished Peace’ is a seminal contribution to dealing with the past. Significantly this book has sought out many voices – voices that…
It is commonly said that in Ireland the past is never over, that one of the characteristics of our troubled and troubling politics, especially within Northern…
It was a day of firsts. The visit of President Clinton was the first time I heard the phrase ‘no stone unturned’. As 9 year olds…
I’ve felt green of late. Not a political conversion, rather, the green of envy. Jealous of the energy, vision and action of the Irish unity lobby.…
In a recent article Brian Spencer makes a number of observations about this “loutish Calvinist”. I am grateful that Eamonn has allowed this “rural unionist oaf”…
In 1921 the founding father of Northern Ireland Edward Carson implored unionist legislators to govern the nascent state with justice and equality for the Catholic minority.…
In the current talks on dealing with the past the UK government is asserting a veto determining what will and will not be disclosed; this under…
Last week marked the 21st Anniversary of the Ceasefire declared by the Combined Loyalist Military Command. It was heralded as an end to decades of…
Ireland has a problem with travellers. Ten members of the minority community are immolated in a domestic fire and Ireland expresses grief, but adds a qualification.…