Wear an Easter LillyI did not think Easter is almost upon us. It has crept up on me. For Irish republicans Easter holds a special significance. It is synonymous with the 1916 Easter Rising and the heroism over a cent...

 Protecting our environmentThe blue skies and warm weather of recent days is a reminder that spring will soon give way to summer. Everywhere the trees and flowers are coming into bloom and the dark evenings are retreat...

 The North began, the North held on,The strife for native land;When Ireland rose to smite her foesGod bless the Northern landThomas DavisIn the 1790s Belfast was...

 Martin Mc Guinness. A Reflection.Friday the 21 March was the eighth anniversary of the death of our friend and leader Martin McGuinness. Like many others, I am sure, I was perplexed as it dawned on me that eight years...

 Defend Neutrality.If truth be told the long standing claim of neutrality by the southern Irish state is not all its made out to be. It is a fact that successive Irish governments have turned a blind eye to American war plane...

 Let’s welcome the WorldIt has been a very busy and eventful couple of weeks for all of those who speak and enjoy the Irish language and who have campaigned for decades against government policies of institutionalised ...

Seachtain na GaeilgeSeachtain na Gaeilge used to run for one week but because it was so popular it was extended. It now runs annually from 1 March to 17 March – St. Patrick’s Day. Is í Seachtain na Gaeilge an ceiliúrad...

Brendan McFarlaneOn Tuesday we buried our friend and comrade Brendan McFarlane. Bik texted me just over 2 weeks or so ago to say he was back in hospital. He had been battling cancer for some time. A few days later the medics stopp...

The Re-interment of Frank Stagg. Last week we remembered Frank Stagg who died on hunger strike in an English prison in February 1976. Frank began his fourth and final hunger strike in December 1975. He died 62 day...

My Internment by Roseleen WalshRoseleen Walsh is one of 36 women who were interned in the early 1970s. Her latest book – My Internment – tells the very personal story of her life as a young woman in west Belfast in the late 60s an...

Partitionism Rules. Simon Harris has said that Irish unity is not a priority for him.  That is self-evident. But for him to say so is at odds with the stated position of most senior Irish politicians including An Taoisea...

Starmer Waiving The Rules. According to the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer his government is looking at "every conceivable way" to prevent me and at least 300 other people from receiving compensation for wrongful arrest ...

Dublin Lacks AmbitionLast week Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, supported by the regional independents, published their Programme for Government 2025. This contains the objectives set by the government parties for the next five years. I...

A Good Start To 2025. On Saturday last leading trade union activists from across the island of Ireland came together in Newry for a packed Ireland’s Future event in the Thomas Davis Hub. It was a wet winter morning and i was ...

Nollaig na mBanMonday 6 January is traditionally the date on which the Christmas decorations are taken down. In the Christian calendar it marks the end of the Christmas season and the visit of the Magi – the three wise men – to Je...

ONE FLU OVER?I have the flu. It’s a sign of my loyalty to you dear reader, that I write this column in my sick bed. Bathed in sweat. I’ve changed my T shirt four times since Saint Stephen’s Day. I ran out of paper hankies and turn...

Nollag Shona Daoibhse.I enjoy Christmas time. It a time for family and friends and for relaxation. For children and Dadaí na Nollaig and presents. For visiting family. For good food – often too much good food - good craic and sitt...

Release Leonard PeltierLast week I posted a Christmas card to Leonard Peltier. I dont know if he will receive it.  Or the numerous other notes and cards I have sent over the years. At 80 years of age Leonard, a native America...

Protecting our environmentLast week the Northern Executive took welcome and decisive action to protect our environment, our health and jobs by committing to a ban on all forms of onshore petroleum exploration and production, inclu...

The Numbers Game.As I pen these lines it is too soon to attempt a deep analysis of the Leinster House election. Not all the counts have concluded although there is enough to form general impressions of the outcome. I outline them ...

SINN FÉIN CAN WIN THIS ELECTION.  During the General Election campaign I have been in several constituencies. In Dublin, in Drogheda, Dundalk, and Donegal and some other places in between. People are clearly ...

The local and the nationalI have been doing a wee bit of canvassing in the General Election in the South. The response has been positive. There are clearly some who see election campaigns, including this one, as opportunities to w...

Time for a Change of Government.The southern general election was called last Friday. In just over two weeks’ time 174 Teachtaí Dála (TDs) will be elected to the Dáil – an increase of 14 over the number elected in the 2020 genera...

Prison Poems by Bobby SandsIn a recent interview Christy Moore remarked that the death of Bobby Sands robbed us of a great writing talent. Christy was praising the quality of the work Bobby created in the harsh conditions he e...

Cage Eleven. This coming weekend O’Brien Press are republishing my book – Cage 11 - about my experience of life in Long Kesh between August 1975 and February 1977. Available from most good bookshops including from