Violence against Women: A cause and consequence of women’s inequality
The recent conviction of Adrian Bayley in Australia for the brutal rape and murder of Jill Meagher, the savage murder of Jolanta Lubiene and her eight year old daughter Enrika in county Kerry and the...
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Remembering – July 8th 1981
Tomorrow we remember some of the victims of Thatcher’s militarist Irish policy among them hunger striker and IRA volunteer Joe McDonnell, Nora McCabe and Fian John Dempsey. Joe, who was arrested in...
View ArticleWeasel words from Micheál Martin
On Tuesday in the course of Taoiseach’s Questions in the Dáil the Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin raised the issue of the Boston tapes, paraded the Ed Moloney book based on some of these tapes, and...
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Christopher O Neill - A Brave, Courageous Republican
Early this morning I left Dublin and travelled to Kilrea in county Derry. It was there in the early hours of Saturday morning last weekend that two young men from that community were killed in a...
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Fighting for the rights of the oppressed -Toshi Seeger
At the weekend I learned with great sadness of the death of Toshi Seeger. She died on July 9th. She had just turned 91 on July 1st. Four years ago I had the huge pleasure of meeting her and her husband...
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Lá Breithe Madiba
I want to extend birthday wishes to Nelson Mandela – Madiba - who is 95 today.“Lá breithe shona duit Madiba”.People around the world will today celebrate Madiba’s birthday with him and his family....
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Moore Street – the campaign must go on
Every state holds monuments which are important to its sense of identity. This is particularly true of those states which have fought for freedom against foreign occupation and oppression. Think of...
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Building a new Republic – Let’s begin now
Speaking at MacGill Summer School in the Glenties Patrick MacGill was born not far from Glenties in south west Donegal. He was a poet and a novelist. At aged 12 he was sent to the Hiring Fair in...
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Heroic response to Hospital flood
The stream behind Letterkenny Hospital seemed so innocent and innocuous. There was no huge torrent of water rushing through the culvert. It was hardly more than a small stream of water. It looked...
View ArticleAdams responds to Statement by Stack Family
Brian Stack was the chief officer in Portlaoise prison in March 1983 when he was shot and grievously wounded. The IRA said it was not involved. A year and a half later Brian Stack died as a result of...
View ArticleSupporting the Ballymurphy Families
The decision by the British Secretary of State, the PSNI and the HET to try to prevent inquest and trial transcripts from being given to the families of three victims of the conflict has again focussed...
View Article‘I have a dream’ - Remembering Martin Luther King
Atlantain Georgiais where Martin Luther King was born and where he spent much of his life preaching. In March 2001 I had the good fortune of visiting Atlanta at the invitation of the Ancient Order of...
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Seamus Heaney - A national treasure is lost
Seamus Heaney, Warren Thompson, Jimmy Ellis and mise at Sam Thompson's graveside Seamus Heaney is dead. When I heard the news this morning I was cleaning out a shed. Dirty and dusty and lost in that...
View ArticleDeeply Sad at death of David Frost – Gerry Adams
I have just heard of the death of David Frost. Very sad news. I was interviewed by David many times. He was always courteous, good humoured, well researched and keenly interested in Ireland and the...
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Symphysiotomy report makes grim reading
Until I stood for the Dáil in County Louth I had never heard of symphysiotomy. Several women victims of this barbaric practice came to see me to explain what had been done to them and to outline their...
View ArticleThank you Seamus Heaney
Thank you Seamus HeaneyOn Tuesday evening the Dáil set aside its normal business to remember Seamus Heaney. The deep sense of loss and of affection for Seamus was evident in all of the contributions.In...
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Abolish the Seanad
Vote YES - Abolish the Seanad The story goes that an Irish politician arrived in New York and unexpectedly had to stay overnight. The hotel clerk said, ‘sorry we’re full up’ until, that is, the...
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Deasún Breatnach – An Appreciation
‘All we Irish speakers seek is equality’Deasún Breatnach was an extraordinary man.His wife Luci (Lucila Hellman de Menchaca) was equally special and together they had six talented and gifted children;...
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The Witch-hunt
Dundalk Presser This blog was in Louth today launching Sinn Fein's alternative budget submission. It was first to Drogheda and then on to Dundalk. Afterward I issued a statement arising from questions...
View ArticleA Mean budget
Tomorrow – Tuesday - the Fine Gael and Labour government will publish its third budget. They were elected to undo the damage of Fianna Fáil but have chosen instead to implement Fianna Fáil policies....
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