The late Brendan Hughes famously described the Good Friday Agreement as the “Got F*** All” agreement. He had a point in relation to the Republican objective: The Republican War was concluded by the IRA with Northern Ireland still part of the British State and Sinn Fein administering British rule within a new Stormont. The Good Friday Agreement did, of course, achieve an … Continue reading Good Friday Agreement: “Got F*** All”?
Ireland
The Brian P. Murphy OSB Archive. (Series 9)
The evolution of British policy and the emergence of a Sinn Fein Publicity Department in the years after the Easter Rising. Mss notes, Part 32 Before the end of May 1920, Sir John Anderson and 'Andy' Cope had taken up their appointments at Dublin Castle. However, it was not until early August 1920 that the … Continue reading The Brian P. Murphy OSB Archive. (Series 9)
Labour Comment
The Politics of Virtue (August 2010) It remains to be seen if the era of Fianna Fáil dominance has come to an end or if the mould of Irish politics has been broken. Labour Comment cannot claim to know the future. It can only go on the evidence presented to it. On the evidence of … Continue reading Labour Comment
Ireland And The World—Editorial
The history of Ireland has been about emerging from the shadow of England. That has been the objective right up until the present time. Irish nationalism was never isolationist. Roger Casement believed that the dominance of Britain prevented Ireland from connecting with Continental Europe. The seminal event in our recent history was the 1916 Rising, … Continue reading Ireland And The World—Editorial
Red Eddy—Gusty’s Brother
Reading Brendan Clifford’s article about the BICO in the August issue of the Irish Political Review jogged a few memories. I was a comrade of Eddy Spence in the Sixties: He was a member of the Communist Party of Northern Ireland (CPNI) and I was in its youth wing the Communist Youth League (CYL). As Brendan Clifford points out, Eddy … Continue reading Red Eddy—Gusty’s Brother
Béal na Bláthair
David McCullough, the radio journalist, was the chief speaker at the Béal na Bláth celebration of Michael Collins' War against opponents of the 1921 'Treaty' this year. However, according to the Irish Times report (24 August), he did not actually mention that War. But that was the one big thing for which Collins had definite … Continue reading Béal na Bláthair
“ Hanged By A Comma ! ”
Many books, plays and articles have been written over the last one hundred years concerning the life and death of Roger Casement, the great Irish patriot—who has been described as the “father of 20th century human rights investigations“—was knighted by the British authorities in 1911 for his investigations into human rights abuses in the Congo and … Continue reading “ Hanged By A Comma ! ”
Profile Of Robert Barton
(1905-74) Became A Nationalist At Oxford The IRISH PRESS Archive: No. 1 The IRISH PRESS Archive (We are indebted to Jack Lane for this look into the past! Editor) Robert Barton Became A Nationalist At Oxford At first sight a man like Robert Barton seems out of place in the First Dáil. … Continue reading Profile Of Robert Barton
The Brian P. Murphy OSB Archive. (Series 9)
The Evolution Of British Policy And The Emergence Of A Sinn Fein Publicity Department In The Years After The Easter Rising. Mss notes, Part 29 The Hunger Strike And Its Aftermath The Hunger Strike—which lasted from 5th to 14th April—proceeded in tandem with the MacCurtain inquest. While [Frank] Gallagher wrote encouraging letters to his fiancée, … Continue reading The Brian P. Murphy OSB Archive. (Series 9)
Dublin Central And Galway West – A Tale Of Two By-Elections
By-elections in Dublin Central and Galway West were held on 22nd May 2026. In Dublin Central, the By-Election was to elect a successor to Fine Gael’s (FG) Paschal Donohoe, the former Minister of Finance who had moved westwards to Washington DC on appointment as the Managing Director and Chief Knowledge Officer at the World Bank in November … Continue reading Dublin Central And Galway West – A Tale Of Two By-Elections
