Damn your concessions

Guest writer Mairtin Mac Giolla Eoin, a former Republican Prisoner and current Republican activist from Derry gives us his thoughts on individual rights vs national rights I’ve been discussing this topic over the past month or so with some comrades, I feel that it would be useful to articulate my thoughts and the process that has lead me to the conclusion that our national rights are being overshadowed. First of all what do I mean by our national rights? Our sovereignty as a people and a nation is the foremost right; it is undeniable that we are a distinct people, with both a vibrant culture and language. Our identity has been suppressed for as long as we have been occupied and it can never be fully realised under British rule or via her surrogates in Leinster house. Secondly our right to an Irish Republic, despite some narratives a United Ireland is not the objective, as our country can be united under many guises, such as it had been in the past entirely under British Rule. There ar

Oration delivered in Duleek, Co. Meath on the 10th anniversary of the opening of their hunger strike memorial garden Today, we remember in this memorial garden the 22 Irish republicans who gave their lives whilst on hunger strike. The first Irish patriot to sacrifice his life was Thomas Ashe with the last being Mickey Devine. When considering the lives of each one of the hunger strikers, aside from their heroic sacrifice, it is striking the commonalities they share. Each one of these men came to the decision to hunger strike after careful thought and consideration, each one fully realised the suffering their families would endure, yet each one selflessly recognised the need to make a stand for their cause with the last weapon they had at their disposal: Their body. Some anti-republican commentators and historical revisionists, are often quick to dismiss the act of hunger strike, advising that these noble patriots were desperate and misguided. At every turn, we must reject such com

Article orginally written and published in An Larc quarterly magazine to coincide with 100 Years of Votes for Women It is now 100 years ago since Britain passed a law allowing women to vote for the first time, well for some women this was true, namely, only those who were over 30 and had property rights or a university education. That accounted for around 40% of all women in the “UK”. Ireland, in 1918, was united, albeit under British Rule, Partition was still a few years away and this affected everyone in the whole 32 Counties, the whole country including men. While women with certain criteria were allowed the vote, the act also changed the laws surrounding male votes, up until 1918 only men who were paying an annual rental of £10 and all those holding land valued at £10 or more were allowed to vote, this new legislation allowed for ALL men regardless of class, property ownership or education to vote as long as they were over 21 and for those in the British Military they could e