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Northern Ireland Elections: Not Quite What They Seem

By Oistin MacBride

July August 1993

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Election fever in the North of Ireland over the last few months was more like a head cold than a serious illness. It coughed and sighed for a while, but the few sneezes as it dissipated marked for some their political demise while for others it just helped clear out the system. The Local Government Elections in Northern Ireland are held every four years in 26 council areas. … [Read more...] about Northern Ireland Elections: Not Quite What They Seem

The Vision of Mary Robinson

By Niall O’Dowd, Founding Publisher
July August 1993

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On her recent visit to the United States President Mary Robinson (49) became for Irish Americans the embodiment of a new Ireland, an Ireland in which the Irish diaspora – those 70 million worldwide who can trace their roots to the Emerald Isle – were once again welcome. Perhaps it happened as she gave her magnificent speech at Ellis Island, commemorating the first immigrant to … [Read more...] about The Vision of Mary Robinson

Philadelphia’s Feisty Irishman

By Marybeth C. Phillips and Michael P. Toner

January February 1993

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Most grandparents take their grandchildren to the playground. Dennis Clark takes his to picket the homes of politicians. Though the kids may never acquire the perspective he has from growing up in Philadelphia's Kensington neighborhood during the Great Depression, Clark wants them to avoid the "cocoon of American consumerism" and to have compassion for the have-nots. Clark, a … [Read more...] about Philadelphia’s Feisty Irishman

Election Reveals a New Ireland

By Brian Rohan

January February 1993

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First there was the election two years ago of a woman as the President of Ireland. And not only was Mary Robinson a woman, but she could also be labelled something of a liberal, perhaps even a feminist, from a relatively minor political party, Labour. To top it off, her main contender was a highly-popular member of Ireland's largest party, Fianna Fail, which had never in the … [Read more...] about Election Reveals a New Ireland

Ourselves Alone: An Interview with Gerry Adams

By Patricia Harty, Editor-in-Chief
April 1991

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The Sinn Féin office is located in a what could hardly be called a luxury building in what seems to be a mostly deserted area of West Belfast. In the room where I sit, there is a one-bar electric fire, a couple of mismatched chairs and little else. Somewhere on the outside a band is practicing, the drums that one usually associates with Loyalists are getting a fair belting from … [Read more...] about Ourselves Alone: An Interview with Gerry Adams