Oh! star of Erin, queen of tears, Black clouds have beset thy birth, And your people die like morning stars, That your light may grace the earth. – "Stars of Freedom," 1981 By IRA volunteer Bobby Sands, M.P. H-Block, Long Kesh Prison Camp Watching Bobby Sands die in 1981, much of the world realized, finally, that the young IRA soldier and hunger striker was a freedom fighter, … [Read more...] about Wild Irish Women: A Most Sorrowful Mystery
Politics Archives
Window on the Past: Manifest Destiny
Two words from one Irishman who trumpeted the world's superpower. “Manifest destiny...” These words, placed together, command one’s attention. They sound important, almost biblical. But they didn’t come from an Old Testament patriarch or New Testament prophet. Rather, they came from the pithy pen of a 19th-century Irishman named John O’Sullivan. His ancestors were from County … [Read more...] about Window on the Past: Manifest Destiny
Brexit Uncertainty Makes Ireland More Attractive
Bank of America Merrill Lynch has relocated its main EU banking arm from London to Dublin, months ahead of the earliest possible date of the UK’s exit from the EU. They are one of the first banks to take such steps to deal with the uncertainty looming over Brexit. The bank merged the London location, which oversees €50 billion in assets, with its Irish subsidiary, bringing the … [Read more...] about Brexit Uncertainty Makes Ireland More Attractive
Irish Favor Birthright Citizenship
As other western countries are endorsing populist agendas on tightening immigration policy, Ireland is voicing its opposition to such restrictions, overwhelmingly in favor of reinstating birthright citizenship. A Sunday Times poll found that 71 percent favored birthright citizenship, while 19 percent were opposed and 10 percent undecided. Three days later, a proposal on the … [Read more...] about Irish Favor Birthright Citizenship
Michael D. Higgins Re-Elected
Irish President Michael D. Higgins has been re-elected for a second term after receiving 56 percent of the country’s vote on October 26. He was first elected in 2011 and will now serve another seven years. The inauguration took place Sunday, November 11, at Dublin Castle. This year, the inauguration coincided with the centenary of the end of World War I, and the President … [Read more...] about Michael D. Higgins Re-Elected