When Northern Ireland comes to lunch, it can be uncomfortable. It nags at complacency and the notion that everything will be okay and peace will hold, even though there are signs that say otherwise. On June 19 – a beautiful New York morning – I make my way to the Mutual of America building on Park Avenue for a National Committee on American Foreign Policy lunch to hear … [Read more...] about The First Word: “Dear Sir or Madam”
IRA
The First Word: Something to Remember
"Irish people didn't get me out of jail. It was English people who got me out of jail." – Paul Hill I don't remember Bloody Sunday. I don't remember seeing footage on TV or being shocked by the carnage that left thirteen people dead and a fourteenth who would die later from wounds. How do I explain this? The Ireland I grew up in largely ignored the North. It … [Read more...] about The First Word: Something to Remember
Real IRA Informer in Protective Custody
A former leading figure in the Irish American dissident republican community is in protective custody after it was revealed that he had been working as a double agent for years. According to Irish and British news accounts, David Rupert, 49, a trucker from Illinois, infiltrated the Real IRA, the republican splinter group opposed to the Good Friday Agreement, gaining access … [Read more...] about Real IRA Informer in Protective Custody
Gerry Adams The Way Forward
Kelly Candaele talks to Gerry Adams about recent developments in Northern Ireland. ℘℘℘ Gerry Adams is no stranger to violence. In 1984, he told reporters that he believed there was a ninety percent chance he would be assassinated. Two months later, he was shot by loyalist paramilitaries. While he denies ever having been a member of the IRA, most close observers of the … [Read more...] about Gerry Adams The Way Forward
British and Irish Governments Seek U.S. Ban on Real IRA
The Irish and British governments have asked the United States to designate the Real IRA as a terrorist organization, a step that would prevent the organization from raising funds in the U.S. The Real IRA is widely believed to be responsible for planting the bomb that killed 31 people – including unborn twins – in Omagh in 1998. The organization has resurfaced recently and … [Read more...] about British and Irish Governments Seek U.S. Ban on Real IRA