The U.S.-based National Committee on American Foreign Policy (NCAFP) has called on the British government to set up a full judicial inquiry into the 1989 murder of Pat Finucane, the Belfast lawyer. One of Northern Ireland's leading defense attorneys, Finucane, who often represented clients accused of IRA crimes, was shot dead in front of his family on February 12, 1989. A … [Read more...] about U.S. Call for Finucane Inquiry
News from Ireland
Irish Theater Loses a Voice
The creative community suffered a grievous loss when actor, drama teacher, artistic director and founder of the Focus Theatre in Dublin, Deirdre O'Connell, died at her home in Dublin on June 9. Born to Irish immigrants – her mother was from Cork, her father from Sligo – in the Bronx, New York in 1939, Deirdre was encouraged by her parents in her desire to act from an early … [Read more...] about Irish Theater Loses a Voice
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
Paddy Clancy Memorial Scholarship
Applications for the Paddy Clancy Memorial Scholarships are invited from students in Ireland and North America. The $1,500 scholarships are available to students interested in studying folk song, sean nós and the traditional ballad. North American students may apply the scholarship towards study at the Irish World Music Center at the University of Limerick, while Irish students … [Read more...] about Paddy Clancy Memorial Scholarship
Irish Tourism Crisis Grows Worse
The Irish Tourist Board is working furiously to clear up misconceptions surrounding the foot-and-mouth crisis among potential tourists, engaging in an "assurance campaign" to convince the U.S. that Ireland is just as safe and attractive a destination as ever. Jim McGuigan, executive vice president of the Irish Tourist Board in New York, explains that many Americans are … [Read more...] about Irish Tourism Crisis Grows Worse