The departure of Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Mandelson in late January caused few tears in Ireland. Mandelson, whose tenure in the North was supposed to restart his political career, left under a cloud. He was pulled from the job by British Prime Minister Tony Blair over alleged involvement in a passport scandal. It was the second time that Blair was forced to sack … [Read more...] about Reid Takes Over as Northern Secretary
News from Ireland
New York Remembers Bobby Sands
Plans to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the death of hunger striker Bobby Sands on May 5 in New York, have Unionists hot under the collar. The Irish papers reported that Gerald Kelly, the Belfast painter who together with other artists will create a mural to Sands, had been given a $75,000 grant from the City of New York. Sammy Wilson, the Democratic Unionist Lord … [Read more...] about New York Remembers Bobby Sands
Threat to Peace from Loyalist Bombers
Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) have carried out more than 50 sectarian attacks on Catholics. since the New Year. In early February an old girl lifted a pipe from her garden and carried it into her home. Little Cleona Magee's brush with death at her west Belfast home sparked off a chorus of condemnation aimed at the UFF, British Army explosives experts who were called to … [Read more...] about Threat to Peace from Loyalist Bombers
Chris Patten Endorses Police Bill
The Republican and Nationalist communities suffered a blow in their efforts at police reform when Chris Patten, chair of the Patten Commission, endorsed the controversial Northern Ireland Police Bill which passed into law at the end of November. In the Belfast Telegraph Patten wrote that the new legislation, criticized by Nationalists as a watered-down version of the Patten … [Read more...] about Chris Patten Endorses Police Bill
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