In eleven years we will reach the centenary of the 1916 Rising, the revolutionary crucible of present-day Ireland. Independence did not arrive until 1922 -- along with partition and the seeds of Northern conflict -- but at this stage we are at least four generations into modern statehood. Shouldn't 83 years be long enough for us to know where we are and, even possibly, where … [Read more...] about The Past 20 Years: Changes In Ireland
Northern Ireland
From Sectarianism to Racism
The only sign that something happened here last night is the shower of shattered glass spread across the pavement. A few hours after a pregnant Pakistani woman and her brother-in-law moved in to this house in the Village area of south Belfast, a large plank of wood was hurled through their living room window, forcing them to flee the area. Perhaps as disturbing is the … [Read more...] about From Sectarianism to Racism
Sinn Féin and PUP Angry Over New Report
On April 20, 2004, Paul Murphy, Secretary of State of Northern Ireland, announced that the International Monitoring Commission (IMC) had recommended monetary sanctions upon Sinn Féin for the alleged abduction of a dissident Republican by the IRA and on the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) for its connection to the Ulster Volunteer Force, a loyalist paramilitary group. Angry … [Read more...] about Sinn Féin and PUP Angry Over New Report
Belfast Arts Festival Opens in April
New Yorker Adrianna Dufay and fellow University of Washington Professional Acting Training Program (PATP) graduate Annie McAdams will be debuting their new play, Pippi and Nancy, at this year's Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival in Belfast, which opens on April 29. In its fifth year, the week and a half-long festival will include an eclectic range of music, comedy, theatre, … [Read more...] about Belfast Arts Festival Opens in April
Peace Process Put on Hold
The hopes that were raised in the latest advances in the peace process were dashed as Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble criticized the transparency of IRA decommissioning and said he was "putting the process on hold." Trimble demanded a more explicit statement from the IRA on the number and type of arms it put beyond use. But the IRA and Gerry Adams, president of Sinn Féin, … [Read more...] about Peace Process Put on Hold