Thank Christ the murdered man was Catholic. No Catholic will say that on the record, but every northern Catholic knows what it means, and no Catholic has to amplify when it is said privately. It means that if Gerard Lawlor, aged 19, shot dead by loyalists last Sunday night [7.21.02] in north Belfast, had been a Protestant, there would have been political hell to pay, and an … [Read more...] about The Last Word: A Pall of Darkness Falls on Belfast
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Martin McGuinness: The Man, The Myth, The Minister
The evolution of Martin McGuinness – from high school dropout and IRA man to political leader seeking an end to violence and, finally, his emergence as Northern Ireland's Minister for Education. If it's fair to judge the effectiveness of a politician by the depth of his opponents' dislike for him, then the Sinn Féin MP and Assemblyman for Mid-Ulster, Martin McGuinness, … [Read more...] about Martin McGuinness: The Man, The Myth, The Minister
SDLP Approves New Police Plan
The latest proposed implementation plan on policing in Northern Ireland has been rejected by Sinn Féin, whose chairman Mitchell McLaughlin said the proposals – jointly put forward by the Irish and British governments – did not go far enough and failed to meet republican demands for radical change. However, in a move that widened the gulf between nationalists and republicans, … [Read more...] about SDLP Approves New Police Plan
Apprentice Boys to March
As we go to press, nationalists in South Belfast are planning to stage a protest in response to the Parades Commission's decision to grant a loyalist organization permission to march through a Catholic neighborhood. However, the commission also ruled that the band accompanying the marchers should remain silent as it marched through the area. The decision came as a surprise … [Read more...] about Apprentice Boys to March
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