2026 - Bliain Úr faoi Mhaise Daoibhse A very happy New Year to all readers of this column, to the staff of the Belfast Media Group and The Irish Echo. And to you good readers who have stayed with me over the years. None of us know what 2026 will bring but we can be sure it will be interesting. May it also be good to you all and to your families. Beirigí bua. Eyes On The Prize. 2025 was a good year for Irish Unity. All of those advocating for a new Ireland, including Sinn Féin’s C...

Hunger Strike in English Prisons In English prisons five people, imprisoned under new repressive laws targeted at pro-Palestinian activists, are on hunger strike. Several of them will have been on hunger strike now for over 50 days. At the weekend and each day since, protests have taken place across the island of Ireland and in Britain. Irish republicans have a natural affinity with those who use hunger strike in protest against inhumane prison conditions and to advance democratic aims....

Kenova – Collusion and the Murder of Citizens The Kenova Report adds further substance to the litany of existing reports that over several decades have exposed the extent of British state participation in the murder of citizens. The Kenova Inquiry commenced in June 2016 and the final report was published on 9 December 2025. Operation Kenova covered four distinct investigations: · Operation Kenova – Stakeknife · Operation Mizzenmast – The Murder of...

And Flowers Grew up Through the Concrete is Laurence McKeown’s second prison memoir. Big Laurny, is a very fine writer. This latest book is an account of his journey through imprisonment, hunger strike, brutality and growing self-awareness. It is beautifully written and unashamedly honest in its emotion. Laurence is one of those gifted republican POWs who spent years – decades in some cases – in British prisons and who have written about their experience. Together they have generated a...

An Open Letter to My Unionist Neighbours A Chairde, I want to respectfully reach out to my unionist neighbours at this time of ongoing change on our island and continuous turbulence and conflict in parts of our world. We should count our blessings. Imperfect though it might be we have peace and the ability to work out our difficulties peacefully. This ability to find solutions is frustrated by the British government refusing at this time to permit us to exercise our right to self-determinatio...

The SS Al Rawdah For the first time ever the families of many of the 207 Republican internees held on the Al Rawdah prison ship between 1940 and 1941 met in Belfast. 85 years after their loved ones were interned on the prison hulk the families came together for the launch of Tom Hartley’s insightful account of that period. At the beginning of his remarks Tom invited the relatives present to stand. There was spontaneous and sustained applause from the rest of the audience. It was an emotional ...

Philomena Mulvenna Philomena Mulvenna died in the early hours of last Friday morning. I have known Philomena and her husband Paddy for most of my adult life. Paddy and she were 72 years married and they had 7 children. Mrs Mulvenna protested with other women against military occupation and for decades on behalf of the political prisoners especially the Armagh women and the blanket men. The song sings unfairly, of the boys of Ballymurphy but all of us know that without the women of Ballymurphy...

Defending British interests Hilary Benn is the 25th British Secretary of State since the Conservative government of Ted Heath scrapped the Stormont Parliament in 1972. Whitelaw was the first. I met him during the London talks in July that year. There was then a gap of 23 years before I met another British Secretary of State, Patrick Mayhew. I have met most of the rest since then. The 25 were a mixed bunch both in ability and in temperament. Most we had never heard of before they were given th...

Celebrating our Language, Arts and Culture Comhghairdeas to all of those who helped make Oireachtas na Samhna the huge success it was. Thousands of Irish language speakers from across the island of Ireland spent part of last week enjoying the music, dance, culture, arts, craic and discussions that are part of the oldest Irish language and arts event on the island of Ireland. The Waterfront Hall and other venues were filled with the very young to the not so young Gaels, all actively and enthus...

Hope and Opportunity Ba mhaith liom mo chomhghairdeas a ghabháil le Catherine Connolly agus a foireann. Maith sibh as feachtas Uachtaránachta dearfach, forásach agus trócaireach a chur chun cinn. I want to extend my congratulations to Catherine Connolly and her team. Well done for fighting a positive, progressive, compassionate and cohesive Presidential campaign. Well done also to the many Sinn Féin activists from all parts of the island and all the others who enthusiastically handed out leaf...

Adh Mór Catherine The Presidential election is on Friday. Many of you reading this column or listening to it on social media platforms, will not have a vote. But some of you will. So, I am asking you to cast your first preference for Catherine Connolly and to encourage everyone else to do the same. The last week has seen a significant increase in negative campaigning against Catherine by Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil and by the establishment media. Why has Catherine Connolly, who most of th...

Palestine Must Be Free A population greater than that of Belfast has been moving back to the northern Gaza strip following the ceasefire announcement last week. Awaiting them is utter destruction. The infrastructure of Gaza has been levelled by the Israeli state’s genocide. The return of the Gazans. is based on hope. Hope that humanitarian aid will arrive. Hope that the indiscriminate bombing by Israel and the deliberate slaughter of desperate, starving people at aid stations has stoppe...

Senator Chris Andrews shares his experience of being onboard the Global Sumad Flotilla and being illegal detained by Israeli authorities

Where now for Micheál Martin? The decision by Fianna Fáil Presidential candidate Jim Gavin to withdraw from the contest means the race is now between Independent Catherine Connolly and Fine Gael’s Heather Humphreys. But what of the man who asked Gavin to stand? Suffice to say I am not a supporter of Micheál Martin. There is nothing personal in this. I have seen at close quarters how he works and I am not impressed. How Fianna Fáil responds to this debacle which its leader landed it in will de...

A President for All All three candidates in the Presidential election have made commitments in support of Irish Unity. Clear evidence of the growing importance of Irish Unity to the electorate. Last Saturday Catherine Connolly was invited to address a Sinn Fein conference in Dublin. There was a palpable buzz of anticipation in Dublin City University as over 500 party activists gathered to discuss ‘Building For Unity.’ It was an opportunity to judge her style, hear at first hand her visi...

An short update with Chris Andrews, who is on the Flotilla 120 nautical miles away from Gaza. The flotilla is carrying food & humanitarian aid in an attempt to break the blockade on Gaza.

In this Special episode I talk with Senator Chris Andrew who is currently onboard the Global Sumud Flotilla. The flotilla is carrying food & humanitarian aid in an attempt to break the blockade on Gaza. It should be allowed safe passage.

Catherine Connolly – A President for all of Ireland In less than five weeks’ time the next Uachtarán na hÉireann will be elected by the people of the 26 counties. Election day is 24 October. That the people of the North and of the diaspora will be denied a vote is a disgraceful consequence of the efforts over recent years by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael (FFFG) to prevent the extension of the presidential franchise. Both parties are frightened by the prospect of people, who have never vote...

The role of the Assembly and Executive If we were to listen to and accept at face value those in the media who criticise the Assembly and the Executive as ineffective, and who question their value or use, we would mothball both institutions and sack the MLAs. Yes, there is justifiable frustration at the failure of the institutions to address concerns on health and education and delivery on Casement Park, Saving Lough Neagh, building the A5, delivering for Gaeilgeoirí, tackling poverty and hat...

Gaza – The Gates of Hell Last Saturday millions across the world, including here in Belfast, participated in one of the biggest ever solidarity events as part of a Global Day of Action in support of the Palestinian people. At the same time dozens of boats, and hundreds of human rights activists, are taking part in the largest civilian freedom flotilla. Among them are three senior Sinn Féin representatives; Lynn Boylan MEP, Seanadoir Chris Andrews and Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh TD. They are all on...