Léargas

This piece about Martin was published in Wednesday's Guardian: The death of my friend and comrade Martin McGuinness has left a deep void. It is a huge blow to all of us who knew and loved him, especially his wife and family. Martin was an extraordinary human being. Funny, caring, a committed family man, a keen fisherman, an enthusiast for all kinds of sport from cricket to hurling. He loved Derry. The city – along with his wife, Bernie, his family and his mother, Peggy – moulded him into the complex, compassionate, warm, human being he was. Martin was also a deeply committed Irish republican activist who in his youth was confronted by the naked sectarianism and injustice of the British state in Ireland, and stood strong against it. As a result he was imprisoned and spent long periods on the run. Reading and watching some of the media reporting of his life and death, one could be forgiven for believing that Martin, at some undefined point in his life, had a road to Damascus...

Last year’s centenary of 1916 was a resounding success. Political, cultural, historical and media organisations, individuals and communities held hugely successful events to celebrate the individuals and the organisations that participated in the Rising. There was lots of music, some excellent exhibitions and interesting debates. The Irish government, which had initially produced a very inadequate and underwhelming programme, went back to the drawing board after ferocious criticism and came up with some very good events. However, official Ireland studiously avoided the issue of partition, its impact on the island and the need for Irish unity.   For Irish republicans this was at the heart of all that we did in Ireland and across the globe, particularly in North America and Britain. The Republic that was envisaged by the leaders of 1916 and by the Proclamation is at the core of our political beliefs. It is the rock upon which our politics and policies are constructed. M...

Mary Lou McDonald TD, Michelle O'Neill MLA, mise agus Órlaithí Flynn  Last week, just before polling day, I wrote in this column; ‘every election is important. But some have a historic significance that resonates for years. This is one of those.’ And it was, and it is. If ever citizens needed proof of the power and the importance of their VOTE it was this election. The outcome has been variously described by political commentators, the media, and most of the participants as a ‘watershed election’, ‘carnage’, ‘shocking’, ‘remarkable’ and ‘significant’. What is indisputable is that the Assembly election has brought about a seismic change in northern politics and in politics on this island. The long term consequences of this are potentially enormous. To understand why we need to look briefly at the historical context. 100 years ago next year, in December 1918, following the end of the First World War, a general election was held in Britain and Ireland. It was the first ...

I want to welcome the Traveller groups represented in the gallery and elsewhere in Leinster House this evening, and I extend solidarity to all Travellers on this historic day. It is their day, and a momentous step forward for equality. Travellers have waited a long time for this moment and I am glad that I have been able to see their aspiration for proper recognition come to fruition. The Taoiseach will know that I have been raising this issue with him for years now, and I want to welcome his statement recognising Traveller ethnicity this evening. I want to pay tribute in particular to those who have advocated on behalf of the Traveller community; from within the Traveller community itself, but also those from the settled community, who have done so much to advance this cause. Some have done it for decades. We need to be mindful also of those who have suffered because they were Travellers and I particularly want to remember the Lynch, Connors and Gilbert families who died i...

This election has been marked by some expressive, funny, biting political satire. The lengths to which some have gone to produce twitter and facebook videos has been little short of astonishing. Computer technology and social media have added a whole new dimension to parody, sarcasm and irony. Most of it has been directed at the DUP. The Renewable Heat Incentive scandal; the double standards and hypocrisy; the questions over who paid hundreds of thousands to that party for Brexit propaganda for London and Scotland, have all featured. And then there was that crocodile moment. At one level it was disturbing that a whole section of citizens could be reduced in the eyes of a party leader to the status of an animal. But then the DUP is the party that once promised – sledge hammer in hand - to Smash Sinn Féin. So, this remark fitted neatly into the DUPs current political and media strategy for the election which boils down to scaring the unionist electorate with Sinn Féin. Hence the d...