Léargas

 - 29th July 2024  Moore Street – Rising to our Future The campaign to save the 1916 Moore Street Battlefield site and those iconic buildings and streetscape that are forever linked to the most important historic event in modern Irish history has reached another potentially decisive moment. In May, An Taoiseach Simon Harris announced the establishment of “a Taskforce to take a holistic view of the measures required to rejuvenate Dublin City Centre, north and south”. The stated objective is to make Dublin City Centre “a more thriving, attractive, and safe cityscape; and a desirable location to live, work, do business and visit.” The Taskforce is expected to report this month (August). On Monday, James Connolly Heron, Christina McLoughlin and Honor Ó Brolcháin of the Moore St. Preservation Trust and architect Seán Ó Muirí who is the Design Principle at Fuinneamh Workshop - an award winning architectural company based in Cork - met with David McRedmond, CEO of the Taskforce. The ...

Significant boost for Unity Referendum This summer the momentum behind the demand for constitutional change and for the Good Friday Agreement commitment to a unity referendum has dramatically increased. The very successful Ireland’s Future event in Belfast several weeks ago, the all-island economic conference by Sinn Féin’s Commission on the Future of Ireland, the emergence of a small but resolute grouping of United Irelanders from within Northern Protestantism and the positive soundings from an increasingly vocal pro-uniting Ireland lobby in the 26 counties, including from some within the political establishment, means that hardly a day passes without the issue of Irish Unity being raised in the political discourse. Last week’s publication of the report from the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreemen t - ‘Perspectives on Constitutional Change: Finance and Economics’ – marks a new and decisive moment in the unity debate. The Joint Committee include...

Solidarity Works Forty years ago this month, ten workers from the Henry Street branch of Dunnes Stores in Dublin's city centre went on strike to protest against the selling of produce from Apartheid South Africa. A year later, the group was joined by another worker, Brendan Barron, from the Crumlin store, bringing their number to eleven. The strike lasted for almost three years. I remember it well. I joined the picket line a few times and Sinn Féin and An Phoblacht were firm supporters of the Dunnes Store strikers. Their courageous stand led to the Dublin government banning South African goods from Irish stores. The strike followed a decision by the Irish Distributive and Administrative Union IDATU, now the Mandate union, not to handle South African produce.  On Thursday 19 July 1984 a customer approached Mary Manning, who was on the checkout, with two South African Outspan oranges. Mary politely told the customer she couldn't handle the goods because they were South African. ...

AN OPEN LETTER TO KEIR STARMER Keir a chara,    Congratulations on your election as British Prime Minister. I wish you well in the many challenges facing you and your government. The world is very divided at this time with many violent examples of injustice, poverty, hunger and violence. I hope you will use your office in a positive and progressive way. From the Middle East to get ceasefires and stop the genocide against the people of Palestine to Ukraine and other troubled places.    The last time the British Labour Party was in Downing Street, Ireland was one of those places.    Now the conflict in Ireland has ended but many of the underlying causes remain. Your predecessor Tony Blair played a leading role in the effort to bring peace. The Good Friday Agreement in 1998 was the result of his efforts and An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, most of the local parties and President Bill Clinton with the support of others in the international community.    Ton...

NO PASARAN! Across Europe, in the USA, the Middle East and in England regressive political elements are gathering strength. In the North of Ireland we have always had to contend with these forces. And historically the right wing have played a significant role in our affairs across the island. They were well represented in the conservatism  of the Catholic hierarchy which like its fundamentalist protestant counterparts in the North, had a privileged position for far too long.  Everyone deserves full civil and religious rights. But no religious grouping should have the state to uphold its positions. Fascists also emerged at different times. Cumann Na Gael – now Fine Gael – grew from the Blue Shirts.  Today we live in more enlightened times but the Far Right and other right wing tendencies are raising their heads once again. They must be vigorously, peacefully and resolutely resisted by citizens and be subject also to the rule of law.  Racism and sectarianism are produc...