A short political biography of the Irish Marxist revolutionary, trade union organizer, revolutionary agitator on two continents and co-founder of Europe's first Red Army who laid down his life for the Irish Socialist Republic.
The Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry in N Ireland lasted from 2014 to 2017. Many of the horrific accounts of abuse never made the news in full. Many survivors of the care homes, training schools and young peoples' prisons felt let down by the process and described it as a 'whitewash'.
Not only has it been established that Lenin spoke with an Irish accent but his links to, and interests in Ireland's struggle for national liberation are well documented in his writings and those from Ireland who visited the world's first Socialist state.
The Conservative Party has starved the NHS of a fit-for-purpose budget, viciously privatised as much of the public services associated with its infrastructure and corporatised its upper strata.
With commercial gyms closed during the last lockdown more people than ever were constructing their own home gyms. This is a basic guide on how to build a beginners strength training gym from Amazon for those on a limited budget.
Learn the basics of some leg, back and bicep exercises for both men and women. There are simple instructions on how to perform these exercises, often with minimal equipment.
Split workouts target specific muscle groups on one day and others on a separate day. This article contains a split workout for the upper body, primarily the chest, shoulders, and triceps.
An exposition of the life and beliefs of Seamus Costello form the central component of this project. Costello had a profound impact on the political environment of Ireland, and the reverberations of his actions have left a continuing mark.
This article will de-mystify the basic ideas of Marxism for you, including Marx's modes of production and class struggle.
The contemporary Irish far-right are to a large extent astroturfed and have gained some traction by leeching onto issues such as the abortion referendum, immigration, Islamophobia, 5G myths and the rump of the seriously disturbed anti-vaccination cabal.
The Manchester Guardian Weekly described the RUC E4a killers responsible for the deaths of Irish Republican Socialists Roddie Carroll and Seamus Grew as 'no different from the death-squads operating in South America'
The Anabolic Doc, Dr Thomas D O'Connor, MD's YouTube channel has been an invaluable resource to strength athletes, both men and women, who have used Performance Enhancing Drugs or who have been prescribed Hormone Replacement Therapy by their physicians.
Folk Music is the sigh of ordinary people - their hopes, fears, aspirations, victories and defeats. I have listened to Folk Music from as diverse parts of the globe as Ireland to the Peoples Republic of China. There is a commonality that can be easily observed even by the author's toneless ears.
By now the gross miscarriage of justice visited upon two men, John-Paul Wooton (who when arrested was merely 17 years of age) and Brendan McConville should be reverberating around the world! Fight for justice for the Craigavon Two! Dont Let Them Fight Alone!
Why is anti-Americanism on the rise? In their new book, America Against the World, Pew Research Center President Andrew Kohut and journalist Bruce Stokes explore findings from the Pew Global Attitudes Project’s series of international surveys that highlight the role American values play in the world
‘Irish Observer’ invariably poses as a supposedly ‘reformed’ former member of the IRA. In fact, by ‘Irish Observer’s own admission, he is the convicted paedophile Vincent McKenna, who was jailed by Cavan Circuit Court, Ireland, for six years on 31 counts of child sex abuse.
Miriam Daly grew up in Dublin in the South-East of Ireland, attended University College Dublin (UCD) as both an undergraduate and then a postgraduate student, and subsequently became a member of the academic staff, lecturing in Economic History.
add → Photo Text Edit Collated throughout this article are some of the author's favourite revolutionary quotes. The revolutionary quotes are very roughly sorted into sections. There are some of the best-known quotes from Revolutionaries such as Marx, Engels, Lenin and from elsewhere
Richard O'Rawe was Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Provisonal IRA prisoners in the H Blocks of Long Kesh prison, during the tragic Hunger Strike of 1981. O'Rawe's first book Blanketmen caused extreme controversy, among Irish Republicans especially, due to its challenge to the orthodox versions
The very real inequalities of educational streaming in general, and in the north of Ireland in particular, limits children's learning environment and in the case of many working-class children, it effectively ends their educational development before it has even really begun.
Dumbbells are a key component of any weight training workout, whether it be building muscle mass, hypertrophy, strength endurance or building explosive power. Few items of fitness equipment are as adaptable, portable and designed to fit around the human body as comfortably as dumbbells
"Voices From the Grave" gives two very different accounts of the war in Northern Ireland. The two memoirists also had very different funerals. Here's what you need to know about the funeral of David Ervine.
The guerrilla fights the war of the flea, and his military enemy suffers the dog's disadvantages: too much to defend; too small, ubiquitous, and agile an enemy to come to grips with.
Lagan Meadows in south Belfast is a wonderful rural oasis situated well within the city's limits. Only a ten-minute drive from the city centre, it is well worth a visit and links up with the much longer Lagan Tow Path. Dogs are permitted on leashes, as are bicycles.
Analysis and review of TJ O'Connors 'A Planned Economy'
With the growth of strength sports among both men and women at unprecedented levels this article will advise on personal strength equipment that will give athletes that added advantage. Be Strong!
Gino Gallagher was the epitome of the urban guerrilla. He was a severe thorn in the side of British Imperialism and their hired proxies. Here's what you need to know about this infamous fighter.
In 2011, a twisted web of murder, fundamentalist Protestantism and a thread of deceit unraveled in the loyalist town of Coleraine as a prominent dentist and his mistress murdered their spouses Lesley Howell and Trevor Buchanan. The shockwaves are felt to this day.
Brendan Hughes was the epitome of the urban guerrilla. In spite of overwhelming odds, he brought the war to the forces of British imperialism and his leadership abilities were beyond question
Unemployment (or underemployment) can feel like a major blow to one's psyche and self-worth. In this article, I aim to alleviate any feelings of worthlessness and depression you might be experiencing and offer a little hope. Stay strong!
An appeal for information surrounding the disappearance and suspicious death of young Noah Donohoe who was last seen alive on the 21st of June 2020. It has been 14 monthss since he was last seen alive by his Mother, Fiona Donohoe.
2021 sees the centenary of the gerrymandered statelet of Northern Ireland.
Within the pages of the "Ta Power Document" are contained the early genuine history of the Irish Republican Socialist Movement written by a realist and Marxist-Leninist who knew only too well that as a revolutionary he was simply a dead man on leave!"
The Irish Republican Socialist Party was founded in 1974. It follows in the revolutionary tradition of Wolfe Tone, Karl Marx, Frederich Engels, VI Lenin, and James Connolly. In Ireland's many areas of abject poverty, the IRSP carry out much-needed community work helping out the meek of the earth.
The IRSP clearly upheld the politics of James Connolly, the founder of Irish Republican Socialism, where the class struggle and national liberation are inseparable. Here's what you need to know about Irish Republican Socialism.
Inishowen, Ireland, is the country at its unspoilt, rural best, and one of the greatest places in the world to forget the rat race of modernity.
For anyone facing a criminal trial with a possible prison sentence, it can be one of the most stressful situations one can find themselves in. If a prison sentence is imminent, or at least a likely outcome, then it makes sense to orientate oneself to the reality of imprisonment.
The Hunger Strike of 1981, which followed the earlier, equally determined but unproductive 1980 Hunger Strike, was the zenith of the blanket and no-wash protests that had begun in 1976 following the summary removal by the British occupational administration of Special Category Status
With so many people visiting Ireland these days and Gaeltachts (Irish speaking areas) being established, the aim of this article is to provide some basic translations and promote Irish cultural traditions.
Connolly's Republican Socialism, his militant trade unionism, his adherence to Marxism, his membership in the Irish Socialist Republican Party and his rejection of one-dimensional nationalism: these are irrefutable and uncomfortable truths for those who have attempted to hijack his legacy.
Whether we like it or not, there are few moments of the day which are actually our own. Our fascination and fears of living in an Orwellian surveillance dystopia are well-founded, with nearly 100% CCTV blanket coverage in most population centres.
"The first thing to note is that in my son's veins flowed the blood of the Irish rebels" Ernest Guevara Lynch, father of Che
Project Echoes was an alleged secret offensive linked to Operation Gladio. Some may be unfamiliar with state-sponsored murder and the phenomena of what has become known as "collusion" in the north of Ireland.
Crumlin Road Gaol, known locally as The Crum, or HMP Belfast, as its official title proclaims, is situated unsurprisingly, on the city-centre end of north Belfast's Crumlin Road. It was built in Victorian times, by the architect Charles Lanyon, who also designed Kilmainham Gaol, in Dublin and QUB
Ever see the acronyms MAP or AOA on social media and wonder what they stood for? They are used as a codified language by an ever-growing online cabal of child abusers to identify themselves. If this is too shocking, discontinue reading. But if you care about kids' safety online, read on.
The Hostel had become a vision of Hell on earth for workers, the neighbors and the residents themselves. Incompetent management and middle-management were the real authors of the abomination that Brunswick degenerated into.
Brunswick House began with very admirable principles. No-one should be deprived of the right of shelter because of their lifestyle. However, management neglect and the pursuit of profit made it Hell on earth for both workers and residents.
Making A Murderer was the biggest and most novel real crime documentary to hit our screens in 2015. For some, it awakened a realization of the serious, systemic flaws within the US justice system.
Ronnie Bunting, assassinated, along with his friend and comrade, Noel Little, was a prime example of an IRSM activist. He gave his life for a secular, Socialist Irish Republic. Ronnie's ideology lives on and will never go away.
The period known as The Troubles lasted from 1969 to the late 1990s. The conflict was at it's most ferocious during the 1970s and contrary to shallow media analysis which depicted it as an inter-tribal dispute, in reality, it was a national liberation struggle borne out of a denial of civil rights.
Toby Harnden's book, 'Bandit Country: The IRA and South Armagh', is very pro-British in outlook. However, it is worth reading, not least for its insight into the often naive British military occupation's thinking into the capabilities of South Armagh's elite insurgents.
Helping an addict or alcoholic in one's own family, irrespective of one's experience in that field, can be highly frustrating and heartbreaking.
Seamus Costello was a giant of Irish revolutionary politics. His belief that national liberation and the class struggle are symbiotic is being vindicated daily as we move closer to a border poll.
The Stop-Pull Dog Harness, available online and virtually every pet shop, is a brilliant solution for dogs who tend to overly pull when using an ordinary leash. It is safe, painless and excellent training aid.
The Lost Revolution by Brian Hanley and Scott Millar is, so far, the most definitive history of the Official IRA, The Workers Party and their political rollercoaster ride through Irish politics
In 1994 three student friends left a bar in Belfast's University area. What was meant to be a low key Birthday drink turned into something much more sinister and a miscarriage of justice?
In 1994 three student friends left a bar in Belfast's University area. What was meant to be a low key Birthday drink turned into something much more sinister and a miscarriage of justice?
In 1994 three student friends left a bar in Belfast's University area. What was meant to be a low key Birthday drink turned into something much more sinister and a miscarriage of justice?
In 1994 three student friends left a bar in Belfast's University area. What was meant to be a low key Birthday drink turned into something much more sinister and a miscarriage of justice?
In 1994 three student friends left a bar in Belfast's University area. What was meant to be a low key Birthday drink turned into something much more sinister and a miscarriage of justice?
In 1994 three friends left a bar in Belfast's University area. What was meant to be a low key Birthday drink turned into something much more sinister and a miscarriage of justice.
Prescription medicine abuse, born out of poverty, is growing in Ireland, and the old 'war on drugs' approach, which has never worked in the past with illegal narcotics, is predictably failing again. Harm reduction and regulation would make the dealer as redundant as the Bootlegger of old.
The Shankill Butchers were the most prolific serial killers in UK legal history. It is only recently that it has become widely accepted that state forces, at the very least, were only too aware of their deeds and identities, as the continued their carnage
Mickey Devine helped found the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) in Derry in 1975. Mickey was the tenth and last of the H-block Hunger Strike, laying down his young life on 20 August 1981. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam
The Eddystone Lighthouses, through trial and error, became literal wonders of the civil engineering world. Smeaton's successful Tower based on the tensile strength of the Oak Tree became the world standard for rock lighthouses, saving thousands of lives and maritime vessels.
Hopefully, this short, humble article will go some way to demystify the seemingly endless amount of Irish political acronyms. A working-knowledge of acronyms often painted on walls in working-class areas will give visitors a sound indication of whether they are in either Republican or Loyalist areas
Brendan Hughes, the urban guerilla fighter, the prison escaper, the hunger striker, and the IRA intelligence officer who bugged the British Army's HQ and later evened-up Republican firepower with his introduction of the Armalite into IRA arsenals, will never be forgotten.
With just a modicum of TLC, food and exercise your dog will love you unconditionally. A dog can become your eyes, ears, and chief protector, if necessary. They really are humankind's best friend.
Billy 'King Rat' Wright was a sectarian serial killer and alleged British agent who enjoyed carte blanche to carry out his terror campaign in Mid-Ulster. All that was to change when he entered prison at the H-Blocks and became a target of an elite INLA unit.
This article contains an analysis of James Connolly, the Irish Republican leader of the 1916 Easter Rising, the Marxist revolutionary and Trades Union Organizer.
"A Very British Jihad", published on Kindle in 2019, was a groundbreaking expose of state-sanctioned murder in the North of Ireland. These were dangerous times, not just for Republican activists or Catholics but for lawyers, journalists, and human rights campaigners.
In recent times, the influence of the various loyal orders has diminished. However, membership in these secret societies, with their bizarre rituals, is still a significant phenomenon in the North of Ireland.
The Irish Republican History Museum in Belfast has over 5000 artifacts that chronicle the history of resistance to the British occupation of Ireland. Explore the museum in this article!
Clove oil, at around $3 a bottle, can ease the intractable pain of dry socket (alveolar osteitis) and dental pain.
Only a 30-minute drive from Derry, Fort Dunree Military Museum on Donegal's Inishowen Peninsula is a fascinating site to visit. Dunree, Dun Fhraoigh as Gaeilge means “Fort of the Heather” and suggests that this site has been an important defensive site throughout Ireland's history.
Irish Republican flags are potent symbols of resistance and patriotism in what has become history's oldest occupation. At various times in Ireland's history, many of these flags and emblems have been banned, such were their revolutionary significance.
Fastnet Rock earned its nickname, Ireland's Teardrop, because it was the last Irish landfall that millions of emigrants to North America would ever see. Fastnet's Irish name Carraig Aonair meaning lone rock is apt for this tiny islet surrounded by the treacherous waters of the North Atlantic.
Ireland's political murals largely reflect a culture born out of resistance and anti-imperialism in Irish Republican working-class areas. Loyalist murals stress their sense of Britishness and fealty to an empire of old. Tours are increasingly popular, attracting thousands of visitors every year.
MOATS is an acronym for the Mother Of All Talk Shows, the popular, though often controversial, talk show hosted by George Galloway since 2006. It is now back on air and accessible via a variety of different platforms.
During the period of conflict in Ireland known as 'The Troubles' the Armalite rifle became synonymous with Irish Republicanism.
The Crumlin Road Gaol saw approximately 25,000 political prisoners pass through its grim doors in its 150-year life as a prison.
The Karl Marx memorial tomb is situated in the east section of London's Highgate Cemetery. Every year, thousands of people visit the last resting place of the founding father of modern Communism.
During the 1932 Relief Strike, sectarian divisions were discarded and working-class solidarity became a reality in Belast.
It is now an accepted perception that a suicide epidemic among young people has visited Irish working-class areas of high social and economic deprivation.
During a period of conflict known as 'The Troubles,' paramilitary groups in Belfast committed some of the most barbaric crimes imaginable. Many of the most notorious loyalist killers were agents in the Special Branch, or MI5, and escaped prosecution.
With ethno-supremacist far-right sentiments on the rise in Europe and North America, let's take a critical look at its manifestation in the northeast of Ireland.
A brief history of the Starry Plough, the flag of Irish Republican Socialism