2019-03-12

Book review: Irish Republican media activism

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How to inform supporters and the public about its political ideology is a regular point of discussion for all political organisations; even more so for radical organisations who cannot rely on the mainstream media for spreading their message. This is particularly true for Irish Republican organisations that developed a critical analysis of the peace process. [Read More…]

dieterreinisch - 14:18 @ History, Irish Republicanism | 6740 comments

2019-02-15

Former Irish Republican prisoner receives chilling warning. Why?

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Over the past few days, graffiti emerged in parts of West Belfast, sending out a shivering message to former Irish Republican prisoner Danny McClean. One of these messages appeared on a gable wall on Lenadoon Avenue saying: “Danny McClean UDR RIP.”

In early January, McClean’s stood trial for IRA memberships charges, accused of being a member of the paramilitary group Óglaigh na hÉireann. [Read More…]

dieterreinisch - 19:10 @ Irish Republicanism, Northern Ireland, Prisons | Add a comment

2019-02-03

Oral History In Post-Conflict Societies: Experiences From Researching The Northern Ireland Troubles

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The past five or so years were rather difficult for those conducting interviews in Ireland. Nonetheless, interviews remain an essential source for those of us researching political violence and the Northern Irish Troubles. [Read More…]

dieterreinisch - 10:59 @ History, Interviews, Irish Republicanism, Northern Ireland | Add a comment

2019-01-25

Oral history and the Troubles: The importance of trust and the role of the interviewer

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As several of the blog posts of Writing the Troubles illustrate, oral history is a particularly controversial subject in Northern Ireland. The past years have been a difficult time for researchers looking to use interviews with former paramilitaries and those advocating political violence, particularly since the “Boston College (BC) Oral History Project” debacle. [Read More…]

dieterreinisch - 15:10 @ History, Interviews | 15 comments

2018-12-30

State Papers, Sinn Féin & Federalism

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The last days of December traditionally bring the release of state papers after the 30-year embargo. Accordingly, the last couple of days saw the release of hundreds of previously secret government files dating from 1988 in Dublin and Belfast. [Read More…]

dieterreinisch - 12:48 @ History, Ireland, Irish Republicanism, Northern Ireland | Add a comment

2018-12-17

Interview with new Saoradh chairperson Brian Kenna

brian.jpgAt their third Ard-Fheis (AGM) on 17/18 November in Dundalk, Co Louth, the Irish republican party Saoradh elected a new chairperson. Brian Kenna from Dublin succeeded Davy Jordan from Co Tyrone who chaired the party since its formation two years ago. [Read More…]

dieterreinisch - 19:47 @ Interviews, Irish Republicanism | Add a comment

New RSF President: But who is Seosamh Ó Mhaoileoin?

ajoe.jpgRepublican Sinn Féin, the oldest of the anti-Good-Friday-Agreement groups that emerged from the Provisionals, appointed a new president. The announcement of Seosamh Ó Mhaoileoin came as a surprise to many for he is a largely unknown figure within Irish republicanism. [Read More…]

dieterreinisch - 19:32 @ Interviews, Irish Republicanism | Add a comment

Why ex-IRA bomber is wrong to take a uniform approach to PoW status

abeltel.jpgFormer Provisional Shane Paul O’Doherty argued in this newspaper last week that republican inmates didn’t qualify as prisoners of war. Here, historian Dieter Reinisch says O’Doherty’s view is at odds with British Government policy throughout the 20th century.
 
In an article published in this newspaper on January 5, Shane Paul O’Doherty argued that “captured (IRA) combatants could never qualify as prisoners of war” because they “did not conduct military operations according to the laws and customs of war”. [Read More…]

dieterreinisch - 19:28 @ History, Northern Ireland, Prisons | 1 comment

Radicalization in Prison: Historical Lessons for Today’s Challenges

123Maze_Prison_-_geograph_-_341034.jpgOn May 29, Benjamin H. shot four people dead in the Belgian town of Luttich. [Read More…]

dieterreinisch - 19:19 @ Northern Ireland, Prisons | 566 comments

Dreaming of an “Irish Tet Offensive”: Irish Republican prisoners & the origins of the Peace Process

aira-meeui.jpgJanuary 30 2018 marked the 50th anniversary of the launch of the “Tet offensive” in 1968 by North Vietnam forces and the National Liberation Front against the South Vietnam Army and the US military presence.
 
The offensive not only facilitated the changing public opinion in the USA on the Vietnam War and heralded revolutionary unrest throughout the world in 1968, twenty years later, the idea of a Tet-like offensive resurfaced in Ireland.
 
This piece will argue, however, that rather than a credible scenario, it was a wide-spread myth among the Irish Republican prisoners’ population that facilitated the departure of the IRA from Armalite to the ballot box. [Read More…]

dieterreinisch - 19:16 @ History, Irish Republicanism | Add a comment

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