Ireland

Ireland

• The ghosts of the union: commemoration event backfires for Varadkar

  

  An ill-judged commemoration of the Royal Irish Constabulary is cancelled as Fine Gael underestimate negative sentiment towards former British occupation, reports Josh Newman

• Rebels and Friends: a play by Jacqueline Mulhallen

  

  Drama, art and Irish history come together at Unite the Union’s headquarters, finds Ellen Graubart

• Navigating the Zeitgeist: A Story of the Cold War, the New Left, Irish Republicanism, and International Communism - book review

  

  The story of an active life during momentous times from the Cold War to the 1980s turns out to be more personal than resonating with the political, finds Jacqueline Mulhallen

• Defending the Indefensible: the British Army in Northern Ireland, 1969

  

  In deploying troops to Derry, Downing Street was propping up the Unionist government to shield itself from blame, argues Chris Bambery

• The Battle of the Bogside

  

  Marking its 50th anniversary, Vincent Doherty looks at one of the most significant episodes in modern Irish history

• Sinn Fein: tumbling into the centre

  

  After a catastrophe at the ballot box, Vincent Doherty looks at why Sinn Fein did so badly and what's in store if they continue on the same trajectory

• Limerick 1919: all power to the Irish soviets

  

  Marking the centenary of its emergence, Sean Ledwith looks at the history of the Limerick soviet 

• Creggan and the death of Lyra McKee

  

  The republican movement must not revert to futile militarism but build an alternative mass class-based politics fighting for a socialist Ireland, argues Vincent Doherty

• Call it by its name: Islamophobia, and it comes from the top – weekly briefing

  

  Capitalism always has a pre-eminent form of racism; it’s our task to identify, locate and defeat it, argues Lindsey German

• Bloody Sunday: one prosecution is not justice

  

  The British state would prefer we forget about the cold-blooded murder it sanctioned on Bloody Sunday, we can't let them escape justice, argues Chris Bambery

• When Watson and Hodge represent Labour we know we’re in trouble - weekly briefing

  

  Grassroots Momentum needs to re-assert itself to fend off this coup against Jeremy Corbyn, argues Lindsey German

• Bloody Sunday: criminal? Yes.

  

  The barbarity of British imperialism must not be brushed under the carpet, argues Chris Bambery

• Mass walkout as Irish nurses and midwives stage historic strike

  

  35,000 nurses and midwives joined a 24-hour national strike on Wednesday with more action planned for next week, reports Eóin Ó Murchú

• Westminster's first woman, 100 years on

  

  Constance Markievicz was the first woman MP at Westminster - Jacqueline Mulhallen marks the centenary of her election

• The time is ripe for Irish unity – on both sides of the sea

  

  The Tories' Brexit deal puts undue focus on the British border in Ireland and is out of step with public opinion, argues Reuben Bard-Rosenberg

• Brexit as the organic crisis of the British state

  

  Brexit is exposing the crises inherent in contemporary British and European capitalism, argues Sean Ledwith

• EU summit: nothing much happens, but the crisis continues

  

  Little progress was made in the Brexit negotiations, and Tory MPs are losing patience with May, finds Martin Hall

• Learnt nothing and forgotten everything: the next crash is coming - weekly briefing

  

  Finance capital is a game for the rich and when it goes wrong it's our side who are expected to pay the price, argues Lindsey German

• Taking back the city: direct action amid the Dublin housing emergency

  

  Homelessness is on the rise and the state is siding with the landlords. Josh Newman reports from Dublin

• The James Connolly Reader - book review

  

  A collection of the writings of James Connolly, the Irish socialist revolutionary, contains still relevant insights about imperialism and national liberation, argues Kevin Crane

• Our NHS: Keep the fight on the streets - Counterfire Freesheet June 2018

  

  Fighting for our NHS, Ireland's abortion rights victory, Grenfell one year on, Dump Trump and more - Counterfire freesheet edition 026, June 2018

• After Irish referendum victory, we must fight further to expand women’s rights

  

  This fantastic leap forward was a product of grassroots campaigning, but the battle is far from over, argues Amy O'Donoghue

• The bigotry of Arlene Foster won’t stop women on the march - weekly briefing

  

  The democratic shockwaves of women’s liberation can still create real problems for our rulers, writes Lindsey German   

• A win for women in Ireland, a reminder of what's holding back the North

  

  After the victory for Yes today, the reactionary politics holding Northern Ireland back is a construct of British imperialism, argues Reuben Bard-Rosenberg 

• Victory as Ireland votes to repeal the 8th amendment

  

  As the results from the referendum in Ireland come in, it looks as though the Irish people have voted overwhelmingly to repeal draconian anti-abortion laws, Elly Badcock reports

• Ireland's opportunity for equality

  

  Friday's referendum is a vital step in the fight for women's equality in Ireland, argues Amy O'Donoghue

• The Irish Question, the EU and the debate about borders - weekly briefing

  

  The end of the first phase of Brexit negotiations is neither the restoring of Theresa May's fortunes nor an indication that the Irish situation is stable argues Lindsey German

• Will the Irish question bring Theresa May down?

  

  Not for the first time, the issues of Ireland and Europe are causing a massive crisis for the British government

• Rosa Luxemburg on the politics of poverty and homelessness

  

  This winter people are dying needlessly. Rosa Luxemburg reminds us that politics is about more than negotiations between competing states.

• The many crises of the British state

  

  The British state is enveloped in crisis more than at any point for 30 years. One more push could topple this government, argues Chris Bambery

• Who was James Connolly?

  

  In the first of our series looking at significant revolutionary figures, Chris Bambery asks what Irish republican James Connolly can tell us about the link between national liberation struggles and the fight for socialism

• May's DUP deal: divisions galore

  

  The Prime Minister's deal with the DUP has significant implications, writes Chris Bambery

• May's deal: return of the Irish Question

  

  As Theresa May finalises her deal with the DUP, it will raise fundamental questions about Irish politics, writes Chris Bambery

• Is Britain breaking up? - video

  

  With Scottish independence looking more likely, and murmurings in Northern Ireland too, Tom Griffiths looks at the prospects for Britain breaking up

• Martin McGuinness and the armed struggle in context

  

  What actually sustained one of the final stages of England’s oldest imperialism, asks Lindsey German

• Get your rosaries off my ovaries: thousands march in Dublin for #Strike4Repeal

  

  A new generation of female activists is refuelling Ireland’s reproductive struggles, observes Kara Bryan 

• Strike 4 Repeal: International Women's Day in Ireland

  

  On International Women's Day, thousands of women in Ireland went on strike and took to the streets reports Amy O'Donoghue

• Something rotten in the State of Stormont

  

  As voters go to the polls in Northern Ireland, Sean Ledwith looks at the current state of affairs

• James Connolly: a revolutionary remembered

  

  12 May marks the centenary of the state murder of working class hero James Connolly. Chris Bambery reflects 

• 1916: Ireland’s Revolutionary Tradition

  

  Allen’s 1916 shows that the Easter Rising was no pointless sacrifice, but an essential revolutionary trigger to Irish independence, argues Sean Ledwith

• Irish Freedom: the 1916 Easter Uprising - documentary

  

  This two-part documentary with Chris Bambery examines the 1916 Easter Rebellion in Ireland, and how it shaped the world we live in today

• Ireland’s Guantanamo Granny

  

  Margaretta D’Arcy’s magnificent stand against Ireland’s complicity with US rendition is vividly told in Ireland’s Guantanamo Granny, finds Ellen Graubart

• How the Easter Rising changed the world

  

  In the final part of our series, Chris Bambery argues that the Easter Rising relaunched the struggle for independence in Ireland and inspired national liberation movements globally

• Bitter Freedom: Ireland in a Revolutionary World

  

  Maurice Walsh’s Bitter Freedom is a revealing exploration of the Irish independence struggle in its international context, after the 1916 Easter Rising, finds Kieran Crowe

• A revolt against Empire: the 1916 Easter Rising

  

  In the second part of our 3-part series on the struggle for Irish independence, Chris Bambery looks at the uprising of Easter Monday 1916

• Ireland always rising

  

  In the run-up to St Patrick’s Day, Mark Perryman looks at the meaning of the forthcoming Easter Rising centenary for models of Britishness

• Big trouble for Ireland's rulers: the election analysed

  

  The radical left finds itself in a stronger position than ever before, but must build on this momentum, argues Rob Winkel

• The spirit of rebellion haunts Ireland’s election

  

  As Ireland goes to the polls on Friday, there is a historic opportunity for a new Irish left to be born, writes Sean Ledwith

• Home Rule and the roots of the Easter Rising

  

  As the hundredth anniversary of the Easter Rising approaches, Counterfire is running a new 3-part series by Chris Bambery on the struggle for Irish independence

• Tide of protest hits the Irish government over water charges

  

  Jail, hunger strikes and mass protest: this is the face of the struggle in Ireland reports Ramona McCartney

• Irish water charges and the growth of anti-austerity politics

  Ireland is facing mounting anger over controversial moves to introduce water charges, with widespread street protests reports Rob Winkel

• Give the Orange bigots their marching orders with a Yes vote

  

  As the Orange Order takes to the streets of Edinburgh in defence of the Union, Chris Bambery looks at the roots of anti-Catholic sectarianism