On Friday 5 May 2006 a party of 19 republicans travelled to Long Kesh, the former prison camp on the outskirts of Lisburn, near Belfast to hold a commemoration ceremony in remembrance of Bobby Sands. The visit, 25 years on represented a long journey. An Phoblacht's PEADAR WHELAN, a former H-Block prisoner, was one of those who travelled to Long Kesh last week. Below he brtiefly describes that long journey from 1981. Free article

Sinn Féin's EOIN O BROIN responds to an article in last week's An Phoblacht by Colm Breathnach of the Campaign for an Independent Left (CIL). Free article

Originally published in 1994, Nor Meekly Serve My Time has been relaunched to mark the 25th anniversary of the Hunger Strikes. The book traces a stream of events- the IRA prisoners' experience of remand in Crumlin Road jail, the blanket protest and the hunger strikes of the early eighties. Free article

Cheap mé nach raibh móran drugaí in Éirinn ach na cinn mí-dhleathach- ansin tháinig mé ar tobac agus alcóil agus an obair. Tá drugaí de gach saghas in Éirinn san aois nua- nuair a eiríonn tú bréan den alcól agus drugaí is féidir leat díriú isteach ar reiligiún, ceol nó lúthchleasaíocht. Free article

Ó a thit an córas cumannach as a chéile ag tús na naochaidí in Oirthear na hEorpa, is léir go bhfuil na sochuithe úd imithe chun siobarnaí le muintearas, comharsanas, dlúthpháirtíocht imithe go gairid ina ndiaidh, Ceann de na gnéithe is gránna den chóras caipitleach nua atá tar éis dul i bhfeidhm sna tíortha seo, ná tráchtú idir bhan is páistí chun fíorsclábhaíocht sa mhargadh gnéis. Free article

Sinn Féin launched its Campaign for the Infrastructural development of the Northwest and Border Counties in Omagh last Monday. This will intensify over coming months through lobbying of Government Departments in Dublin and Belfast as well as seeking the support of business, community and other interested bodies. We will be seeking to impress on decision makers the reality that without this essential investment the tegion will continue to lag further behind all other Regions of Ireland. Free article

Business journalists, dominated these days by liberal, free marketeers (Tories, although the Irish variety don't like to admit it) have had to clench their teeth and restrain their hostility to the Rossport 5 given the open and almost universal admiration for their principled stand. But Environment Minister, Noel Dempsey's endorsement last week of the 'independent' report (it was commissioned by the same government that has backed the Shell pipeline) recommending that the pipeline proceed as planned, with minor safeguards, has emboldened the business hacks and they went on the attack at the weekend. Free article

Bertie looks the other way - Bertie Ahern last week told the Dáil (so it must be true) that he himself came across no fewer than 80 people in one single house in his own Dublin Central constituency who were registered to vote. Free article

Given all the terrible stuff that has been said about Mayo over the past number of years it is only right that we pay tribute to their Under 21 football team who captured the first All Ireland title of the year last Sunday when they beat Cork in Ennis. Free article

The Proclamation of the Irish Republic, read aloud by Pádraig Pearse outside Dublin's GPO on Easter Monday, 1916 bore the signatures of seven men, members of the Provisonal Government of the Irish Republic. The seven signatories were among 16 alleged leaders of the Rising executed by the British. Fifteen of these were executed between 3 and 15 May 1916. Free article