THE European Parliament is considering a number of reports that that could have far-reaching effects on legislation for public health, including smoking and tobacco products, and bio-economics and GM crops. Free article

WITH the memory of Seachtain na Gaeilge beginning to fade away it is perhaps timely to take stock of the situation of Gaeilge — the Irish language. While Irish is undoubtedly THE national language of this nation, it has been a minority language since the end of the Great Hunger of the 1840s following centuries of violence, persecution, marginalisation and discouragement by the English colonial authorities, and then decades of lip-service, neglect and often outright hostility by the 26-county state. Free article

IRISHMEN AND IRISHWOMEN: In the name of God and of the dead generations from which she receives her old tradition of nationhood, Ireland, through us, summons her children to her flag and strikes for her freedom. Free article