The Ireland Institute proudly opened the doors of the restored Dublin family home of Padraig and Willie Pearse last Friday, 14 July. Padraig Pearse, the executed leader of the 1916 Rising, was born in the basement of Number 27 Pearse Street, which in the late 19th century, then Number 27 Great Brunswick Street, housed the Pearse family's stone sculpting business. Free article

Mitchel McLaughlin and Sean Crowe, accompanied by party press officer Dominic Doherty, visited the European Parliament in Strasbourg earlier this month. The purpose of the visit was to update the parliament on developments in the Irish Peace Process, outline Sinn Féin's views on the Patten report and the British policing bill and to discuss the role of the European Union in consolidating the Peace Process. Free article

Sinn Féin Mayor of Sligo Sean MacManus has hit out at the revelation that, according to the Dublin government's latest quarterly report on housing, not one rented property has been inspected in either Sligo or Leitrim in the period covered by the report. He has also called for a major crackdown to put slum landlords out of business or to force them to comply with the regulations. Free article

People in Dublin's Docklands community were hailing as a victory for democracy this week the decision by An Bord Pleanála to block a major part of the £1.2 billion development plan for the area. Free article

The 26 Counties' thriving economy has relied heavily on attracting high-tech multinationals, and this in turn has increased the number of people in third-level education in recent times. But more third level students has not led to any radical change in the way colleges and universities have traditionally reflected the divisions in our society. While more and more young people are being encouraged to continue on to further education, the low percentage of students from disadvantaged backgrounds remains largely unchanged. Free article

It has been yet another week of sensation at the tribunals as further details of the alleged bribery of leading Fianna Fáil members have again emerged, this time in relation to the zoning of the airwaves rather than the zoning of land. Free article

A leading anti drugs activist in West Belfast has accused the British government of excluding the area from the latest round of funding for drugs programmes announced on Tuesday, 11 July. Free article

Raymond ``Rames'' McGuigan agus John Michael Street Free article