ONE of the most successful and spectacular escapes during the present struggle for freedom was the mass breakout by 19 republican prisoners from Portlaoise Prison in the summer of 1974.

In November 1973, ten days after the dramatic escape of three republicans by helicopter from Mountjoy Jail, all republican prisoners in Mountjoy and the Curragh Camp were moved to Portlaoise Prison.... Free article

August 20th marks the death of Michael Devine, the 10th republican hunger striker to die in 1981. Born in Derry, Devine grew up in the tumult of the civil rights protests, internment and Bloody Sunday in January 1972. He died after 60 days on hunger strike. The same day that voters in Fermanagh and South Tyrone elected H-Block candidate Owen Carron as an MP. Free article

Writing in his latest blog, Declan Kearney has said the British government needs to get involved in the conversation about constitutional change in Ireland. Free article

Thomas McElwee, at the age of 23, was the tenth man to join the 1981 Hunger Strike. From Bellaghy in south Derry, he was imprisoned in 1976 after a premature bomb explosion in which he lost an eye. Free article

While the calls to bring people onto the streets for anti-immigrant demonstrations in recent days at various locations across the north, including Antrim Town, failed as effective mobilisations, the seriousness of their underlying racist motivation should not be underestimated. 

The attempt to stage an anti-immigrant march in Antrim Town may have received limited support, but it... Free article

IRA Volunteer Kieran Doherty, TD for Cavan/Monaghan, died at 7:15pm on Sunday 2 August 1981, the day after Kevin Lynch’s death. Kieran had joined the hunger strike one day before Kevin Lynch and survived one day longer. Free article

He spent 71 days on hunger strike from 23 May 1981. He died on 1 August 1981. Free article

This week marks the 40th anniversary of the heroic anti-apartheid strike by a group of young workers in Dunnes Stores, Henry Street, Dublin. We re-publish here special features first published on the 20th anniversary. Free article

THE death of IRA Volunteer Martin Hurson on 13 July 1981, after 46 days on the Hunger Strike, was unexpected. The suddenness of his death, coming only five days after that of Joe McDonnell, came as a shock since two other Hunger Strikers – Kieran Doherty and Kevin Lynch – had been almost a week on hunger strike ahead of Martin. Free article

JOE McDONNELL was the fifth Hunger Striker to die due to the intransigence of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her government. Free article