Roisín de Rossa examines the extraordinary rise of the pike men and women in County Wexford Free article

Whether Tony Blair accepts it or not, the bombing of Omagh, like all the tragedies of this long conflict, is a measure of the failure of Britain's policy in Ireland. Whether we or the British acknowledge this, this does not lessen the grief of the families of those who died, nor does it detract from our sympathy for them and for those so terribly injured. Free article

Omagh was our bomb. It had all the hallmarks, as Commander Churchill Coleman used to say. It was not the bomb of Martin McGuinness or Gerry Adams or Rita O'Hare or others in the leadership of Sinn Fein. Free article

On Thursday 20 August a force of 23,000 soldiers, 170 aircraft and 24 warships encroaching the Red and Arabian Seas calculated their strike into the hearts of Afghanistan and Sudan. Free article

Family matters

Eugene Brady's The Nephew is a moving, engaging, and even sporadically funny drama, featuring a strong, mainly Irish cast.

Donal McCann stars as Tony Egan, a reserved and gruff islander, whose troubled relationship with his sister is rekindled, along with other half-buried secrets from the past, when she dies in America and her only son travels across from New York... Free article

Cothrom an lae inniu, ar 27 Lúnasa 1789, foilsíodh an Forógra um Chearta an Duine agus an tSaoránaigh a d'fhógair agus a d'éiligh, inter alia, saoirse an duine ó phríosúnacht ar togradh. Free article

It really was ten days that shook the world, another Russian revolution - this time one that has the structures of global capitalism teetering with the world's stock markets and currency exchanges in turmoil. Free article

The main talking point of the two GAA semi-finals held at the weekend was undoubtedly the blowing up early by the referee (he admitted in his match report that he ``erred in terminating the game'') of the Clare vs Offaly hurling decider. A nightmare scenario for all concerned. Free article

In 1913 the principal employers in Dublin, alarmed at the successes and the rapid growth of the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union, combined to crush the union and to break their leaders, James Larkin and James Connolly. During that momentous year much happened which was to have bearing on later years and many of the lessons learnt were not lost on future generations. Free article

``For two weeks now the prison administration have really gone out of their way to try and stop our statutory monthly half hour visit with use of degrading, dehumanising search procedures - ie, bending men over forcefully and examining their back passage and other private parts of the body, as well as the hair, beard, mouth, armpits and soles of the feet. Free article