THE 5th COLUMN is in England this week on a mission - but it wasn't to load up my Tesco trolley at the British Government's DSEi arms fair in London's Docklands with all sorts of armoured cars and tanks and guns. Free article

What's this I hear about Gerry Adams going to the ploughing championships next week? Didn't know he was a ploughman as well as everything else. Does he think he is going to win that as well? Free article

Book Review The Armed Peace: Life and death after the Ceasefires By Brian 'Barney' Rowan. Mainstream Publishing £15.99 h/b Of all the possible titles that Barney Rowan could have chosen for his second book about the peace process, 'The Armed Peace: Life and death after the Cease-fires', the phrase, 'armed peace' is a good summary of what exists in the Six Counties today. Free article

BY PAT DOHERTY, SINN FÉIN VICE PRESIDENT Direct Rule is a disaster - we have part time Direct Rule Ministers with remits over multiple departmental responsibilities and have neither the time, even if they possessed the hunger, to bring forward major initiatives to better the lot of people here. Free article

As 'Car Free Day' takes place on 22 September, AN DRAOI RUA thought it might be appropriate to discuss our overdependence on the motor. Níl a fhios agam ar chuala éinne agaibh ach iarrfar ar dhaoine a ngluaisteáin a fhágáil sa bhaile Dé Luain 22 Meán Fómhair. Anois, an mbeidh muid ábalta a leithéid a dhéanamh? Free article

Paddy Hackett charts Tipperary's role in the freedom struggle Tipperary has certainly played its part in the fight for Irish freedom. The first shots of the War of Independence were fired there at Soloheadbeg. Subsequently, the courageous exploits of Dan Breen and Sean Treacy made them and their flying columns household names throughout Ireland. Free article