One of the most famous scenes in Irish literature is the Christmas dinner in James Joyce's semi-autobiographical novel, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. This is based on a real event in the young Joyce's life. Free article

JUSTIN MORAN argues that, in the interests of participative democracy, the people should be allowed to petition for referenda Free article

Do you hate having to make that special effort to talk to family, friends and well-wishers at Christmas? Do you find yourself wishing they'd all just feck off and leave you to watch the telly in peace? Free article

As part of An Phoblacht's new 'Living History' series, exploring the lives and experiences of republicans involved in or touched by the conflict, An Phoblacht's JOANNE CORCORAN talks to ÁINE Ní GABHANN about some of the major events she has witnessed, and helped to bring about, over the last 30 years. Free article

Taken from the Greek 'bios' (life), and 'metrikos' (measure), biometrics is the measure of life. Recently, this measure of people's life has increasingly been publicised in terms of security and has encountered scepticism from privacy advocates and the general public. Free article

Former POW ROBERT 'FAT' CAMPBELL recalls what life was like at Christmas and New Year for the men in Portlaoise prison during the 1980s. Free article

While you're searching for the jokes in your DUP Christmas crackers, plump instead for some mildly brain-teasing turkeys we've rescued from this year's 5th Column. Ho, ho, ho! Free article

"If you own this child at an early age, you can own this child for years to come." "Advertising at its best is making people feel that without their product, you're a loser. Children are very sensitive to this. You open up emotional vulnerabilities, and it's very easy to do with kids because they're the most emotionally vulnerable." Free article

"In Belfast, there were six minibuses and we'd drive families to the Kesh two or three times a day. Sometimes the demand was very high." As part of An Phoblacht's new 'Living History' series, exploring the lives and experiences of republicans involved in or touched by the conflict, An Phoblacht's LAURA FRIEL talks to THOMAS McGUIGAN, from the Short Strand in Belfast, who drove the families and friends of republican prisoners to and from jails throughout Ireland for over a quarter of a century. Free article

Hundreds of people attended Sunday's annual Liam Mellows Commemoration in Castletown, County Wexford, where Sinn Féin TD Martin Ferris paid tribute to Liam Mellows, who he described as a giant of Irish republican history. Free article