New Ross has always been a strategic place in the South of Ireland. When 10,000 rebels poured into the streets of New Ross in the 1798 rebellion, crown forces knew that to lose New Ross could create a domino effect in which Waterford and Cork could also be lost to the United Irishmen. The pikes have long since been decommissioned but New Ross and County Wexford is again a battleground for change in Ireland with Sinn Fein's John Dwyer leading the charge. This time, according to Sinn Fein's Chief Negotiator MARTIN McGUINNESS, the dominos will fall all the way to Leinster House. McGuinness was in New Ross on Friday, 20 April as part of a tour of the South East and he took time out to speak to An Phoblacht's PHILIP CONNOLLY. Free article

An investigation conducted on behalf of the victim's family by Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan has described the killing of 15-year-old Paul Whitters in April 1981 as "unjustifiable". The report found the teenage victim had been shot at close range, posed no serious threat and could have been arrested. Free article

The establishment of the Political Institutions and the all-Ireland structures on 8 May will present all of the parties with a real opportunity to grow the Northern economy in the context of island-wide strategies. During the election campaign all the parties making up the new Executive and Assembly made the economy a political priority. Free article

Marie O'Connor has passionate and incisive views on the Irish health service - views outlined in her recently launched book Emergency: Irish Hospitals in Chaos published by Gill&Macmillan. Here she talks to ELLA O'DWYER about her family background in the medical profession, her activism on health issues and her analysis of the inequalities and chaos in Irish healthcare. Free article

News that personal details from a PSNI database regarding three GAA members, all personal friends of the UVF murder victim Sean Brown, are now in the hands of loyalist paramilitaries sent shockwaves through the association last week. Free article

With an entire city living off bottled water and an epidemic of gastric ailments, the good people of Galway are rightly fed up with their current crop of bickering yes-men. Step up to the plate Ann Marie Carroll, Sinn Féin's candidate for Galway West. Anne Marie, (45) is married to David for 24 years and they have five children, Donna (23) Liam (22) Laura (21) Steven (14) and David (11). Anne Marie knows all about hard work. Here, she chats to An Phoblacht's PHILIP CONNOLLY. Free article

Mayor of Portlaoise, BRIAN STANLEY is the Sinn Féin candidate for Laois/Offaly in the 26 County general elections. Here, he talks to ADAM HAUGHTON about his own background, the range of issues concerning the people of Laois and Offaly in the run up to the general election and the growth of support for Sinn Féin in the constituency in recent years. Free article

Unfortunately for Cavan the football playing, socialist space aliens failed to appear in Croke Park last Saturday. That ensured that the defeat of the forces of neo-Cavanism was inevitable. Still it was nice to see the royal blue jerseys back. Free article

Socialist republicans, trade unionists, feminists, travellers, immigrants and all those who are subject to vicious media campaigns whenever they are in struggle, should feel a pang of sympathy for the media's latest target - hospital consultants. Free article

There’s a Fine Gael uniform...

It’s a pity that Enda Kenny never picked up that old fascist-era Fine Gael Blueshirt uniform at the auction of historic memorabilia in Dublin last week.
Wouldn’t it have been a fine fit for Enda on occasions like his unveiling of a memorial plaque in 2005 to Oliver J Flanagan TD, the reactionary old dinosaur who infamously once advocated in the Dáil... Free article