THE EVENTS of August 1969 will be forever etched on the minds of the nationalist people of the Six Counties. The mid-1960s saw a Catholic population inspired and encouraged by the Civil Rights movement in the United States demand the right to vote, to housing and to jobs. The Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA) organised marches and protests and demanded equality. Free article

BELFAST'S Féile an Phobal (The People's Festival) notched up a special birthday this year. It reached the grand old age of 21 and with its celebratory keys in hand it opened its Féile doors to thousands of people who enjoyed its packed programme of events. In the introduction to its clár, Seán Paul O'Hare, the director of Féile, said: "Féile an Phobal, in its ethics, vision, tolerance and inclusiveness is living proof of how arts, culture, sport, open debate and discussion can raise up entire communities and contribute to peace, progress and the well-being of society in general." Free article

THE lives of staff at the Thomas Cook travel company in Dublin were thrown into disarray two weeks ago when management told them that they were to be sacked immediately. The Thomas Cook branches at Grafton Street and North Earl Street weren't due to be closed for another month but, in the height of arrogance, the company decided to cut its losses and shut up shop ahead of schedule. To add insult to injury, the redundancies came after Thomas Cook CEO Manny Fontenla-Novoa handed himself a very handsome bonus of €7 million and a 34% pay rise last year. The redundancy packages offered to the staff Thomas Cook and Manny were sacking would cost the company just €600,000. Free article

I'M beginning to wonder if the Irish Daily Star's John Coulter is real. I mean I know he's a journalist lecturer in Belfast, and Lord help those poor sods in his class, but you do begin to wonder. On Monday, he gave us his suggested solution to the crisis that the gloating media believe Sinn Féin is in. "Sinn Féin needs to relaunch itself as an ultra right-wing nationalist party under the banner - Ireland for the Irish and nobody else! Adams should launch the Greenshirts - a radical right-wing youth movement, which instils disciplined Irish patriotic values, folklore and culture into its ranks." So, that would be a modern Hitler Youth, rounding up the Jews and the immigrants, bashing the odd Pole and hunting unmarried mothers through housing estates. Free article

ONE of my privileges as an MLA is to sit on the Strategy Board which is responsible for taking forward the regeneration of Derry. I regard it as a huge honour to have been given the opportunity to play a role in this process and I am greatly encouraged by the recent progress which has been made. Recently, some 300 people from all walks of life in this city came together at Magee University to move this process onto the next level. They have formed working groups tasked with delivering proposals which will inform the overarching regeneration plan for the city. And no one who was at that event was left in any doubt about the extent of the task we all face. Free article

IRIS -The Republican Magazine Published by Sinn Féin REVIEWED BY AENGUS Ó SNODAIGH TD Free article

Bhí mé thuas san áiléar cúpla mí ó shin ag cuardach bréagáin nó pictiúir nó rud éigin cosúil le sin a cuireadh i dtaisce blianta ó shin nuair a tháinig mé ar sheanmhála trom. Tharraing mé amach as a áit fholaithe é, dearmad déanta anois ar an fhath go raibh mé san áiléar sa chéad dul síos, agus d'oscail mé an mála, m'intinn lán de chuimhní ag dul siar breis agus fiche bliain, agus súil agam thuas i ndorchadas an áiléir nach raibh mórán dámaiste déanta ar an ábhar laistigh an mhála ag luchóga ná feithidí eile thar na blianta. Free article

ONE has to be struck by the irony of people who attack referees for not coming down heavy on Kilkenny for allegedly 'playing on the edge' but who send lads out to try and intimidate and bully their opponents before the ball is even thrown in. Fair enough, if that's the way you want it, but at least have the good grace to take your medicine when it doesn't work out. Free article