Veteran Republican Dickie Glenholmes died last November. In this edition of An Phoblacht we are delight to carry Jim Gibney’s funeral eulogy for Dickie. Free article

“On this we stand” was the headline of the first An Phoblacht, published a half century ago in February 1970. This has been the foundation stone of An Phoblacht content ever since. It is a commitment that we would promote and sustain an independent republican message for all. In a world of corporate, commercial and conservative media, we would provide a radical, cutting commentary on the failures to deliver the republic promised in the 1916 Proclamation and the 1919 Democratic Programme for Government. Free article

1969 was a watershed year for the North and for republicans. It began with a People’s Democracy march being attacked by B-Specials and Unionists at Burntollet, outside Derry. That was in January. In July a Catholic pensioner, Francis McCloskey, was killed in Dungiven and Samuel Devenny died from injuries he received when batoned in his home in Derry in April by the RUC. In the following months there were further attacks on Catholic neighbourhoods. These included attacks by the Shankill Defence Association, supported by the RUC and B-Specials, against Unity Flats and Catholic families in the Crumlin Road area. Young activists like me spent a lot of our time assisting people in these communities. Free article