TWO YEARS after the epic 1981 H-Block Hunger Strike in which ten young republicans died, there was another epic event at Long Kesh that dealt a huge blow to the Thatcher regime in Ireland. This was the escape of 38 IRA prisoners from H-Block 7 on Sunday 25 September 1983. Free article

Sinn Féin MP for Newry Armagh, Mickey Brady spoke on the case for Irish unity in September’s Trade Union Congress annual conference in Liverpool. Free article

The recent passing of Bernadette O’Hagan saw the end of a life well lived by a woman well loved by family and friends, a deeply committed Republican who gave decades of dedicated service to the cause of Irish freedom. Free article

August 20th marks the death of Michael Devine, the 10th republican hunger striker to die in 1981. Born in Derry, Devine grew up in the tumult of the civil rights protests, internment and Bloody Sunday in January 1972. He died after 60 days on hunger strike. The same day that voters in Fermanagh and South Tyrone elected H-Block candidate Owen Carron as an MP. Free article

There was a warm welcome for former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn at the West Belfast Féile on 3 August when he addressed the main hall of St Mary’s College. Free article

Writing in his latest blog, Declan Kearney said a new progressive, inclusive, democratic Ireland is waiting to be created by us all. Free article

One hundred years ago this month many families in Ireland were in mourning in the aftermath of the tragic Civil War. But even after the war officially ended more people were plunged into grief and last weekend several generations of a wide family group gathered to recall one of the less well remembered fallen of that time - Harry McEntee of the IRA’s Dublin Brigade. Free article

Thomas McElwee, at the age of 23, was the tenth man to join the 1981 Hunger Strike. From Bellaghy in south Derry, he was imprisoned in 1976 after a premature bomb explosion in which he lost an eye. Free article

By August 1923 there were over 11,000 Republican prisoners in Free State jails and prison camps, the vast majority of them interned without trial. The Civil War was over but the Free State government showed no sign of releasing prisoners, instead that month it passed another Emergency Powers Act to give itself more legal powers to detain citizens. Free article

IRA Volunteer Kieran Doherty, TD for Cavan/Monaghan, died at 7:15pm on Sunday 2 August 1981, the day after Kevin Lynch’s death. Kieran had joined the hunger strike one day before Kevin Lynch and survived one day longer. Free article