''IRIS'' was an English and Irish language magazine which focuses on

Irish republicanism Irish republicanism () is the political movement for an Irish Republic, Irish republic, void of any British rule in Ireland, British rule. Throughout its centuries of existence, it has encompassed various tactics and identities, simultaneously ...

, Irish politics, current affairs, history and foreign affairs. The first issue of the magazine was published in 1981. Its headquarters was in Belfast. It ceased publication 2012.

Name

''IRIS'' was named after a republican weekly publication which existed between 1973 and 1980. IRIS is also the

Irish language Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( ), is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family. It is a member of the Goidelic languages of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenous ...

word for ''journal'' as well as being the initials of the ''Irish Republican Information Service''.

History

''IRIS'' first appeared in April 1981 and its content focused heavily on

The Troubles The Troubles () were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted for about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it began in the late 1960s and is usually deemed t ...

in Northern Ireland. The magazine was originally intended to be a quarterly news and current affairs publication aimed at foreign readership. The magazine faced considerable difficulties in first two years but appeared regularly between 1982 and 1993.

Gerry Adams Gerard Adams (; born 6 October 1948) is a retired Irish Republican politician who was the president of Sinn Féin between 13 November 1983 and 10 February 2018, and served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for Louth from 2011 to 2020. From 1983 to 19 ...

described the magazine as being ''"of central importance of discussion, debate and education to the ongoing development of the republican struggle". '' The magazine ceased publication in 1993 but was relaunched in 2005.Bobby Sandstrust. Archives
/ref> The Sinn Féin book shop continued to sell issues of IRIS until 2012, when it appears to have ceased publication.

Editors

Former editors include: *1981–1993 - Unknown *2005–2006 - Jim Slaven *2006–2009 - Seán Mac Brádaigh *2009–2011 - Mícheál Mac Donncha *2011–2012 - Mark Moloney

References

External links

Archived issues
at the Irish Republican Digital Archive 1980s in Irish politics 1990s in Irish politics 2000s in Irish politics 2010s in Irish politics History magazines Irish republican magazines Magazines disestablished in 2012 Magazines established in 1981 Magazines published in the Republic of Ireland Mass media in Belfast News magazines published in Europe Political magazines published in Ireland {{Europe-poli-mag-stub