Irish republicanism as a political movement traces its roots to the United Irishmen of the 1790s, who were inspired in part by the American and the French Revolutions. Over 200 years later their political descendants continue to fight for a United Ireland free from British imperialism. The history of this struggle ultimately goes back over 800 years to when the British first began their occupation of Ireland.

I identify with a distinct section of this movement, republican socialism, or the idea that the fight for a United Ireland and the fight for socialism are inseparable. This tradition traces back to James Connolly and the Irish Citizen Army, participants in the Easter Rising of 1916. V. I. Lenin would later describe the ICA as "the first Red Army in Europe."

I'm a member of the Irish Republican Socialist Movement, which is comprised of the Irish Republican Socialist Party, the paramilitary Irish National Liberation Army, the Republican Socialist Prisoners of War, and the Irish Republican Socialist Committees of North America.

I support the tactical use of armed force in specific situations, but I don't raise it to a guiding principle. Different situations call for different tactics. Also, without popular support, armed struggle cannot succeed. Thus I fully support the INLA's current ceasefire, which has been in place since August 1998.

I'm currently the local contact for the IRSCNA in the Puget Sound region of Washington State. Interested individuals may e-mail me at danielle at irsm dot org.

I'm also the IRSCNA's Prisoner Welfare Officer, acting as a liaison with the Republican Socialist Prisoners of War and with Teach na Fáilte, a support group for the IRSM's ex-POWs.

If you want to understand more about the strategy of urban guerrilla warfare, read the Minimanual of the Urban Guerrilla.

2001 was the 20th anniversary of the 1981 Irish Hungerstrikes. I was active with the Hunger Strike Commemoration Committee (based in Derry, Ireland) in commemorating this anniversary.

I'm also the administrator of a republican website called Éire Shaor (Irish for 'Free Ireland'), which also includes a discussion list.