An Sionnach Fionn New Year’s Eve Review 2017

One of the satisfactions I have derived from writing An Sionnach Fionn over the last few years has been watching its steady growth in popularity among online readers, both at home and abroad. For sure, it will never compete with any of the country’s major media companies (or even the minor ones), but as a website for progressive republican commentary and analysis it has carved out a distinct corner of the Irish internet to call its own. This was recognised last March when ASF was added to Vuelio’s list of Top 10 Irish Blogs for 2017, and again in October, when it was declared the best Current Affairs & Politics website at the Blog Awards Ireland 2017 (as well as a finalist for the Arts & Culture class at the competition).

Naturally, then, I would like to thank the many supporters of An Sionnach Fionn who have made the last twelve months some of the best so far. From booming stats to political and journalistic contacts, any respect or regard that ASF is held in is as much a tribute to you the reader as to me the author. And as always, I welcome and enjoy your contributions, be they in the ASF comments or on social media, and though I might not always respond, I do always read them.

Finally, an eclectic top twenty list of my own, featuring the most popular articles published by An Sionnach Fionn in 2017.

1. DUP Secures The Backing Of British Terror Groups In The UK General Election
2. Thirty Years Of Secret Talks And Negotiations Between Britain And The IRA
3. An Undefeated Army, The IRA And The Irish-British Peace Process
4. An Army Humiliated, The British Military In Ireland, Afghanistan And Iraq
5. The EU And Ireland Wins Major Concessions From Britain As DUP Sidelined
6. The DUP Orders UK Conservative Party Government To Push For Hard Brexit
7. Fine Gael’s Response To Homelessness: Don’t Blame Us, Blame The Homeless
8. Freddie Scappaticci, StakeKnife And Britain’s Dirty War In Ireland
9. Caoimhín De Barra Discusses The Myths Of Irish Language Funding
10. The DUP, The Constitutional Research Council And Brexit’s Dark Money Secrets
11. Liam Cosgrave, A Fine Gael And Free State Reactionary To The Last
12. The Remembrance Day Or Enniskillen Bombing, A Warning From History
13. Women Warriors In Celtic And Medieval Ireland
14. Official Review Concludes, Ireland Engaged In Mass Surveillance Of Virtually Entire Population
15. Likelihood Of Future Fianna Fáil And Sinn Féin Post-Election Deal Grows
16. Did Celtic And Viking Female Warriors Exist?
17. DUP Laundered Brexit Money For Mysterious Constitutional Research Council
18. Donald Trump Is The Silvio Berlusconi Of American Politics
19. Ireland And The Roman Empire. Modern Politics Shaping The Ancient Past?
20. Crannóg, The Island Lake Dwelling Of Celtic And Medieval Ireland