In the past I have defended the right of the IRA to engage in armed struggle. I did so because there was no alternative for those who would not bend the knee, or turn a blind eye to oppression, or for those who wanted a national republic.

A real possibility now exists for a Government that is not led by either Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil

When I wrote 'Before The Dawn,' I made it quite clear that there are lots of people involved in my life who I can't talk about simply because I'd put them at risk.

I like to think I'm very grounded. I'm very grounded in my family. I'm very grounded in my community.

I stopped buying Sunday papers about 15 years ago, because you'd buy handfuls of them, and what you got, because the hard news comes from so many other channels, was opinion pieces. You're better off spending the money on a good novel.

It's hard to think of a 16-month child being anything other than a delight to be around.

The days of humiliation, of second-class citizens and of inequality are over and gone forever.