Word: fianna
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When "the Troubles" flared anew in 1969, children who were under 16 and too young for the I.R.A. rushed to join the Na Fianna Eirann, a group created in the early 1900s as an Irish patriot's answer to Baden-Powell's John Bullish Boy Scouts. Members did a lot more than sing folk songs and hike; they fought, and the authorities made no distinction between Fianna and I.R.A. suspects. Fianna members had their own uniform, and the black shirts, berets and sunglasses gave even small children a scary paramilitary look. The youngsters became a macabre part of the pageantry...
...dense fog hung over Kilkenny's main street as a cold but patient crowd waited an hour for their candidate. When Fianna Fail Leader Charles Haughey, 61, finally appeared, neither damp nor gloom could muffle the cheers. Jumping from his car and springing into his campaign bus, the gray-haired Haughey apologized for his tardiness, then pledged, "It'll take more than fog to stop Fianna Fail this time around...
Haughey (pronounced Haw-hee) was almost right. In last week's Irish election the Fianna Fail (Soldiers of Destiny) party won 44.1% of the vote, giving it 81 seats in the 166-member Dail Eireann, or House of Representatives. But that was three short of an absolute majority, thus forcing the Republic of Ireland into a period of minority government. Ruling by compromise will be difficult for the autocratic Haughey, who has won the nickname "the Boss...
...government called for new elections on Feb. 17. The opposition Fianna Fail party is now far ahead in public opinion polls. A victory would make its leader, Charles Haughey, Prime Minister...
...defeat of the amendment means that the Irish Republic is one of only a handful of countries in the world where divorce is still illegal. Malta and the Philippines are others. The setback weakens FitzGerald's chances of re- election in 1987. Though the opposition Fianna Fail party remained neutral on the referendum, it made clear its opposition to the amendment. The Prime Minister's failure to legalize divorce could thus hasten his departure from power...