Michael D Higgins is first ever president of Ireland to make official visit to Britain, with itinerary focused on shared history Ireland's president, Michael D Higgins, begins an official state visit to Britain on Tuesday, the first ever by an Irish head of state. His extended four-day trip, three years after the Queen visited Ireland, will include an address to parliament and a focus on the contribution...
Johnston Press has sold off its Irish titles - as reported here in early December - to a company owned by advertising executive Malcolm Denmark. The financial loss for the British publisher is remarkable, a sign of the decline in value of the printed press. Denmark's company, Iconic Newspapers, paid £7.2m in cash for the papers. Continue reading... ...
Some in Britain will be tempted to dismiss the visit by Irish president Michael Higgins as a sideshow. But this is not how it is seen in Ireland It will seem extraordinary to many people in Britain, if they actually stop to think about it, that no Irish president has ever made a state visit here until President Michael Higgins this week . Tyrants such as the Shah of Iran, Nicolas Ceausescu of Romania...
Sinn Féin politician to be special guest at events during historical four-day visit of Irish president to UK this week Northern Ireland deputy first minister and ex-IRA commander Martin McGuinness will attend a state banquet at Windsor Castle hosted by the Queen, it has been confirmed. The Sinn Féin politician will also be a special guest at other events during the historic official visit by...
Ireland was on the cusp of the Easter Rising when thousands of Irish men joined up to serve with the British army in the first world war. They returned to an utterly changed country; they were officially forgotten. This is one man's story This is the story of my great-grandfather, of Ireland, and of the importance of remembering. Sylvester James Cummins was a carpenter, like his father....
Paddy Murphy says unusual-looking animal was born after he noticed goat mating with his sheep on farm in County Kildare An Irish farmer who claims to have bred a cross between a sheep and a goat is launching a charity competion to find a name for the rare creature. Paddy Murphy, who also runs a village pub in Ballymore Eustace, County Kildare, has been overwhelmed by the interest after a YouTube video...
Man, 68, questioned over collisions with ancient wooden doors and with vehicles in centre of Irish capital in the early morning The wooden doors into Trinity College Dublin are extensively damaged after a car rammed into them. ...
Interested parties, including Sports Direct, had to submit investment proposals to ensure the survival of the business Sports Direct has missed out on a chance to expand its business in Ireland after a court ruled that a management-led buyout should take over the struggling Elverys chain. The ruling is a disappointment for the British retailer, founded by the Newcastle United owner, Mike Ashley, who...
PageFair helps publishers see which adverts are being blocked by consumers - a major problem for big web publishers PageFair, an Irish startup which helps websites deal with adblocking, has secured $400,000 in new financing. Founded in August 2012, the company allows websites to access detailed analytics about precisely how many of their visitors are blocking adverts and attempt to convince them to...
Survey shows increase in the number of new poor in seven countries and challenges the official European Union discourse Far from being over Europe's economic crisis is getting worse with disturbing levels of poverty and deprivation being noted among children and youth, says a report compiled by the Catholic charity Caritas. The survey, conducted over the course of the past year, not only challenges...
Explosion was work of former members of Republican Action Against Drugs paramilitary group, claims Pat Ramsey A former mayor of Derry city has condemned republican paramilitaries believed to have been responsible for leaving a bomb outside a home in the Creggan area overnight. Pat Ramsey claimed that the car bomb, which exploded outside a house in Carrickreagh Gardens, was the work of ex-members of...
Further inquiry into covert recording of phone calls at police stations as coalition reels from resignation of top policeman Ireland's police watchdog has launched a criminal investigation into allegations that the Garda Siochána is secretly reading journalists' phone records, as the Irish government reels from revelations that the police force also regularly records calls to its own stations....
The celebrity spaceman best known for performing David Bowie's Space Oddity while actually in space stars in a series of films promoting Ireland launching from today A Canadian astronaut may seem an unlikely choice of ambassador for Tourism Ireland, but the country is hoping their new appointment will help draw visitors to the emerald isle. ...
Alan Shatter to be questioned in parliament over claims of bugging in police stations after top police officer steps down Ireland's justice minister will be fighting for his political survival in front of the Republic's parliament when he faces questions about allegations of widespread bugging in the country's Garda stations. ...
Today's resignation of Ireland's police chief, Martin Callinan, is a vindication of the reporting of Gemma O'Doherty, a journalist fired by the Irish Independent for her pursuit of the story that has led to his departure. As I reported in September last year, O'Doherty was made compulsorily redundant by the paper after door-stepping Callinan, the Garda commissioner. She was following up a tip that...
Garda commissioner was criticised over handling of allegations that officers wiped penalty points of well-connected people Ireland's top police officer resigned on Tuesday following criticism of his handling of information from whistleblowers. Martin Callinan announced he was standing down as head of the Garda Síochána after a controversy over driver penalty points. Two whistleblowers have made repeated...
Private, password-protected live broadcasts aimed at family and friends overseas or otherwise unable to attend A entrepreneur in the west of Ireland has started a website to broadcast funerals live to faraway family and friends. With an estimated 300,000 people having left Ireland due to the recession between 2009 to 2013, Alan Foudy said there was a market among those unable to rush home after a...
Priest who abused seven children, including altar boys, over 34-year period had pleaded guilty to 21 charges A paedophile priest who abused seven children, including altar boys, over a 34-year period has been jailed for 15 years. "Predatory" Francis Paul Cullen, 85, pleaded guilty to 21 charges of indecent assault and other sexual offences last month after being extradited to the UK last year following...
Irish 21-year-old who founded CoderDojos after-school clubs tells of huge impact on young worldwide Angry Birds was the biggest selling app in the Apple online store when in November 2011 it was pushed off its perch by a 12-year-old schoolboy's creation. Harry Moran's Pizzabot, a reworking of Space Invaders, also drove down a release from the Call of Duty series when it debuted on the chart, leading...
Brendan Behan's death was a tragic waste, but his talent had long been destroyed by success and alcohol Long before Brendan Behan died last Friday it was obvious that success had destroyed him, and in the macabre comedy of his final years he had the appeal of a "wild Dublin character" giving a repeat performance of the death of Dylan Thomas. At least he escaped the alien oxygen tent to die on...