Latest Ireland News

Ireland poised to get its youngest ever premier as Simon Harris elected leader of Fine Gael party

Mar. 24, 2024 18:16 PM EDT

LONDON (AP) — Ireland is poised to get its youngest-ever premier next month after Simon Harris secured the leadership of the Fine Gael party on Sunday, replacing Leo Varadkar who announced his surprise resignation last week. The 37-year-old Harris, who has been the coalition...

2 men arrested over an Irish gas station explosion that killed 10 in 2022

Mar. 22, 2024 11:15 AM EDT

LONDON (AP) — Two men were arrested Friday in connection with a gas station explosion in 2022 that killed 10 people and tore apart the heart of a village in northwestern Ireland, police said. The blast shattered Creeslough, County Donegal, a village of 400 near Ireland’s rugged...

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar says he's quitting for personal and political reasons

Mar. 20, 2024 11:13 AM EDT

LONDON (AP) — Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, who made history as his country's first gay and first biracial leader, announced Wednesday that he is stepping down for reasons that he said were both personal and political. Varadkar announced Wednesday he is quitting immediately...

From 4-leaf clovers to some unexpected history, all you need to know about St. Patrick's Day

Mar. 16, 2024 00:11 AM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — If it's March, and it's green, it must be St. Patrick's Day. The day honoring the patron saint of Ireland is a global celebration of Irish heritage. And nowhere is that more so than in the United States, where parades take place in cities around the country and all...

Hosting Ireland's prime minister, Biden celebrates his Irish roots (as he likes to do)

Mar. 15, 2024 15:13 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — With St. Patrick's Day this weekend, President Joe Biden got to dwell Friday on one of his favorite subjects: Ireland. Biden played host to Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar at the White House and then the two attended a luncheon at the U.S. Capitol as the two...

It's not what St. Patrick used, but today's three-leaved shamrock can make a nice houseplant

Mar. 12, 2024 10:36 AM EDT

St. Patrick is believed to have used a three-leaf clover to explain the complexity of the Trinity to nonbelievers in 5th century Ireland. Ever since, the shamrock has been revered by the Irish and held as a symbol of good luck. The word shamrock is derived from the Celtic word...

Chefs see a more confident, local Irish cuisine going well beyond meat and potatoes

Mar. 12, 2024 09:09 AM EDT

It may come as a surprise that one of Ireland’s most renowned chefs opened a Spanish tapas place for his first restaurant in Galway. That was 2008, though, a time when Jp McMahon saw — and felt — a lack of confidence in Irish cuisine. “We had kind of a sense of looking...

Ireland's Constitution says a woman's place is in the home. Voters are being asked to change that

Mar. 08, 2024 13:52 PM EST

DUBLIN (AP) — According to Ireland’s Constitution, a woman’s place is in the home. Irish voters will decide Friday — International Women’s Day — whether to change the 87-year-old document to remove passages the government says are outdated and sexist. The twin referendums...

Stories of migration from around the world are longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction

Mar. 05, 2024 15:46 PM EST

LONDON (AP) — Novels that give voice to the often unheard stories of migrants around the world are among the nominees for the 2024 Women’s Prize for Fiction. The 16-book longlist announced Tuesday for the 30,000 pound ($38,000) award includes works by writers from Ghana,...

Today in History: February 27, American Indian Movement occupies Wounded Knee

Feb. 27, 2024 00:05 AM EST

Today in History Today is Tuesday, Feb. 27, the 58th day of 2024. There are 308 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On Feb. 27, 1973, members of the American Indian Movement occupied the hamlet of Wounded Knee in South Dakota, the...