Latest Ireland government 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...

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...

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar says he will step down as soon as a successor is chosen

Mar. 20, 2024 08:23 AM EDT
LONDON (AP) — Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar says he will step down as soon as a successor is chosen.

Biden casts the election as prom night for the voters who 'brung me to the dance'

Mar. 20, 2024 00:25 AM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — When President Joe Biden talks to his supporters, he can make the presidential election sound like a high school prom. “You guys brought me to the dance in 2020,” he told Irish Americans on a campaign call Friday, suggesting these are the voters who got him...

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...

Irish prime minister concedes defeat in a vote over constitutional amendments about family and women

Mar. 09, 2024 14:43 PM EST

DUBLIN (AP) — Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar conceded defeat Saturday as two constitutional amendments he supported that would have broadened the definition of family and removed language about a woman’s role in the home were headed toward rejection. Varadkar, who pushed the...

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar concedes defeat for amendments over definition of family and the woman’s role at home

Mar. 09, 2024 10:44 AM EST
DUBLIN (AP) — Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar concedes defeat for amendments over definition of family and the woman’s role at home.

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...

Irish President Michael Higgins is to remain in hospital as a precaution after feeling unwell

Mar. 01, 2024 14:26 PM EST

LONDON (AP) — Irish President Michael Higgins was expected to spend the weekend in the hospital as a precaution after he felt ill, his office said Friday. Higgins, 82, was admitted to St James’s Hospital on Thursday after feeling unwell. He underwent tests and was to remain in...

Northern Ireland judge rules that amnesty law for 'the Troubles' breaches human rights

Feb. 28, 2024 11:21 AM EST

LONDON (AP) — A new law that gives immunity from prosecution for most offenses committed during Northern Ireland's decades of sectarian violence is not compliant with human rights, a judge in Belfast ruled Wednesday. The British government's Legacy and Reconciliation Bill, passed...