The pendulum continued to swing between optimism and pessimism in Northern Ireland at the time of going to press, with the main political parties still in talks and Senator George Mitchell poised to release his long-awaited report on the state of the peace process. Mitchell, hailed by commentators of all the persuasions for his role in securing the Good Friday Agreement, flew … [Read more...] about Quiet Optimism Over NI Talks – Mitchell Report Anxiously Awaited
Darina Molloy
Darina Molloy’s Irish Book Reviews
A Galway Epiphany by Ken Bruen Ken Bruen’s Jack Taylor series – set in Galway – are very much books of their place and time. Bruen evokes Galway so realistically that the reader is there with Jack as he meanders down Shop Street or heads for a pint in Garavan’s or encounters trouble down by the Corrib. And because Jack listens to the same news, we watch through his eyes as a … [Read more...] about Darina Molloy’s Irish Book Reviews
Hibernia People
Il Papa Meets Il Bono "Holy Father, this is Mr. Bono -- he's a pop singer." With these words the U2 lead singer was introduced to Pope John Paul II at the Vatican in September. Bono and former Boomtown Rats frontman Bob Geldof met with the pope as part of a campaign the two celebrities are promoting to wipe out the Third World Debt. "The pope's everyday courage amazes me," said … [Read more...] about Hibernia People
News from Ireland
Jack Lynch Dies in Dublin There were fond tributes from government officials for former Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) and Fianna Fáil leader Jack Lynch, who died in Dublin on October 20 following a long illness. The Dáil (Parliament) observed a minute's silence in memory of the 82-year-old former politician, and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said: "On behalf of the Fianna Fáil … [Read more...] about News from Ireland
News from Ireland:
Irish Nurses Strike for Better Pay
Hospitals in Ireland came to a standstill in late October when the country's 28,000 nurses started strike action over a long-running pay dispute. Despite last minute talks between union representatives and the government, the industrial action went ahead as scheduled, making it the first time in the history of the State that nurses had gone on strike. A spokeswoman for the … [Read more...] about News from Ireland:
Irish Nurses Strike for Better Pay