The Irish have made their mark all over the world. Following the 2011 Global Irish Economic Forum, the Irish government inaugurated the Presidential Distinguished Service Award as a way of recognising their impact on the international stage. Announcing the 12 recipients of this year’s awards, Tánaiste Simon Coveney said: “The contribution of the Irish abroad, in so many … [Read more...] about Distinguished Service Awards
Irish Government
The Rebel Countess
Rosemary Rogers, continuing her series on Irish women of note, profiles Constance Georgine Gore-Booth, the social agitator and revolutionary who took part in the Easter Rising of 1916. ℘℘℘ Revolutionaries are, almost by definition, romantic – what else could explain the fact that the iconic image of Che Guevara (whose Grandma Lynch, incidentally, was from Galway’s Lynch tribe) … [Read more...] about The Rebel Countess
Irish State Apology for the Magdalenes
On behalf of the Irish State, on February 19 Taoiseach Enda Kenny gave a long-awaited and forthright apology to the victims of Ireland’s Magdalene laundries, the Church-run institutions where thousands of young women were kept – often against their wills – throughout the 1900s. In an address that was largely praised by survivors, family members and politicians alike, Kenny … [Read more...] about Irish State Apology for the Magdalenes
Dáil Survey Shows Positive Attitude Towards Immigrants
It’s an issue of significant division within the US government, but a recent survey of Irish elected officials found largely positive attitudes towards reforms that would benefit immigrants living in Ireland. The survey, led by international research agency Millward Brown, polled a sampling of 71 Irish TDs (the elected officials of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish … [Read more...] about Dáil Survey Shows Positive Attitude Towards Immigrants
Postcards From the Edge
Although she takes her husband's surname, Ali Hewson has always shied away from publicity generated by marriage to rock star Bono, the frontman of U2, and while he carries on his war against world debt, she concentrates on nuclear fallout closer to home. ℘℘℘ Anna Gabriel is excited. Having changed from her customary jeans and T-shirt into a velvet frock the nine-year-old is … [Read more...] about Postcards From the Edge