For the first time ever, a referendum will be held on whether Ireland’s constitutional ban on abortion, which puts women who illegally abort their pregnancies at risk of prison terms up to 14 years, will be lifted or loosened. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar announced in September that the referendum vote will be held between May and June next year. The eighth amendment of the Irish … [Read more...] about Referendum to be Held on Abortion
News from Ireland
Kurdish Refugee’s Croke Park Debut
History was made in Dublin’s Croke Park during the Lory Meagher Cup final in June, when the Leitrim senior hurling team took to the terrain for the first time against Warwickshire. Equally significant, however, was the presence of Iraq-born Iranian-Kurdish refugee Zemnako Moradi, who goes by Zak. It marked the first time an immigrant of that background lined out in a national … [Read more...] about Kurdish Refugee’s Croke Park Debut
Record-Breaking Year for Irish Tourism
For the first time since figures have been recorded, more than one million North Americans visited Ireland in 2016. The numbers were released in June by Fáilte Ireland. “While we have known for some time that 2016 was a record year for tourism, this week’s report adds more layers to our understanding of that performance,” Caeman Wall, head of research at the National Tourism … [Read more...] about Record-Breaking Year for Irish Tourism
Bank of America, and a Dozen Others, Eye Dublin for E.U. Headquarters
Bank of America Merrill Lynch is just one of the many international institutions emigrating from London to Dublin in the wake of 2016’s Brexit vote. With the United Kingdom no longer holding E.U. membership status, 12 major firms have unveiled their intention to establish their head European offices in the Irish capital, the Irish Development Authority revealed in June. All … [Read more...] about Bank of America, and a Dozen Others, Eye Dublin for E.U. Headquarters
New Irish Prime Minister Willing to Work with Trump
Leo Varadkar made history in June when he was elected taoiseach, becoming the first openly gay prime minister of Ireland as well as the first prime minister of Indian heritage and the youngest ever elected. Varadkar, a member of Fine Gael and a fiscal conservative, seeks to become another centrist face of the European Union, à la French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron, a friend … [Read more...] about New Irish Prime Minister Willing to Work with Trump