At a ceremony on Friday, April 19, President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins officially opened Áras Uí Chonghaile, the new James Connolly Visitor Centre, providing a new space for discovery, education, study, work, meeting, and socializing on the Falls Road in West Belfast, only yards from where Connolly lived. Connolly, a labor leader, was executed for his part in the 1916 … [Read more...] about James Connolly Visitor Centre Opens in Belfast
Politics
Irish Film Institute Unveils Century-Old Footage
The Irish Film Institute (IFI) was at the Consulate General of Ireland in New York in April to launch its Irish Independence Film Collection, a culturally significant compilation of newsreel material from the early 20th century. With over 150 films in total, the footage, which features Michael Collins, Éamon de Valera, and Queen Victoria to name a few, gives fascinating … [Read more...] about Irish Film Institute Unveils Century-Old Footage
The Tánaiste Goes to Washington
Simon Coveney, the Tánaiste (Ireland’s deputy prime minister) was in New York in February to support Ireland’s campaign for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council, the election for which will take place next year and in Washington, D.C. There he joined many of his E.U. counterparts and representatives of over 70 countries in attending a ministerial meeting of the … [Read more...] about The Tánaiste Goes to Washington
Ireland Considers Legislation to Restrict International Travel by Convicted Pedophiles
T.D.s and Senators have been urged to support a new bill – the Sex Offenses (Amendment) Bill 2018 – introduced in Dáil Éireann by Maureen O’Sullivan, T.D., which proposes to restrict the foreign travel of convicted pedophiles. If enacted, Ireland would be the first country in the E.U. to curtail overseas travel by convicted child sex abusers. Australia has already introduced … [Read more...] about Ireland Considers Legislation to Restrict International Travel by Convicted Pedophiles
Reflections on the Good Friday Agreement
Signed on April 10, 1998, the landmark Good Friday Agreement helped to bring to an end the 30 years of sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland known as the Troubles. Twenty years on, Deaglán de Bréadún looks at how the agreement came about, the American role, and the current state of play. In the early 1990s, the blood-soaked contest between the Irish Republican Army … [Read more...] about Reflections on the Good Friday Agreement