Festivals have been held across Ireland for St Patrick’s Day while the global diaspora joined the party in honour of the Emerald Isle’s patron saint.
Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen faced a backlash on Monday for agreeing the EU-IMF bailout for his debt-laden nation.
Irish rock star and anti-poverty campaigner Bono was made an honorary British knight at a ceremony in Dublin on Thursday, the British embassy said. Presenting the insignia on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II, ambassador David Reddaway said it was awarded in recognition of his services to the music industry and for his humanitarian work.
Hundreds of thousands of revellers throughout Ireland and across the world celebrated St Patrick’s Day on Saturday with colourful parades and other festivities. The feast day of Ireland’s patron saint, when much Guinness and other alcohol is traditionally drunk, showcases the country to give an early kick-start to the country’s tourism season.
Irish leaders will jet off around the world this week to promote the Emerald Isle ahead of this weekend’s annual St Patrick’s Day celebrations, an increasingly global excuse for a party. Helped by the country’s ubiquitous expatriates St Patrick’s Day brings the <i>craic</i> (having fun) to the world — and Dublin is keen to make the most of it.
Charles Haughey, who served three terms as Ireland’s prime minister, died on Tuesday at his home in Dublin after a long battle with cancer, the government said. He was 80. ”It is a very sad occasion, and marks the passing of an era,” said Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern.
A judicial inquiry reported on Thursday that members of the Garda — Ireland’s police force — planted hoax Irish Republican Army weapons and bomb-making equipment in county Donegal in the northwest of the country during 1993 and 1994 in an effort to boost their chances of promotion.
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/ 21 December 2002
The first group of 100 lucky people chosen to witness Ireland’s oldest calendar ”clock” in operation were allowed into the chamber of a giant burial mound this week, an environment ministry representative said.