Everything you need to know about Ireland: news, reviews, in-depth analysis, opinion and more
Ireland: Beautiful European Country and British Neighbour
Celtic tribes arrived on the island of Ireland between 600-150 B.C. Invasions by Norsemen began in the late 8th century and finally ended when King Brian Boru defeated the Danes in 1014. English invaded Ireland in the 12th century and remained there for more than seven centuries. Decade long Anglo-Irish struggle marked by fierce rebellions and harsh repressions led by the Irish people against foreign rule. Several years of guerrilla warfare resulted in independence from the UK in 1921. In 1948 Ireland withdrew from the British Commonwealth and joined the European Community in 1973.
The combined panel of British and Irish government started reframing St. Andrews Agreement in order to have long lasting peace settlement with Northern Ireland.
Ireland Profile: Overview of Facts and Figures:
Geographical Information on Ireland :
Ireland is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the northwest of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. Ireland is situated in the Atlantic Ocean and separated from Great Britain by the Irish Sea.
Ireland has a mild, but changeable, Oceanic climate with few extremes. Precipitation falls throughout the year, but is not heavy, particularly in the east. The west side tends to be wetter on average and prone to the full force of Atlantic storms in the late autumn and winter months that sometime brings destructive winds and high rainfall.
Culture, Cuisine and Tradition Of Ireland:
The culture of Ireland has emerged out of the culture of number of marauding tribes. In spite of having a small population, however Ireland made a remarkable contribution to world in English literature and mainly English poetry. Poetry in Irish represents the oldest vernacular poetry in Europe with the earliest examples dating from the 6th century. Jonathan Swift called the foremost satirist in the English language, was wildly popular in his day for works such as Gulliver's Travels and A Modest Proposal and also Ireland has produced four Literature Nobel Laureates: George Bernard Shaw, William Butler Yeats, Samuel Beckett and Seamus Heaney.
Cuisine of Ireland is simple and includes lamb, Irish stew, sausage, homemade cheese, fresh fish, fresh baked breads and scones, fish & chips (chippers), potatoes, cabbage, carrots, corned beef and cabbage.
Tourist Attractions of Ireland:
Tourist Destinations in Ireland add to the prospect of tourism, which is one of the biggest contributors to the economy in the country. The vast collection of flora, fauna and marine gives ample of destination for tourists to explore different places that sooth their tastes and desires.
Dublin: The largest and the capital city of Ireland, the city of Dublin is an important administrative and cultural hub. Tourism in Ireland is mainly concentrated in and around the city of Dublin that was voted as the best capital city in Europe in 2003. The city attracts literature and art lovers, as it is the birthplace of renowned literary figures like Willaim Butler Yeats, George Bernard Shaw and Samuel Beckett. Other celebrated authors who have had a close association with the city of Dublin include JM Synge, Oscar Wilde, Jonathan Swift and Roddy Doyle.
Cork : This is the second largest city in Ireland that is known for its architectural marvels. Tourists love these wonderful pieces of architecture, which reflects the brilliant history of Ireland and the city.
Major Sight-seeing Places in Ireland include:
Karachi, May 21 (ANI): Irish all-rounder Kevin O'Brien, whose team will face Pakistan in the upcoming two ODI series at home, has said that Saeed Ajmal is a "tricky customer" as well as "one of the best spinners in the world", but have admitted that they have no specific plans on how to tackle Ajmal in the upcoming matches.
London, May 21(ANI): Apple has been accused of evading taxes in UK by creating offshore entities that are not tax resident anywhere, a Senate committee has alleged.
London, May 21 (IANS) British Prime Minister David Cameron has called for joint effort to tackle tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance weeks ahead of the Group 8 Summit.
Karachi, May 20 (ANI): Ireland has given hope of reviving international cricket in Pakistan after it reportedly agreed to consider visiting the country to reciprocate Pakistan's one-day international (ODI) tour of Ireland.
Washington, May 19 (ANI): Individuals suffering from Crohn's disease are often plagued by reduced muscle strength, fatigue and poor quality of life.
London, May 17 (ANI): British MPs have branded Google 'devious, calculating and unethical', accusing the search giant of deliberately subverting its motto, 'don't be evil', in order to pay less tax.
Washington, May 12 (ANI): Ireland Baldwin has admitted that her dad Alec is "the best shopping buddy."
Melbourne, May 12 (IANS) The 2013 World Cup of Golf will return to the Royal Melbourne Golf Club here and will be played Nov 21-24.
After 70,000 Syrians have paid with their lives in the foreign induced conflict in Syria, why has the American perspective changed? Even so, it was nice to see Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov embrace each other in Moscow. Kerry also met President Vladimir Putin who, in Kerry's presence, asked Lavrov to take over the task of navigating the Syrian crisis towards a peaceful resolution.
Melbourne, May 8 (ANI): 106-year-old Marjorie Hemmerde and 73-year-old Gavin Crawford are the doting pair who've proved it's never too late to fall head over heels for that special someone.
New Delhi, May 6 (IANS) Indian men cruised into the semifinals of the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships here Monday while the women entered the last four after giving a scare to mighty Singapore.
Los Angeles, May 5 (IANS) Actress Gemma Arterton worked out with her trainer with the help of Skype while shooting for a film.
Karachi, May 4 (ANI): The training camp set up by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) at Abbottabad to prepare the team for the ICC Champions Trophy, along with the upcoming tours of Scotland and Ireland, had begun on Friday with fielding as the main focus, as it has been Pakistan's Achilles heel for a long time.
London, May 2 (ANI): Twins Amy and Katie from Ireland were incredibly born 87 days apart.
Melbourne, May 2 (ANI): A video captured by some local students in Northern Ireland seems to show some kind of creature that resembles the the Loch Ness Monster.
Washington, May 1 (IANS) The US is considering providing lethal weapons to Syrian opposition forces and a decision is expected within weeks, a media report said Wednesday.
London, April 28 (ANI): Ireland is a hotspot for alien activity and pilots in the country have risked death to avoid spacecraft crashes, UFO experts have claimed.
Abu Dhabi, April 28 (IANS/WAM) The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Ireland have held discussions over joint cooperation in developmental and humanitarian issues between them.
Karachi, Apr 27 (ANI): A former Pakistan Test cricketer has said that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) needed to hire a local batting coach instead of an international expert to overcome the batting woes of the country.
Mumbai, April 24 (IANS) Eight months after the Indian government permitted international airlines to invest in domestic passenger carriers, Jet Airways Wednesday announced a 24 percent stake sale to Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways to raise Rs.2,000 crore ($370.30 million).
Mumbai, April 24 (IANS) Airline major Jet Airways Wednesday said it would seek the approval of its shareholders through an extraordinary general meeting for issuing the company's 2.73 crore equity shares to the Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways.
Mumbai, April 24 (IANS) Airline major Jet Airways Wednesday said it would seek the approval of its shareholders through an extraordinary general meeting for issuing the company's 2.73 crore equity shares to the Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways.
London, Apr 24 (ANI): World No. 2 Rory McIlroy is set to choose Ireland over Great Britain at the Rio Olympics when golf makes its return to the Games in 2016.
Sydney, Apr 24 (ANI): An Irish cricketer has been slapped with a three-match ban for an offensive tweet about the death of late British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
London, Apr. 23 (ANI): One alien enthusiast has posted online a clip of a mysterious group of circular objects floating in the sky over Ireland.
Brussels, April 23 (IANS/EFE) Spain's budget deficit hit 10.6 percent of the gross domestic product in 2012, with the 3.6 percentage point effect of the bank bailout included, up from 9.4 percent of GDP in the prior year, the European Union's statistics agency, Eurostat, said Monday.
London, Apr. 21 (ANI): Indian-origin steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal and Sri and Gopi Hinduja, of the London-based global conglomerate Hinduja Group, are among the top 10 wealthiest people in Britain.
London, Apr 21 (ANI): Arsenal star Jack Wilshere reportedly may need to undergo ankle surgery, which will mean missing England's two international games in the summer.
London, April 19 (IANS) A 48-year-old Briton has been told he will serve a minimum of 16 years in jail for beating a man to death with a hammer, BBC reported.
Sydney, Apr. 19 (ANI): Indians are among the top three nationalities that steal items from hotel rooms abroad.
New York, Apr 19 (ANI): US website Ashley Madison has apologized to Queen Sophia of Spain for using her picture in an advert without permission.
Washington, Apr. 17 (ANI): The bomb attacks during the Boston Marathon have highlighted the use of IEDs to target large gatherings, inflicting mass damage with a device that is difficult to detect.
Islamabad, April 17 (IANS) The Pakistan Cricket Board planned to send a group of secret monitors to keep an eye on its cricketers during their May-June tour to England in an effort to stop players from getting involved in any scandal.
Bangalore, April 16 (IANS) Indian IT bellwether Infosys Ltd has tied up with Queen's University in Belfast, Ireland, to combat the global cyber security threat.
London, Apr. 16 (ANI): Pierce Brosnan has said that after the death of his first wife Cassandra Harris in 1991 because of cancer, he never thought that he would marry again.
London, Apr.15 (ANI): Northern Ireland's USPGA champion Rory McIlroy left for Monte Carlo with his girlfriend after a disappointing week, persisting that he can still win the jackpot at the Masters.
Los Angeles, April 13 (IANS) Hollywood actor Tom Cruise was reportedly surprised when he found out that his ancestors controlled the majority of Dublin, the capital of Ireland.
Moscow, April 11 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Ecuador have squeezed Russia out of the world's top ten football nations, new rankings published by FIFA showed Thursday.
London, Apr 11 (ANI): A midwife has apologised for telling the Indian dentist Savita Halappanavar, who suffered a miscarriage and died, that she could not have an abortion in Ireland because it was a "Catholic thing".
Abu Dhabi, April 10 (IANS/WAM) The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Ireland have held discussion over strengthening of bilateral relations, particularly in the areas of international development and humanitarian assistance.
London, Apr 9 (ANI): The widower of Indian dentist Savita Halappanavar, who died in hospital in Ireland after suffering a miscarriage, has said a consultant told the couple an abortion was not allowed because "this is a Catholic country."
London, Apr 9 (ANI): The widower of Indian dentist Savita Halappanavar, who died in hospital in Ireland after suffering a miscarriage, has said a consultant told the couple an abortion was not allowed because "this is a Catholic country."
London, Apr 9 (ANI): Staff from an Irish hospital where an Indian-origin woman died after a miscarriage are disputing claims that she was refused an abortion on religious grounds.
Abu Dhabi, April 8 (IANS/WAM) The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Ireland have discussed bilateral relations and ways to enhance existing cooperation.
London, Apr 7 (ANI): Golf ace Bubba Watson has backed World No.2 Rory McIlroy for the top spot in the world again, saying that it is only a matter of time before McIlroy reclaims the place from the reigning Tiger Woods.
Sydney, Apr. 5 (ANI): Iceland has been named the most welcoming holiday destination in the world, a new study has found
London, Apr. 4 (ANI): Tom Cruise's Irish ancestry has been certified in a ceremony in Dublin, following the discovery that the star has descended from a heroic potato famine landlord.
Pakistan's Test and one-day captain Misbah-ul-Haq denided his return to international Twenty20 tournaments even after finishing as the top scorer in Pakistan's premier domestic T20 competition.
Johannesburg, Apr 2 (ANI): Pakistan's Test and one-day captain Misbah-ul-Haq has said that he will not be returning to international Twenty20 tournaments even though he finished as a top scorer in Pakistan's premier domestic T20 competition.
London, March 31 (IANS) British band One Direction is expected to top the list of richest boy band in the country with worth 25 million pounds.
Los Angeles, March 29 (IANS) Singer Rochelle Humes is not enjoying her maternity leave as she does not like staying back alone and not working.
New Delhi, March 26 (IANS) Former Ryder Cup star Oliver Wilson will aim to replicate his European form on Asian soil when he tees off at the $300,000 Panasonic Open India at Delhi Golf Club April 4-7.
London, March 26 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Fred's 90th minute equaliser earned Brazil a 1-1 friendly draw against Russia at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge.
Washington, March 26 (IANS) The following are the players to hold the world number one ranking since Tiger Woods was deposed in October 2010:
Washington, March 26 (IANS) Star golfer Tiger Woods won the PGA Tour's Arnold Palmer Invitational and reclaimed the World No.1 ranking for the first time since October 2010.
London, March 25 (ANI): Cheryl Cole is planning to take a sabbatical from limelight, which could last up to six months.
Amsterdam, March 23 (IANS) The Netherlands recorded their fifth consecutive win in the UEFA World Cup qualifying Group D by beating Estonia 3-0 here.
London, Mar. 23 (ANI): Boys like girls are obsessed with their body image and as a result many have low self confidence about their physical appearances, a new survey has revealed.
London, March 22 (IANS) A nuclear site in Britain was shut down Friday as rain and snow swept across the country causing transport chaos, floods and power failure, a media report said.
London, Mar. 22 (ANI): The British police and MI5 foil a plot as big as the July 7 attacks every year, the country's second most senior terror officer has revealed.
Kuala Lumpur, March 18 (IANS) Asian Tour stars Gaganjeet Bhullar and Kiradech Aphibarnrat believe they can raise their game to greater heights after missing the chance to win the Avantha Masters in India Sunday.
New Delhi, March 18 (IANS) Indian contemporary artist Jitish Kallat and a multi-discipline art collective Raqs Media Collective will represent India at the first Asian edition of Art Basel in Hong Kong.
Thiruvananthapuram, March 15 (IANS) Kerala Finance Minister K.M. Mani, presenting the state budget for 2013-14 in the assembly Friday, proposed a special fund to help the diaspora returning to the state.
Sydney, Mar. 14 (ANI): Pakistan has been named as one of the least-friendly nations for tourists, according to a World Economic Forum report.
London, March 12 (IANS/RIA Novosti) As cardinals gathered in the Vatican Tuesday to elect a new pope, bookmakers appeared as uncertain as everyone else as to who would emerge as leader of the world's 1.2 billion baptized Catholics.
Scientists from Northern Ireland, Sweden and the US have carried out a research that shows that some diabetes drugs or insulin if taken as in a simple nasal spray could have a remarkable effect on Alzheimer's disease.
London, Mar. 11 (ANI): Diabetes drugs, which are delivered in a simple nasal spray could also have a remarkable effect on Alzheimer's disease, scientists have claimed.
New Delhi, March 11 (IANS) International Cycling Union (UCI) chief Pat McQuaid feels that India should have grown faster in the sport after getting a launchpad like the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
Wellington, Mar 11 (ANI): Ace golfer Tiger Woods won his second tournament of the year in a compelling fashion with a two-stroke victory at the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral, closing with a one-under-par 71 in the final round on Sunday.
Los Angeles, March 10 (IANS) Actor Alec Baldwin 17-year-old daughter Ireland has signed a deal with IMG Models.
London, Mar. 10 (ANI): A dominatrix from Czech Republic is touring Ireland and is making the wildest dreams of kinky fellows come true.
Dubai, March 9 (IANS) Afghanistan is on course for a place in the ICC World Cup 2015 after winning both its fifth round One-Day Internationals (ODI) in the ICC World Cricket League (WCL) Championship against Scotland at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
Los Angeles, March 8 (IANS) Actor Alec Baldwin's wife Hilaria Thomas has confirmed that she is expecting a baby girl.
London, March 8 (IANS) Singer Louis Tomlinson's mother Johannah has announced that she is engaged to Dan Deakin.
Nairobi, March 4 (IANS) Kenya is hanging on to hope it will be able to turn around the tide and clinch their first victory in the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cricket League Championship and Intercontinental Cup in Dubai next week.
Abu Dhabi, March 4 (IANS/WAM) The UAE has held talks with Northern Ireland and Armenia on strengthening trade and investment relations.
Dubai, Mar 1 (IANS) The International Cricket Council (ICC) Friday announced the squads for six of the eight teams to play in the fifth round of the World Cricket League (WCL) Championship which kicks off in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) March 6.
Los Angeles, Ma Mar 1 (IANS) "James Bond" star Pierce Brosnan has been honoured by a university theatre group in his native Ireland.
Abu Dhabi, Feb 27 (IANS/WAM) The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Northern Ireland have held talks over prospects of joint cooperation in small and medium scale enterprises, civil aviation, air transport and expertise sharing in research and innovation.
Manama, Feb. 26 (ANI): Women in Saudi Arabia created history when they took their 30 seats at the Shura Council session for the first time during the much-anticipated opening of the sixth term of the advisory council.
Granada (Spain), Feb 26 (IANS/EFE) The artist whose prosthetic audio-visual implant makes him the world's first cyborg said here Monday that society needs to see technology "as a human creation, not as something extraterrestrial".
London, Feb. 25 (ANI): 46 percent of men in the UK placed sports at the top of the things that sets their heart racing while sex was ranked second, a study has revealed.
New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) India came from behind to beat Bangladesh 5-1 for their fifth consecutive win in the Hero Hockey World League Round 2 and move into the third round of the league at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium here Sunday.
New Delhi, Feb 23 (IANS) India continued its winning streak at the men's Hero Hockey World League Round 2 and strengthened its position at top of the table with a convincing 4-0 win over China at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium here Saturday.
Washington, Feb 22 (IANS) World No.1 Rory McIlroy and 14-time major champion Tiger Woods have been ousted of the World Golf Championships Match Play Championship in the first round.
New Delhi, Feb 21 (IANS) India were lucky to escape with a 3-2 win over Ireland and continued their winning streak in the men's Hero Hockey World League Round 2 at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium here Thursday.
New Delhi, Feb 20 (IANS) India put on a dominating performance to crush Oman 9-1 for their second consecutive win in the men's Hero World Hockey League Round 2 at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium here Wednesday.
Kampala (Uganda), Feb 19 (IANS) Uganda has named an 18-man squad that will defend its title when the International Cricket Council (ICC) Africa T20 tournament kicks off here Feb 23.
London, February 17 (ANI): Dannii Minogue admitted that before she gave birth to her son Ethan in July 2010 the main focus of her life was the work she loved.
Washington, Feb 16 (ANI): Social networking giant Facebook has won a court battle against a German watchdog that challenged the site's policy requiring users to register with their real names.
London, Feb. 15 (ANI): Indian-origin dentist Savita Halappanavar, who died after being refused an abortion in Ireland, was the victim of a catastrophic series of mistakes by hospital staff who underestimated the severity of a fatal blood infection for long after her miscarriage.
Nicosia, Feb 14 (IANS) Over 16 tonnes of hamburgers have been destroyed in Cyprus following the horsemeat scandal in Europe, Xinhua reported.
New Delhi, Feb 13 (IANS) Indian men's and women's team will play their opening matches against Fiji and Kazakhstan, respectively, in the Hero Hockey World League Round 2 to be held here from Feb 18.
Washington, Feb 13 (ANI): Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin is all set to become a father again.
London, February 13 (ANI): Jodie Marsh has left families of IRA bomb victims reeling after launching a slimming pill by the name of Semtex.
London, Feb 12 (ANI): Women tend to give up diets after an average of five weeks, two days and 43 minutes, a new research has revealed.
Paris, Feb 12 (IANS) French President Francois Hollande has slammed the "unacceptable behaviour" of selling horsemeat as beef and pledged to punish those who are responsible for the horsemeat scandal.
Wellington, Feb 11 (IANS) A healthy diet and avoiding eating for two during pregnancy helps limit excess weight gain for both women and their babies, says a new research.
Los Angeles, Feb 9 (IANS) Singer Elton John is mentoring a group of Irish boys who impressed him with their music.
Kampala, Feb 8 (IANS) Hosts Uganda are set to face arch rivals Kenya in their first game when the World T20 qualifying tournament takes place here Feb 23-March 1.
