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Ireland

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Ireland. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Dublin

Head of State

President Michael D. Higgins

Head of Government

Taoiseach Simon Harris

last updated:

29 November, 2024

The city’s transport minister has pledged to increase flight frequency. Photo: Elson Li

Hong Kong transport

Hong Kong’s air passenger traffic soars to pre-pandemic levels over Christmas

Secretary for Transport Mable Chan says the number of flight movements on a single day peaked at about 1,150 during Christmas period.

2 Jan 2025 - 8:41PMvideocam

Fame and celebrity

Meet Patrick Gibson, star of Dexter: Original Sin and Maude Apatow’s boyfriend

30 Dec 2024 - 5:00AM

Cybersecurity

Ireland fines Facebook owner Meta €251 million for data breach

18 Dec 2024 - 10:07AM

Food and Drinks

Drink in Focus: Irish coffee at The Diplomat

This winter warmer, reportedly born at an airport in Ireland in the 1940s, gets a sumptuous upgrade at SoHo hotspot, The Diplomat.

18 Dec 2024 - 12:01AM

Irish Coffee at The Diplomat bar in Central, Hong Kong. Photo: The Diplomat

Israel-Gaza war

Israel to close embassy in Ireland over Gaza tensions as war death toll mounts

Israel cites Dublin’s ‘extreme anti-Israeli policies’, further straining tense relations between the two nations.

16 Dec 2024 - 2:26PM

TikTok

TikTok Shop opens in Spain, Ireland in e-commerce expansion as US ban looms

The Spain launch is TikTok Shop’s first foray into continental Europe, coming three years after opening in the UK, its first European market.

11 Dec 2024 - 5:03PM

Science

Xinjiang power swing threatened China’s nationwide electricity supply in August

‘Severe threat’ to grid’s stability this summer may be linked to the region’s large-scale renewable energy sources.

6 Dec 2024 - 4:16PMvideocam

A wind farm along the highway from Turpan to Urumqi in Xinjiang, China. Photo: Shutterstock

Donald Trump

Irish centre-right parties seek coalition deal as Trump threat looms

Ireland’s election is over, but the country faces weeks of talks before there’s a government.

3 Dec 2024 - 11:13AM

European Union

Ireland’s 3 biggest parties battle for first place

Exit polls suggest the contest is a close-fought race between the centre-right Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, and the leftist Sinn Fein.

30 Nov 2024 - 9:11PM

TikTok

Exclusive | TikTok Shop expands to Spain, Ireland amid global e-commerce push

The short-video app and its owner ByteDance is under pressure to search for new revenue sources amid slowing growth.

27 Nov 2024 - 9:00PM

TikTok Shop is pushing into Spain and Ireland as soon as December, according to several merchants. Photo: AP Photo

Britain

Storm Bert causes power outages, disrupts travel in UK and Ireland

Tens of thousands in Ireland suffered power outages, while some rail lines and roads were closed in Britain due to a ‘multi-hazard event’.

23 Nov 2024 - 11:18PM

A tour bus drives through heavy snowfall during Storm Bert, along Princes Street in Edinburgh, Scotland, Britain, on Saturday. Photo: Reuters

Sexual harassment and assault

Mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor sexually assaulted woman, jury finds

The Irish fighter must pay victim Nikita Hand nearly US$260,000 in damages.

4 Dec 2024 - 12:47PM

European cinema

Cillian Murphy on what he’s done since Oppenheimer, and his Oscar

Actor produced and stars in Irish historical drama Small Things Like These. He hopes Oscar win helps him tell stories with a point of view.

9 Nov 2024 - 4:15AM

Espionage

Russian activity in Ireland ‘should come as no surprise’, PM says

Ireland’s Simon Harris responds to report that Russian intelligence allegedly used a ‘honeytrap’ to recruit an Irish politician as an agent.

7 Oct 2024 - 10:29AM

Government buildings in Dublin, Ireland. Photo: Shutterstock

Israel-Gaza war

Thousands march for Palestinians ahead of October 7 anniversary

Pro-Palestinian supporters gathered in cities in the UK, France, South Africa, Ireland and Switzerland to demand an end to Gaza conflict.

6 Oct 2024 - 1:28AMvideocam

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators march to Downing Street to mark one year of the Israeli operations in Gaza and to call for a permanent ceasefire as part of an event organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign in London, Britain on Saturday. Photo: EPA-EFE

China-EU relations

China EV tariff vote leaves EU relieved yet wary of retaliation

Decision to slap duties of up to 35 per cent on mainland imports lays bare divisions in European leadership as complex negotiations continue.

6 Oct 2024 - 6:15AMvideocam

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Books and literature

Normal People author Sally Rooney on new novel, old anxieties

Irish author is growing with her characters, as fourth novel Intermezzo shows, but she is yet to grow used to how much attention she gets.

25 Sep 2024 - 4:15PM

Google

Google wins EU ads abuse case, overruling €1.5 billion fine

The EU’s Google cases marked the centrepiece of antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager’s bid to rein in Silicon Valley.

19 Sep 2024 - 10:10AM

Banking & finance

HSBC to issue US$2.5 billion in convertible securities before Fed rate decision

HSBC said it would issue a total of US$2.5 billion in convertible securities, adding to a global flurry of investment-grade bond issuance.

5 Sep 2024 - 5:25PM

European Union

Residential cruise passengers wait for months to board a 3-year cruise

The residential cruising business has proved a troubled one, with just one ship of its kind, MS The World, launched in 2002, in operation.

31 Aug 2024 - 6:50PM

China-EU relations

China says EU brandy being dumped on local market, but holds fire on duties

Beijing’s decision may calm trade tensions for now, but a key vote on whether to slap tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles is looming.

29 Aug 2024 - 9:31PMvideocam

Any tariffs would mainly affect French cognac makers. Photo: Reuters

Fame and celebrity

Meet Nicola Coughlan’s rumoured new beau, Jake Dunn, star of Renegade Nell

Bridgerton fans may have been disappointed that actress Nicola Coughlan wasn’t dating her co-star Luke Newton – aka Colin Bridgerton – IRL, but it seems someone else may have caught her attention ...

27 Aug 2024 - 6:00PM

Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlin is thought to be dating fellow actor Jake Dunn. Photos: Alice Kremelberg/Instagram; @jakeldunn/Instagram

Britain

UK government calls on Musk to act responsibly after provocative posts on riots

Provocative tech billionaire Elon Musk has weighed in on the unrest in the UK, drawing condemnation from the British government.

7 Aug 2024 - 10:32AM

Britain

Sinead O’Connor’s cause of death is revealed a year after Irish singer died

O’Connor died of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma, according to a report citing her death certificate.

31 Jul 2024 - 2:03PM

Fame and celebrity

Sinead O’Connor wax figure her own brother called ‘hideous’ is withdrawn

Irish singer’s brother likens Dublin museum’s waxwork of O’Connor to a cross between a shop dummy and ‘something out of the Thunderbirds’. Museum apologises to her family and pledges to do better.

28 Jul 2024 - 10:11AM

Artistic coordinator Mel Creek applies the finishing touches to a wax figure of the late singer Sinead O’Connor at the National Wax Museum Plus in Dublin’. The waxwork was criticised for looking nothing like the singer, and swiftly withdrawn from display. Photo: Julien Behal via AP

Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Sports minister pledges ‘any assistance’ Hong Kong athletes need in Paris

Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung tours Olympic Village and says city is ‘proud of its athletes’.

25 Jul 2024 - 11:22PM

A volunteer fixes a sign in the Olympic Village in Paris. Photo: AP

Fame and celebrity

Who is Alexander Smurfit, the hunky scion spotted with Alessandra Ambrosio?

The Brazilian Victoria’s Secret supermodel – who was previously linked to Richard Lee – sat out in the Ibiza sunshine with a buff mystery man, who has been revealed as businessman Alexander Smurfit

11 Jul 2024 - 7:00PM

Fame and celebrity

What is Boyzone alum Ronan Keating up to in 2024?

The singer-songwriter – who has seven albums with Boyzone and 12 solo projects under his belt – is a father of 5 and was recently a judge on The Voice of Germany

19 Jun 2024 - 5:00AMvideocam

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