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The public has been repulsed by the actions of the Israeli government in Gaza, incoming Taoiseach (prime minister) Simon Harris has said. Mr. Harris said that Ireland stands ready to recognize the Palestinian state while calling for a two-state solution. In his keynote speech at the Fine Gael Ard Fheis* in Galway, the Fine Gael leader said the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza has worsened “before our eyes” and Ireland cannot stay silent on the actions of Israel. “We condemn the massacre carried out by Hamas in October and again call for the release of all hostages,” Mr Harris said....

LONDON (AP) – Ireland is poised to get its youngest-ever premier after Simon Harris secured the leadership of the Fine Gael party on Sunday, replacing Leo Varadkar who announced his surprise resignation last week. The 37-year-old Harris, who is the government’s further and higher education minister, was the only candidate to put his name forward to succeed Varadkar, who had been Ireland’s previous youngest prime minister, or what Ireland calls its taoiseach.

Ireland has “no plans” to suspend funding for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, the Tánaiste has said, after other nations have announced they are suspending funding. It comes after Israel’s foreign minister said the country will seek to stop UNRWA from operating in Gaza after the war after it accused several of its staff of involvement in Hamas’s 7 October attack. Australia, Italy, Finland, the Netherlands and Canada have decided to suspend financing of UNRWA, while Britain and the US will temporarily pause future funding. In a post on X, Micheál Martin said he has “full confidence” in Commissioner-General...

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said the Government is cracking down on people coming to Ireland illegally. However, he said that legal immigration was being dealt with in a fair and welcoming way. He told reporters that immigration had served the country well. Mr. Varadkar said the Government was seeking to assess international protection applications as quickly as possible to determine whether people have a right to stay in the country. …

On Friday, Prime Minister Leo Varadkar made a commitment to take strong action against individuals with racist views who engaged in violent confrontations with riot police. He described this as a pivotal moment for a country that was ill-prepared to tackle the increasing hostility toward immigrants within its working-class communities.The previous night's riots, driven by anti-immigration sentiments, were sparked by an Algerian man stabbing three, one critically, young children and an adult caregiver outside a school in central Dublin. (snip)The Irish public television, RTE, conducted a poll which found that only 19% of the Irish public were in support of...

The Taoiseach has told farmers that climate change is the biggest threat facing Ireland today and it is not clear what type of agriculture we will have in 20, 30 or 40 years time. Speaking at the AGM of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA), Leo Varadkar said the climate is getting warmer and drier, and in order to rise to the climate challenge, openness to significant change will be needed. He said farming income can be protected with other things like forestry and carbon farming. He said the agri-sector will not be asked to take a disproportionate part...

President Michael D. Higgins has strongly criticized the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen for comments on the Middle East conflict which she made on a visit to Israel last Friday. Ms. von der Leyen did not include a call for Israel’s retaliation to conform with international law. President Higgins said he agreed with those who criticized the intervention of the European Commission President. He said: “I don’t know where the source of those decisions was. I don’t know where the legitimation for it was, and I don’t know where the authority for it is, and I...

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said mistakes were made on all sides in the handling of Brexit, but vowed to be “flexible and reasonable” when attempting to solve issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol. He conceded that the post-Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol is “too strict” and said he understands unionist concerns that the treaty has made them feel less British. Mr. Varadkar, who became Taoiseach for a second time in December, has become deeply unpopular within some sections of unionism and loyalism who claim he was an instrumental figure in the creation of the contentious protocol. His name and image have...

Chasten Buttigieg attacked Mike Pence's lunch with an openly-gay Irish leader, saying just because the two shared meal doesn't mean the vice president is 'any less homophobic.' Buttigieg, the husband of Democratic presidential contender Pete Buttigieg, criticized a tweet on Monday from deputy White House press secretary Judd Deere, who wrote anyone who thinks Pence is 'anti-gay' should look at his lunch with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and his partner.

An organisation representing LGBT Catholics around the world has been denied permission for a stall at the World Meeting of Families in Dublin, which Pope Francis is attending on 25 August. The Global Network of Rainbow Catholics, which represents 60 organisations, has been told that due to “logistical considerations” it has not been allocated a booth in the gathering’s exhibition hall. The WMF, an international event held by the Roman Catholic church every three years, opens in Dublin next Monday. Pope Francis will spend 36 hours in Ireland attending events. The GNRC was told only in the past few days...

We don't think this will go down well. The Taoiseach has said he sympathises with Donald Trump’s criticism of the media. The comments were made by Leo Varadkar on Monday. According to the Times, Varadkar made the remarks at a private lunch in New York hosted by Irish consul general Ciaran Madden. The Taoiseach was asked what he thought of Trump and specifically the US president’s attacks on the press. He said the media was not interested in the truth but in the story, sources told the Times. Apparently, his biggest target was the political press. He claimed political journalists...

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has declared that the crisis facing the EU is not mass immigration, but European resistance to importing large numbers of migrants from the third world. “This isn’t so much a migrant crisis as it is a political crisis,” the Irish Taoiseach (prime minister) said of disagreement within the EU over how to deal with illegal immigrants arriving to the continent. “Europe needs migration,” he insisted, claiming the belief that hundreds of thousands of migrants from the world’s poorest countries arriving in boats and storming the EU’s frontiers is a problem that has been invented by...

TAOISEACH Leo Varadkar has said he is concerned Irish whiskey could be targeted as part of the escalating trade war between the US and the EU. Speaking on the first day of his week-long visit to the US, Mr Varadkar said when he hears the EU threaten to put import tariffs on US bourbon, it concerns him that Irish whiskey could also be hit with tariffs. “When I hear bourbon whiskey I think the next response could be tariffs against Irish whiskey,” he said. Speaking at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, Mr Varadkar warned that a cross-Atlantic...

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will not be seeking the assistance of US president Donald Trump to help end the ongoing political stalemate in Northern Ireland. Mr. Varadkar was questioned by reporters about Mr. Trump’s book The Art of the Deal and whether the president’s role as a businessman could be put to use in Northern Ireland. Responding, Mr. Varadkar said: “I have read The Art of the Deal, and the basic concept behind that is a good deal is when I win and you lose. That’s not the kind of deal that is going to work in Northern Ireland. So while...

Meet Dr Matt Barrett - the rock behind Leo Varadkar as he strives to become leader of Fine Gael. Although the pair have been an item for the last 18 months, they have so far shunned the spotlight - although that could change should Mr Varadkar become Taoiseach. The couple have holidayed together, met each other's families and even shared a joint birthday bash. As chaos continues within the Government about Enda Kenny's resignation as Taoiseach, attention has turned to Mr Varadkar as a future leader. As tensions rise, Mr Vardkar is seen to have a strong partner by his...

Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny has admitted he is personally disappointed after his Government suffered “a wallop” in a referendum to abolish the country’s upper house of parliament. Almost 52% of the public voted to keep the Seanad (Senate), in what was an embarrassing and damaging blow to Mr. Kenny, who spearheaded a campaign to scrap it.The No side emerged victorious with a margin of just 42,500 votes. …

Archdiocese of Boston's Cardinal Sean O'Malley said today that he plans to boycott Boston College's commencement ceremony May 20 because it will feature Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny as its commencement speaker. The College is scheduled to award Kenny an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. Kenny supports loosening the country's legislation against abortion. “Since the university has not withdrawn the invitation and because the Taoiseach (prime minister) has not seen fit to decline, I shall not attend the graduation,’’ O’Malley said in a statement released this afternoon. “It is my ardent hope that Boston College will work to redress the...

Dozens of mourners queued today to pay their respects to former Taoiseach Charles Haughey within minutes of a book of condolence being opened in the heart of his old constituency. Outside. Workers scrambled to repaint railings and touch up the flagpole where the Tricolour flew at half-mast at Our Lady of Consolation Church in Donnycarney, north Dublin. This is where the one-time TD for the area will lie in state before being buried on Friday. Joe Mirolo, 73, from nearby Clontarf was a classmate of Mr Haughey’s at St Joseph’s in Fairview. “We used to meet every year at the...

The Taoiseach's office has refused to release any information it has about the CIA's 'extraordinary rendition' flights, on the grounds that to do so may compromise the security, defence or international relations of the state. The Council of Europe this weekend said that CIA jets travelling through Irish airports should be searched by gardai to ensure that prisoners are not being carried. A report published by the Irish Human Rights Commission (IHRC) last month had recommended that Gardai (Irish National Police) board such flights. Extraordinary rendition involves the abduction of suspected militants from foreign countries by members of the CIA...

Dear Friends of Family & Life, Please take immediate action on the following ‹and please forward to others to do likewise. If you are not an Irish citizen, you can still express your feelings on the matter. An Taoiseach, (Prime Minister) Mr. Bertie Ahern announced yesterday that there would be no national day of mourning in Ireland for the late John Paul II. In his typically evasive fashion he said:  We would ask all people to comply not just for one day but for all.  The Taoiseach's position is deliberately meaningless and mean-spirited. Please contact the Taoiseach's office by...