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The European Commission found the treatment of the Gaza flotilla activists shown in a video released by Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir is "completely unacceptable", a spokesperson said on Wednesday. "Every detained person must be treated with safety, dignity and according to international law," spokesperson Anouar El Anouni said in a post on X. "We call on the Israeli government to ensure the protection and dignified treatment of these activists, including several EU citizens," he added. Israeli police forced activists who were aboard a Gaza-bound aid flotilla to kneel on the ground in rows with their hands tied behind...

Reason number 999,999,999 why migration is a bad idea. You can’t expect everybody to understand or cater to your religion or your customs. And what happened on a deportation flight from Ireland to Pakistan is a perfect example of that kind of cultural miscommunication. Several Muslim migrants, described as “high risk,” were being removed from the country after previous offenses and bad behavior. During the flight, they were served a full Irish breakfast, which included pork sausage. Irish Times: Catering on deportation flights was changed after pork sausages were included as part of an Irish breakfast served on a forced...

Intense sadness and anger were the dominant emotions at a vigil on Tuesday in memory of Yves Sakila (35) who died after being restrained by security guards in Dublin city centre on Friday afternoon. The Congolese man, who had lived in Ireland since 2004, had been homeless for several years. He had been in prison a number of times and last lived in a Salvation Army hostel in Dublin 1. Staff at the charity’s Granby Centre, where he lived for two years, spoke to him on Friday morning before he left. “That was the last time they saw him,” said...

The biggest issue for the Irish community in the United States is a current “sense of vulnerability”, Minister of State for Diaspora Neale Richmond has said. Speaking to RTÉ News during a visit to the US, he said that both those who live legally in the US and those who are undocumented are worried about their own immigration status and that of their neighbors. When asked about increased efforts to arrest and detain migrants, he said people are scared. “They’re not necessarily seeing ICE in their neighborhoods. They’re not necessarily feeling under immediate threat. But between media reports, between the...

Muslim passengers being deported from Ireland to Pakistan were insensitively served pork sausages as part of a breakfast during their chartered flight. A Government-appointed human rights monitor branded the meal choice "inappropriate" aboard the journey from Dublin to Islamabad transporting 24 men to the Muslim-majority nation. The monitor's assessment noted "the quality of food was a low standard" and criticised the decision to include pork products for individuals travelling to an Islamic country – naturally defying the dietary practices of the religion. Before the flight – which cost Irish taxpayers €473,000 – the men were detained overnight across three separate...

The Government has reiterated its condemnation of the detention by Israel of an aid flotilla with at least ten Irish citizens onboard. The Coalition is calling on the Israeli authorities to uphold their obligations under international law. Dr. Margaret Connolly, the sister of President Catherine Connolly, is among those on board. […] The Global Sumud Flotilla said earlier it had lost contact with the intercepted boats. “We condemn the interception of vessels in international waters and call on the Israeli authorities to uphold their obligations under international law to ensure the safety and welfare of all those on board the...

Two shooters have been shot dead after an active shooter situation at a San Diego mosque drew a massive police presence, three police sources told NBC on Monday. Helicopter footage shows one person in a tactical vest who appears to have been shot dead outside the at the Islamic Center of San Diego. Several people are believed to have been shot, Officer Anthony Carrasco told the Associated Press. Hundreds of cops and scores of emergency vehicles lined up outside the center only minutes after the call came in for an active shooter.

A retired Baptist minister has been criminally convicted for preaching the Gospel near a Northern Ireland hospital that performs abortions.Pastor Clive Johnston, 78, a former president of the Association of Baptist Churches in Ireland, was found guilty on May 7 at Coleraine Magistrates’ Court on two charges under Northern Ireland’s Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Act 2023 for preaching on John 3:16 near the abortion buffer zone located outside of Causeway Hospital.Pastor Johnston must pay a fine of £450 (approximately $600) and now has an official criminal record, according to The Christian Institute, which has supported his legal defense.The Abortion...

Ireland has a unique relationship to climate change. The country has always relied on its pastoral landscapes for its national character, but the escalating climate crisis threatens this tradition because of rising temperatures and sea levels, and deforestation. Given Irish literature’s continued interest in nature, contemporary Irish poets are tackling these issues in their writing. Poetry plays a special role in times of mass environmental decline. As a literary genre that relies on flexible, open-ended and even conflicting language to address complicated issues, poetry is especially well-suited to address the complex entanglement of local and global concerns, human and nonhuman...

RTÉ and other public service broadcasters in Slovenia and Spain will not show the Eurovision Song Contest this week as they boycott the event over Israel’s participation. The world’s biggest live televised music event holds its first semi-final in the Austrian capital Vienna on Tuesday, bringing together participants from 35 countries — the fewest since entry was expanded in 2004. Five countries — Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Spain — are boycotting the contest over Israel’s war in Gaza. […] During Saturday’s grand final, RTÉ One will show the animated family comedy Mummies and the acclaimed John McGahern adaptation...

More than 300,000 names have been removed from Ireland's electoral register over the past two years, in a major push to remove duplicate names as well as those who have either emigrated or died. The work is being undertaken by local authorities, overseen by An Coimisiún Toghcháin — the independent electoral commission — and funded by the Department of Housing and Local Government. […] Mr [Art] O’Leary said: “We also added 700,000 new voters to the register and over 600,000 people have updated their details, such as changed their addresses.” He added: “Right now, we have 31 separate registers, and...

A retired Baptist pastor was convicted Thursday of preaching near an abortion center, in an egregious case of violation of free speech rights. The pastor was convicted of breaching a so-called buffer zone outside an abortion clinic after he led a small open-air Sunday service preaching the Gospel near a Northern Ireland hospital that kills babies in abortions. Clive Johnston, 77, was found guilty in Coleraine Magistrates’ Court of violating Northern Ireland’s Safe Access Zones law and of failing to leave the area when directed by police. District Judge Peter King imposed a £450 fine. The conviction stems from a...

Ireland has the highest household electricity prices in the European Union, latest figures from Eurostat show. According to the figures from the EU’s statistical agency — which cover the second half of last year — electricity in Ireland cost 40.42 cent per kilowatt-hour (including VAT and levies), which was nearly 40% above the EU average of 28.96 cent. As a result, the average household in Ireland is paying around €480 a year more for its electricity compared to the EU average. The figures show Irish electricity prices jumped by 32.7% between July and December 2025, when compared with the same...

Nearly three quarters of Irish people believe the EU should seek greater independence from the United States, an island-wide poll on attitudes to the European Union has suggested.With just weeks to go before Ireland assumes the EU presidency, support for the European Union remains high at 82%, although down from the peak of 93% in 2019 during the Brexit negotiations. The poll was conducted in the north and south simultaneously towards the end of March by Amárach Research on behalf of European Movement Ireland, based on a representative sample of 1,200 adults in both jurisdictions. The poll shows that at...

Several thousand people have taken part in the annual “March for Life” event in Dublin city center. The demonstration gathered on St. Stephen’s Green before marching to Molesworth Street. The crowd heard speeches from speakers including Independent Ireland TD Ken O’Flynn, Aontú councillor Ellen Troy and Pro Life Campaign spokesperson Caroline Simons. Organizers say the focus of this year’s march is on Ireland’s abortion numbers. According to the most recent figures from the Department of Health, 10,852 abortions were carried out in Ireland in 2024. Campaigners say they are alarmed at the rising figures and want alternative “life affirming” supports...

Rosie O’Donnell has found a fresh start, and a healthier future, by leaving America. The A League of Their Own star, who fled to Ireland when longtime rival Donald Trump returned to office in 2025, took to Instagram on Tuesday, April 28 to post an image of a Women.com article which noted that her “Mounjaro face transformation is undeniable.” “I have diabetes 2. I have lost 56 lbs. in just over 3 years — I’m thankful for my improved health,” O’Donnell, 64, captioned the post. While the prescription drug is designed to regulate blood sugar levels in people with type...

A report by the Hope and Courage Collective, which works to build resilience in communities against rising far-right hate and disinformation, has found a widening gap between public attitudes and political discourse. The report, “Ireland in Focus 2025, Mind the Gap”, shows that a relatively small number of far-right actors disproportionately influence public debate through online amplification, visible protests, and repeated narratives. It says public attitudes are becoming steadily more inclusive, but that political rhetoric risks legitimizing scapegoating and that the far-right had not secured broad public support, but “is shaping the conversation”. The report found that multiple communities in...

I asked my friend in Ireland what was going on as the media is downplaying stuff as usual. Here's her response: People are raging and worse it is getting. It’s been a slowly building … Our cost of living has gone unbearable for many. Gas is around 13 or 14 dollars a gallon if you were to put it in dollars 65 % of that is government tax then there is home heating oil - that has doubled. Then there is a housing crisis for Irish but immigrants get immediately given government housing while our homeless and violent crime skyrocket...

An international fugitive was arrested in Dubai this week following a years-long manhunt. Daniel Kinahan, the alleged leader of one of Ireland’s biggest criminal gangs, the Kinahan cartel, was arrested on organized crime charges on Wednesday in a covert operation involving Irish and United Arab Emirates authorities. The 48-year-old alleged crime boss is expected to face charges in Ireland related to a gangland feud between the Kinahan cartel and the Hutch gang that has left 18 people dead since 2015. Dubai police didn’t name Kinahan, saying they had “arrested an Irish fugitive for his alleged role in an organized criminal...

The funeral of singer Moya Brennan is due to take place in Co Donegal this afternoon. Ms Brennan, best known as the lead singer of the Grammy and BAFTA-winning group Clannad, died peacefully on Monday, surrounded by her family, at the age of 73. Her funeral mass will take place at 2pm in Teach Pobail Phádraig Naofa, Mín Uí Bhaoill, Croithlí. The Celtic folk singer, songwriter and harpist from Gaoth Dobhair in the Donegal Gaeltacht, recorded more than 30 albums and sold millions of records worldwide.