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A new paper in Molecular Biology and Evolution, published by Oxford Univeristy Press, uncovers well-preserved microbiomes from two 4,000 year old teeth in a limestone cave in Ireland. These contained bacteria that cause gum disease, as well as the first high quality ancient genome from S. mutans, an oral bacterium that is one of the major causes of tooth decay.These discoveries allowed the researchers to assess the impact of past dietary changes on the oral microbiome across millennia, including major changes coinciding with the popularization of sugar and industrialization. The teeth, both derived from the same Bronze Age man, also...

The number of people seeking international protection in Ireland in the first three months of this year has risen by more than 2,000 compared to the same time last year. Figures from the Department of Justice show 5,163 people applied for international protection up to 28 March. This represents a rise of 2,170, or 72%, from the same period of time last year when 2,993 applications were made by 28 March 2023. More than one third of those who have applied for international protection so far this year are from Nigeria (1,668) while 416 are from Bangladesh, 400 from Pakistan,...

If I obtain Irish citizenship am I allowed to have dulces ship with my US citizenship? Is it possible to announce my US citizenship? My goal is to move to Dubai and then cash out my bitcoin . Any advice greatly appreciated.

The Government is going to intervene in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. Tánaiste (deputy prime minister) and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheál Martin, will update the Cabinet that he has directed officials to prepare a Declaration of Intervention. If approved by the Government, this will be filed at the court in The Hague for the case against Israel under the 1948 Genocide Convention. It is not clear yet what points of law Ireland will reply upon for its intervention. …

Focus Ireland is hoping to help thousands of homeless people to register to vote ahead of the local and European elections in June. Focus Ireland’s director of advocacy, Mike Allen, said that there are around 9,500 homeless adults in Ireland and many of them would not be registered to vote. The charity is now hoping to change that as voting registration was simplified after the Electoral Reform Act was passed in 2022. More than 50,000 Irish people have spent at least one night of their lives homeless, according to figures published by Focus Ireland. …

Chief Executive of the Convenience Stores and Newsagents Association has described an increase in thefts last year — driven mainly by robberies from shops — as “frightening”. Speaking on RTÉ’s News at One, Vincent Jennings said it is not just just the thefts that are concerning, but the associated incidents — such as assaults, assaults causing harm, drunkenness, misogynistic and hateful comments being made to staff and public order offenses. Annual crime figures released by the Central Statistics Office show there was a significant increase in theft offenses last year. Almost half of the more than 74,000 thefts and related...

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, Spain, Malta and Slovenia standing ready to recognize the Palestine state has given Palestinians “hope,” its ambassador has said. Earlier, in a joint-statement, the four countries’ prime ministers said they were ready to recognize the Palestine state when the “circumstances are right”. The Palestinian ambassador to Ireland, Dr. Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid, welcomed the statement, describing it as “promising news”. She said it might only be a few EU countries, but that Ireland is “leading” the way and she expressed thanks for “all the Irish efforts”. …

For as much and as long as I have been hammering away at the fascist lunatics in Scotland, I have also been watching my other ancestral homeland in abject horror, descending into what can only be described as an authoritarian hellscape. Again, orchestrated by people voted into power by citizens, yes. Again - as with Scottish First Minister Yousaf - the son of an immigrant (Varadkar's father is Indian) who became a politician of globalist aspirations and vision who was elevated to the premier office in his small country. Varadkar has spent the past years of his time in office...

Ireland’s progressive Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has announced he is resigning for “personal and political” reasons, stepping down less than two weeks after he was soundly defeated on a referendum to redefine marriage and the role of women in the nation’s constitution. Fine Gael politician Leo Varadkar, who became his country’s youngest ever Taoiseach (Prime Minister) in 2017 made a surprise announcement in Dublin on Wednesday, saying he was resigning the leadership of his party and the nation. Varadkar said he would stay on as PM until a new leader could be selected and sworn in, saying that would likely...

In 2017, Varadkar became the first gay prime minister of the once-staunchly Catholic country and the youngest person to hold the office. He returned to the premiership in 2022 under a rotation arrangement struck between Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, the two largest parties in a three-party coalition with the smaller Green Party. Varadkar's government has overseen a sharp economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic but has struggled to tackle a decade-long housing crisis and more recently the pressure on services from record numbers of asylum seekers and Ukrainian refugees. He also suffered an embarrassing referendum defeat this month when...

TikTok have just discovered a very... unique gas station, centred around Barack Obama. On Ireland's M7 highway sits an Obama-themed gas station, named the Barack Obama Plaza. It contains bronze statues of both the former President and First Lady, souvenir coins, magnets, mugs, cardboard cutouts, and recognition of his ancestral heritage.

(Song opens in new window)Let Erin remember the days of old, Ere her faithless sons betrayed her. When Malachi wore the collar of gold, Which he won from her proud invader, When her kings with standards of green unfurled Led the Red-Branch Knights to danger, Ere the emerald gem of the western world, was set in the crown of a stranger. On Lough Neagh's bank as the fisherman strays When the clear cold eve's declining, He sees the round towers of other days, In the wave beneath him shining. Thus shall memory often in dreams sublime, Catch a glimpse of...

(Song opens in new window)Let Erin remember the days of old, Ere her faithless sons betrayed her. When Malachi wore the collar of gold, Which he won from her proud invader, When her kings with standards of green unfurled Led the Red-Branch Knights to danger, Ere the emerald gem of the western world, was set in the crown of a stranger.On Lough Neagh's bank as the fisherman strays When the clear cold eve's declining, He sees the round towers of other days, In the wave beneath him shining. Thus shall memory often in dreams sublime, Catch a glimpse of the...

Late on Friday Steyn's lawyers filed three new motions in the District of Columbia Superior Court. You can read them in full here... ~There is not a lot of good news around as western civilisation floors it off the cliff. The last such in the anglosphere came last autumn, with the Australian people's coast-to-coast rejection of the proposed "Indigenous Voice to Parliament". In the face of suffocating universal support for the yes side from the political, legal, cultural and media establishments, Oz voted it down 60-40. Well, this weekend the Irish just upped the Aussies, and rejected overwhelmingly two constitutional...

President Biden met with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar Friday, where the leader said he thinks there should be a cease-fire “as soon as possible” between Israel and Hamas. Varadkar said he was “keen” to speak with Biden about the war in Gaza, as the two leaders met at the White House to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. “You know, my – my view that we need to have a cease-fire as soon as possible to get food and medicine in, to get the hostages out,” Varadkar said. Biden interjected, saying “And I agree.” The Prime Minister continued, saying he and...

Taoiseach (Ireland prime minister) Leo Varadkar has started his visit to Washington DC at the Ireland Funds gala dinner last night, where he told the audience that Europe and America have a responsibility to bring an end to the injustices in the Holy Land. The event was also addressed by the First and Deputy First Minster of Northern Ireland. The Ireland Funds gala raised $1.2 million for the work of the fund, supporting cross community and cross border projects in Ireland. […] “The brutal and indiscriminate attacks carried out by Hamas on Israeli civilians on 7 October were vicious terrorist...

President Michael D. Higgins has issued a blistering critique of the situation in Gaza, saying it is scandalous that humanitarian aid and medical supplies are being blocked from entering the coastal strip. He added that those nations responsible for allowing the blockade to continue “must take responsibility for the deaths that are ensuing”. The President also criticized a “propaganda campaign” against the United Nations and called on countries to increase aid for the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA). Several countries, including the US and UK, have paused funding for the relief agency in Gaza following claims from Israel that some...

One in every five car owners are planning to get rid of their car over the coming years, new research has found. The rising cost of running a car is among the big drivers, the survey discovered, with almost two thirds citing this as an influence on their decision. However, just over three quarters said that grocery shopping remains the biggest barrier to them doing away with their wheels. A little over a third claimed they use their car every day to get to and from work. Overall, a fifth of car users said they would prefer to use their...

A dual referendum in Ireland on redefining family and women's roles in the constitution has been defeated, Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said on Saturday. The government had supported the proposed changes, which would have widened the definition of the family and clarified out-dated language about the duties of women in society. "I think it's clear at this stage, that the family amendment and the care amendment referendums have been defeated," Varadkar said at a press conference in Dublin.The votes are the latest attempt to reflect the changing face of European Union member Ireland, and the waning influence of the once-dominant...