Free Republic

... Thursday's results mean the centrist Fine Gael remains the largest party in Ireland's 158-seat parliament with 50 seats, down 26 seats from the 2011 election. The second-largest party, Fianna Fail, more than doubled its seats to 44, while left-wing Labour retained seven seats, a 30-seat loss. Ireland now faces weeks of inter-party negotiations to see whether Fine Gael's leader, Prime Minister Enda Kenny, can forge a new coalition. The country's two main parties, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, never have shared power. ...

Nearly three in five Irish people believe that terrorists would enter the country under Ireland's plan to accept 4,000 Syrian and other refugees over the next two years. According to a new opinion poll, 43 percent also believe that the number of refugees is too many, 34 percent believe it is the right amount, and 15 percent feel it is too few. The nationwide Sunday Independent/Millward Brown poll was taken between December 5 and January 7, after the Paris attacks and before full details emerged of the sex attacks in Cologne, Germany, perpetrated by men of African and Middle Eastern...

The Taoiseach Enda Kenny says refugees must be allowed to seek asylum in Ireland to escape ISIS, who he says want to “blow up Newgrange”. Mr. Kenny says the County Meath monument, and the Rock of Cashel, would be offensive to Islamic State jihadists. He has also tried to play down reports of a Coalition rift about the number of refugees Ireland can accept—with a special Cabinet meeting penciled in for Thursday to discuss the issue.