Senator Schumer says Irish deserve a separate deal for visas because of 1965 shutout - Says “Schumer visas” set to give Ireland 10,500 visas a year for the future (IrishCentral)

Sat, 18 May 2013 04:33:51 PDT

Sounding very upbeat, Senator Charles Schumer (D-New York), architect of the senate immigration bill says he is now very confident that 10,500 Schumer visas will be passed as part of the bill.

He asked for the Irish community across the U.S. to “gear up” to help passage of the overall immigration bill.

Prospects for immigration reform bill are 50-50 say the pols privately - House seen as major obstacle as Senate gets closer to a vote (IrishCentral)

Fri, 17 May 2013 04:03:41 PDT

Chilling testimony before congressional hearing on Pat Finucane death - New hearings told how informer was murdered before he could give evidence (IrishCentral)

Thu, 16 May 2013 04:18:43 PDT

It is always gratifying when truth gets a day out.

U.S. Tourism Ireland chief Joe Byrne says goodbye and hello again to massive acclaim - Popular Carlow native led tourist figures to Ireland to historic heights (IrishCentral)

Wed, 15 May 2013 05:33:51 PDT

He and devoted wife Geraldine and extended family have everyone’s good wishes in the newest phase of their lives.

Cardinal Sean O’Malley reneged on Boston College commencement deal say Irish sources - Irish government said to be furious over statement condemning Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny (IrishCentral)

Sun, 12 May 2013 04:48:39 PDT

Did Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley renege on a deal over the controversy surrounding Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny’s appearance as the commencement speaker at Boston College?

Irish government sources strongly believe he did and the level of anger towards the cardinal has left some of them spitting fire.

Boston’s Cardinal O’Malley insults Irish in boycotting Irish leader Enda Kenny - Anger over cardinal’s move over abortion will win Kenny huge support in Ireland (IrishCentral)

Sat, 11 May 2013 04:33:39 PDT

So much for Cardinal Sean O’Malley the hope of the millions of moderate Catholics worldwide who almost became pope according to some reports.

The Boston cardinal has now shown his true colors in boycotting Irish leader Enda Kenny when he gives the commencement speech in Boston College next weekend.

No Glory for New York GAA team at Gaelic Park in Leitrim Connacht championship challenge (IrishCentral)

Thu, 09 May 2013 05:48:35 PDT

Back in 2003 New York took Leitrim to extra time at Gaelic Park in the Connacht championship, almost causing a massive upset.

I went along on Sunday to the 2013 game hoping against hope that a repeat of such a thrilling match was on the cards, but dreading that New York would be outclassed.

Governor Chris Christie undergoes weight loss surgery and enters White House race - Move will be seen for what it is, a declaration that he’s running in 2016 (IrishCentral)

Tue, 07 May 2013 04:48:31 PDT

Bigoted Ulster still says no - Stormont votes against gay marriage as NBA player Jason Collins comes out (IrishCentral)

Fri, 03 May 2013 05:18:44 PDT

Northern Ireland still has to learn that reality. Hopefully this week’s events will help that along too.

‘Lucky Guy’ Tom Hanks evokes Irish America’s heyday in tabloid journalism - A Broadway play that celebrates and mourns an Irish era in its glory days - VIDEO (IrishCentral)

Thu, 02 May 2013 04:03:23 PDT

No ambassador to Ireland chosen is raising questions among Irish Americans - Failure to fill post six months after election seen as strange (IrishCentral)

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 04:33:17 PDT

No ambassador to Ireland chosen is raising questions among Irish Americans - Failure to fill post six months after election seen as strange

Tim Pat Coogan returns to the United States - iconic figure in Irish journalism who had been denied a visa (IrishCentral)

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 05:03:30 PDT

may have been put on this earth to afflict the comfortable and the revisionists who have tried to hijack Irish history for a generation now. Thank goodness he is around as there is much more work to be done.

I’m sick and tired of hearing America blamed for latest terrorist outrage - U.S. gave the two Chechen boys everything and they repaid in bombs (IrishCentral)

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 04:18:13 PDT

In this great country called America two Chechen boys came to live. Their family was fleeing persecution and had been made refugees according to some reports.

America took them in, washed that awful past from their eyes and gave them everything this country gives every emigrant including myself - a chance.

GOP bigs gather for Maggie Thatcher’s funeral but no Democrats bother - $15 million cost to bury the Iron Lady enrages many in Britain (IrishCentral)

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 04:03:00 PDT

How Margaret Thatcher could have prevented hunger strikes deaths - Irish Cardinal O Fiaich was prepared to create compromise but was blocked (IrishCentral)

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 04:33:02 PDT

The passing of Margaret Thatcher has once again re-opened the era of the 1981 hunger strikers in Northern Ireland when ten men led by Bobby Sands fasted to death and the conflict entered a bloody and decisive phase.

Margaret Thatcher was anti-Irish - my encounter with the British PM in Texas (IrishCentral)

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 04:18:09 PDT

I had one encounter with Margaret Thatcher, which will long live in my memory.

She died on Monday at age 87.  It was in Texas around 1984, at a press conference when she was on a U.S. visit.

NY Times editorial lovingly kisses Thatcher’s posterior in fawning editorial - No mention of Pinochet support, attacks on Mandela, or killing of Pat Finucane (IrishCentral)

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 04:02:52 PDT

Why I will shed no tears now for the late Mrs Margaret Thatcher - Her legacy on Ireland is one of failure and dead hunger strikers (IrishCentral)

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 06:02:49 PDT

I will shed no tears for Margaret Thatcher, who has died aged 87, nor do I suspect will most Irish people.

Saving lives with Reilly – Irish Health Minister takes on sacred cows - A different kind of health minister rings the changes in his job (IrishCentral)

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 05:47:47 PDT

Dublin: Irish Health Minister Dr. James Reilly has become a favorite whipping boy of the Irish media which, given his portfolio, is hardly surprising.

Aer Lingus move to JetBlue terminal, now have Wifi on board Atlantic flights - Major changes on New York-Dublin/Shannon routes for Irish carrier (IrishCentral)

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 04:17:47 PDT

When the Easter Rising happened the British establishment were all at the racetrack - My grandfather, too, attended the Grand National horse race on that historic day (IrishCentral)

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 04:02:54 PDT

The fight for Irish freedom and the 97th anniversary of the Easter 1916 Rising - “On Another Man’s Wound” an unforgettable account of the fight against Britain (IrishCentral)

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 04:17:39 PDT

We should be glad he did so. As we enter the home stretch in the run up to the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising there is no more powerful writer on those historic events than Ernie O’Malley.

Rory Staunton continues to save lives even though he is gone from us - One year later, remembering a brave boy who touched so many people (IrishCentral)

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 04:02:30 PDT

Joe Biden challenges Irish Americans to help undocumented Hispanics become legal - Says discrimination against Irish generations ago same as against Hispanics today (IrishCentral)

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 04:17:26 PDT

Irish Foreign Minister was wrong to boycott men only event in Savannah over St.Patrick’s Day (IrishCentral)

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 04:47:23 PDT

Irish Foreign Minister Eamon Gilmore canceled a proposed trip to Savannah, Georgia for St. Patrick’s Day on the grounds that he would not attend the men-only Hibernian Society dinner there.

“Count me out — I'm not doing it," Gilmore told The Irish Times. "I don't believe in segregation either on a gender basis or on any other basis."

Optimism for immigration reform clear at St. Patrick’s White House bash - President Obama signals change, praises Irish for Hurricane Sandy work - VIDEO (IrishCentral)

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 04:02:20 PDT

A St. Patrick’s gift from the Irish nation to Breezy Point after Sandy - Irish leader Enda Kenny visits as embattled community fights back (IrishCentral)

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 04:17:18 PDT

Queens accompanied by local leaders (Photo: James Higgins

The Breezy Point community in Queens turned out in their hundreds on Sunday morning at St. Thomas More Church to welcome Irish leader Enda Kenny and celebrate a Saint Patrick’s Day many present feared they would never see after the horrific events of Hurricane Sandy.

Rockaway heroics highlighted by Irish leader Enda Kenny in New York - St. Patrick’s tribute to Irish American community after Superstorm Sandy struck (IrishCentral)

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 06:17:28 PDT

despite wind and snow.

Enda Kenny, the Irish leader, took New York by storm on Saturday, marching in the parade before two million spectators and keeping a schedule that would have left younger men flailing as he raced from one Irish event to another.

In the process Kenny provided clear evidence that after years of lip service, the role of the Diaspora has finally really begun to matter to influential Irish politicians. The success of The Gathering, the year-long effort to woo the Diaspora back home, has emboldened the Irish abroad and the Irish government to think much bigger about the relationship with Ireland, as communication has become a two way street.

Still giving while living - Chuck Feeney to give away $6 billion by 2016 (IrishCentral)

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 04:32:20 PDT

San Francisco - Chuck Feeney makes it clear he enjoys giving away his money.

One of America’s great philanthropists, he has pioneered the Giving While Living concept now embraced by Warren Buffett and Bill Gates among other billionaires.

Irish Americans need to reflect on St. Patrick's Day - be more proactive in immigration reform and consider the next generation (IrishCentral)

Sat, 16 Mar 2013 04:17:31 PDT

This is the time in March when many of the 35 million Irish Americans don the dollop of green paint and go in search of a parade, a concert or a pub to celebrate their heritage.

The vast majority disappear back into the mist once the special day has passed.

For the next Pope it is the faithful departed who count - Debate appears to have missed the most important truth of all (IrishCentral)

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 05:17:16 PDT

Vatican City for the conclave that will elect the next pope

With the election for pope now underway it is remarkable how little time appears to have been spent on the best way to woo the faithful back to the mother church.

Sure, there are debates about how the church handles child sex abuse, the Vatican bank, Wikileaks and the Curia.

An Irish American pope could be a real possibility - Boston’s Cardinal Sean O’Malley now a focus in top Italian circles (IrishCentral)

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 04:17:10 PDT

Now it is definitely a possibility.

The man leading the fight to legalize the undocumented Irish in America - A quiet hero takes a bow in San Francisco at the American Ireland Fund dinner (IrishCentral)

Sat, 09 Mar 2013 04:32:09 PST

San Francisco: The American Ireland Fund annual dinner here in San Francisco honored Bart Murphy, one of those quiet heroes of the Irish American community who too often get overlooked.

Phoebe Prince was not bullied to death, claims author in new book - Argues her many mental problems led to suicide, not ‘bullycide’ (IrishCentral)

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 04:32:03 PST

However, ignoring horrific bullying as a root cause defies common sense.

Queen Elizabeth is right not to go green at Buckingham Palace for St. Patrick’s Day (IrishCentral)

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 05:16:59 PST

Judging by the 1,500 Facebook likes our story on the Queen refusing Buckingham Palace going green for St.Patrick’s Day got, it seems it has struck a chord.

For once I’ll side with Her Majesty and her court. I can only imagine the raised eyebrows around the Lord Chamberlain’s quarters when the request came in.

Daniel Day-Lewis’ love for Ireland born from his talented father’s affection (IrishCentral)

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 05:17:12 PST

Daniel Day-Lewis may have been born in Britain and attended public school there, but for the past 17 years he has been a proud Wicklow man, living in splendid isolation in a marvelous Georgian mansion on a 100 acre farm.

Like his father before him, Cecil Day-Lewis, who became Britain’s poet laureate, the soil of Ireland was always deep in his bones.

Vice President Joe Biden to be honored in Irish America Hall of Fame -- Biden set to be main speaker at annual Irish America event (IrishCentral)

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 04:16:40 PST

Shock as Fianna Fail Zombie back from the dead -- New opinion poll shows party heading the rest (IrishCentral)

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 04:01:39 PST

Defending the Irish community against racist claims in New York Times -- Same old story as Hurricane Sandy relief efforts questioned (IrishCentral)

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 04:31:38 PST

Arise Sir Mike! Bloomberg the Brit wannabe revealed by New York Times -- Ascot, top hats, staying with Prince Charles, all part of the new Mike (IrishCentral)

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 04:47:35 PST

greets Queen Elizabeth II

Emigration is Irish government's savior once again --- Same old story in a different era as thousands leave (IrishCentral)

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 04:01:29 PST

But as long as there is Aer Lingus EI 105 for New York or Ryanair to London to take them away, the crisis will never truly hit.

True confessions of a San Francisco 49ers fanatic - As a new emigrant I fell in love with 49er underdogs (IrishCentral)

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 04:31:26 PST

I arrived into San Francisco one June night in 1979 with a few dollars and a dream like most Irishmen who leave. I knew no one and cared less, I was in America, exactly where a young Irish emigrant should be.

Ed Koch not popular with many Irish during his career -- Late NY Mayor defended British role in North after Irish trip in 1988 (IrishCentral)

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 04:16:11 PST

Hardly surprising.

Driver's licenses for undocumented and new immigration reform bill shows sea of change in US views (IrishCentral)

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 05:16:16 PST

Amazingly that now seems in sight after a dark period where anti-immigrant legislation was the norm. This time it looks for real.

Joe Biden must worry about Hillary and Barack love fest on '60 Minutes' -- Loyalty not a dominant theme for President Obama it seems (IrishCentral)

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 04:01:06 PST

Sordid tale of Boston College IRA tapes should now be over - Death of Dolours Price means no prosecution possible for British (IrishCentral)

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 04:31:05 PST

Sully Sullenberger’s latest miracle - Rory Staunton’s hero lends name to fight for more stringent hospital checks (IrishCentral)

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 05:31:21 PST

So fly straight Sully, and keep up the marvelous work. You made us all so proud to meet you.

The Vatican very happy that Irish bishops mess is being sorted out - Papal Nuncio Archbishop Charles Brown skips a generation of leaders (IrishCentral)

Sun, 20 Jan 2013 04:30:57 PST

The Vatican is moving to completely transform the face of Irish Catholicism led by the dynamic Papal Nuncio Archbishop Charles Brown.

Manti Te’o Notre Dame hoax is like an episode from ‘The Twilight Zone’ -- Fake girlfriend, fake death, is a twisted tale about life online - VIDEO (IrishCentral)

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 04:15:52 PST

Irish poems and songs especially for St. Patrick's Day (IrishCentral)

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 02:20:30 PST

Visit our special St. Patrick's Day section

Dear reader, we Irish are nothing if not poets, and here is a selection of the best St. Patrick's poems and songs I could find:

May the love of St.Patrick
find a place in your heart
A love of a country
a land set apart
A love of a people
so proud and so true
and lastly the love
that I feel now for you

ICBlog: Periscope