Brady believes that the Irish are most dangerous when counted out and have what it takes to advance to the World Cup finals in South Africa.

Think you know everything about the Emerald Isle? Think again! Here are 10 facts that just might throw you for a loop.

The name Fahy is O'Fathaigh in Gaelic, and probably originates from the word fothadh which means base or foundation. Another rarer English version of the name is Vahey and occasionally Fay, which has a different root except for occasional instances in Galway.

Some of the pigs in a 5,000-porker Northern Ireland pig farm have been coughing. You'll never guess what the diagnosis is. Yes, it's swine flu, and health authorities are trying to figure how they became the latest animal victims of the famous virus named after them.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Michéal Martin writes about the Global Irish Economic Forum that is being held in Dublin from September 18-20

Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams is starring in a new documentary about the famous Che Guevara portrait.

Ireland is set to cut its funding for overseas emigrant groups by nearly 7 percent just as emigration from Ireland is set to expand. The economic advisory group, popularly known as "An Bord Snip," in Ireland has recommended lopping €1 million ($1.4m) off the total budget of €15 million ($21m) for the Irish abroad.

John Hayes has been drafted into the British & Irish Lions squad following the withdrawal of Euan Murray.

The families of the three Irish women lost on Air France Flight 447 face an agonizing wait to see if their bodies will ever be found. Riverdance star Dr. Eithne Walls and her friends Dr Jane Deasy and Dr Aisling Butler were all onboard the ill-fated Airbus A330 flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. The Brazilian Air Force has found debris from the flight scattered across the Atlantic Ocean where the plane is believed to have gone down. However, investigators say it is extremely unlikely that they will be ever able to find human remains.

Leinster and Ireland cenere Gordon D'Arcy has been called into the British & Irish Lions' squad for the remainder of the tour of South Africa.

Argentina will be the first team to take on the Republic of Ireland at the new Aviva Stadium, the FAI have announced.

Despite the recessions in Ireland and the U.S., around 300 Irish companies come to New Jersey this weekend for a trade show

The president of a California college was killed in a single vehicle car crash on his way to a conference in Ireland earlier this week.

New Irish study shows that poverty is not linked to soccer prowess

Buenos Aires held the biggest St. Patrick’s Day parade in Latin America yesterday – or, as Argentineans call it, “Dia de la

Thanks to you, IrishCentral.com had the happiest St. Patrick’s Day we could have

10 surprising facts about Ireland - guarantee you've never heard 'em before!

  When Mary Robinson, the former president of Ireland, lit a candle for the Irish all over the world during her days as President of Ireland, she inspired a sense of family in all over us, whether we call Dublin or

We Irish are very much a far-flung people and so this year sees the launch of the Global 100 list which celebrates the Irish Diaspora.

Leinster fly-half Felipe Contepomi has agreed to join Toulon on a four-year deal and will move to France at the end of the current season. The Argentina international is a firm favourite amongst the supporters of the reigning Magners League champions and has established himself as a key player for the team.

A new social networking Web site for Irish dancers and musicians is proving to be a big hit on the Internet.  Diddlyi.com, the creation of two brothers from Nenagh, Co. Tipperary, went live in April

"Pomegranate Soup" by Marsha Mehran was already a best-selling sensation in Europe, and seems very topical in its look at multicultural Ireland. "Pomegranate Soup" follows the Iranian Aminpour sisters, Marjan, Bahar and Layla. They escaped their revolution-wracked native land for the safety of London, and then Ballinacroagh, Mayo.

CATHERINE Owens, the Irish visual designer behind each of U2's worldwide tours for the past 15 years, and the co-director (with Mark Pellington) of U2 3D, the concert film about the celebrated Irish rock band that's now playing, first began her work by shaping the look and feel of the band's "ZooTV" tour in 1992.

In a real sense, Owens became a fifth member of the band in the early 1990s, because her background in multimedia (sculpture, video art, sound design, photography) went on to serve as a powerful inspiration for U2's subsequent "PopMart," "Elevation" and "Vertigo" tours.

Working closely with the band for years, Owens became familiar with their artistic sensibilities, and that made her the natural choice to direct U2 3D, the new concert movie about the band, and the first ever film of their show in digital 3D.

DUBLIN - On Good Friday I went to a mosque. There were over 1,000 attendees at Friday prayers at the mosque located in Clonskeagh, a Dublin suburb next to University College Dublin.

They came from all over the Arab world, but some were local Irish converts.

Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin says he will travel to Washington, D.C. after the presidential election to continue lobbying efforts on behalf of the undocumented Irish, and to push for creation of a new E-3 visa program that would allow for a more extensive exchange of workers between Ireland and the U.

When football season's in full swing I'm in the mood for a pie and a pint at half time. Now this pie you won't find down St. Andrews, but it's easy to make and you can have it whilst watching the game at home.

WITH the week that's in it Stateside it is probably fitting to discuss the impact a change in leadership can make in the world of sport.

As Americans headed to the polls on Tuesday, the new Irish rugby team coach Declan Kidney was sitting down for the first time at the top table in the five star Fitzpatrick Castle hotel out in Killiney.

On one of the last occasions that an Ireland rugby boss sat down at this table Eddie O'Sullivan was still the man in the hot seat, but even Eddie knows how quickly the mood changes when it comes to our national team.

Ireland 3

New Zealand 22

IRELAND were left to rue a rash decision from winger Tommy Bowe as their 103-year wait for a victory over New Zealand was cruelly extended by the All-Blacks at Croke Park on Saturday.

Bowe opted to flick the ball over the sidelines in the 40th minute as Kiwi captain Richie McCaw looked likely to score a try in the corner just before halftime in the big game.

Referee Mark Lawrence awarded a penalty try after consulting with his video official and then sin-binned Bowe in a move that proved decisive.

YOUNG Irish striker Cillian Sheridan wants to start next week's Champions League fixture against Manchester United after scoring on his full debut for Celtic in Saturday's 4-2 over Hibs at Parkhead. Sheridan figured as a sub at Old Trafford last week but partnered Scott McDonald against Hibs when he was on the scoresheet along with Stephen McManus, Glenn Loovens and Scott Brown.

"The challenge is to start against Manchester United now," said Sheridan after his first start in the Scottish League.

Ireland 17 Argentina 3

Ireland secured their place as eighth seeds for next week's World Cup draw on the back of this Croke Park revenge win over Argentina - but captain Brian O'Driscoll was the first to admit it was an ugly victory. A late Tommy Bowe try put the gloss on the scoreline, but this was a day when brawn mattered more than brain in an ill-tempered and technical affair that offered little in terms of imagination. Ronan O'Gara kicked all Ireland's remaining points from three penalties and a drop goal on a day when his Jekyll and Hyde performance summed up the fiercely contested occasion.

HERO OF THE WEEK

Ireland's rugby heroes were poor in an ill-tempered final autumn test against Argentina, and new coach Declan Kidney probably left Croke Park with more questions than answers ahead of the Six Nations. The game was too ugly to offer any beauty, bar a man of the match performance from Munster's David Wallace who was quite superb from start to finish.

IDIOT OF THE WEEK

The former England and Rangers captain Terry Butcher, now assistant manager to Scotland boss George Burley, refused to shake hands with Diego Maradona after last week's game against Argentina in protest at the hand of God goal that sank the English in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.

Munster have lost center Rua Tipoki for two months after he damaged knee ligaments in last Tuesday night's sensational defeat to the All-Blacks at Thomond Park. Hooker Jerry Flannery will have a further scan on the knee he injured against Argentina on Saturday, but flanker David Wallace will be available for next week's Heineken Cup clash with Clermont Auvergne. Wallace was stretchered off near the end of Saturday's win over Argentina but was discharged after tests at a Dublin hospital.

He's spoken about making a film in Ireland before, and now Woody Allen is at it again - provided someone shows him the euros. In a weekend interview with The Irish Times, Allen stated quite clearly that he'd love to write and direct an Irish-themed movie, if funding was made available for his low-budget but highly prestigious films (Allen's latest, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," landed a Best Supporting Actress nod for Penelope Cruz, and she's expected to win the statue at the ceremony on Sunday.) "I'm willing to shoot in any place that finances my films.

A taste of how some influential Irish writers feel about America was also evident in that same issue of The Irish Times. The issue under discussion was whether George W. Bush is the worst president ever.

Although the Irish language, or Gaelic, does not have a letter "Q", the distinctive sound of the accented "C" in some Gaelic named has caused them to be anglicized phonetically with this sound. Examples include Quinn, Quinlan, and Quigley, none of which are connected other than by their initial letter. Quinn is perhaps the most common of these names.

Increasingly, those in the artistic community have been more vocal and persuasive that their work is a very meaningful mirror on the society that it springs from.

Their work comes to us in sophisticated forms through all the media and outlets that are available to the other political, social and economic communities familiar to us globally as the worldwide community interacts.

That convergence and realization gave rise to Culture Ireland in 2005 under John O'Donoghue, the then Irish minister for arts, sports and tourism who dedicated over *2 million from his budget that first year to increase Ireland's profile throughout the cultural realm of the broad-based artistic community in Ireland.

The 3 Dimensions of U2

U23D, the new movie of the world's favorite Irish band shot using the latest 3D technology, wouldn't have happened without the American connection.

Story by Veronica Blake.

The crowd gathering outside Cineworld on a freezing cold night in February is eagerly awaiting the arrival of U2 who chose their home town of Dublin to premiere their new film U23D.