A little girl, Ruby Ayoub, who would have been six this week, was buried in Dublin on Monday following her death from meningitis which doctors wrongly diagnosed as swine flu.

At the tender age of 23 in 1987, Irishman Steve Conway began the adventure of a lifetime onboard a leaky ship called the Ross Revenge, the floating home of legendary “Pirate Radio” station Radio Caroline, which originally started broadcasting during the 1960s. He talks about the real life experiences that inspired the film “Pirate Radio” which opens this weekend, and his new book “Shiprocked”.

Steep rises in health insurance premiums are crippling small Irish businesses and putting workers’ health at risk. “We were trying to pull a rabbit out of a hat every year,” says Sean Keogh, originally from Templeogue in County Dublin.

Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Brian Cowen has urged workers to embrace reform of the public service rather than viewing it as a threat. He made it clear that a shake-up of the system has to happen in order to make dramatic savings to reduce the country's debt.

Ireland has a long and bloody history, which means that naturally, haunted places can be found all over the country. We’ve done our research here at IrishCentral and come up with what we think are the 10 most haunted places in all of the Emerald Isle.

WITH VIDEO: Aileen Dooley bears the scars of battle, but the “swollen and bruised” arm she is suffering from Monday will soon heal, and the title of Irish Conker Champion, which she won yesterday, will endure for a year. “I am wearing the bruises with pride, believe me,” Dooley told Irish radio. "I woke up this morning and thought what just happened 'I am the Irish Conker Champion!"

April Drew: You'd think that emigrating to the U.S., Canada or Australia from Ireland would be easy. We speak the same language. Right? Think again! The Irish seem to speak a foreign language no matter where they are. Take a read and see what you think.

We here at IrishCentral took on the painstaking job of staring at countless images of attractive Irish men and women to determine the 10 hottest. And now here they are: the Hottest 10 Out of Ireland – enjoy!

Dinosaurs were the only things on the mind of four-year-old Patrick Dillon as he waited patiently with his parents, sister and grandfather for the door of his new school to open at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, September 8.

The collapse of the bridge in County Dublin on the Dublin-Belfast rail line will cause chaos for over 20,000 commuters now that Ireland’s transportation authority says the line will be shut down for months.

Irish singer/songwriter Lesley Roy will perform the National Anthem at the Mets’ home stadium during Irish Night at Citi Field on Friday, August 21.

The Carlin name is found in County Limerick, where they held a family seat in ancient times, as well as in the counties of Meath, Derry, Cavan, Monaghan and Tyrone. The name is derived from the original Gaelic forms, O Caireallain and O Cearbhallain.

IKEA, both a home furnishings store and for many, a philosophy, has opened today in Dublin to a crush of thousands of shoppers.

The husband of an Irish-born woman who grew up in Pennsylvania was charged with her brutal murder in early June.

It was like a scene from a beauty pageant. Nine striking women, three of whom were Irish, sat side by side donned in summer colors with orderly haircuts and brightly shaded manicures. Although it could very well have been a beauty pageant, it wasn’t. It was a celebration of life. A celebration of 100 years of life on this earth.

The wait is finally over. A year after her stint on American Idol, Irish rock diva Carly Smithson has partnered with former Evanescence band members and released her first song, “Bury Me Alive,” on Monday, June 22.

Sixteen young women in New York and New Jersey are vying for a chance to represent their state at the 50th annual Rose of Tralee International Festival to be held in Co. Kerry this summer.

PRESIDENT Mary McAleese and Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Brian Cowen led a string of tributes to the memory of the three young doctors, all friends and one a former Riverdance star, who are missing feared dead in the Air France trans-Atlantic disaster. McAleese said, “My thoughts and prayers, and the thoughts of everyone, are with the Irish families and the families of everyone on board at this very difficult time.”

Dublin lightweight Stephen Ormond (3-0, 1 KO) will make his New York debut this Friday night when he takes on Washington Hago (4-4, 2 KOs) at the Capital One Bank Theater in Westbury, Long Island on a Lou DiBella-promoted Broadway Boxing card.

Irish Americans have reacted with shock and outrage at the revelations of the Ryan report which has detailed the extent of the abuse of Ireland's children which took place in Church-run institutions. They all agreed that a collar should not protect anyone from prosecution.

Irish Americans have reacted with shock and outrage at the revelations of the Ryan report which has detailed the extent of the abuse of Ireland's children which took place in Church-run institutions. They all agreed that a collar should not protect anyone from prosecution.

During this tough economic time, Irish bookmaker Paddy Power is doing exceptionally well. Now, Ireland’s biggest betting Web site is capitalizing even more on the recession by inviting users to place bets on the economy.

Irish and Irish American women react passionately to Elizabeth Edwards' decision to stand by her philandering husband, which she talks about in her new memoir, "Resilience"

Two young Irish men have set up a one stop shop website for Irish travelers planning a trip to New York: www.visitnewyork.ie.

'Yes, he might have done something terrible to someone else, but I would remember that he loves me and he didn't do it to me.' A surprising number of Irish American women back Megan McAllister as she stands by fiance accused of Craigslist killing.

Irishwoman Lorna Byrne says she talks to angels. Her startling memoir went for a six-figure sum, but she doubts the money will change her.

Ireland has tons of arts festivals for visitors to attend. Here is a list of some highlights.

Ireland hosts numerous sport festivals every year. Here's a list of some of the best.

The Irish undocumented have warmly welcomed the news that the Obama administration will address the issue of immigration reform in the next couple of months. Many of them have been living in the U.S. for many years and haven’t been home in a very long time.

Ali Hewson, activist and wife of U2’s megastar frontman Bono (a.k.a. Paul Hewson), credits her family’s home country of Ireland for keeping them levelheaded.

Dancers say that although they enjoy all the glamor they would much prefer not to have to wear a wig.

The U.S is seeking the extradition of an Irish doctor who fled Florida before being due to stand trial on child sex abuses charges

An Irish man is selling his entire online business in a last-ditch attempt to save his 7-year-old son’s life. County Dublin boy James Leahy is suffering from stage four Neuroblastoma and time is running

An Irish company has invented a super potato which they say can protect the body from heart disease and cancer. The super potato is packed with selenium, an essential mineral and super antioxidant which plays an important role in the immune system. The company, Peter Keogh & Sons of

Declan O'Kelly talks to soccer analyst Keith Costigan about his career in soccer and how he scored the hot seat as an analyst on the Fox Soccer Channel.

The first surfer on record in Ireland was Joe Roddy, an industrious 14-year-old in County Louth who hit the waves on a paddle board he made from a work book manual. Today there are 50,000 surfers in Ireland, which has become a popular destination for the world’s surfing community.

We here at IrishCentral took on the painstaking job of staring at countless images of attractive Irish men and women to determine the 10 hottest. And now here they are: the Hottest 10 Out of Ireland – enjoy!

An inquest into the death of a Co. Dublin man in Oregon last year was opened and then adjourned in

When people think surfing, they think Hawaii; they think hot sunny weather, clear oceans and tropical surroundings. Believe it or not, surfers who know their stuff have discovered some of the best surf in none other than the Emerald Isle. Ireland’s not just green fields – it’s also home to some epic waves.

Once you have found the information on where your ancestor came from in Ireland, you can start looking at the Irish records. If you want to carry out your own research, Irish records are slowly becoming available online or by CD-ROM.

Although actress S'nead Cusack was born into one of Ireland's most noted theater clans, she never took it for granted. The daughter of Cyril and Maureen Cusack, two of the most beloved actors the country ever produced, she spent many years climbing out of their shadows and forging her own career. For Cusack, like so many Irish before her, finding her independence meant moving abroad - in her case to England - where she became a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1975, fulfilling a lifelong dream.

Every year since 1901, the international Nobel Prize has been awarded for achievements in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature and for peace. There is an elite group of Irish and Northern Irish scholars and activists who have won this prestigious award.

A Celebrity christening came to the lovely village of Malahide, Co. Dublin on Sunday afternoon, when twins Rocco and Jay Byrne - grandsons of Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Bertie Ahern, son of pop star Nicky Byrne of Westlife, nephews of best-selling novelist Cecelia Ahern - were greeted by a phalanx of cameras and calmly took it all in stride. The 3-month-old adorable First Grand-sons slept soundly and were well behaved throughout the ceremony, which was attended by Grandpa Bertie and all of Nicky's Westlife bandmates, Bertie's daughter Georgina gave birth to the boys several weeks prematurely, and judging by the photos they've all thrived since.

A YEAR ago Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Bertie Ahern turned some sod on the Alfie Byrne Road across from the reclaimed land in Dublin Bay and near the Port Tunnel on Dublin's North Side to signal the long-anticipated beginning of Clasac, a traditional arts center. The symbolic gesture by the leader of the Irish nation at the invitation of the Clontarf branch of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann followed the most ambitious plan of cooperation between the Irish government and one of the country's leading cultural movements devoted to traditional Irish music.

The multi-million euro project anticipates a launch later this year, but it's more likely to be fully completed in the new year based on a visit I made to the site in September.

Since their March 2005 debut, Ireland's Celtic Women have enjoyed the kind of success that other singing groups can only dream of. CAHIR O'DOHERTY talks to the Irish super-group's newest member Alex Sharpe about their dizzying success and their upcoming New York shows at Radio City Music Hall.

IN the music industry the phrase "multi-platinum seller" is sweet music to everyone's ears - it means you've just sold several million records.

THERE has always been something more appealing to me than the mere playing of notes and tunes in traditional Irish music. Sometimes people associate that with the craic and enjoyment surrounding the playing of it, listening to it or dancing to it and that certainly adds to its aura and enduring charm.

To me, it is the heart of the musician who is playing, whether it is to a crowd of a thousand or more or just for themselves and a few friends where the intensity never varies.

IT was quite a weekend of celebration for Irish PM Bertie Ahern.

The election results put him back into power despite media predictions saying he'd be kicked to the curb. Even better, his adorable twin grandsons, who were recently born several weeks premature, have been given a clean bill of health, as evidenced by their first photo op with grandpa, mom Georgina (Bertie's daughter), and dad Nicky Byrne, a member of the pop group Westlife.

Ireland is a small country that's big on charm, wit and hospitality. And, thanks to a booming economy and the infusion of millions from multi-national companies, Ireland East and Dublin is one of the most rapidly expanding areas in Europe today. Ireland has breathtaking scenery, luxurious five-star resorts with world-class spas, gourmet cuisine and more than 400 top-notch golf courses, but the Emerald Isle is also known for its advanced networking, conferencing and exposition facilities and is a leading destination for today's mobile business traveler.

Hugh Leonard, the Irish playwright and commentator whose father-and-son drama "Da" won critical acclaim on Broadway and was the basis of a 1988 film starring Martin Sheen, died on Thursday, February 12 at the age of 82. Leonard had been receiving hospital treatment for some time. Over the course of his and long and prolific career Leonard wrote and adapted several screenplays and books for television, including his adaptation of the James Plunkett novel "Strumpet City" for RTE, Ireland's national broadcaster.

The American Ireland Fund, an organization that raises money for various charities operating in Ireland, has deferred the acceptance of €10 million from the Irish government, citing the need for the money to be kept in Ireland during these harsh economic times. American Ireland Fund President Kieran McLoughlin told the Irish Voice that the organization, which was set up in 1976 by Pittsburgh Steelers football chairman Dan Rooney and Irish businessman Tony O'Reilly to support peace and reconciliation projects across Ireland, has for over 30 years supported Ireland when it needed to be supported, so to accept the money at "a time when Ireland is in great need," would, said McLoughlin, "be a betrayal of that purpose." In 2006 the Irish government announced a €10 million monetary gift to be bestowed upon the American Ireland Fund in recognition of the $300 million they have raised for projects in Ireland since its establishment in 1976.