The U.S. wants the gardai (Irish police) to deliver James O’Gara, who stole $12,600 from a bank in the Bronx in April 2007. As he left the bank, he lost not just his gun, but also his cash.

Her features are unmistakably Irish, but Nassau County, L.I. District Attorney Kathleen Rice, 44, first visited

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.

News from the 32: Antrim, Armagh, Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Derry, Donegal, Down, Dublin, Fermanagh, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Limerick, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary, Tyrone, Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford, Wicklow

The latest news from around the country

Irish and Irish-Americans alike tend to be immensely proud of their surnames. But which last names win in the battle of Irishness? Here are the top 10 most popular Irish last names.

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.

News bits from each of the 32 counties in Ireland.

An Irish village is being gradually unearthed in Baltimore County in the first known survey of an Irish immigrant village in the U.S. Archaeology students at the University of Maryland, College Park, have been digging in the area which was called Texas by the Irish immigrants who settled there.

The surname Feeney is one of the most common names in Counties Sligo and Mayo. Taken from the original Gaelic form, O Fiannaidhe, meaning "soldier," the clan originated from the population group Ui Fiachrac, and it has been established that this sect was located in the Connaught province.

Dubin lightweight Stephen Ormond (4-0, 1 KO) beat Sergi Ganjelashvili (4-3-1) by unanimous decision at the Capital One Bank Theater in Westbury, Long Island on Friday night.

It was a big night for 'Billy Elliot' and Irish American Trent Kowalik on Broadway, with the musical taking ten Tonys, including Best Musical and Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical. In a first, Kowalik, a World Irish dancing champion and fifth generation Irish-American who traces his heritage to Roscommon, David Alvarez and Kiril Kulish made history when they shared the award for Leading Actor in a Musical.

Martin Nolan, 46, is an auctioneer to the stars. He is in the business of getting the best price possible for umbrellas, dresses, pictures and the like. However, these are not just anyone’s umbrellas, dresses and pictures. If Nolan's name is attached to them then you can be guaranteed they once belonged to a superstar.

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.

The National Archives of Ireland digitized online 1911 Irish census has added five more counties to its collection. Joining Antrim, Down, Dublin and Kerry are Cork, Donegal, Galway, Offaly and Wexford.

There was a dramatic day of Championship action on Sunday, with games in all four provinces. Tipperary produced a fine display to see off a resilient Cork in Semple Stadium on a scoreline of 1-19 to

Father Edward Flanagan, founder of “Boys Town” made famous by the Spencer Tracy movie, attacked Ireland's reform schools in 1946 and was roundly dismissed for doing so by the Irish establishment.

“I’m afraid we lost the run of ourselves.” So says former Irish Taoiseach (prime minister) Garrett Fitzgerald. Isn’t it refreshing to hear someone in Ireland actually point out the bleeding obvious as Monty Python used to say. Fitzgerald was speaking at an Irish networking event in New York this week and his analysis, like the governments he led in the 1980s, was both short and intelligent.

An American cop has joined the Irish police force - and won awards along the way

Irish dancers, Samuel Beckett and an Irish-American ogre represent the Irish theater contingent in this year’s Tony Award nominations. “Billy Elliot, the Musical” leads the entire pack of nominees with 15 nominations, including Best Musical and a Best Leading Actor in a Musical nod to the “Billys."

One of the most common names in Ireland, the Murphy clan has distinguished itself in every field. Among them were an Army chaplain, poet, war hero, police commissioner, and mistress. The name Murphy, the most common and widespread name in Ireland, is a derivation of the Gaelic personal name of Murchadh or Murragh, which gave rise to the different versions MacMurchadh (son of Murchadh) and O'Murchadh (descendant of Murchadh).

A couple who are planning to tie the knot in Ireland must adhere to a number of regulations for the marriage to be legally recognized by the state. Regardless of the kind of ceremony the bride and groom are planning to have in Ireland, the state must be provided with three month's notice of intention to marry. It is, in most cases, required by the state that the notice be given in person to a local registrar three months in advance of the marriage; however, in very restricted circumstances (maybe the bride and groom are undocumented and can't travel before the wedding) then an allowance may be made to meet the registrar a number of days before the marriage.

A round up of recently published Irish--themed books

Poor tickets sales due to the recession have forced Irish Ropes Promotions to cancel their St. Patrick’s Eve Erin Go Brawl II show at the

The culture of Ireland is one of Craic - or good times, in a rough English translation. This leaves the door wide open for the types of cultural festivals the country can put on.

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.

Trent Kowalik started Irish dancing at three years old. At the age of 11, he became the youngest American to be placed first at the 2006 World Irish Dance Championships in Belfast. Now he's a Broadway star, playing the lead role in the hit musical "Billy Elliot." His mother still has trouble believing it.

THE WEST Patricia Harty's tour of the West Landing in the West of Ireland "the cultural heartland" is a wonderful introduction to Ireland. "It is," as Liam Scollan, the CEO of Ireland West Airport, Co. Mayo, said, "a way for Irish-Americans whose ancestors left this part of the world centuries ago to experience Ireland, which has changed little since that time.

Peter Gallagher is starring alongside Morgan Freeman and Frances McDormand in Clifford Odete's The Country Girl on Broadway. The multi-talented star talks to CAHIR O'DOHERTY about his Irish background, his career and sharing the stage with two Oscar winners.

BACK in the late 1970s when Peter Gallagher was starring as Danny Zuko in the musical Grease on Broadway, he invited his beloved parents Mary and Tom to see the show.

IT was an exceptional year for new releases up in East Durham during the Catskills Irish Arts Week (CIAW), proving that the traditional waters are running very deep in the wellspring these days. No less than eight new recordings for artists and groups and one book (containing a companion DVD) were celebrated for their contributions to the cause in the past year.

At this juncture we would like to mention some of the CDs and the book/DVD that vividly capture the essence of what makes the CIAW tick and add so much to the week and the months that follow as the publications traveled away from the hamlet with the students and artists.

For most Irish Americans the first journey to Ireland is usually a sort of homecoming. But for author Patrick Tracey it was the start of darker voyage to confront the three generations of schizophrenia that claimed so many of his family. He talks to CAHIR O'DOHERTY about his new book on the subject.

The popular act had more in common with vaudeville than the traditional music of Chief Francis O'Neill or Michael Coleman as far as I know, but it still served as a vital link in the world of Irish American entertainment.

I am looking forward to learning more about the historic McNulty family who were last seen and heard from in the Rockaways before I was able to escape from my own carriage for some gallivanting along the boulevard at places like the Leitrim House on 103rd Street, according to elder statesman and musician Jesse Winch who grew up in New York City in the 1940s and 1950s. (Yes there are a few acts that were before my time!)

The widowed Annie "Ma" and her children Peter and Eileen sang, danced and played to Irish audiences and beyond and made several recordings on 78s that will be on display during the presentation.

We'll take you through these counties: Kilkenny, Tipperary, Offaly,

Ireland has been stunned by the details of a horrific case of child abuse in which a 40-year-old alcoholic mother-of-six has been jailed for seven years, the maximum penalty available to the judge, for a catalogue of neglect over several years, including forcing her then 13-year-old son to have sex with her. The woman confessed to cops that she was "the worst mother in the world." Health Minister Mary Harney said, "It is probably the most horrific case any of us has ever read about.

IRISH SETTLEMENT, IOWA - The Famine Irish came to this forsaken land in their thousands. They were lured from their East Coast hovels by promises of 160 acres of land, which they could homestead if they stayed longer than five years. For men and women who had endured unimaginable suffering, Iowa must have sounded like El Dorado.

An Irish bar owner in Rhode Island is being sued by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) for violating federal copyrights during a show earlier this year.

ASCAP reports that Patrick's Bar in Providence violated federal copyright law during a live show in 2008 and is seeking up to $17,000 in damages.

ASCAP's complaint states that it made several attempts by mail and other communications over many years to inform Co.

GARDAI (police) and the Irish prison authorities have been sharply criticized for not giving adequate notice to widow Ann McCabe that one of the IRA killers of her detective husband, Jerry, was being released early from jail this week.She found out about the plan in a Sunday newspaper only a day before Jeremiah Sheehy walked out of Castlerea Prison in Co. Roscommon at dawn on Monday, having served eight years of a 12-year-sentence for manslaughter.

A BODY discovered in the Hudson River on Thursday, February 7, is believed to be that of missing Roscommon native Tony Devine.Although family of Devine, who went missing on November 30 last year, are waiting for confirmation from a DNA test carried out by the New York Medical Examiner's office, possessions found on the body, as well as clothes and jewelry that Devine was wearing at the time of his disappearance, indicate that it is likely to be the 29-year old Yonkers resident.Devine, whose Christian name is James Anthony but went by Tony, was out socializing with friends in Midtown Manhattan on the night of his disappearance.

IRISH construction workers are speaking out against the dangers of the job and the necessary precautions that should be put in place to prevent future deaths after several high profile incidents in New York City involving construction deaths and injuries. Gary Maher is a carpenter from Kilkenny and now lives in Woodlawn in the Bronx. He said that it was an "awful and sad tragedy" that happened in the city two weeks ago when Shane McEvoy from Cavan fell 35 feet to his death, a death that could have been prevented if he had been wearing a safety harness.

THE granddaughter of a Roscommon-born woman from New York has won the prestigious title Queen of Roscommon at a beauty pageant held in Castlerea at the beginning of the month. Elizabeth Ann Hanrahan, 20, is a junior finance student at Manhattan College in Riverdale, New York. Hanrahan's grandmother (on her mother's side), Nora Clarke-Dowd was born and raised in Tibohine, Co.

As the sun glistened brightly over New Jersey on Thursday, August 21, crowds gathered in Paramus to see some of the world's finest golfers compete in the first round of the Barclays FedExCup at Ridgewood Country Club.

Among the world's top golfers was Ireland's golden boy Padraig Harrington. The two time British Open champion and newly crowned U.

Armagh 0-17 Roscommon 1-9

ARMAGH used a second half onslaught when they outscored their opponents by 0-11 to 0-3 to qualify for the semifinals of the Junior A competition for the fifth year in a row. With Darren Freeman leading the way with a personal total of 0-8 they had far too many weapons in the last 30 minutes. They now play Tyrone in the final four.

Donegal 1-11 Rockland 0-9

THE first team to qualify for the Junior B championship finals by way of a semifinal win was Donegal, as they used a dominant first half to steamroll Rockland.

With the game still somewhat in the balance, a high ball into Mike Miro at full forward was pulled down and dispatched to the net by the towering full forward. It was part of a 1-6 outburst in the first half that secured the win for Donegal.

Cavan 2-16

Na Fianna 0-9

CAVAN Ladies made no mistake at the second time of asking to secure their fourth title on the trot and their 14 in the history of the competition, the Sean Faherty Championship.

After they tied the game at two points apiece they never again fell behind as they used a suffocating defense to shut out the Na Fianna offense that had done so much damage a week earlier. With Mary Maguire playing a captain's part the result was always going to be a Cavan victory.

The names O'Byrne and O'Beirne (or Byrne and Beirne), often regarded as variants of the same root, are, in fact, totally different. O'Byrne is derived from the Gaelic O'Broin meaning "descended from Bran", the 11th century King of Leinster. The O'Byrnes were chieftains of what is now County Kildare until the Norman invasion when they were driven from their lands into the mountains of County Wicklow.

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.

The O'Sullivan Clan of Munster has produced fine military leaders, sporting heroes, politicians, movie stars, songwriters, and even a space walker, as the following history of one of the most popular Irish names illustrates. The O'Sullivans or Sullivans are one of the most populous of the Munster families

The origin of the names Phelan and Whelan is an excellent example of the vagaries of Anglicization of Irish names. Both of these names are derived from the same Gaelic name O'Fáolain. Although Whelan is more common, Phelan is common in areas of Kilkenny and Waterford.

McDonagh is one of the rarer surnames of Ireland, but exists also as MacDonagh, MacDonough, Donogh, and Donagh. The modern forms of the name are derived from Mac Donnchadha, which originates from the first name Donnchadh, a compound of "donn" meaning brown, plus "cath," a battle. Often translated as "brown one," Donnchadh was a popular first name in ancient times.