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

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

A Protestant farmer in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland says his pregnant sheep were attacked in an act of sectarian hostility.

After years of drink, drugs and debauchery in New York and San Francisco’s well-known Irish haunts, author Colin Broderick finally cleaned up his act and wrote a searing new book about his life. Then, as though by magic, came Barack Obama’s literary agent and a major book deal.

An Irish builder with IRA links has been jailed for 18 months on weapons, immigration and tax fraud charges in Pennsylvania. Sean O'Neill, from County Tyrone, also faces deportation to Ireland after he finishes his sentence as it was revealed during the gun investigation that he had lied about his IRA past on immigration forms.

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

Two men have been arrested in Northern Ireland over a bomb alert on the Irish border. The two were held after a 600 lb bomb was found in an abandoned van in Clady in County Tyrone.

A border town in Northern Ireland has been sealed off after a 600lb bomb was found in an abandoned van. Police sealed off Clady near Strabane in

The name Connolly is derived from several different roots. In Connaught and Monaghan it derives from the Gaelic O'Coingeallaigh. Both are anglicized to Connolly although the spelling form Connelly is often found in Galway.

These three names and others of a similar sound such as Donnellan and Donlon are sometimes confused, as spelling variations have occurred among emigrant families. They are, however, totally distinct, and indeed both the McDonnells and O'Donnells are made up of several distinct septs. The main branch of the O'Donnells, based in Donegal, is the most eminent of the Gaelic families, leading back to Niall of the Nine Hostages, but owing their name to one Domhnaill.

Ireland’s gorgeous landscape and mild year-round temperatures make it the perfect location for a hike or stroll. The quiet country roads of Ireland are perfect for casual walkers, while the mountains and forests provide great trails for extreme hikers.

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

In the upcoming film “The Virgin of Las Vegas,” Liam Neeson portrays an Irish showband singer with a dead end career who heads to Las Vegas to turn things around. Now reports say the Irish veteran actor will sing his own songs in the movie.

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

Welcome to Ireland’s revitalized North and Northwest! Even the hip Lonely Planet Bluelist proclaims Northern Ireland as the hot new destination, and cites Belfast as one of the top cities on the rise.

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

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

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

Senator Edward Kennedy - who freely acknowledged that his own family would not be allowed to immigrate to the U.S. now - was a real champion for the undocumented Irish.

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 recently discovered mass grave of Irish railroad workers in Pennsylvania — at first believed to have been victims of a cholera outbreak — has taken a far-darker turn: Investigators at the site, known as Duffy's Cut, told IrishCentral that at least two of the skulls they have unearthed were found to have had blunt-force trauma inflicted on them at the time of death.

The latest news from around the country

An Irish contractor is due in federal court tomorrow to face corruption charges related to a bribery scheme involving New York City’s carpenters union. Finbar O'Neill, 44, from County Tyrone, surrendered to the FBI at Newark International Airport on Wednesday after returning from Ireland.

On a visit to Mexico on Monday, President Barack Obama told reporters that immigration reform would have to wait until next year, although movement will begin on the contentious issue in fall.

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.

The two men jailed for the 1996 manslaughter of Irish police detective Jerry McCabe were released from prison in Limerick today. Kevin Walsh from Limerick and Pearse McCauley from Strabane, Co Tyrone, walked out of Castlerea Prison at about 7 a.m. and were met by Sinn Fein TD Martin Ferris.

The bodies of 57 Irish immigrants who were left for dead in an unmarked mass grave outside Philadelphia may finally be buried in Ireland. “We hope to find every piece of these men's history, recover it and return them home," said Lutheran pastor Frank Watson working on the mass grave known as Duffy's Cut. Watson has been working with his brother William and a team of archeologists at Duffy's Cut in Malvern, PA, to try and discover what happened to the men in 1832.

The name Caulfield is one about which much confusion arises. A name of several origins, few patronymics have acquired so many anglicized versions, the more common being MacCaul and MacCawell. Other variations include MacCall, MacHall, MacCarvill, MacCowhill, Callwell, Howell, Campbell and Gaffney.

The talent, skill and heart displayed by 25 lads from Ireland last weekend earned the New York Irish soccer team a place in the semifinals of the prestigious Copa soccer tournament this coming Saturday.

The case against the Co. Tyrone man who is accused of murdering his on again/off again girlfriend in Queens in April was adjourned on Monday, July 20 at the Queens Criminal Court until September.

News bits from each of the 32 counties in Ireland.

Bob Devlin, the recently appointed chairman of the American Irish Historical Society (AIHS), believes the society’s building on Fifth Avenue is the greatest “hidden treasure” in New York.

A County Tyrone man may be saved from deportation after a High Court in Belfast last month overturned the convictions of two men charged with membership to a radical youth group associated with the IRA in Ireland in the late 1970s.

Gerry Adams convened a conference on Irish unity in New York on Saturday as part of what he described as “the start of an engagement with the Irish diaspora.” Hundreds of Irish Americans attended, with writers and academics joining Adams on the podium.

Gary McGurk, the County Tyrone man living in the U.S. since he was ten and now accused of murdering his NYPD criminologist girlfriend in April, told detectives he once considered joining the priesthood.

Victory and justice for the families of the Omagh bomb victims has been served today after they won an historic multi-million dollar civil action suit against four men responsible for the worst atrocity during the Troubles.

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.

The Irish Arts Center of New York City has brought their hugely successful “Fighting Irishmen” exhibition overseas for the first time to Northern Ireland. Some of the biggest names in Irish boxing, including Barry McGuigan, Paul McCloskey and Charlie Nash, attended the launch.

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

THERE was standing room only at Rory Dolan’s Irish restaurant in Yonkers on Wednesday, May 6, at an immigration meeting hosted by the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform. “There’s nothing going on in Ireland anymore. There are no jobs,” said Alan, 25, a native of Co. Limerick who has been working in New York for the past four months. “They say things are bad here, but I’ve still managed to find construction work. Not a hope of that in Ireland. There will be plenty more Irish coming over here very soon because it’s so bad. I hope ILIR is able to do something for them, and me.”

Cathal McCarron will play no part in Tyrone's Ulster championship campaign after being handed a 12-week suspension.

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.

The name Walsh or Welsh is one of the most numerous of the Norman associated names found in Ireland. It seems to have been the name used independently by the many different groups of Welsh people who arrived in Ireland with the Normans during the 12th century. The name simply means Welshman and its early Norman form was "Le Waleys" but this became gradually anglicized to Walsh.

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).

Death threats ramped up against Martin McGuinness. NI police tell McGuinness dissidents are planning to kill him.

A Co. Tyrone man living in Philadelphia who was once involved in a radical young group with IRA ties in Northern Ireland pleaded guilty to a rake of charges in a Pennsylvania court.

The secret life on an IRA man living in Pennsylvania has come back to haunt him after his son and daughter were both involved in separate - and unrelated - deaths.

The secret life on an IRA man living in Pennsylvania has come back to haunt him after his son and daughter were both involved in separate homicides.

Being a small island nation, Ireland is watersports mad. Whether it's scuba diving, canoeing or kiteboarding, there are oceans of water sports on offer in Ireland.