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

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

Meet IrishCentral’s latest winner of a free trip to Ireland: Susan Condon. Condon, who is a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Coast Guard, will travel to the Emerald Isle over the Thanksgiving holiday to visit her father, John Shanahan, who lives in Drogheda, County Louth.

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

He might be one of the most famous people ever "Born in the USA" but Bruce Springsteen is Irish! A new book has discovered that Springsteen has Irish roots through his paternal grandmother Martha O'Hagan. She married Springsteen's grandfather, Anthony Springsteen, who was of Dutch ancestry, in 1899. And it turns out that Martha's grandmother, Ann Garrity, hailed from County Westmeath.

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

It is 30 years to the day since Pope John Paul II visited Ireland in a three-day visit that brought the country to a standstill. Nearly 3 million people turned out to welcome the Pontiff at five venues; Dublin, Drogheda, Galway, Limerick and Knock. The numbers were phenomenal when you consider that the population of the Republic was 3,368,217 in 1979.

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

  Introduction Ireland is an island on the western fringe of Europe between latitude 51 1/2 and 55 1/2 degrees north, and longitude 5 1/2 to 10 1/2 degrees west. Its greatest length, from Malin Head in the north to Mizen Head in the south, is 486 km and its greatest width from east to west is approximately 275

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

The McCain family name originated in the Gaelic as O'Cathain, and is derived from Cathain, who was a ninth century ancestor of the King of Tara. Conchobar, son of Fergal Mac Mael Duin of the O'Neills, formed the O'Cahan sept, which came to be known as the "Warrior Clan of Ulster." The O'Cahan clan served as subordinate kings to the O'Neills who granted them the titles "King of Kianaght, King of Limavaday, and King of Fir-na-Creabh.

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

An Irish couple have become a surprise YouTube hit after their wedding was hit by an earthquake in Italy. Ian and Monica Devine were holding their faiytale wedding in Monica's home town of Athina when the church was rocked by an earthquake measuring 3.9 on the Richter scale.

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

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.

The latest news from around the country

Bits and bobs from newspapers across Ireland's 32 counties, North and South.

The tiny village of Termonfeckin in County Louth in Ireland is being swamped by Harry Potter

The Irish government designated May 17, 2009 as the first National Famine Memorial Day. On that day, Irish people throughout the world remembered and honored the victims of Ireland’s Great Hunger

News bits from around the 32 counties in Ireland.

Cathal Dervan provides upcoming match updates and contract news from soccer around Ireland and England, from the Ford FAI Cup to the Premiership.

"Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince" often feels like a stopgap between the previous Potter film and the final confrontation in "The Deathly Hallows," but it’s a remarkably entertaining one and should not be missed.

Harry Potter's Evanna Lynch will be the star of the show at the Irish premiere of The Half-Blood Prince this week. However, the young Irish actress - who plays Luna "looney" Lovegood is keeping her feet firmly on the ground amidst the Potter hype.

News bits from each of the 32 counties in Ireland.

Ireland’s Evanna Lynch is winning rave reviews from English fans for her performance in the new Harry Potter film. This time out, in "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," we get to see Harry’s growing affection for Luna, the otherworldly girl who tells him she wears shoes to bed because she frequently sleep walks.

Cathal Dervan highlights the recent transfer news regarding departures and arrivals of some of Ireland's best footballers, the result of the British and Irish Lions' third test against South Africa and the past week's Gaelic action from Ireland.

As American fans prepare for next week's premier of “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” , IrishCentral is celebrating the movie’s Irish star, Evanna Lynch.

With video: The sensational Susan Boyle gave her thousands of Irish fans the thrill of their lifetimes last night when she appeared onstage at the O2 Center in Dublin.

EXCLUSIVE: Irish actress Evanna Lynch is famous her recurring role as the eccentric Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter film blockbusters, and will next star in "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." She talks to IrishCentral about the movie - and gives away a BIG secret!

Take a week out to trace St. Patrick’s footsteps and explore Ireland’s Christian tradition. You might not be able to drive the snakes out of the country, but you can at least learn about the man, the myth and Ireland’s religious past.

Ireland’s golf courses are a mecca for golf lovers. There are about 440 in the country - and according to Ireland’s official tourism agency, the Emerald Isle has more golf courses than any country of comparable size on the planet. No wonder then that the sport is a major draw for tourists - hundreds of thousands of golfers come here each year.

The Boyne Valley is home to some of Ireland's most important archeological landscapes. The most famous - Newgrange - predates the Pyramids by hundreds of years. Not to mention the river which runs through the area giving the Boyne Valley its name. Join Andy Spearman on a stroll through this heritage area.

Evanna Lynch was a huge Harry Potter fan years before she was a character in a Harry Potter film. And she wasn't just a run of the mill enthusiast; instead she was the kind of fan who knew exactly how to make the weird radish earrings that her character in the new film "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," Luna Lovegood, likes to wear. And as it turned out, she was so good at designing strange jewelry that the film's costume department decided to use her creations rather than their own.

SHE spoke fondly of her Irish roots at the recent Top 100 Irish Americans event hosted by our sister publication Irish America magazine - well, as fondly as possible when you throw in a few four letter words! - so it was natural that comic Kathy Griffin would take the next step and make a trip to the old country for herself.

Kathy visited Drogheda in Co. Louth last week with a TV camera in tow - her Irish escapades were filmed for her Bravo series My Life on the D List.

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.

Archbishop Timothy Dolan's second grade teacher, Sister Bosco Daly from Ireland, was front and center, reading at the service, at yesterday's official installment of the new archbishop of

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.

BRENDAN Fay, the Drogheda-born, New York-based Irish gay activist, was startled to learn that Polish President Lech Kaczynski had used Fay's wedding photo to his American born partner Dr. Tom Moulton during a presidential address to the nation last week.With a Polish network broadcasting a photo of the couple's marriage certificate, the president warned that adopting the new EU constitutional treaty could open the door to same-sex marriage in Poland.

AN Irish genealogist uncovered a link between GOP presidential candidate Senator John McCain and an officer in King William of Orange's army who fought Catholic King James at the Battle of the Boyne. Sean Murphy, University College of Dublin genealogist and lecturer, discovered McCain's link to the Battle of the Boyne while he was researching the relationship between the senator and an Irish family called the Coddingtons.Prior to Murphy's research it had been confirmed that McCain's great-great-great-great grandfather Captain John Young, born in 1737, was Irish.

There has been furious reaction to the revelation that disgraced obstetrician Dr. Michael Neary has collected more than $900,000 since his enforced early retirement nine years ago.

Details of his pension of more than $100,000 a year which he continues to collect although struck off the Medical Register emerged in a two-part RTE television drama documentary on his bungling as an obstetrician at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda.

Valentia Coast Guard station, the Irish base of the original trans-Atlantic cable station which linked Europe and the U.S., has been saved from the axe in a government u-turn.

COBH Ramblers were the big losers when the FAI's licensing committee granted licenses for the new season on Monday. The Cork side has been demoted to the League of Ireland's A Division, with Kildare County re-instated in the First Division. Athlone Town, Cork City and Kildare were given licenses on the basis that financial commitments they have made will be honored before the start of the 2009 season .

JEFF Kenna has set his sights on silverware after leaving Galway United to become the new manager at St. Patrick's Athletic. Kenna has appointed former Canadian international Paul Peschiosolido as his assistant .

Aiden McGeady marked his return to the Celtic side with the Scottish Cup winner against Dundee on Saturday just hours after dropping his appeal against a recent fine and suspension following a row with manager Gordon Strachan. McGeady's first game in a month ended with a late winner on his comeback, with Strachan suitably impressed by the Irish youngster's form. Strachan said, "Aiden did well.

Aiden McGeady marked his return to the Celtic side with the Scottish Cup winner against Dundee on Saturday just hours after dropping his appeal against a recent fine and suspension following a row with manager Gordon Strachan. McGeady's first game in a month ended with a late winner on his comeback, with Strachan suitably impressed by the Irish youngster's form. Strachan said, "Aiden did well.