Buzz Brady: Susan Boyle has reportedly stepped up her security measures after being stalked by an American woman. Boyle has apparently received a number of letters from the ‘stalker’, but finally asked for extra protection when the fan turned up at her home

According to a recent study, Dublin has the highest rate of gun murder in Europe. The rate is almost as high as some cities in the U.S. like Washington D.C. So far this year, 19 gun murders, all of which were gang related, have occurred in Ireland’s capital city, which has a population of 1.2 million.

After her beloved Irish mother died, Susan Boyle’s home was quiet for weeks. But eventually, the singer began to play her music again, decided to audition for “Britain’s Got Talent,” and the rest is history.

Gerard Butler, who has been romantically linked to celebrities like Lindsay Lohan, says there is no pattern to the type of women he dates but they are usually “too crazy” for him to handle.

What does the current commotion at Knock Shrine tell us about Ireland today? Ten thousand people gathered there last weekend form all over Ireland hoping to see the Virgin Mary appear, as she is thought to have done back in

It's official! Thanks in no small part to Colin Farrell, the Irish accent is now the sexiest in the world. French men can only hang their heads in shame as they came FOURTH - just ahead of the Australian accent.

Glasgow Rangers' spending during the 1990s and the early part of this decade has resulted in the club being $49M in debt with huge question marks over its financial future. The situation at the club has gotten so bad that Lloyds bank have appointed Donald Muir to the club’s Board of Directors amid claims that the bank now controls the club.

She might be the biggest star on earth right now but Susan Boyle knows where to head for Christmas.

The Irish Catholic shrine where 10,000 people showed up on Saturday in hopes of seeing a vision of the Virgin Mary also happens to be the spiritual home of singing sensation Susan Boyle.

Up to 50,000 people are predicted to gather at Knock in Ireland today for an apparition by the Virgin Mary. Dubliner Joe Coleman, the man who predicted the apparition said Our Lady would be visible to those "with an open heart."

Mel Gibson, a recovering alcoholic who was arrested for drunk driving in 1984 and 2006, said he hasn't been back to Scotland since shooting “Braveheart” in 1995 because he fears it would have a damaging effect on him.

Niall O'Dowd: I get contacted about Susan Boyle Web sites all the time but rarely wish to promote them. This one in particular, however, is excellent as a reference site for anyone who needs to learn quickly about Susan Boyle or just revisit old memories.

Tom Brady has been talking up his Irish heritage ahead of leading his New England Patriots out against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Wembley in London this Sunday.

Grand Slam winner Stephen Ferris is out of the Ulster Squad for Sunday's game against Leinster with a hand injury.

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.

Celtic chief Peter Lawwell has repeated his team’s desire to play in England’s Premier League, and Old Firm legend Ally McCoist believes the time is right for Celtic and Rangers to quit

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.

Hundreds of people are flocking to a rural shrine in Donegal amidst reports of a weeping statue of Mary and flashing crosses in the night sky.

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.

Peter Quinn remembers Danny Cassidy.

  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

They saved the best for last on the finale of “America’s Got Talent” – a performance by Susan Boyle. She may not dance like Shakira, and she may not be as gorgeous as Leona Lewis, both of whom also appeared on the show, but the amazing singer doesn’t need all the glitz and glam to deliver a knockout performance.

Patrick Swayze's family were today mourning the Hollywood star who died Monday from pancreatic cancer. "He was born with a star on his head," said his Irish American mom

The Reidy family surname (also Reedy, Riedy, Reid, and O'Reidy) is an Anglicized version of the Gaelic name Riada. The family was part of the Dalcassian sept and in early Gaelic times lived in the southwest of Ireland, in the Munster counties of Clare and Kerry.

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 Barony of Kinalmeaky, County Cork, has one of the highest concentrations of the name Harrington, the Irish family name not to be confused with the English Harrington. Although some Harringtons living in Ireland undoubtedly come from English heritage, the Irish name in Gaelic was originally O hIongardail, which became anglicized as O'Hungerdell and then Harrington.

Ireland slogged out  a narrow win over South Africa with a free kick from Liam Lawrence at

“Britain’s Got Talent” singing sensation Susan Boyle, 48, is the definition of an overnight star. But to her voice coach, the Irish born Fred O’Neil, 41, the formerly unemployed, unmarried singer deserves all the success that has finally come her way.

Belfast, Northern Ireland’s most populous city, offers the buzz and vibrancy of a capital city while being a gateway to the rural retreat of Northern Ireland.

The Irish aren’t the only ones who love Susan Boyle. Japanese filmmakers plan on traveling to Boyle’s Scottish hometown and filming a documentary charting the singing sensation’s fairytale rise to fame.

The father of 12-year-old IRA victim Tim Parry who was killed in the 1993 attack on Warrington has called on Libya to compensate the victims of IRA terrorism. Parry has urged British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to lobby Libya for compensation saying that Libya - which was a major supplier of guns and explosives to the IRA - should face up to its responsibility.

Americans are being urged to buy Irish instead of Scottish whisky and travel to Ireland rather than Britain in order to protest Scotland’s release of Lockerbie bomber Abdelbeset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi.

Mac Cionnaith argues that the use of terms such as “hardliners” and a “paramilitary driven socialist all Ireland agenda” in a recent article by Niall O'Dowd paints a false picture of éirígí for the Irish-American community.

The buzz of anticipation is already building and on Tuesday night the uninitiated will get a chance to savor an atmosphere that Tony Mowbray believes is completely unique in football when Arsenal visit Celtic Park to take on the Bhoys.

The date of Glasgow Celtic’s fourth round Champions League qualifying draw with Arsenal is in jeopardy due to the fact that U2 will be playing a show at Scotland’s Hampden Park on the same night.

Susan Boyle has gone glam in the newest issue of Harper’s Bazaar, wowing fans and foes alike with her stunning first magazine photo shoot.

She's on her way! Susan Boyle is set to do a series of shows in the U.S. in November. "This is the best news ever," said Anna Coogan from her home in Philadelphia.

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

Cahir O'Doherty talks to Brendan McCarthy and John McDonnall, the Irish writer and producer behind the new film Wake Wood, and the Dublin-based production Company Fantastic Films, their all-Irish film company devoted to tales of horror and the supernatural.

This is the first day of my official campaign to team up "Harry Potter" star Evanna Lynch with "Twilight's" Robert

An American writer who has written glowingly about Ireland in the top-selling "Better Home and Gardens" magazine spent four days flying back and forth across the Atlantic after being refused entry into Ireland.

The most familiar sound at a feis is normally the jigging of the accordions, keyboards and violins, the instruments that typically accompany Irish step-dancing. At the Rockland County Feis, another noise was in the mix, sharp and sustained – the pipes. More than 35 pipe bands competed at the festival, and it’s one of the bigger pipe band contests in the country.

Pádraig Harrington has blown his chances of winning a third straight title at the British Open in Scotland. The Dubliner posted a six-over-par third round of 76 and is now nine over for the tournament and 14 shots off the

PHOTO GALLERY/IRISH 6 TO WATCH/CLICK HERE Irish youngster Rory McIlroy is third favorite to win the British Open at Turnberry this weekend even though this is his first time playing in the the Open Championship as a

British bookmakers are betting that Susan Boyle's new album will be No. 1. in Britain at Christmas this year according to new reports. Every year there is major betting on which album will reach the coveted Number One spot at the holiday season.

Everyone knows Paul McCartney as the Beatles and Wings member is an insanely successful singer-songwriter, musician, composer, producer, painter, entrepreneur and peace and animal activist. He is less well-known for his Irish roots and strong ties to Ireland.

A prospective corporate client who wanted to book Susan Boyle for a performance was told that for just three songs lasting about four minutes each, the total cost would be an astounding £115,000 ($186,000). That means Susan’s angelic singing voice is so in demand that the singer is charging over $14,000 per minute. Clearly Susan’s wealth and star power is rising, and this only makes her a greater catch for some lucky man out there.

Any avid reader or casual book fan who plans a getaway to the beach during the summer is sure to pack one essential item: the perfect beach read. IrishCentral has compiled recent Irish and Irish-American releases (and re-releases) that would make the perfect beach books.

Travelers have spoken, and several Irish sites have made the list of the Top 100 Greatest Places to Stand on the Planet. StoodThere.com has put forward 100 of “the World’s most wondrous, inspiring, or thought-provoking locations,” and has invited people to vote for the Greatest Place to Stand on Planet Earth 2009.

The High Court in Belfast has upheld a 270-year-old ban on the use of the Irish language in court proceedings in the North. Caoimhin Mac Giolla Cathain had taken the case after his application for an occasional drinks license was returned. He was told that his application could not be considered because it was not in English.