Free Republic

Northern Irish singer Rose-Marie Kane has died suddenly aged 68. Tributes poured in on Friday as her heartbroken family and friends announced she passed away at her second home in Blackpool on social media. The Northern Ireland singer, originally from County Down, released 19 albums throughout her career and sold out the London Palladium on several occasions.

In the lead up to the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) operation to destroy Hamas and secure the release of over 100 hostages – including 8 Americas – believed to be in and around Rafah, leaders around the world from Joe Biden to the collective leftist leaders of the European Union to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi panicked and ordered Israel to forestall its necessary means to end the war.Why did world leaders clamor for Israel to do nothing?What are they hiding?It turns out they are hiding a lot.Over one million Gazans were said to be sheltering in humanitarian safe areas...

Just over 1,000 new electric cars were sold here in May, down over 39% on the same month last year. This is the fourth month in a row that new EV sales have dropped. New figures from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) show that just over 10,000 new EVs have been registered across the country so far this year, down almost 22% on the same period in 2023. Petrol cars continue to lead the new car market, with a share of over 33%, followed by diesel at 23%, hybrid (petrol electric) at around 20%, electric at just...

... Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said that free contraception will now be available for women aged 17 to 35. The Free Contraception Scheme was first introduced in 2022 from 17-25-year-olds, and was extended last year. The scheme provides for the cost of prescription contraception, including the cost of consultations with medical professionals and fitting and/or removal of various types of contraceptives. The range of contraceptive options currently available include contraceptive injections, implants, IUS and IUDs (coils), the contraceptive patch and ring and various forms of oral contraceptive pill, including emergency contraception. The Government said that the extension is supported by...

The sale of tobacco products from self-service cigarette and vape vending machines is to be banned next year under measures being introduced by Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly. The machines are often found in bars and nightclubs. […] … Donnelly said the ban was a continuation of Government policy to “de-normalize” the sale of tobacco products. “On ‘World No Tobacco Day’, I am bringing into operation further elements of our overall tobacco control strategy,” he said. […] The Department of Health said the ban was a recommendation of Tobacco Free Ireland and is in line with the Program for Government...

Following the joint press conference in Brussels, Belgium on Tuesday, where the governments of Spain, Ireland, and Norway recognized a Palestinian state along the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital, Christians in Ireland and Norway criticized their respective governments' decisions. Christian leaders in Ireland and Norway, affiliated with the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ), issued statements on Tuesday rejecting their governments' unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state. They denounced the recognition as a grave mistake and a "reward for terrorism," arguing that the move would not contribute to peace in the region. “Christian supporters of Israel in Ireland sense...

After the announcement last week that Spain, Norway and Ireland would recognize the state of Palestine, a visibly-delighted Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations came to talk to the press. “We need somebody to take pictures,” Riyad Mansour said, ushering the Irish, Spanish and Norwegian envoys into an impromptu photoshoot just outside the UN Security Council. “A glorious day today,” Mr. Mansour declared as the four ambassadors stood shoulder-to-shoulder. […] All this, the supporters of Palestinian statehood hope, is gathering momentum towards the implementation of a two-state solution. That is not how Israel, nor its closest ally, the US, see...

Irish Ambassador to Israel Sonya McGuinness was summoned to the Israeli Foreign Affairs Ministry in Jerusalem today and reprimanded over Ireland’s decision to recognize the State of Palestine. The ambassadors of Spain and Norway attended the same meeting for the same reason. Before any discussions, they were shown a previously unaired video of Hamas taking female army conscripts captive on 7 October last year. It is understood the Irish Government was disappointed at this, on the basis that it fell below the established procedures and practices regarding diplomatic engagement. What is believed to have been a “forthright exchange of views”...

A Garda was injured and 13 people were arrested following a night of unrest on Wednesday outside a site in Dublin earmarked to house asylum seekers, just one day after anti-refugee protesters "impeded" efforts to bring International Protection Applicants there. The centre on Ballyogan Road, around 12 kilometres south of the capital, was the scene of a shocking display on Tuesday evening, when people gathered outside the site stopped a bus carrying asylum seekers from entering the facility where they would be safely housed. Following the horrific unrest on Tuesday, a further standoff ensued between Gardaí and people in attendance...

I’m allowed to say the following because I’m Irish. We get to say it about each other. Except this time, the N-word is “Nazi.”Ireland, Norway, and Spain are now recognizing a country that does not exist and never has.Ireland Recognizes Palestine As Independent StateSo: Hamas butchers and rapes a bunch of innocent people, diligently documents it all on livestream video, and now the world is supposed to hand them a state? Please take that idea and stuff it up your bottom with a broom handle till your tonsils ache.It’s official: Antisemitism is mainstream, and nobody cares because none of these...

The Israeli foreign ministry has posted a video message directed at Ireland, which claims that if the Irish Government recognizes the State of Palestine, it will be encouraging terrorism. The headline states: “Recognizing a Palestinian state will lead to more terrorism, instability in the region and jeopardize any prospects for peace. Don’t be a pawn in the hands of Hamas.” In the 35-second video, the script declares: “Ireland: The possibility of recognizing a Palestinian state risks turning you into a pawn of Iran and Hamas.” It continues: “Such a move will only strengthen Hamas and weaken an already dysfunctional Palestinian...

CV NEWS FEED // The Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference is calling on the faithful to join in praying the Conference’s third annual pro-life novena on May 23. The Pray for Life Novena will be led once more by the Council for Life of the Irish Bishops’ Conference, and will continue until May 31, the Feast of the Visitation, according to a CatholicNews press release. “As we embark on our third annual Pray for Life Novena, we form a community of prayer, whether online or in person,” Bishop Kevin Doran of Elphin stated in the release. He continued: We pray not...

A British museum will remove the bones of a true-life giant in an effort to honor the deceased’s final wishes, but trustees want to retain the remains in the interest of “bona fide research.” “John Hunter and other anatomists and surgeons of the 18th and 19th centuries acquired many specimens in ways we would not consider ethical today and which are rightly subject to review and discussion,” trustees of the Hunterian Museum wrote in a statement. Irishman Charles Byrne reached a staggering height of 7-foot-7, earning the nickname of the “Irish Giant.” Upon his death in June 1783 at the...

FLATIRON, Manhattan (WABC) -- A new art installation in New York City that transports viewers more than 3,000 miles away to Dublin will temporarily shut down Tuesday to address some bad behavior. The installation, called the Portal, features two identical sculptures with a visual live stream connecting the two cities. It was unveiled last Wednesday next to the famed Flatiron Building.

The economy is experiencing a golden moment thanks to exports and tourism after cleaning up its accounts. But the country has paid a price in migration of qualified workers and reduction of public services. Ten years after the departure of the “men in black” — the international managers of the European Commission, International Monetary Fund and European Central Bank who cleaned up Portugal’s accounts with a machete, the country has emerged as the most diligent student in southern Europe. In 2023, for the first time, public debt fell below 100% of GDP (it stood at 98.7%) and there was a...

Ireland, Spain and a number of other EU member states are considering 21 May as the date on which they will jointly recognize the State of Palestine, RTÉ News understands. Two sources have said that 21 May is being looked at. A third source said contacts between Dublin and Madrid, as well as between Slovenia and Malta, have been intensifying with a view to the countries jointly recognizing Palestinian statehood. […] Currently, eight EU member states recognize the State of Palestine, the most recent being Sweden in 2014. Ireland has been in ongoing discussions with “like-minded” states for a number...

Sir Dermot Turing, renowned historian and nephew of Alan Turing, delivered a lecture based on his book "X Y & Z: The Real Story of How Enigma Was Broken" on 29 March, 2023, in Trinity College Dublin.Drawing on recently declassified archives Sir Dermot Turing told in full the real story how Enigma was broken. He fully acknowledged the groundbreaking work of Polish mathematicians produced as early as 1930s which subsequently led to the joint efforts of the French, British and Polish secret services (X, Y and Z) during the Second World War.Who really broke Enigma? - lecture by Sir Dermot...

The Irish state is now at war with its own people as clashes grow between police and Irish citizens who are protesting against unchecked migrants being forced into their communities.

"This is Lilian Seenoi-Barr. She is the African woman serving as the mayor of Derry, Northern Ireland. She was APPOINTED, not ELECTED. She says that native people protesting mass immigration to Ireland are domestic terrorists." Way of the World Twitter video

The rate of carbon tax will increase today with consumers of carbon fuels set to pay more for such products. Carbon tax is applied per tonne (1.1 ton) of carbon dioxide emitted by carbon fuels, and from today it increases by €7.50 ($8), bringing the rate to €56 ($59.71) per tonne. From today, natural gas customers will also pay just over 1c (1.1¢) extra per kilowatt hour, adding just under €17 ($18.22) to annual bills. It will bring the total carbon tax that customers pay in a year to around €122 ($130), based on average consumption of 11,000 kilowatt hours...