Free Republic

US Secretary of State John Kerry is to receive the 2015 Tipperary International Peace Award, honoring his attempts to end the conflict in a number of countries. He will receive the award this Sunday, October 30, at a ceremony in Tipperary where his role in the negotiations for the surrender of Syria’s declared chemical weapons, in particular, will be highlighted. Established in 1984, the Tipperary Peace Convention annually honors a figure believed to have made great efforts towards achieving peace. […] Previous recipients of the award include South African president Nelson Mandela, secretary general of the UN Ban Ki-moon, Nobel...

The friendship between Ireland and the United States has deep roots, and Irish Americans have played an integral role in making our country a place of hope and opportunity. During Irish-American Heritage Month, we recognize the vital contributions of Irish Americans to our Nation. Since our founding, Irish immigrants have come to America's shores in search of better lives. Today, millions of American citizens are of Irish descent, and they and their forbearers have helped shape our way of life, strengthened our economy, and contributed to the arts, and protected our Nation. Irish Americans have shown their devotion to our...

A Thurles man who suffered the wrath of unwanted night time visitors recently has taken to mounting a surveillance of his locality in a bid to catch the perpetrators of crime - the scene of which he feels certain they will return to. The man who does not wish to be identified is now patrolling the area at night time in the hope that the thieves return - they got away empty handed on the night, but may get more than they bargained for if they return. He awoke to find two thieves climbing through the window of his house...

An Irish beekeeper has failed to take the world record for attracting the most bees onto his body after managing a 200,000-strong 'bee beard'. Wearing little more than underpants and goggles, Philip McCabe, 59, failed to top the 1998 record set in the US of 87.5lb (40kg), or 350,000 bees. After two hours on scales, he was forced to give up because of numb feet. "The bees we have in Ireland, this native black bee, is different than the one that holds the record," he said. 'No stings' Mr McCabe, who is the head of the Irish Beekeepers Association, said...