Irish

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Irish counterpart Leo Varadkar said Thursday they could see a "pathway" to reaching a Brexit deal after meeting for last-ditch talks, but remained cautious with just days left to strike an agreement.

The prospect of a disorderly Brexit has brought back haunting memories in the small Irish border town of Monaghan, where the church spire still stands askew from a massive bomb blast 45 years ago. "I've seen so many people die," said shopkeeper Macartan Kieran, 66. "Death and pain and anguish, it's no way to go. It's no way to go." If Britain crashes out of the European Union on March 29, townspeople fear the return of the "bad old days" when paramilitary violence was part of daily life. A no-deal Brexit could…

DUBLIN: Ireland's government on Tuesday approved the full excavation of a mass grave of infant and children's remains on the site of a former Catholic home for unmarried mothers. Significant quantities of baby remains were discovered in an apparent makeshift crypt in the town of Tuam in western Ireland during test excavations between 2016 and 2017. "I am committed to ensuring that all the children interred at this site can have a dignified and respectful burial," children's minister Katherine Zappone said in a…

The main sticking point in Brexit negotiations is how to keep the land border between Britain and Ireland open after Britain leaves the European Union. London believes frontier checks can be avoided through a new trade deal with Brussels, but accepts the need for a fall-back plan to address the issue until that deal is agreed. The terms of the so-called backstop are disputed, however, and both sides are racing to resolve their differences ahead of a key EU summit next week. Why is this an issue? After Brexit, the…

DUBLIN: Pope Francis marked the first papal visit to Ireland in 39 years by acknowledging that the failure of Church authorities to adequately address “repugnant” clerical child abuse crimes there remains a source of shame for the Catholic community. Francis arrived on Saturday for a highly charged visit to a society transformed since more than three-quarters of the population flocked to see Pope John Paul II in 1979 and beset by the kind of abuse scandals that have once more mired the Catholic Church in crisis. “I…

STRASBOURG: European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Tuesday said the EU stood firmly with Ireland in Brexit talks, just ahead of a crunch UK cabinet meeting which he said the bloc will follow closely. Juncker addressed the European Parliament at the start of a crucial week for British Prime Minister Theresa May who will gather her divided ministers on Friday to thrash out the trade ties Britain wants with the EU after Brexit. "We have been waiting for months for the White Paper of 10 Downing Street and we…

The wrangle over what will happen to the Irish border after Brexit has put the previously unthinkable possibility of reunification of the island of Ireland firmly on the political agenda. Support for staying in the European Union is increasing in Northern Ireland as the Brexit negotiations falter, according to a study released this month by Queen's University Belfast. The poll of more than 1,000 residents of Northern Ireland also found 47 percent supported holding a referendum, although only 21 percent said they would…

A secondary school in Ireland may have captured proof of the paranormal on film after a series of unexplained disturbances caused a big stir.  Deerpark CBS located in Cork city in south Ireland has released CCTV footage filmed in the school’s corridors which they reckon could show a ghost. The eerie footage was taken at 3am on October 1 showing spooky incidents including a door opening by itself and lockers rocking back and forth. The footage begins with a huge bang and some strange flashes that seem to be coming…

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump complimented a female journalist on her smile during a phone call with the new Irish prime minister, Leo Varadkar. However, the comment did not go over too well on social media. “We have a lot of your Irish press watching us right now,” President told Taoiseach Varadkar, who is the son of an Indian immigrant. “We have all of this Irish, beautiful Irish press here,” Trump added while congratulating Varadkar, who is the country’s youngest-ever and first openly gay leader. Soon,…

DUBLIN; Irish voters backed same-sex marriage by a landslide in a referendum marking a dramatic social shift in the traditionally Catholic country, government ministers and opponents of the bill said on Saturday.