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Ireland

This Happened

This Happened — August 22: Assassination of Michael Collins

Michael Collins, Commander in Chief of the Irish Free State, is shot in an ambush on this day in 1922.

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This Happened — May 5: Death Of An Irish Martyr

Bobby Sands died on this day in 1981, after 66 days on a hunger strike. He had refused food in protest of the British government's refusal to grant him and other IRA prisoners political prisoner status.

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World Rolls Eyes At “Nonno” Biden’s Reelection Run

After Joe Biden announced he's running for a second term as U.S. president this week, newspapers around the world began to brace for a rematch of two rather old men.

It was America's "worst-kept secret": U.S. President Joe Biden's announcement this week that he would seek re-election came as no surprise. Still, there was plenty to say around the world about the president officially joining the race for a second term.

Many commentators focused on the president’s (rising) age and (sinking) popularity, with some questioning the Democratic party’s decision to stick with “old, boring and moderate” Biden instead of a more progressive candidate.

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At 80, Biden is the country’s oldest-ever incumbent president, and if re-elected would be 86 by the end of his second term.

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When Joe Biden Came To My Hometown, And Why He May Be The Last Irish President

President Biden finishes his much-publicized trip to Ireland today in my tiny hometown. We're enjoying the pomp, but it's a reminder that the glory days of Irish America are well and truly gone.

-Essay-

BALLINA —U.S. President Joe Biden has come to visit my hometown of Ballina — population of just over 10,000. To put that in perspective, the press pack for his four-day visit to Ireland is around 1,000 people, or one-tenth of the town’s population.

On Thursday, the day before Biden's arrival, during a normally peaceful countryside walk, I saw the bizarre image of three large U.S. army helicopters landing on the football pitch of my old high school. They’re much bigger and even louder than they seem on television. They’re about 20 meters in length, and blowback from the choppers’ blades caused trees to bend almost to the point of snapping.

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The President himself wasn’t on board. He was still in Dublin, so this was presumably just part of the security detail's advance planning. Pray for those trees when the whole cavalcade actually arrives.

So, what is one of the most powerful people in the world doing in a small town in remote county Mayo, in the west of Ireland — a town that had previously been best known for its salmon festival?

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Geopolitics
Liam Kennedy*

In The Footsteps Of JFK: Biden's Ireland Trip Weaves Personal With Geopolitical

There's a long tradition of U.S. presidents — many of whom have been of Irish heritage — visiting Ireland. But Joe Biden's visit is much more than just a diplomatic mission.

The U.S. president, Joe Biden, is expected in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. His visit will be one of historic symbolism and of personal significance, as an Irish Catholic president who has spoken proudly of his ties to the country.

A few weeks ago, the UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, formally invited Biden to come to Northern Ireland to mark the anniversary of the peace deal, which the U.S. helped broker. The UK has much work to do to repair relations with the U.S. following the Trump-Johnson years, especially if they are to pursue a much desired trade deal that has been stymied partly due to U.S. concerns about the safety of the Good Friday Agreement post-Brexit.

The four-day visit comes at a fragile time for the agreement, threatened by post-Brexit trade arrangements and political tensions in Northern Ireland. Power-sharing in the Northern Ireland assembly — a key feature of the Good Friday Agreement — has been in limbo for over a year, due to a boycott by the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). In a recent poll, a majority of Northern Irish unionists said they would vote against the agreement if a referendum were held today.

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This Happened

This Happened—January 30: Bloody Sunday

On January 30, 1972, the worst mass shooting in Northern Irish history took place when British soldiers opened fire during a protest march.

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This Happened

This Happened—​November 21: IRA Strikes The Pubs Of Birmingham

The Irish Republican Army (IRA) carried out numerous terrorist acts against Britain through the 20th century, but among the bloodiest were the Birmingham Pub Bombings in 1974 at the height of The Troubles.

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LGBTQ Plus

LGBTQ+ International: Trusting Truss, Uganda’s Banned Festival, Peaceful Poland Pride — And The Week’s Other Top News

Welcome to Worldcrunch’s LGBTQ+ International. We bring you up-to-speed each week on a topic you may follow closely at home, but can now see from different places and perspectives around the world. Discover the latest news on everything LGBTQ+ — from all corners of the planet. All in one smooth scroll!

This week featuring:

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blog
Bertrand Hauger

A Long Time Since Tipperary

Some photos speak for themselves, others can use a little explaining. Though I took this shot almost 40 years ago, seeing it brought back some vivid memories: For starters, our meal at "Chez Hans," housed in a former church in County Tipperary in the south of Ireland, was delicious.

Despite its Franco-German sounding name — and never mind the Swiss, American and German flags! — I remember feasting on traditional Irish delicacies. But rediscovering this slide in my archives brought back my recollection of that little boy in the foreground, staring directly at my camera: He was a spooky little lad!

blog

Lucky Chaplin

There is a well-known statue of Charlie Chaplin in Vevey, Switzerland, not far from my hometown, where the great American actor lived for 25 years. But what was he doing in Ireland? The quiet village of Waterville, County Kerry, happened to be a favorite vacation spot for the Chaplin family.

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Economy
Alexandre Counis

Inside Cork, Apple's Controversial European Headquarters

CORK — On a December morning, as my plane pierces the ceiling of clouds and begins its descent toward the airport of Cork, my eyes are drawn to the flocks of sheep spread across the green fields below. It's hard to imagine but this seemingly rural backdrop in southern Ireland houses the European headquarters of Apple, one the most important American companies in the world.

Cork has made headlines in recent months. Last year, the European Commission ordered Apple to pay 13 billion euros in back taxes to Ireland based on their operations in Cork. Apple employs 6,000 people in the city, and created an estimated 2,500 related jobs. The Commission accused Ireland of illegally helping Apple with tax breaks and denounced Dublin's tax incentives policy.

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Sources
Andrej Mrevlje

My Irish Holiday: Summer Winds And Whiskey

Our itinerant Slovenian-born New Yorker takes a long-awaited voyage to the land of Joyce and good drink, and a certain singular brand of modesty.

How does one decide to visit Ireland? I have friends who did it out of their newly discovered passion for golf. And I remember the late president of Italy, Francesco Cossiga, who went to Ireland every summer and praised Irish literature and Guinness.

Then there are my Slovenian compatriots who, when I asked them what Ireland was like, told me that it was very similar to our country. And last but not least, there are my Irish friends. But none of them — not a single one — ever told me that I should come and visit Ireland. The Irish are modest. They love their country and they want to keep it to themselves. And like all smart people, they are also inveterate gossips.

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