It’s not easy being secretary of state for Northern Ireland, as Chris Heaton-Harris, the current incumbent, would no doubt confirm. Back in the 1980s one of his predecessors, Jim Prior, explained that part of the problem was that most northern secretaries didn’t last more than two years. As he told …

Chairing multi-party talks in Northern Ireland was a “hateful” experience, with the two governments suffering like “toads under the harrow”, Patrick Mayhew complained in March 1997. Just a month before the British general election, the northern secretary was in no doubt about the outcome – Labour would win, he told …

Austrian engineer Gaston Glock, whose eponymous Glock pistol achieved global cult status, died yesterday, according to the company. “In Memoriam Gaston Glock 07/19/1929 – 12/27/2023,” read the company’s site, showing a photo of Glock – standing arms crossed in a dark suit with a maroon tie – against a black …

Which Northern politician was “difficult to get to know and even less easy to like”? What party’s leader was “a complex character, capable of dark moods and depression”? And who was “a loose cannon” with “a reputation for speaking first and thinking later”? The answers are contained in documents prepared …

Newly released government documents reveal surprising insights into one of the key relationships in the peace process – that between Ulster Unionist Party leader David Trimble and Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams. Despite his visceral distaste for republicanism and anything to do with the IRA, Trimble appeared fascinated by Adams. …

George W Bush’s narrow victory in the 2000 Presidential election didn’t come entirely as a surprise to the Irish Embassy in Washington. Four months before the vote, the embassy sent Dublin a scathing assessment of his opponent, out-going Vice-President, Al Gore. The embassy felt Gore was suffering by being linked …

Every year, the release of State Papers around Christmas time draws a flurry of interest as stories that many may have forgotten resurface. Some of the main stories to re-emerge have been covered elsewhere, but here are five other things we learned from this year’s archive release: Rising star Blair …

Top Mexican and US officials said that they made progress in emergency talks on curbing a surge in migration, which has become a major headache for President Joe Biden as he enters an election year. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken paid an unusual Christmas week visit to Mexico City …

A Status Yellow rain and wind warning has been issued for eight counties. The warning for counties Clare, Cork, Kerry, Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo and Sligo is in effect until 6am tomorrow. Met Éireann said a combination of spring tides, large waves and strong winds may result in some coastal …

Heba Hej Habo fled war in Syria with her family when she was seven years old. Back then, she says her only hope was to survive. The 18-year-old’s family travelled through Europe and eventually found refuge in Ireland in 2017. She has been living in Co Wexford ever since and …