U2’s Bono gives ‘freedom’ concert in Kyiv metro

KYIV — Irish rock group U2’s frontman Bono and his bandmate The Edge performed a 40-minute concert in a metro station in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on Sunday and praised Ukrainians fighting for their freedom from Russia.

“Your president leads the world in the cause of freedom right now… The people of Ukraine are not just fighting for your own freedom, you’re fighting for all of us who love freedom,” Bono told a crowd of up to 100 gathered inside the Khreshchatyk metro station. He was referring to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, pressing towards Kyiv before withdrawing its forces from near the capital at the end of March to concentrate its firepower on eastern Ukraine.

“I am grateful to [Bono, U2] for supporting our people and drawing even more attention to the need to help our people,” Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address.

Russia, which calls its action in Ukraine a “special military operation,” continues to carry out missile strikes across Ukraine. However, some life has returned to Kyiv even though air raid sirens sound regularly.

Bono rallied the crowd between songs during his performance.

“This evening, 8th of May, shots will ring out in the Ukraine sky, but you’ll be free at last,” he said. “They can take your lives, but they can never take your pride.”

-reuters

St Patrick's Day returns to Ireland after 2-year hiatus

Hundreds of thousands of Irish and international visitors were to celebrate St. Patrick's Day in Ireland on Thursday after a two-year pause in festivities due to the coronavirus.

Events celebrating Ireland's patron saint were some of the first to be called off in 2020 as mass gatherings were shelved, pubs closed and international travel stopped.

But restrictions have been lifted, and organizers are billing this year's celebrations as a symbol of the country's return after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Coordinators have promised the centerpiece parade through the streets of central Dublin on Thursday will be bigger and better than ever.

Interim director of the St. Patrick's Festival Anna McGowan said this year's event -- boosted by extra city and government funding -- would be "Ireland's reopening moment."

The specter of fresh COVID measures has hung over events in Dublin, which in normal times would take 18 months to organize.

While planning had been going on in the background, it was only in January that the government announced they expected the parade to go ahead.

"Suddenly, it was like someone just lit a fire under all of us," McGowan told AFP. "It has been just one of the most intense planning periods I think this festival has ever seen."

Ukraine tribute

Up to 400,000 attendees and 3,000 participants are expected at the parade, with 250 contractors involved in preparing the route and erecting stages. 

Along the parade route, which is normally swathed almost entirely in green, the Dublin City Council has placed 100 lamp-post banners in the blue and yellow colors of Ukraine.

On bridges over the River Liffey in the city's beating heart, the Ukrainian national flag will replace the Irish tricolor in some places.

Festival-goers are being urged to bring items like Ukrainian flags to show their solidarity following Russia's invasion of the country.

Parts of the parade will also reflect on the war, organizers said.

At The Temple Bar pub, which shares its name with the busy area that contains many of Dublin's most famous watering holes, staff were bracing for the busiest day of the year.

Barman Andrew Roche said that with pubs closed until midday, people would be "loaded up" outside waiting to come in after the parade.

"As soon as the doors open, there's just a flood of people and just a great atmosphere," he said, explaining the crowds would be "mayhem" and "electric."

Beer 

Roche, who had only been working months at the pub when it opened for the last St. Patrick's Day, said he expected "the biggest Paddy's day in a long time."

Preparations were being made to make sure the pub "was as efficient as possible," he added.

On the day, "there's never a moment where there aren't five taps pouring beer and there's constantly beer going out and money coming in," he said.

St Patrick's Day is typically celebrated in cities across the world, led by the Irish diaspora and expatriates.

Dublin Airport has said it expects 800,000 passengers to travel through in the 12-day St Patrick's Day period from March 12 to March 24.

Kenneth Will, director of the Pride of Dayton Marching Band, traveled to the Irish capital with 130 student band members from the University of Dayton in the US state of Ohio.

Along with taking in Ireland's tourist sites, the group will be performing in the parade after having to cancel in 2020.

"To come over... and perform in front of the thousands of people here in Dublin is really special to this group, and I know that they're really excited," he said.

Irish culture is predominant in the United States, Will said, referring to the millions of people in the country who identify as being of Irish ancestry.

"Whether it's your ancestors or whether it's our basic foundation of the university, there are ties everywhere," he said.

Agence France-Presse

UFC star McGregor sorry for 'unacceptable' pub attack

LOS ANGELES – Mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor apologized on Thursday (Friday, Manila time) for his attack on an older man in a Dublin bar which was captured on video before going viral last week.

In an interview with ESPN on Thursday, the controversial Irish fighter said he was mortified by his conduct shown on the video, in which he punches the man in an apparently unprovoked attack.

"I was in the wrong," McGregor said. "That man deserved to enjoy his time in the pub without having it end the way it did.

"I must come here before you and take accountability and take responsibility. I owe it to the people that have been supporting me. I owe it to my mother, my father, my family. I owe it to the people who trained me in martial arts. That's not who I am."

The incident is now being investigated by police and McGregor said he is ready to accept any punishment meted out.

"Whatever comes my way, I will face it," McGregor said. "Whatever comes my way, I deserve it. I will face this head on. I will not hide from it. I was in the wrong. It was completely unacceptable behavior for a man in my position."

The 31-year-old, an icon of the UFC, meanwhile said he is keen to return to fighting despite announcing his retirement in March.

"I must get my head screwed on and just get back in the game and fight for redemption, retribution, respect — the things that made me the man I am," McGregor said. "And that's what I will do."


McGregor has not fought since being battered into submission by archrival Khabib Nurmagomedov in October last year.

However he insists he is ready to make a comeback despite his lengthy layoff.

"Mine is gonna be the greatest (comeback) of all," McGregor said.

source: philstar.com

Ireland gay marriage law comes into force

DUBLIN, Ireland -- Ireland's new same-sex marriage law comes into force from Monday, six months after the country voted to allow gay unions in a historic referendum.

Existing same-sex marriages registered abroad will be immediately recognized in Ireland, while other couples can now submit their intention to marry.

"I felt I didn't have permission to say we were married but from now we will say it at every opportunity," said Vivian Cummins, 57, from Dublin who married his partner Erney in South Africa in 2009.

"I would never really admit by choice to being married because I didn't feel married in this country," he told AFP.

In May, Ireland voted 62.1 percent in favor of allowing marriage between two people "without distinction as to their sex," the first time anywhere that gay marriage has been legalized in a referendum.

It was a long journey for LGBT campaigners in the traditionally Catholic country that only decriminalised homosexual acts in 1993.

"After years of waiting for this day, it's just an extraordinary moment for us," said Senator Katherine Zappone, who lost a High Court case in 2006 to have her Canadian marriage to her wife recognized in Ireland.

The couple plan to bring their "marriage home" in a ceremony in January after Zappone proposed to her wife Ann Louise Gilligan live on national television after the referendum result was announced.

A total of 2,054 couples have entered a civil partnership since Ireland introduced the legal unions in 2011 but a further ceremony will be required to convert these into marriage, with just a few days’ notice.

Under Irish law, it is required to submit an "intention to marry" to authorities three months before a marriage.

Longest engagement on Earth

Those already in civil partnerships will only have to give five days’ notice under the new rules.

And the 187 couples who have applied for civil partnerships since the referendum will be able to get married instead, from as soon as Monday in some cases.

"I think it's going to be massive," said wedding planner Marian Purcell of Gay Weddings Ireland.

Purcell has 15 same-sex weddings booked already and "a lot more in the pipeline" with enquiries from couples in America, Slovenia, Italy and England.

"It's going to be very exciting in the future. I don't think it will die down after the initial few, everyone loves a good wedding," she told AFP.

"People are seeing Ireland in a new light as an LGBT friendly country for honeymoons and holidays too."

But after a long campaign and several milestones, as the new legislation worked its way through parliament, campaigners are looking forward to weddings beginning.

"I suspect people must now be feeling like this is the longest engagement on Earth," said Colm O'Gorman, chief executive of Amnesty International Ireland and one of the leading "Yes" campaigners.

"We are at last at the stage where people are just getting on with their lives and marriages can happen."

source: interaksyon.com

GAY WORLD | 19 countries with same-sex marriage

PARIS, France - Ireland has voted to legalize same-sex marriage, official results showed on Saturday, joining 18 countries which have made, or are in the process of making the change, 13 of them in Europe.

Referendums have previously been held in Croatia and Slovenia, and in both cases voters rejected legalizing gay marriage. In Slovenia same-sex marriages were, however, legalized by parliament in March 2015.

Europe

IRELAND: A constitutional amendment to allow gay marriage is passed in a May 22 referendum by 62 percent in favor to 38 percent against.

Parliament will now have to vote for the change to become law -- a formality since all the political parties were in favor.

THE NETHERLANDS: In April 2001, the Netherlands became the first country to allow gays and lesbians to marry in a civil ceremony and adopt children.

BELGIUM: Same-sex marriage was made legal in June 2003, but some restrictions apply. Homosexual couples were allowed to adopt children in 2006.

SPAIN: The country's socialist government made same-sex marriage legal in July 2005. Homosexual couples were also allowed to adopt, regardless of their marital status.

NORWAY: Homosexuals and heterosexuals were put on the same legal footing in January 2009 and allowed to marry, adopt and resort to assisted reproductive technologies.

SWEDEN: Same-sex couples were allowed to marry in civil or Lutheran Church ceremonies in May 2009. Adoptions for all have been legal since 2003.

PORTUGAL: Same-sex marriage has been legal since June 2010 but adoptions by homosexuals are not.

ICELAND: Same-sex marriages were legalized in June 2010, adoptions by homosexuals in 2006.

DENMARK: Since June 2012, gays and lesbians are allowed to marry in Lutheran Church ceremonies. Denmark was the first country in the world to legalize civil unions for gays and lesbians in 1989.

FRANCE: Same-sex marriage and adoptions by homosexuals were legalized in May 2013.

ENGLAND AND WALES: A law authorizing same-sex marriage was adopted in July 2013, followed by SCOTLAND in February 2014. British-controlled NORTHERN IRELAND remains deeply divided on the issue and is the only part of the United Kingdom not to make the change.

LUXEMBOURG: Parliament approved same-sex marriage in June 2014 and, just months after the law came into force, Prime Minister Xavier Bettel married his gay partner in May 2015.

SLOVENIA: Parliament voted in March 2015 to legalize gay marriage, three years after Slovenians voted against the measure in a referendum.

FINLAND: Voted for gay marriage in 2014, with the law set to come into effect in 2017.

North America

CANADA: A law authorizing same-sex marriage and adoptions entered into force in July 2005.

UNITED STATES: Same-sex marriage is legal in 37 states as well as the capital Washington DC. In a landmark decision in June 2013 the US Supreme Court found that couples in same-sex marriages are entitled to the same benefits and protections as their heterosexual counterparts. Judges are due to rule on the status of gay marriage nationwide in June.

MEXICO: The country's federal capital has allowed same-sex marriage since 2009.

South America

ARGENTINA: In July 2010, Argentina became the first Latin American country to legalize same-sex marriage. Homosexual couples can also adopt.

URUGUAY: In April 2013, Uruguay became the second Latin American country to approve same-sex marriage. It had legalized adoptions by same-sex couples in 2009.

BRAZIL: It has de facto authorized same-sex marriage since May 14, 2013, after the National Council of Justice ordered clerks to register all marriages pending the adoption of a law by parliament.

Africa

SOUTH AFRICA: In November 2006, it became the first African country to legalize same-sex civil partnerships or marriage, also allowing couples to adopt.

Asia-Pacific

NEW ZEALAND: Marriage between homosexuals was legalized in April 2013, around 27 years after homosexuality was decriminalized in the first such decision in the Asia-Pacific region.

source: interaksyon.com

Daniel Radcliffe Parties With Dublin Minor Football Team

Now this is the way to celebrate a big win.

Shortly after winning the All-Ireland football championship Sunday, the Dublin Minors found themselves in the company of one pretty big star while they were partying the night away post-event.

So, how exactly did Daniel Radcliffe end up hanging out with the athletes until the wee hours of the morning at a house party?




The Harry Potter star, who is in Ireland filming The F Word, struck up a conversation with three of the teammates on Grafton Street at 3 a.m. on Monday, one player told the Belfast Telegraph.

"We thought he was a fan from England who had come over for the game," Dublin defender Conor Mulally said. "He was small enough and wearing a cap for a disguise, so we just didn't recognize him at first. Then it suddenly hit us who it was—Daniel Radcliffe was standing beside us. We kept talking for ages and he asked for the Irish experience."

"He was stone cold sober, being an absolute gent about it," Mulally said in a radio interview with FM104.



After their convo, Radcliffe and the players took off on foot to a house in Dundrum for some late night/early morning festivities. After a few passersby noticed Radcliffe—the athletes brushed it off by joking that their new mate just looked like the A-lister—the group decided to cab it the rest of the way.

"He realized he didn't have any money on him…and we had to pay for his taxi," Mulally continued. "We ran up to the door to tell [the other teammates] he was there and you should've seen the look on their faces."

Radcliffe, who said he had to be back on set at 8 a.m., stayed at the house for about "an hour and a half." And when it was time to call it a night? The players had pony up cab fare again, but it sounds like the actor will have a chance to pay his new friends back.



"He said he was really enjoying Dublin and would like to go out with us again. Then he asked for all of our numbers."

The footballer described Radcliffe as "a really nice lad" and jokingly agreed when the radio hosts called the actor the team's "celebrity lucky mascot."

Talk about a magical night!

source: eonline.com

Bestselling Irish author Maeve Binchy dies

LONDON - Maeve Binchy, one of Ireland's most beloved writers, has died in Dublin after a short illness at the age of 72, Irish media reported on Tuesday.

Binchy was revered for such novels as "Light a Penny Candle," "Tara Road," and "Circle of Friends," which was adapted for the screen in 1995. She sold more than 40 million books worldwide.






Her novels and short stories often examined the friction between tradition and modernity in Ireland. Her works have been translated into 37 languages.

Born in the Dublin suburb of Dalkey in 1940, she began her career as a teacher before moving into a distinguished career as a newspaper journalist and writer.

She then moved to London, where she became the London editor of The Irish Times newspaper.

Her first novel, "Light a Penny Candle," was published in 1982 and became a bestseller.

She later published dozens of novels, novellas and collections of short stories, including "The Copper Beech," "Silver Wedding," "Evening Class," and "Heart and Soul."

She announced her retirement in 2000, but continued writing. Her last novel, "Minding Frankie," was published in 2010.

Binchy lived in Dalkey until her death, not far from where she grew up.

She is survived by her husband, the writer Gordon Snell. –Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com